Tips for Developing Your Walk with God

Tips for Developing Your Walk with God

“if a man runs with man is called as "Race" but if a man runs towards God is called as "Grace".” “Be the one who walks with the Lord” 

Does your devotional walk every become routine? Mechanical? Do you ever find yourself going through the motions, but rushing and not really enjoying personal fellowship with the Lord?

How to conquer “impersonal Christianity”—a Christianity that knows about God but doesn’t really develop personal intimacy with Him. Each of us is responsible for developing our personal walk with God, and in doing so, I challenge you to keep it personal (be transparent before Him, He already knows you), keep it consistent (daily or close to it), and keep it fresh (do whatever you must do to keep from losing interest.)

Along with those three suggestions, here is a quick list of 20 ideas that might help you break out of the mechanical and develop your walk with God in a new way. We handed these out on a card at the end of Bible Study, and I hope they will encourage you:

1. Read the Bible in Places Where You Can Understand It—don’t be afraid to read another passage if you’re getting bogged down in a complex portion of the Bible.

2. Read Good Books about the Bible or Biblical Truths—lose yourself in a good book that contains a lot of scripture.

3. Use a Bible Software or Study Tools to Help You Understand—things like Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary of the Bible is free online. Take advantage of the insight of others.

4. Read the Bible from a Big Picture Perspective—read a whole book or lengthy passage, rather than just a short chapter.

5. Ask God to Teach You Something that You Need—expect Him to answer this prayer and speak to you.

6. Make a Record of the Things that God is Teaching You (Journal)—whether by hand or on computer, write down what God is teaching you.

7. Tell Someone Else Something that God Taught You (Godly Friends)—what a great use of social networking and a great conversation starter with a friend.

8. Talk to God Openly and Take Time to Listen to Him—don’t be afraid to sit quietly before the Lord and listen.

9. Literally Take a Walk with God and Talk to Him—walking will keep you awake and engaged.

10. Make a List of Prayer Requests and Record When They Are Answered—there’s something very special about looking back on all those answers.

11. Listen to Godly Music and Think about the Message—great Christian music will take your heart to a very special place with God.

12. Listen to Preaching or Teaching from Past Events—what a great use for an iPod.

13. Read Biographies of Great Christians—discover how others developed their lives for the Lord.

14. Spend Time with God in Places You Like—the beach? A park? If you enjoy being there, He will enjoy being there with you!

15. Include God on Other Activities of Life—God is with you all day, so He doesn’t mind if you talk to Him while you fold laundry or mow the lawn.

16. Give God the Time You Give to Some Other Form of Media—He’s more important than Facebook, TV, cell phone, and video games all combined!

17. Give God Quiet, Uninterrupted, Unrushed Time—find moments when you aren’t in a hurry and give those to God.

18. Plan Specific Times to Spend More Time with God—have you ever set aside a larger chunk of time just for the Lord? Try a few hours or a half a day some time.

19. Write Out Scripture or Prayers/Letters to God—what a great way to place God’s Word into your heart and to record your walk with Him.

20. Don’t Quit if You Miss a Day—if you missed yesterday, that’s ok… God is still waiting to spend time with you today.

Spend daily dedicated time with God – even just 10 minutes!  - It is important to block uninterrupted time each and every day to be with your Lord and Savior.  If you’re not doing this already, think of a good time that will work every day and simply start with 10 minutes to be with the one who has the perfect plan for you today. 

Read or listen to the Bible!  The Bible is Gods letter to you.  All of your questions about what to do or how best to live are in there.  Not spending daily time in God’s Word would be like going to work and never checking with your Manager about what to work on that day and just making up your own plan. 

 Joshua 1:8  - Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Pray!  If Jesus himself spent time to pray, we need to follow His example.  God speaks to us and leads us through his Holy Spirit – if we take time to listen.  God wants to talk with you and lead you so don’t be afraid to listen and be real with Him.  If you have a tough time staying on track with prayer consider using a prayer list of people and situations to pray for each day.

Mark 1:35  - Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Add “relationship builders” as you are ready!  There are some other great things you can do during your devotion time to build upon your relationship with Christ.  Once you have a daily time blocked consider adding additional areas of study, such as: a daily devotional, journaling, scripture memorization, etc. 

First thank God each day, then pray for forgiveness, God’s direction then requests.

Living for Christ is an exciting adventure.  He has a perfect plan for you, if you will take the time to draw close to Him, listen then follow.

May God Bless You All

John Jerry Jaslin