Sample Devotions

LET'S GET STARTED!

You'll need three items: a Bible, a pen/pencil and a journal.

GET A JOURNAL

There are many journals you can purchase at a bookstore or a plain notebook will do. The Garden offers the Joshua 1:8 Journals with a Reading Plan that will guide you through the Bible.  Pick one up at the Joshua 1:8 Challenge table.

WHEN SHOULD I JOURNAL?

It is a good idea to set aside a certain time in your schedule each day and find a quiet place where you won't be distracted.

It's not important when you do your devotions, but that you make it a very important part of your day. For morning people, it's a great way to start your day. For others, it's 20-minute lunchtime appointments with Jesus. For the night owls, it's the final act of the day, the time to quiet their hearts and hear God's voice.

If this seems a little overwhelming, take it slow and keep it simple. No matter how you decide to do your devotions, the important thing is to show up for your daily appointment, because God is always waiting for you!

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Sample SOAP:

S:  "He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets."  I Samuel 28:6

O:  Saul usually wanted to know God's will, but he viewed God's will as an option to obey if he felt like it.  He was not committed to following God's leadership in all the circumstances of his life.  He conveniently ignored or dismissed those things that would not directly benefit him.  He was a selfish, narcissistic, and paranoid man.  Everything was about him.  God does not speak to us to give us his opinion on an issue, leaving it open to us whether we'll obey or not.  God is the ruler and his will must be obeyed, or else he will stop speaking to us as he did with Saul.

A:  I need to guard my heart and life from all disobedience and compromise, for they block me from hearing God's voice.  I commit to obey however he leads and whatever he calls me to do.

P:  Lord, thank you for speaking to me and giving me daily insights into your heart.  I don’t want to be like Saul. Continue to show me through your word and through the people in my life the ways in which I may be behaving like Saul.