People often ask me what is a devotional? I like to tell them that it’s a time of dedication that I make to God, but in a very intimate and exclusive way. For God, it is a unique and special moment in my life, and the purpose is obviously to know God better and have that relationship with him. If you look up the word Devotion it means: Dedication to someone or something.
Wondering how to start a devotional practice but not sure where to begin? In this article, I share my personal tips, tools, and steps to help you establish a meaningful and consistent connection with God. Discover the true essence of devotion, learn how to interpret a devotional, and explore the transformative power of dedicating time to God in an intimate and exclusive way. I delve into the importance of following Jesus’ example of prioritizing time with the Father and offer practical advice on creating a sacred space for your devotional practice.
From setting the right mindset to incorporating elements like prayer, adoration, forgiveness, and intercession into your routine, I guide you on a journey towards deepening your faith and enriching your relationship with God.
Embrace the beauty of starting your day in peace and dedication, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you through each step. Let’s embark on this spiritual journey together and discover the joy of cultivating a closer bond with God.
We don’t go so far we have the greatest example which is Jesus. Jesus is the greatest example we have of his worship and his desire to grow in his relationship with the Father. Luke 5:16 says: he used to withdraw to solitary places to pray Jesus set aside spaces in his day to just be with God. Many of us Christians tend to do it either in the morning when we get up or at night before going to sleep which even seems little to me because Jesus did it several times during his day and it really was a priority in his routine so if the Messiah needed the Father how much more are we not going to need him.
“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
Psalms 5:3 NIV
Most people wake up and immediately give their mental energy to notifications, news, and other people’s agendas. But what if you gave your FIRST and BEST thoughts to the One who orchestrated your day before you even opened your eyes?
Here are some tips of how I start my day.
- First things first: Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to receive.
- Short prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to begin each day, asking you to guide my actions, my words and my decisions in a way that pleases you. 2nd Corinthians 5:9 says that our goal is to please him. I want to please him more than I want to please anyone else. This can be in your room, kitchen, wherever you want to meet and talk to God. My favorite place is outside. If the weather is nice I love to go on prayer walks in the morning. There is nothing like movement as the sun is rising. I feel closest to him on my early morning walks.
- Adoration: Give him thanks for everything from the breath in your lungs to your morning coffee. Thankfulness goes along way.
- Forgiveness: Ask for forgiveness of our sins. Forgiveness is one of the fastest ways to spiritually grow. Forgiveness is where your anointing comes from. And forgiveness is how you produce the spiritual fruit of kindness because it becomes divine to show someone forgiveness.
- Intercession: Pray for others that are sick or have needs.
- Our petitions: Here we ask for our needs, wants, dreams. It’s okay to ask our heavenly Father for these thing’s.
- Essentials for your Bible study:
• Bible in hand!
- • Markers/pens that don’t bleed through (Zebra Mildliners are my favorite)
- • Notebook for taking notes and reflecting
- • Instrumental Christian music in the background (it helps a lot to delve deeper into the reading)
Every morning, you get to choose: Will you start your day downloading the world’s agenda, or will you upload heaven’s purposes into your heart? Your choice in those first few minutes of your day will echo through every following hour. It makes a huge difference. Take it at your own pace and allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide.
Tip: Don’t overthink it, all he wants is our heart and our devotion to him.
🕊️ A Prayer to Close
Dear Lord, as we rise to meet each new day, please let us be filled with Your spirit. Wherever we go, let us spread love, joy, peace, goodness, and faithfulness. Let us desire to become more like you and to worship you in all we do. Help us desire these things so much more than the sin that entices us. Thank you for always going before us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Life can be incredibly sweet when you walk with Jesus.
Xoxo
Alexa
