Devotions and Jesus time

Hey! I just got home from school about an hour ago. Today was actually a good day, I mean some things were boring, but for the most part it was good. I think that my perspective has started to change recently because I've increased my time that I spend with God. I have been using this devotional book and it really helps me to focus on a topic and to go in depth with it. Before I would sort of flip through my Bible and read chapters, but not always get anything from it. I'm not saying that you have to always be able to apply those verses to life, but it's nice when you can relate and get some direction.
So now that I've been praying and spending more time in the Word, I am starting to feel more of a thirst for God to move and consume more of my life. I just want to share some of the things that I've been doing and these are some of the main stuff that I feel has affected me the most.
[Always pray first!]
I know this one sounds super easy, but it's also easy to slip up on it. Make sure to genuinely ask God to open your heart and mind to see what he has in store for you. You don't even have to talk! Prayer is communication, and that goes both ways: talking and listening. It's so good for you to sit and just soak in God's presence. It's not always easy to hear him or see how he works in our lives because there are SO many distractions. It takes time to learn to listen and soak in his presence. It's not easy and it's something I'm trying to work on also.
[Find your quiet place]
Try to pull away from all the noise and find a place that you can go to that is less distracting. Maybe you can't find a quiet place, so try to find a quiet time. Maybe early mornings or before bed. Make this your special meeting place.
[Look for accountability partners]
Get a really close friend who you trust and pray for each other. Talk to each other about things that have been going on, problems and triumphs. If possible, also get someone who is older than you because they are more experienced and can help give you a little guidance when you're confused, etc.

[Find a devotional]

This really really REALLY helps me. A lot of times, I don't know what to read in the Bible and devotionals really help me to focus on specific aspects of my life. They make devotionals for many age ranges, and it covers a lot of subject matter. This is definitely helpful for me.

[Worship]

If you feel like getting really deep in your devotions and if it's not just a quick few minutes, then set up a music playlist. Make a worship playlist that's made for your time with God. You can sing, you can dance, you can lift your hands, you can bow down; whatever way you worship him. You can also listen to this if you're out and about... I like to listen to worship music when I go on a run outside. Speaking of outside.......

[Outdoor Jesus time]

I love to be outside and take a walk and just talk with God. It's the perfect time to enjoy his creation and stand in awe of him. Praise God for the many many beautiful things that he has made. It is good, it is good!!

[Memory Verses]

It is good to memorize verses from the Bible. I usually memorize the ones that I know will help me and encourage me. Sometimes I memorize ones that are just ways to give glory to God.

I'll post a list of some of my favorite verses soooooon on my other blog. (http://music-songs-verses-starryamazement.blogspot.com/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So these were just a few ideas to help inspire you, in a way, to want more devotion time. I know that when I spend more time with God, it makes me want more and more of him. When I get off the track of Jesus time, I find it hard to get back into the routine of devotions. Kind of like when you don't excercise, you find it difficult to get back into shape, but once you're in shape it's easier to do more and more. I don't want to limit myself to a routine with God because I want him to move in my life whenever. So you are not limited to anything when it comes to God!! God works some things in our lives that are totally unexpected. I know that it is definitely hard to see what he is trying to do in our lives, but we just have to trust that he knows what's best for us even when we are filled with uncertainty.

Love y'all and praying for y'all,

starry_amazement

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note/ P.S./ Whatever: I originally wrote this May 5, 2011; however, I didn't get to post it until now. It's finally summer!! Hollaa!! :) Today was my last day of school, finally. I'll be trying to post more and more. (my goal!)