How To Develop A Daily Devotional Habit

Every morning when I awake, I lie in bed as quietly as possible and spend the first few precious moments of my day with God. I do this because I know as soon as I leave the comfort of my cozy bed, the cacophony of the day will start. Can you relate?

Our children clamor for their morning meal. Our families fill our calendars with pressing deadlines and ongoing concerns. Our phones ring and our inboxes overflow with a continuous influx of demands from friends, associates, and people we don’t even know.

If we’re not careful, our days can easily turn into an endless blur of activity.

The most refreshing parts of these busy days are the moments we spend sitting quietly with God, reading His Word and conversing with Him in prayer – but, without careful planning, commitment and forethought on our part, those precious moments will slip through our fingers like sand.

That’s why scheduling a daily devotional time with God is so important!

Without reserving a definite time for God and God alone, chances are high that more pressing but less eternally important things will end up filling every waking moment of our lives.

Make Time With God A Priority

Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

When it comes to spending time with God, many of us are perfectionists. We often focus on the quantity of time we have available to spend with God after we have tended to our children, our spouses, our homes, our jobs, our ministerial responsibilities, and all of the other things that so quickly fill our plates. Then – when we can’t find a free hour in our over-crowded days for Bible Study, or we’re too tired to go to a prayer service – we feel discouraged. If we can’t do things a certain way, we often fall into the trap of not doing anything at all.

In the process, we forget that spending time with God shouldn’t be a burden – it should be a joy! Our relationship with God should be overflowing with fervor. We should be passionately pursuing God in every waking moment – praying without ceasing, meditating on His every word.

In Matthew 11:30, Jesus says:

My yoke is easy and My burden is light. – Matthew 11:30

So, in the busy seasons of our lives – how can we focus on growing a quality relationship with God and making every precious moment we spend with Him count?

Spend Time With God Each Day

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. – Luke 10:27

One spiritual discipline that can transform your life is developing the habit of spending devotional time with God each day. There are lots of wonderful devotional books and magazines you can choose from to help you get started. You can also go online to Bible Gateway and choose one of their resources.

A good devotional contains the following elements:

• A Bible Passage for you to reflect on throughout the day
• A Devotional Story that will help you apply the verse to your life
• A Prayer Prompt to help you begin your conversation with God

It doesn’t take long to read a daily devotional and to reap the benefits of receiving spiritual nourishment throughout the day. You just need to decide when you want to schedule your devotional time, and then stick to your plan.

Did you know that FaithGateway has a FREE daily devotional from best-selling Christian authors, delivered right to you inbox every morning? If you haven’t checked it out already, they make it super easy to sign up right here:

>>> http://www.faithgateway.com/devotionals-daily-sign-up

Sign up today and with your registration get a FREE printable – 18 Encouraging Bible Verses to bring peace and comfort!

Once you get in the habit of reading through a portion of God’s word each day, meditating on the daily Scripture, and praying throughout the day – you’ll soon find yourself more aware of God’s presence in your life.

Teach Your Children To Pray Devotionally Too

Teaching your children to develop a devotional habit at an early age is an important part of their spiritual growth too – but sometimes, finding the right age-appropriate spiritual resources can be a challenge. That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to The Beginner’s Bible Kid-Sized Devotions – 365 Devotions To Grow Closer To God from Zonderkidz!

The Beginner’s Bible Kid-Sized Devotions makes it easy for you to share God’s Word with your 4 to 8 year old children and to instill the habit of daily Scripture reading, reflection and prayer in their lives! Each devotion includes a Bible Verse in the New International Reader’s Version – a story – a lesson – a colorful illustration – and a prayer, in bite-sized portions that your child can easily digest.

As you share The Beginner’s Bible Kid-Sized Devotions with your child, you’ll learn that there is nothing more precious than bonding with your child over God’s Word.

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Your Turn

What have you learned from your children about God from your discussions with them during your devotional times? What tips for beginning and sustaining a devotional time would you like to share with our readers? Be sure to leave a comment – we’d love to hear from you!