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5 Spiritual Habits that Will Change the Way You Live

Woman in a field

Make God the one thing you pursue above anything else.

As a new season begins, here are 5 spiritual disciplines you can practice to make time with God a daily habit.

  1. Give thanks

    “We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.” – Psalms 75:1

    Have you experienced healing? Answered prayers? Breakthrough in the life of someone you love? Salvation? As you seek God’s heart for this new season, take a moment to thank Him for what He’s already done.

  1. Spend 5 minutes in silence

    “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” – John 15:4

    Abiding in Jesus starts with stillness. Pause, take a deep breath, and give anything concerning you over to God. Spend 5 minutes centering your heart on the One who matters most.

  1. Remember Whose you are

    “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

    God loves you. (Let that sink in.) The price He paid for you cost Him everything. Remind yourself of Whose you are, and then confidently dream big with God for this new season.

  1. Meditate on God’s Word

    “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” – Psalms 119:97

    How does Jesus want you to live? One of the best ways to find out is to spend time in Scripture. As you do, ask God to speak to you through His Words about what your next right step should be. (Not sure how to start studying God’s Word? Read this.)

  1. Focus on what is excellent

    “…If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Philippians 4:8

    You have been given the mind of Christ. If you’re not sure of what you should do in your next season, try asking yourself: What is praiseworthy? What decisions would honor God?

    Make a list of whatever comes to mind, and intentionally pursue those things.

By practicing these 5 steps every day, you can actively create keystone habits: acquired patterns of behavior that form the basis of your daily routines.

Imagine what good, personal habits you might be cultivating a year from now because you purposefully chose to pursue intimacy with God today!

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Tips + Tools for Your Family

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6 - Verse Image

Pieces to add to your parenting puzzle…

Watching your children make wise, thoughtful decisions is a rewarding part of parenting. But rewarding days can sometimes feel overshadowed by the hard ones.

Parenting is a difficult puzzle, but you don’t need to solve it alone. Below are some parent resources created to help you have important conversations and meaningful moments as a family.

Click on each resource to learn more!

Bible Plans for Parents

Bible App for Kids

Adventure Books

Bible Adventure Videos

Coloring Sheets for Kids

Family Discussion Questions

Plus…

The Kids Bible Experience inside your YouVersion Bible App offers engaging, practical insight into how your preeteen can apply God’s Word. And as they’re enjoying fresh, relevant content each day, this new experience will help them discover their own daily rhythm of seeking God.

Kids Daily Bible Experience - Video

Fun, fresh perspectives.

They’ll hear relevant insights from voices they relate to, reflection questions, daily verses, and more.

Get the Update

 

Bible Storybook from The Bible App for Kids

One Final Resource…

Looking for the perfect gift for a child in your life?

The Bible Storybook is a hardcover book featuring 28 stories from the Bible App for Kids along with discussion questions. It’s perfect to read as a family at bedtime, during long road trips, or when you want your kids to take a screen break.

Get the Storybook

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What’s your morning routine?

How do you begin each day?

Do you feel behind before you’ve even had breakfast? Or are you ready to take on whatever comes your way? The way you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. So before doing anything else, fix your mind on what matters most.

Let us keep looking to Jesus - Hebrews 12:2 - Verse Image

Start your day with Verse of the Day Stories, and make space for God to speak to you through guided meditation, reflection, and prayer.

Stories in Home feed

Open your Bible App to get started!

Start Today’s Story

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Try YouVersion Prayer on Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant

YouVersion Prayer - Now on Amazon and Google devices. No distractions, just Prayer.

YouVersion Prayer is helping people all over the world make prayer a part of their everyday lives (with more than two million Prayers so far). Now, whatever you’re praying for, try it on your Amazon and Google voice devices.

On Amazon Alexa

“Alexa, ask YouVersion Bible
for my Prayer List”

Amazon Echo

On Google Assistant

Just say, “Ok Google, talk to
YouVersion Bible”

Once YouVersion Bible opens, say,
“My Prayer List”

Google Home

YouVersion Prayer reads the first Prayer on your Prayer List, then plays soft, soothing background music as you pray.1 After a minute, YouVersion Prayer reads your next Prayer, followed again by quiet music. One Prayer at a time, YouVersion Prayer helps you pray through each item on your list.

More About YouVersion Prayer

1 The first time you ask YouVersion Bible to read your prayer list, follow the prompts it gives you.

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How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Pray

Woman praying

What stops you from talking to God regularly?

Becoming comfortable with prayer takes practice. And yet—if we want to grow in our faith, it’s important that we’re able to have honest conversations with our relational God.

So, if you’re not sure what to pray about…

Here are 5 examples of daily prayers:

  1. Pray for God to be Known

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think… to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations…”

EPHESIANS 3:20-21

Example:

God, we know that You are above all things and that by You all things are held together. Today, please be glorified in our world. Would people who have never met You, find You. Amen.

  1. Pray for the World

“Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

EPHESIANS 6:18

Example:

God, please set the world right. Do what’s best for Your kingdom, and fill Your people with mercy, strength, and bright ideas so that we can spiritually contribute to our world. Amen.

  1. Pray for What You Need

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

Example:

God, You know what I need before I do. So please give me what I need today so that I can focus on You, and not on my problems. And, when it comes to tomorrow’s needs, I trust that You will provide. Amen.

  1. Pray for Forgiveness

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

MARK 11:25

Example:

God, You alone know our intentions. Please forgive the people who have wronged me because I have forgiven them. And Lord, forgive me because I’ve also messed up. Please don’t hold our mistakes against us. Amen.

  1. Pray for Healing and Protection

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

JAMES 5:14

Example:

God, there is so much suffering in our world. Please heal the sick and restore peace and life to our weary souls. Protect our bodies and our minds, and give us Your strength to endure temptation and trials. Amen.

These ideas aren’t new—Jesus used them to teach His disciples how to pray 2,000 years ago:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those
who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

MATTHEW 6:9-13

To help you create a regular prayer rhythm, try creating a Prayer List inside your Bible App. Every day, pick a few things from that list to focus on. (You can also invite friends into your conversations with God by sharing your Prayers with them.)

As time goes by, you’ll be able to look back at that list and reflect on what God was doing in your life during that time.

Pray Now

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