8 Steps of Daily Devotional Plan

By Mary Fairchild (Edited by TSA Penang Corps), About.com

Recommended Bible:
Life Application Bible (NIV version)

1) Decide On a Time.
Keep an appointment with God in your daily calendar. There is no “right” and “wrong” time of day. Choose the right time eg. morning, lunch, evening hours with least interruptions. Let it be the best time of day for you.

2) Decide On a Place.
Finding the right place is key to your success. If you try to spend quality time with God lying in bed with the lights off, failure is inevitable. Choose a comfortable chair with a good reading light. Have a basket with all of "tools" - my Bible, pen, journal, devotional book and reading plan.

3) Decide On a Time Frame.
Once again, there is no standard time frame for personal devotions. You have to decide how much time you can realistically commit to each day. Getting started with 15 minutes a day can quickly develop into more. Some people can commit to 30 minutes, others an hour or more a day. Start with a realistic goal that you feel you can meet.

4) Plan to Spend Some Time in Prayer.
Prayer to God to give you the wisdom of understanding His words. Allow sometime for Him to speak to you in His still small voice {I Kings 19:12, (NKJV) }. Also, one of the loudest ways God speaks to us is through His Word. Spend some time meditating on what you read and letting God speak into your life.

5) Choose a Bible Reading Plan or Bible Study.
Choosing a Bible reading plan or study guide will aid you in having a more focuses time of reading and study. Eg. Using "Our Daily Bread" and etc. resources from - RBC or resource from Scripture Union, Back to Bible

6) Consider Spending Some Time in Worship.
God has created us to praise Him. I Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people ... belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (NIV)
You can express your praises silently or declare them in a loud voice. There is no right or wrong way. You may even want to sing a song of worship in your devotional time.

7) Commit to Follow Your Daily Devotional Plan.
Determine in your heart to commit to the plan, even when you fail or miss a day. Rather than beating yourself up when you mess up, just pray and ask God to help you. And, be sure to start over the next day. The rewards you will experience as you grow deeper in love with God will definitely be worth it!

8) Be Flexible and Willing to Make Changes to Your Plan.
If you get stuck in a rut, try going back to step #1. Perhaps the plan you’ve chosen is not right for you. Change it up until you find the perfect fit.

Tips:

Keep working at your daily devotional plan for 21 days. By then it should become a habit.

Pray for God to give you the desire and the discipline to spend time with him each day.

Don’t give up. Eventually you will discover the joys and blessings of your obedience.