I love all things new. Thankfully, God loves all things new, too! But over the years, He has taught me some really practical things to do month over month to keep me in His Word. I thought I would share them with you here. Maybe you will be challenged to spend more time in prayer and Bible study. Who doesn't need more of Him? I certainly do!!
So here you go. My top 5 ways to spend more time getting to know the heart of God through prayer and Bible study every month!
1. Read through the Psalms and Proverbs every month. Both of these books lend themselves to be covered in a month's time. You can read through the book of Psalms in a month by reading about 5 chapters a day. This is very quick reading until you get to Psalm 119, but that chapter is so rich that you will not get weary even on that day! Proverbs is perfectly suited for a monthly reading plan because it is already divided in 31 chapters. And on those months covered by "30 days has September, April, June and November" you can easily read the 31st chapter on the 30th. And in February you get a good heavy dose of Proverbs on the last day of the month!
2. Take a 30-Day Spiritual Challenge. I have found some terrific resources at Revive Our Hearts, the ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I have not read her books and don't always get to listen to her radio program, but her website is a treasure trove of resources for those wanting to spend more time focused on God and His heart. For example, you can take the Choosing Gratitude challenge. Each day you will receive an e-mail encouraging you in ways you can choose gratitude. I find that these are wonderful ways to dive into concentrated prayer, journaling, etc. You can find all of the 30-Day Challenges HERE.
3. Get a subscription to Journey magazine. I have loved Journey for as long as it has even been a publication. My former church provided it to us free of charge. Even if your church doesn't, it isn't that expensive -- maybe $20 a year. But I love how this devo is set up. It has daily readings, but then it has features from beloved Christian writers and then every now and again they will give someone like me a shot at being published! (September 2001, Everything I Know About God I Learned At Wal-Mart. No lie. That's what I wrote. Have mercy!) Journey gives very practical devotionals about everyday life as a Christian woman -- whether you are married, single, divorced, a mother, a grandmother, etc. You can see a sample and subscribe to Journey HERE.
4. Pray a different biblical virtue into the lives of you and your immediate family members each day of the month. Again, Revive Our Hearts has a wonderful resource for this called 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children. While this list is specifically designed for children, I have found myself praying for the designated virtue over me, my husband, my children, their teachers, etc. Even if you don't have children, you can pray this for yourself and any children God has placed under your spiritual authority. This is downloadable and I have it in a notebook under a page protector so I can have it ready and available each month. For example, today's virtue looks like this: Salvation—"Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10) I love that it gives a specific prayer and scriptures that I can pray that back up that virtue. You can find this download HERE. Another terrific resource is Stormie Omartian's book The Power of a Praying Parent. 31 short chapters with invaluable spiritual guidance in being intentional about being on our faces praying to God on behalf of our children.
5. Pray a specific request for your spouse everyday. My mind is prone to wander. And when I pray for my children and spouse, I have to be very intentional. Lists work well for me. Fortunately, there is also a list of 31 Days of Praying for Your Husband. It is also at Revive Our Hearts and you can download it HERE. I do it much the same way as #4 above. I put it in a notebook and keep it before me each day, praying scripture on behalf of my man. No husband? Pray for your boyfriend in these ways. No boyfriend? Pray for your future husband! Pray for your Daddy! Pray for your brother! Again, The Power of a Praying Wife is an excellent monthly book to go through. I love Day One of this book because it has me in mind. It is called "His Wife." It's a long chapter, but wives are pretty complex people and require a lot of work to make us into all God intended for us to be to our husbands. But the last lines of the prayer gets to me everytime: "Make me a new person, Lord. Give me a fresh perspective, a positive outlook, and a renewed relationship with the man You've given me. Help me see him with new eyes, new appreciation, new love, new compassion, and new acceptance. Give my husband a new wife, and let it be me."
What about you? Has God given you very practical, easy to follow ways to keep His Word and His heart ever before you? Do share! Spur us on. We need it. We need Him. We need MORE of Him...every day, every month, every year!
Blessings,
Dori
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