If you're anything like me, keeping your time with God fresh is an ongoing challenge. Life has so many distractions and we have so little energy. It's easy to make the routines in our life into checklists that we go through as quickly as possible. Instead of having powerful moments with God, we sit awkwardly saying things we don't quite believe to a God who feels distant. If this is the case for you, I have a few suggestions. Let's break you out of this funk and into a new rhythm of grace in your life.

Make Your Mornings Sacred

My recommendation for you as you plan out your next season of God time is to carve out a half hour to an hour every morning to spend with God. We'll get into the details about what you can do in a second, but the key is to make your day start with an influx of truth into your groggy soul. You need to plug into the grace that God has for you in his Word and in Jesus. We have been given such fantastic gifts and yet it is so hard to feel them and make them real in our lives when we don't take the time each day to plant ourselves in them.

Now let's talk about what that time could look like...

Morning Time with God Routine #1 - The Bible Plan

This is my ideal morning routine. However, I don't always do everything I'd like and often don't do it as well as I should. It is challenging, but so rewarding.

Once I'm up and in my favorite chair, I open up the free YouVersion Bible App on my phone (available for Android and iOS) or go to the YouVersion.com website on my computer. I do my best not to open any other application or read any notifications until I am through my time with God.

Then, I open up the Bible plan I am reading through. It's best to select plans that are at least 30 days long so you're not constantly having to find new Bible plans. I also usually end up selecting a plan version that goes through the Bible in a year. Most of my favorite Bible translations, such as the ESV, NLT, and The Message, have audio versions. I love to have the Bible read to me (and enjoy audiobooks in general), so I often listen to the day's scripture in the app.

In order to stay engaged, I remind myself to pick out one or two verses that stick out to me in the day's reading. If nothing sticks out to me by the end, I have to go back through it again. This is motivation to be listening for something I can write down. You can highlight verses in the The Bible App for later, share them with friends, or save them to places like Evernote where you can keep a catalog of impactful verses. I use Evernote to store all my blog and book ideas, so I naturally cram it full with verses that stir my soul.

Once I write down the verses that were most moving to me, I pray through the verses and thank God for them. This could look like reading through John 15:16 and praying, "God, thank you for choosing me even when I was running away from you! Help me to stay connected to you and to continue to do good in your name."

If I feel really excited or confused by that day's verses, I will try to find that verse in Pastor John Piper's Look at the Book video series. That is an excellent way to see how a lifetime biblical scholar systematically and beautifully breaks down Bible verses in ways that reveal underlying mysteries and messages of hope. Alternatively, I look up the verse in the Blue Letter Bible app/website to take a more in-depth look at the word and how it's translated in other contexts. Use the "Interlinear->Strong's" function to see a definition of the word in its original language.

Morning Time with God Routine #2 - The Devotional

When I feel that routine #1 is getting too burdensome or I am consistently not feeling a freshness in my relationship with God, I figure out whether or not to switch to this second routine. This one centers on using an easily digestible devotional, or guided meditative reading. Rather than going through about 15 minutes worth of the Bible like in the first routine, this one takes me through a couple of minutes of Bible reading. Then, it has some helpful, questioning thoughts that give me time to process through what I read.

I have found the Message Solo devotional to be an excellent way to be challenged and find freshness in my morning God time. It guides you through the paraphrased translation of the Bible in a way that can help you see new things from new angles. While The Message is not intended for in-depth study, it is a great way to get a feeling for the intended meaning of ancient phrases. It is also a bit easier to read than most literal translations. This is why I find it helpful for when I'm feeling burdened with my regular routine.

There are many Bible plans available on YouVersion that lend themselves to devotional study too. Feel free to skim through those to find one that works for you.

Mix and Match

There is no right way to set up this time, so go nuts! Mix and match. Check out these other blog posts I wrote that may be helpful: What to Do If Your God Time Is Dragging and What Does God Want from You?. Figure out what works best for you. I would recommend not changing up your routine until you've tried something for at least a week. No matter how you may mix and match the recommendations I have given you, remember that this is always about a relationship with the God of the universe who loves you. Don't get bogged down in tradition that serves no purpose. Run to God as the author and perfecter of your faith. Hug your heavenly Father. Kneel at his feet and call him lord. Dance before him. Smile, because you have been forgiven. You cannot make God like you any more than he already does, so just enjoy your time with the one who loves you more than you could ever love yourself.

Your time with God is always about a relationship with the God of the universe who loves you. Don't get bogged down in tradition that serves no purpose.

Question: What are some morning God time ideas that have worked for you? What quickly became stale?