Hacks to Heighten Your Personal Devotions
Over the years of doing personal devotions day in and day out, I’ve tried an array of strategies or rituals in order to keep it fresh and build enthusiasm in my time with the Lord. Sometimes the slightest change in your routine can make a massive impact. I’ve compiled some of the best hacks I have found in my almost decade-long pursuit of daily Bible reading. Here is my master list of the best hacks to heighten your personal devotions.
Killing Dryness Hack: Switch it up
The biggest hack I have found over the years is to switch up your personal devotions. A big problem that I have often faced is keeping my daily routine fresh and exciting. It probably has something to do with the fall (of humanity) that causes us to become too familiar with sacred things. Dryness settles in inevitably.
The best way I have found to combat personal devotion boredom is to change up your routine. Do this every couple of months or when you feel discouraged with your devotional time. Here are a few suggestions on how:
- Do 1 or 2 verses and look closely at each word.
- Read a long portion of Scripture to get a good vantage point.
- Study the same verse over the whole week or the same book for a whole month to really meditate on it.
- Study inductively – print the passage out (like on BibleGateway) without verse numbers and mark it up with your observations
- Memorize the passage you are reading.
Bible Reading Hacks
Read the passage over and over again and out loud. The first thing I do when I approach a Bible text is read it numerous times. This helps me meditate on the passage, see new things, and get a firmer grasp of the flow of the author’s argument or narrative. Reading it out loud engages another sense – your hearing – into the meditative process.
Write down your observations and thoughts. Like I shared in the last post, journalling helps me focus during my quiet time and forces me to articulate into sentences my meditations. Another plus is I can refer back to my journal later in the day to remember what the Lord had shown me.
Give ample time to meditate on the passage. I give myself a healthy 40 minutes every morning to really get into the passage. I don’t want to be rushed because this time is sacred. When I give myself time, I am able to get crystal clear on what the passage means and how I can apply it to my life.
Personal Devotions Resource Hacks
Use these amazing resources (most are free) to get a firmer grasp of Scripture:
Get the Logos Bible App with the Faithlife Study Bible. This is an amazing free resource to use as your Bible or companion alongside your Bible to look up other passages. You’re able to write notes, make bookmarks, and refer to previous passages with lightning speed. Be sure to get the free Faithlife Study Bible add-on with helpful notes + charts!
Use a devotional commentary or Study Bible. Devotional commentaries help you get the necessary content from a passage of Scripture, but it’s written in a way that is accessible and moving. I recommend any from the Let’s Study series, Reformed Expositional Commentary series, The Bible Speaks Today series or the MacArthur NT Commentary series.
For free commentaries, check out Studylight.org. They have many classic commentaries from Luther, Calvin, Matthew Poole, John Gill, or Matthew Henry. I love Matthew Henry – his commentaries are always so edifying. I use this free app on my phone in my devotions (Apple, Google Play).
For Study Bibles, I recommend ESV Study Bible, Reformation Study Bible, the MacArthur Study Bible, the Biblical Theology Study Bible, or the Reformation Heritage Study Bible. The key with Study Bibles is to use them as supplementary to your own Bible study. I like to gloss over the notes at the end of the devotions time or look up a passage I am unsure about.
Soul Stimulation Hacks
Study with a friend. I know a pair of friends who call each other every morning to do devotions together. I also do family worship every evening (mostly) with my wife. Reading the Bible with another person is an excellent way to gain new perspectives and encourage one another.
Sing some praise songs. I find usually when I approach God in the morning, my heart is not ready to worship. I combat this by singing a few worship songs to break up the soil of my heart. It stirs my affections and prepares my heart to receive God’s Word. Or I may sing songs afterwards in response. Give both a try!
Pray through the passage. I think this is the most stimulating practise I have found. I believe I have not fully applied the passage to my life until I have turned its verses to prayers directed to God. Sometimes it’s praise for his attributes, other times it’s pleas of repentance, and almost always it’s petitions for spiritual maturity. If you’re not sure how to start, check out this free PDF.
Hacks for perseverence
Keep the same schedule every day. I do personal devotions every day at the same time and in the same place. Early mornings where nobody is awake works best for me. Find whatever works for you and keep it consistent. Once you build the habit for 1 month, it will feel natural.
Don’t look back, but look forward. I used to get so bummed out with myself about missing a day. More times then I’d like, I’ve been too lazy to wake up or fallen asleep in the middle. Then I’d let guilt get the best of me. However, I’ve learned to not let that define me, but to see each day as a new opportunity to fellowship with God.
So that’s my master-list of hacks to heighten your personal devotions! Thank you for following this series – I hope you were blessed. What hacks to heighten your personal devotions would you add to the list? Let us know below!
This is PART 5 of a series of blog posts that do a deep-dive into various aspects of personal devotions, So far we’ve already established in previous posts: the key to godliness, the pursuits of personal devotions, the benefits of personal devotions, and methods of personal devotions that work. Be sure to check these out if you haven’t already!
