8 Steps to a better Friendship with God

8 Steps to a Better Friendship with God

Tips on how to form good habits.

by Holly Vicente Robaina

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"Where's Angela?" I asked. The rest of our family was slumped on the living room couch. Everyone shrugged. Curious, I went in search of my sis.

I checked each room of the house. When I finally found her, she was intensely focused on something. She looked up, revealing the object of her attention—her Bible.

I started to notice that Angela "disappeared" about the same time each day. I wondered how she found time to read God's Word: Between school, choir, church and volunteer activities, Angela's one of the busiest people I know. So I asked her.

"Well, every day I have to make the choice to spend time with God," she said. "It's not easy, but it's worth it—devotions help me to get to know God on my own, to have a real, personal relationship with him."

Angela had some great tips on how she formed her good habit. Here are eight of them.

1. Schedule a devotional "appointment." Write a specific time and location on your calendar, or in your planner. You might want to choose a time that corresponds with another daily activity: after you get up in the morning, right after school, or immediately after dinner. Try to avoid putting devotions off until the end of the day. "If I wait until bedtime, I usually end up skipping it because I fall asleep," Angela says.
2. Choose your tools. Some basics include: 1) A Bible. Biblegateway.com offers 16 versions for you to compare, from that classic King James Version to modern versions like The Message. Or, consider using a student or study Bible—many contain reading plans and practical ways to apply Scripture to everyday situations. 2) A devotional book. Some are specifically for students. Many have a "thought for the day" and questions to help you relate the verses you've read to your own life. 3) A journal.Use it to record your favorite verses and reflections on Scripture. Or, try writing a poem or letter to God.
3. Start with prayer. Ask God to keep you focused and to help you understand what you're about to read. "Sometimes, my mind just starts to drift. I tell God I've set aside this time especially for him, and that I choose to focus on him," Angela says.
4. Use your Bible. Even if you use a devotional book with verses printed in it, read the passages in your Bible anyway. "Prove it to yourself that it's really there," Angela suggests. "It helps you to think of that verse as part of God's Word, and not as just an excerpt from some random book." Plus, you might spot another meaningful verse that wasn't included in the devotional book.
5. Read it until you get it. First, read verse by verse—read each verse several times until you understand what it is saying, then move on to the next one. Then, go back and read the entire passage, putting its meaning all together in your mind. Even if you're familiar with a passage, try to read it like you've never seen it before—don't skim. God might give you an understanding of something you've never noticed before.
6. Don't just read the Bible—do what it says (James 1:22). Make a list of personal traits (patience, kindness) or spiritual goals (witnessing, prayer) you'd like to work on. Each week, choose one item from your list. Using a concordance, biblegateway.com or a devotional book, find verses about that topic. Then, try to find ways to apply what you've read.
7. Make a commitment. On a piece of paper, write these words: "I commit to read my Bible every day for the next month." Sign your name and tape the paper somewhere in your bedroom where you can see it.
8. Don't give up. Let's face it: There will be days when you skip devotions. Just try to keep it a high priority and do it whenever you can. "God is not going to abandon you if you don't do a devotion one day—he knows what our schedules are like, and he knows our hearts," Angela says. "Any time that you spend with God, he can use it to teach you and to grow your faith."

Thank you... www.christianitytoday.com

GOD IS ALL

God is All

Hearts can easily be broken, as life deals out blows and challenges. We feel lost, empty and hopeless, as we battle to overcome adversity and take a new direction.

God is all we need – spiritually. He can strengthen us and bring us hope, as we trust him more and more, in our daily lives.

Psalm 103 gives us strong reassurance of what He willingly does for each one of us, as we bring Him into our lives.

1. He forgives all our sins. 2. He heals all our diseases. 3. He redeems our lives from destruction. 4. He crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies. 5. He satisfies our mouths with good things, so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6. He executes righteousness and judgment for us against oppression. He sets us free. 7. He makes known His ways to us. 8. He gives us His grace and mercy in times of need.

All these things can be available to us, but we have to claim them through accepting Him through Jesus Christ.

God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He is everything we need and we can tap into His unending power, any time, by taking a different direction in life, and including Him in all we think, say and do. His promises can be trusted.

Ephesians 21-10 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (NKJV)

–dead in trespasses, means, spiritually dead and lost.
–you once walked, it could be a path of moral carelessness or a dark alley of evil, believers should no longer live according to their past evil ways.
–prince of power, namely the adversarial spirit Satan. To continue to disobey God’s way of living, is to support the devil.
–we were dead, because of Adam’s sin, the entire human race is spiritually dead. Only God can grant new life and save us from our wrong choices. His mercy and kindness prevail forever through Jesus Christ, His Son.
–the gift of God, is something we cannot earn by any good works. We cannot earn our salvation. Everything is received from our merciful and gracious Father, once we have faith enough to trust Him and believe in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, for us.

All that God is, we need. First we have to invite Him into our lives and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

“Dear Lord, I want to know you personally. I know that I have done wrong and I am sorry. I am willing, with your help, to turn away from my sins and turn to You. I believe, Jesus, that You died and rose again for me. Please come into my life. I welcome you as my Saviour and Lord, as best as I know how. Right Now”.

Patricia Day
http://pattersmatters.wordpress.com