Many people read the Bible but forget what they studied moments later due to a tragic misstep. If you want retention from your devotional practices, you must learn the art of summarizing what you learn so you can remember and share it with others.
Many disciples of Jesus have a desire to grow or at least a guilt when they aren’t doing so, but we rarely design a plan to help us in our efforts. To be successful in spiritual disciplines, you need to evaluate what you need to start and what you need to stop.
Psalm 119:145-160 – To maintain awareness of God’s presence, we must prioritize holy habits to reinforce that reality. Know God better through consistent time committed to spiritual disciplines.
We often encourage people to read God’s Word daily, but we rarely provide people with assistance so they can experience success. As you think about your personal time in the Word, do you have a plan that will help you grow in your personal discipleship?
Our church has created different Bible reading plans to help people go deeper into the Scriptures regardless of how disciplined they have been in the past. Based on the daily reading requirements, there are beginner, moderate, and advanced reading plans.
One of the surest ways to grow in Christ is by examining the Scriptures daily. Many people fail at Bible reading because they don’t have a plan or a partner, but we want to help.
Exodus 34:10-35 – Before reminding the people of some of His expectations, God restated His unique commitment to them. The distinguishing characteristics of our lives are wrapped up in the promises of God.
Any event that you make it to in your life is one you put on a calendar. If you want to know Jesus better, you must make the time.
If you are not regularly creating a margin in your schedule to study the Scriptures, you are not fully developing in Jesus. This culture gives you too many messages all week to have one sermon and one Bible study a week to keep you grounded in the truth.
One of the surest ways to grow in Christ is by examining the Scriptures daily. Many people fail at Bible reading because they don’t have a plan or a partner, but we want to help.
Out of all the passions you could pursue in the precious hours of the morning, I believe there is none more beneficial than spending time with Jesus. Before you try to make anything right in the world, make sure you are right with Him.
If you have a spiritual goal that you want to see through completion, you have two vital conversations you must initiate. Talk to God and a godly person about what you plan to do in order to see it through.
We all know the discouragement that comes when we attempt to read the Bible with great eagerness only to quit once a personal streak is broken. If we are going to be committed to knowing the God of the Bible, we must maintain our time in it.
While much of the world is busy making resolutions that may not last the month, I want to encourage you instead to make a plan for the most life-changing habit you can have in this life – reading your Bible. It’s time to put down the excuses.
We serve a God who commands us to rest. How could we ever doubt that he has our best interest in mind with such a directive? I grew up thinking the Sabbath was one thing but Scripture teaches something very different and life-changing.
If you’ve been following Jesus for a while, someone has encouraged you to do a quiet time. Most likely, some of them made the unthinkable suggestion that the mornings are actually better, but you find yourself groggy and distracted as soon as you wake.
Luke 5:15-16 – You will not grow closer to Christ by accident. Our spiritual conditions are contingent upon the intentional disciplines to withdraw from distractions and engage with devotions.
I go to bed looking for recent updates. I wake up groggy wondering what I’ve missed on my phone the last few hours. I go throughout my day tethered to a device that constantly interrupts my concentration on what matters most. If you’re like me, it’s time to go the second mile in stilling your soul.
It seems like that the more free time we have, the less disciplined we can become regarding spiritual growth. Here are 5 simple steps to help you create a plan to grow spiritually this summer.
No amount of compassion will make you invincible to the needs of your own soul. Your unwillingness to care for yourself will actually deprive you the opportunity to minister to more in the long run.
No disciples grows by accident. Through spiritual disciplines, we grow more into who Christ calls us to be.
Like many other spiritual disciplines, fasting can, unfortunately, be a means to gain the approval of others. Jesus taught that fasting should only be something directed to and noticed by God.
As Jesus’ ministry grew, His circle of friends grew as well. While He called out 12 disciples to specific service, there was a growing number of disciples as well who were not counted within that initial group. Some of His nearest disciples proved to be two sisters named Martha and Mary. Jesus resurrected their brother, Lazarus, from the grave. When …
How distracted are you? What about others in your life? How preoccupied is your child? We live in a time when we are barraged with constant distractions. The pace of our lives and the setup of our technology has our minds in frantic disarray. Even as you read this short article, most likely, your mind will wander to your device …
Do you have an adequate margin to meet with God regularly? Your most important appointment of the day is making time to meet with God. Years ago, someone coined the phrase “quiet time.” Many people rightfully highlighted the need for this daily encounter in the Word and prayer. In addition to considering a quiet time, you also need to ensure …
What is never noticed in the life of a believer yet always observed? It is spiritual disciplines. If done correctly, you never see when someone does them, yet they are always obviously present in their lives. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached a sermon of which the world has yet to recover. In one section, he spoke of …
Have you considered the spiritual giants in your life and why they are that way? They just seem to be in a different category than everyone else. We often categorize them as those who must be more spiritual than the rest of us, but what if that’s not it? What if it is because they are more disciplined than the …
God has created us for and called us to unique tasks. As particularly gifted and positioned disciples, we each should pursue the needed maturity to do what God has called us to accomplish.
As a young Christian, people always told me about the importance of having a quiet time without anyone ever showing me how to have one. I tend to be a rather loud person anyway, so setting apart time to quiet myself seemed odd in the first place. What exactly am I supposed to do during that quiet time? All the …
You can learn so much by studying someone’s Bible. In it, they leave clues regarding personal practices. When possible, I love to use someone’s personal Bible when preaching his or her funeral. It is a special connection. That proved to be true yet again while holding Stoney’s Bible. Stoney Huggins passed away at 88. I had the privilege of ministering …
If we truly desire godliness, Scripture memory must be prioritized in our lives. While the task can seem daunting, we have to start somewhere. In this episode, discover some practical steps to go the 2nd mile in Scripture memory. You can listen to the 2nd Mile Podcast above or download it on your favorite app (Anchor, Apple Podcasts, GooglePodcasts, Spotify, Breaker, Overcast, PocketCasts, RadioPublic, Stitcher). Some …
As believers, we should be in a state of spiritual growth, but too often, we seem to be stuck in the same place. If there is a true profession of faith, there should be a true progression of faith. In this episode of The 2nd Mile Podcast, we discuss the importance of selecting that next spiritual discipline to make intentional …
You made up your mind. This is going to be the year that you make Bible reading a priority, but something happened within a few short days. The motivation is already waning. You just aren’t as committed as you intended to be. Why is that? It might be because you have been going about Bible reading all wrong. It’s time …
One of the most neglected spiritual disciplines is fasting. The Scripture is full of instructions and examples of fasting and yet the practice is often absent in the Church.
Too often, people think of fasting as a spiritual diet. Desiring to lose a few pounds, someone will skip a meal and say they are fasting. If you aren’t spending the time seeking the Lord, that’s not fasting – that’s a diet. Fasting is so much more than abstaining from a meal for your figure’s sake.
I once was asked if I believed in the Bible. My answer was emphatically, “yes!” After my response, the person asked, “Have you read everything in the Bible?” At that point, I couldn’t say that I had. I was basing my entire life off of something I had not completely read yet. That needed to change. I began to read …
For years, I have told people the importance of memorizing Scripture, but I have never taught people how to memorize Scripture. I want to help you know why we memorize Scripture and how we memorize Scripture. We must discipline our minds to have the Bible accessible even when the Bible is not available. Scripture memory is a powerful tool. While …
In order to grow in the gospel (2 Pet. 3:18), we must train ourselves for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7). Paul instructed Timothy very clearly regarding the matter in 1 Tim. 4:6-16: 6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good …
Have you ever wondered how long it takes to read through each book? There are 66 books in the Bible. They vary in length. While the Bible is a big book, you can read it in book-sized pieces.
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 Main Points The reason holiness is so elusive to us is because we judge it by the world’s standard instead of the Word’s standard. Most of our presumed holiness is based on a comparison to the world rather than an evaluation from the Word. In this life, holiness is a pursuit and not a destination. If …
As of late, I’ve had some great discussions concerning personal Bible reading. While this spiritual disciplines post sparked some great conversation, I’ve also been trying to step up my intentionality in training my family, friends, and anyone who wants to listen concerning the need to read the Bible. For many years, Christians have called time in the Word and prayer …
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