Conversation starters with God

Person praying

Not sure what to pray for?

Talking to God doesn’t always feel easy, but if we want to know God more, then we need to know how to talk humbly and honestly with Him.

Here are three things that may encourage you as you draw near to God through prayer. Pick one or two points that stand out to you, and use them to create a Prayer in YouVersion.

1. Keep it simple.

God isn’t concerned about how eloquent your words sound—He just wants to spend time with you. Some of the best conversations with God happen when you simply share what’s on your mind and then give Him the space to respond.

Try asking:

God, what should I do about … ?

God, what do You think about … ?

God, would You … ?

God, why did this … ?

Create a Prayer

2. Keep it real.

God isn’t going to get mad at you for being honest, so be authentic when you pray. Remember, nothing can separate you from God’s love. So if you’re not sure what to say, tell God that. If you’re frustrated about a situation, say so. He wants you to approach Him with confidence and boldness.

Talk to God about a concern you have right now. Try saying:

I’m struggling with…

I need help with…

I don’t understand why…

I’m frustrated because…

Create a Prayer

3. Keep showing up.

Praying might feel awkward at first, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. This week, continue to make prayer a habit by having at least a 5 minute conversation with God every day.

Here are some conversation starters:

I’m hoping for…

I’m thankful for…

I’m excited because…

Today, I noticed…

Create a Prayer

Looking for more ways to go deeper with God?
Try Guided Prayer when you want to pray, but you don’t know what to say.

This is how YouVersion is serving the Church

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YouVersion and your local church. Better together.

From its very beginning, the church has been the gathering of the followers of Jesus, meeting to grow in faith, to care for one another, and to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.

And, like so many people around the world, you may have shifted to gathering together at church online during the pandemic. But we believe that at its core, the Church isn’t a building … it’s the people.

Incredibly, last year, more than 40,000 new churches signed up for Church Online Platform, a free YouVersion product designed for any church to host their own engaging services online.

But we’re not stopping there. We’re expanding our product focus to dream about the future of church engagement, and how to better connect you—the members of the YouVersion Community—with your local church community as together you grow closer to God every day.

Today, we’re excited to tell you about something new.

YouVersion.Church website on laptop

We’re excited to offer an all-new website for churches! While additional products are still in development, this new site is a hub for free resources and ideas from YouVersion, all created to partner with your church as you serve your community. If you’re as excited as we are, we invite you to share with your church leaders.

Share with Church Leaders

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Built by the Local Church

You may not realize it, but YouVersion was created by a local church in 2007, and remains a ministry of Life.Church to this day. We’re fully invested in the mission of the local church, and we’re driven by a passion to equip ministry leaders with free tools, resources, and training. If this sounds incredible to you, consider joining our team!

Helpful Links:
Introducing YouVersion for Churches
What you need to know about Hybrid Church
How to use YouVersion to Engage your Church

BibleProject: New Testament: 1 Thessalonians – 2 Timothy

BibleProject: Read Scripture - New Testament

We want to help you to read through the Bible without getting lost or giving up. This series has a video for every New Testament book of the Bible that outlines its literary design and main ideas, showing you how it fits into the entire biblical story.

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

God created us for community.

Friends

Developing Godly Relationships

Love is to be sincere and active … Hate what is evil … hold on tightly to what is good. Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family] …

ROMANS 12:9-10

God created us for community. We’re wired for relationships: with our friends, spouse, coworkers, or kids. God intended healthy relationships to be compassionate, sacrificial, honorable, and forgiving. Cultivating those qualities often means surrendering our expectations for our relationships and trusting Him instead.

Today, we’re sharing Videos and Bible Plans that can help you engage with the people you love, parent, or lead. Watch the Videos below, and then select one of the featured Plans to go deeper into the concepts they outline. You can complete Plans on your own, or go through them with someone using Plans with Friends.

Verse of the Day Videos:

1. Don’t miss what matters most.

Ellie Limebear

2. Be willing to forgive.

Nona Jones

3. Lay down your life for the people you love.

Judah Smith

4. Praise God, even when things get messy.

Jonathan Pitts

Want to learn more about developing godly relationships? Start a Plan:

View More Plans

Who do you think you are?

3 ways to take back your thoughts and declare God’s truth over your life.

Person thinking

When you approach a task, a relationship, or an opportunity—and you think about who you are and what you’re capable of doing—what words come to mind? Are they words that display confidence, hope, trust, and strength? Or fear, doubt, pride, or insecurity?

What we tell ourselves every day matters. If we believe something about our identity that isn’t true, then we will struggle to believe what God says about us when He reveals it to us.

Truths are unchanging. They don’t depend on what you do, what you’ve done, or who you want to be. Truths are not self-help mantras or cliché sayings. They are based entirely on God’s Word and what He says about you. While there will always be areas of life where you’ll need to grow, how God views you and what He says about you doesn’t change because God affirms who you are, not just what you do.

That’s why, when you root your identity in Him by declaring Bible-based truths over yourself, you will begin to see yourself the way He sees you—and this will influence the way you treat people, situations, opportunities, and events around you.

Here are 3 steps that can help you take back your thoughts and declare truth over your life:

  1. Identify the lies you tell yourself.

  2. Take a moment and think about a difficult conversation you had recently. What did you say? What were you thinking about yourself and the other person?

    Your words and actions reveal the narratives you tell yourself. To figure out if a narrative is false, ask yourself: Is this thought marked by fear, insecurity, pride, bitterness, or a lack of confidence? Is this thought leading me to cynical or self-serving behavior? If you can answer “yes” to either of those questions, then the narrative you’re telling yourself probably needs to be addressed and adjusted.

    Right now, take a few minutes and identify any lies you might be believing. Once you’ve done this, write down those false narratives and reflect on them. Spend a few moments in silence and ask God to clearly show you where those lies stemmed from.

    When you can identify where and when you began believing a lie, it’ll be easier to change the way you think.

  3. Shift your perspective.

  4. For every lie, there is a truth that can replace it. Look over your list of false narratives again, and this time, ask God to show you what His truth is for each of the statements you wrote.

    To do this, try spending a few minutes with God and then ask Him to clearly show you how He sees you. Afterward, search for Bible verses that contradict the lies you’ve been believing. (In the app, go to “Discover” on the menu, and search with keywords.)

    Here are some passages that can help you get started…

    Identity: Galatians 5:22-23, John 3:16, Isaiah 43:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17

    Money: Philippians 4:19, Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 8:18, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 1 Timothy 5:8

    Relationships: Romans 13:8, Ephesians 6:1-4, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:11

    Security: John 10:28-29, Galatians 5:1, Titus 3:5-7, Psalm 27:1-3

    Confidence: Proverbs 3:26, Philippians 4:13, 1 John 4:15-18, Hebrews 10:35-36

    Daily living: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Isaiah 30:15, 1 Timothy 4:12, Romans 12

  5. Declare what’s true.

  6. Once you have your list of verses, rewrite each one in your own words. Turn the truths from Scripture into specific, intentional statements you can daily declare over your life.

    Here are what some potential declarations may look like:

    • I am enough because I am a child of God.
    • I rejoice in suffering because Christ suffered for me.
    • I am not ashamed of Jesus because His sacrifice changes lives.
    • I am greatly loved, and so I love others like I have been loved.
    • Nothing can separate me from God’s love.

As you create your list, keep in mind that when God looks at you, He sees His child. And if God—who is truth—says something about you, then it must be true. ​​That’s why, when you create your list of statements, you can create them with confidence…

Because you belong to the God who confidently equips you and calls you by name.

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