By Trinity T.
I don’t know if other people struggle with this too, but I like to think they do just so I feel better about myself. I can’t seem to ever do my devotionals daily. It’s not like I don’t read the Bible every day. Thanks to the Bible App, I can read one selected verse every day. And I also have a Bible Study with my family every evening. What I struggle with is reading my Bible alone and meditating.
I’m so grateful for the Bible App as it gives me so many resources anywhere, anytime, and at no cost. So here’s how it works, if you haven’t used it. You get the app (but you can also use the website). You start reading the Bible. Everyday, there’s a verse of the day, and even a Christian person talking about the verse (could be a pastor, singer, or just a passionate Christian) But there are also devotional plans. These deal with different topics.
The Bible is a vital part of our Christian lives so it’s important to get over that block to study the Word of God. Here are a few tips that have helped me complete a few Bible plans on time in the past few weeks.
1. Picking a plan
I’ve found that it’s easier to follow a plan if it’s relevant to your life. It’s not enough to just do a plan because every body else is doing it. It has to speak to what you’re going through. For example, I was struggling with anxiety and fear so I got a plan that’s meant to help you find peace. It was so good because all the Bible verses were exactly what I needed to hear that I found myself looking forward to reading them because they’d help me calm my heart. So think about where you need Jesus the most and find a plan that speaks to that.
2. Start easy
There are 30-day-long plans available on the Bible App. First off, I salute you if you’ve ever completed a month-long devotional! You’re up there with Paul on my list of heroes of the faith. As for me, finding a short plan has been the best thing to help me be consistent. So far, I’m doing short 5-day plans that I can finish easily. And when you finish one plan, it gives you confidence to do another. So in a way, you could be doing 30-day plans, just without it looking like a giant mountain to climb.
3. Set up a routine and stick to it.
This is important as if you just say you’ll do your devotional “when you get a few minutes” you’re portably not going to get any few minutes. I don’t even know why this happens but my days can get so packed with nothing in particular and by the time I know it, it’s 10 pm and I’m totally exhausted. So instead, I’ve made it a point to do my devotional in the morning when I sit down to study. It’s part of my routine now and it helps me feel like I’m putting God first. If your Bible time has a fixed place in your routine, it will allow you to stick to it and also show God that He has a place in your busy life.
4. Don’t give up
If you miss a day, don’t worry. Just catch up and try again. Another feature of the Bible app is it let’s you catch up on the days you missed. So if you miss a day, don’t feel like you’ve failed. We all struggle with this (apart from the forementioned Paul-like warriors).
So that’s my two-cents on making time for God daily. Thankfully, the Bible App has a lot of plans to pick from to help you in your journey. And if it’s not where you get your Word, that’s ok. I think these tips could work for you no matter where you get your daily devotionals. What matters most is growing closer to God. I can’t stress this enough; Jesus is the answer. I’ve seen this in my life lately. I’m at a critical point in my life. I’m turning 18 soon and I’m also going off to college soon. This has caused me a lot of fear and I’m not ashamed to admit it. But the point is, even when I don’t know where my life is going, I can rest knowing that there’s someone who will love me through all the tough decisions I have to make. Someone who will guide me in the right paths if I just let him. I don’t know what you’re going through, but I know God can see you through it if you let him.
Trinity, 17, has been homeschooling for almost four years. She lives in Uganda and is passionate about God, family, music, and writing. She hopes to use her writing to serve God and help other people.
