Five Simple Ways to Spend Time With Jesus Throughout Your Busy Week

If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, you’ve heard about the importance of spending time with God and developing a devotional life. And yet, for many, this seems like a daunting task. I’ve met many people who struggle to start developing the habit of spending time with God because it seems like a huge, time consuming commitment. Spending time with God is a commitment, and it is important, but it also doesn’t have to be an overwhelming prospect. I believe that if we take small steps, we will make progress whereas if we try to make big leaps out of the blue we will only land flat on our face and feel overwhelmed.

Today I want to share practical and simple ways you can start developing a devotional life without feeling overwhelmed.

Why It’s Important to Develop a Devotional Life

First off, we have to understand why it’s important to develop a devotional life. If we don’t see the value and significance for it, we won’t have true motivation to start. So, why is spending time with God important?

The first reason, for me, is because God designed us for relationship and He wants to spend time with us. The creator of the universe designed us and created us for communion. The most important relationship for ourselves should be our relationship with God.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” – Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

This verse was written to believers and it shows Jesus’s desire to commune with us. He gave His very life to make this communion possible. Spending time with God is a valuable gift, bought with His own blood.

Another reason why it is important to develop a devotional life is because, like I mentioned in a previous post, we become what we behold. When we behold God, His character, works, and goodness, we become more like Him. In a world where it is easy and almost automatic to behold everything but Him, we have to learn to be intentional and gaze upon Jesus.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)

And finally, I believe it is essential to develop a devotional life because it is the number one way that, as believers, we strengthen ourselves in God and learn more about Him. A sermon once a week will only go so far in equipping us for life, but a constant, laid down devotional habit will strengthen us to face the trials and challenges of everyday life. Like David, we must learn to strengthen ourselves in the Lord.

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” – 1 Samuel 30:6b (NKJV)

Now that we know why it’s important to spend time with Jesus, let’s talk about five simple ways we can begin developing a devotional life.

1. Read One Verse a Day

One of the reasons why I believe people are unsuccessful at starting a Bible reading habit is because they try too much too soon. This is much like building any other habit. One has to start small in order to build towards success. So instead of trying to read an entire, theologically heavy book of the Bible in one week, try something smaller: try reading one verse of the Bible each day.

This may sound simplistic, but one verse a day read with intention will ultimately be more powerful than a book of the Bible you abandoned after one chapter. My tip for you is to read YouVersion’s verse of the day every day when you have some time. Do it first thing when you get up, right before or after breakfast, while you commute to work if possible, right before bed, etc. Find a time that works for you and stick to it. You can even set up your notifications so you get the YouVersion verse of the day delivered as a notification every day.

2. Listen to the Audio Bible

Many people don’t find the time throughout the day to sit down and read the Bible, but they have lots of free time to listen to something. My second tip is to listen to the audio Bible. YouVersion has many translations with great narrations. Try listening to a portion of the Bible while you drive to work, wash dishes, get ready for the day, or have some downtime.

Remember: it’s not about quantity as much as quality. Maybe you only listen to five minutes of the Bible, but if you do it with intentionality it will have real transformational power behind it. Plus, the Bible does say that faith comes from hearing the Word.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

3. Go Through Psalms or Proverbs Slowly

Instead of trying to develop a devotional life by starting with a heavy duty study like Leviticus, start with something like the book of Psalms or Proverbs. These books are encouraging, uplifting, and full of wisdom. They are also easy to digest. Try reading one proverb a day, or slowly make your way through Psalms. Again, don’t aim too big. Read a few verses, pause to understand, and then stop. The goal is to spend time with God and hear His voice, not win a world record for fastest Bible reader.

4. Pray Throughout the Day

Many times I have stopped myself from praying because I’ve thought that it needs to look a certain way—a quiet space, head bowed, mind clear, Bible and notebook out, prayer list before me. You get the picture. But prayer isn’t limited to a certain space or posture. Yes, there is something beautiful about the quiet, private prayers. But there is also something equally as powerful about a prayer whispered while cleaning your room, pausing in the middle of work, or whenever something comes to mind.

I believe that if you lean into the urge to pray throughout the day instead of waiting for the perfect moment you will find yourself praying more and leaning closer to God’s heart. God isn’t a Sunday-only God. He is a living, breathing God who is present and constant in every single heartbeat and moment of life. Lean into Him and lift up an imperfect, short prayer whenever you feel the stirring in your heart. These prayers are just as powerful!

5. Listen to Worship Music to Reset

I’ve discovered that the music I listen to has a big impact on my mood, my mindset, and my day. Music is powerful! In fact, research confirms that music doesn’t just entertain, it shapes us. Through repeated exposure, lyrics are absorbed subconsciously, influencing our mood, attitudes, and even behavior whether we’re paying attention or not. (You can find the article here.) This adds a whole new meaning to “watching what we consume”.

Taking this into account, listening to worship music throughout the day can help reset our minds, make us more aware of God’s presence, and build up our souls. By listening to worship music throughout the day, we are doing what David did and we are strengthening ourselves in the Lord. By contrast, the opposite is also true. Music with negative messages can weaken us.

Lean into worship music and worship God with intentionality. But even if you don’t fully sing your lungs out and raise your hands in praise, play worship music and let your mind absorb the message. Don’t let being in a hurry keep you from developing a strong and healthy devotional life. Worship can transform us from the inside out.

My prayer for you is that you take these five keys and implement them into your life. It is better to start small and stay consistent than start big and abandon the habit before it has time to change you. Let the tiny moments throughout your day build towards a stronger, healthier devotional life that pushes you closer to God, His presence, and His thoughts towards you. Make room for Him in the little moments, and don’t just wait for the big ones.

I encourage you to try one of these habits this week and see how it goes. God is eager to meet with you and He is always available!

Thanks for reading!
Anna

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