To Do Today:

Photo Credit: Daniel Collis
Recipe for success:
These 3 things should be done daily.
Reading:
Have you struggled with reading the Bible because it "seems" stale or non-relevant?
Here are some tips to make it fresh and exciting:
Journaling:
Writing it down will help you act on it and remember it.
Some people have difficulty with journaling. They might consider it too sissy or just have expectations that overwhelm them. It doesn't have to be complicated. You might not write something every day. The important thing is that you will have a resource to go to the next time you have an issue and don't know the answer. You will be surprised how many times someone comes to you with a problem today and, because you journaled something six months ago, you can go right to Scripture for a solution.
Prayer:
The closer your relationship with God, the more you will find yourself spending time with Him in prayer. But to start out, schedule a few minutes devoted specifically to prayer. Typically, a good time is right after you are done reading and journaling but due to time constraints, that might not work for you. Another option is read through your journal at lunch to remind you what God spoke to you that day and spend 5-10 minutes praying. Remember to praise Him for who He is and what He has done. Ask Him to show you how to apply His commands in your life. Pray for the people that you have interacted with in the past 24 hours. Confess the areas in your life where you know you fall short – ask for help.
Training Schedule:
In the front of your journal, inside the cover, plan out your schedule for reading, journaling and prayer for each day. It will help you achieve your goal.
Now, add two more entries for each day.
Kick it up a notch
These 3 things should be done daily.
- Read Gods Word (Hebrews 5:12)
- Journal (Jeremiah 30:2)
- Pray (I Timothy 2:1, Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 5:7)
Reading:
Have you struggled with reading the Bible because it "seems" stale or non-relevant?
Here are some tips to make it fresh and exciting:
- Look for things you never saw before.
- Before reading, ask God to give you a new perspective on what you read.
- Put yourself in the story.
- How would you have reacted?
- What would you have done differently?
- How would the same situation be different in today’s society?
- Choose a reading plan or buy a “Bible in a year” – read it from cover to cover instead of having to search back and forth to find the daily passage to read.
Journaling:
Writing it down will help you act on it and remember it.
Some people have difficulty with journaling. They might consider it too sissy or just have expectations that overwhelm them. It doesn't have to be complicated. You might not write something every day. The important thing is that you will have a resource to go to the next time you have an issue and don't know the answer. You will be surprised how many times someone comes to you with a problem today and, because you journaled something six months ago, you can go right to Scripture for a solution.
- While you are reading, search for God’s commands first. When you find them, write them down. Try to think of situations that happened in the past 24 hours where you could have applied that command. Write down how you reacted, how you should have reacted and make a plan for how you will react the next time the situation occurs.
- Do the math… How many quail were there? How many days did Noah spend on the ark? How many years between kings? How many people would it take to get a message from Adam to Noah?
- Things you might not have noticed before – Genesis 25 – How many children did Abraham have after Isaac?
- Verses that encourage you - Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.” (New Living Translation)
Prayer:
The closer your relationship with God, the more you will find yourself spending time with Him in prayer. But to start out, schedule a few minutes devoted specifically to prayer. Typically, a good time is right after you are done reading and journaling but due to time constraints, that might not work for you. Another option is read through your journal at lunch to remind you what God spoke to you that day and spend 5-10 minutes praying. Remember to praise Him for who He is and what He has done. Ask Him to show you how to apply His commands in your life. Pray for the people that you have interacted with in the past 24 hours. Confess the areas in your life where you know you fall short – ask for help.
Training Schedule:
In the front of your journal, inside the cover, plan out your schedule for reading, journaling and prayer for each day. It will help you achieve your goal.
- List the time of day you plan to read. (Mon - Fri: 6:00, Sat - Sun: 7:00)
- List the length of time that you plan to read for. (20 minutes, until I read 2 chapters, until I have something to journal, etc.)
Now, add two more entries for each day.
- Journaling: Time of day (6:15, as soon as I am finished reading, after I am done praying, etc.)
- Prayer: Time of day (6:25, as soon as I am finished reading, after I am done journaling, etc.)
Kick it up a notch