1) Make a commitment.
It's so easy to say "I'm going to do better at my devotions" and then the weeks go by and nothing has changed. If you want to make a change, commit to it. Tell someone else or a few people about your new resolution. Build some accountability. It would be great to even go as far as to find someone who will ask you about your progress every few days or each week. A little encouragement goes a long way.
2) Make a reading plan
There are many resources available for daily devotionals. You can find them at Christian book stores or on amazon.com or even Wal-Mart. Often a big excuse is, "I don't know where to start reading". Following a devotional will take some of the guesswork out, and help prevent the ol' random-flip-open-n- read (which I tend to be guilty of if I don't plan reading). If you don't prefer devotional books, or if you prefer doing your own reading that works too. Pick a book to read through or a topic to study out on your own. I did a 31 day study of Proverbs where I took a chapter a day for a whole month, it was one of the best studies I've done.
3) Keep a Journal
This is one of the best safeguards against blank reading. I know I often will get up and read a chapter or two and then I put my Bible down and soon forget what I read. Or I read the words on the page but that is as far as it goes and it never has a chance to reach my heart. Our verse in Joshua 1:8 says "...but thou shalt meditate therein day and night..." Not just simply read, but meditate. Keep a journal. Write down the passage you read and what spoke to you or jumped out at you from the passage. Write down a few questions about the passage to answer with further study. Try to relate what you read to some aspect of your life and record it in your journal. Just like a bar of soap, if we never apply it, it can't cleanse us. It also serves as a way of keeping some self-accountability.
4) Pick a time with the fewest distractions.
Forewarning: I said fewest. I can rarely find a time with absolutely no distractions, and if I do satan is quick to find one for me.
For me first thing in the morning works about half the time. If I'm going to do my devotions in the morning I have to do so before I get to caught up in all the other things I have to do that day. Before I go to bed works about the other half. There again though I can't wait too long or I'm so tired I either cut them short or just read with my eyes real fast and go to bed without having let the Word sink in or meditating on it. Get up 15 minutes early or go to bed 15 minutes early. It's not going to kill us to miss 15 minutes of sleep or TV; however, missing time with God will weaken our hearts and our lives.
5) Don't just pray. Talk to God.
It's easy to throw out a quick prayer when we wake up or before we sit down to eat or even before we go to bed, but if we are only giving God a quick "Thank you for the food, thank you for the day" then we really aren't conversing with God. The Bible speaks of praying without ceasing(I Thes.5:17) and pouring our hearts out to Him(Ps. 62:8). Take time in your day to really talk to God. Share your feelings whether joy, worry, or even anger. Avoid simply venting on God, but let Him know your fears, worries, and struggles. He promises to hear and help us if we only ask. Spend some time thanking Him for what He has done and for prayers He has answered. Pray for the needs of others (James 5:16). Pray for direction and strength. God will always hear us. He is never unavailable or too busy; It's us who use those excuses.
What about you? Do you have any tips that are a help to you? I would love to hear them.
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