1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”

After these recent devotionals, you may be asking yourself, “How do I start the devotional life?” Well, let me give you some suggestions and directives that can help you to begin the devotional life and head in the right direction in beginning and growing in your prayer life before God:

 

1) Utilize your time before God’s presence when you have the most energy. Some people are morning people, and others are night owls. You will be able to pray and focus more effectively based on when you are the most awake and have the most energy.

2) Take advantage of the time you have alone, such as driving on the job or a lunch break.

 

3) Start small. Give him 15 minutes. Some suggestions would be to use apps that focus on specific devotions, especially gearing towards areas where you feel you are needing to grow, such as marriage or leadership.

 

4) Always have a notebook, computer or iPad where you can take notes as God speaks when you read.

 

5) Do not try to read in a lump sum. You will miss a lot of important points when you try to read in bulk rather than break down verse by verse.

 

6) Use multiple translations and compare them to see which speaks more to your spirit and situation.

 

7) Nothing wrong with opening with worship music. Worship sets the atmosphere for God’s presence to inhabit. However, don’t let it become a distraction to where you are more “pumped” over the music and not be willing to stand still and remain silent to allow God speak to you.

 

8) Honor the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Give the Godhead the ability to minister and speak to you.

 

9) Model the LORD’s Prayer: worship, kingdom manifestation, prayer requests, willingness to forgiven, freedom from temptation and deliverance from evil.

 

10) Once you lay this foundation, pursue the paths of devotions with family, friends, teams, coworkers, etc. The greatest inheritance you can give the next generation is in that of teaching them how to pray. 

 

Now that you have applied each of these principles, begin an effective devotional prayer life before God that has no limits! Be ready to learn more about God and know Him on a personal level!