Write Your Own Devotions

Be your own best encourager!

I really enjoy a good devotional book. There are so many different kinds. They make them for women, for men, for Moms, for Dads, for married people, for single people, for young women and older women, for kids, for working moms and stay at home moms… the list goes on.

A couple years ago I went looking for devotions written for divorced women and I couldn’t find any. So I started to write them for myself which was a great way for me to spend time with God.

Have you ever attempted to write a devotion? Maybe the thought of writing devotions for other people is a bit overwhelming, but what if you wrote them just for you? Who better to write something that will speak right to your very own situation? It’s easy and it will help you to learn how to encourage yourself when you are feeling under the circumstances.

Step One – Write down a problem you are facing.
Only write one sentence. If your problem is too complicated for just one sentence, break it down into chunks that can be and you will have topics for several different devotions.

My Example:

I need to be more balanced in my life, I am struggling with work, ministry and family time.

Step Two – Brainstorm Bible Verses.
This is the fun part. Get out your bible and your bible study helps and start looking for scriptures that will speak to your specific problem. If you don’t know where to start, check the back of your bible to see if it has a concordance. If all else fails, go to the internet. I love Crosswalk’s Bible Study Tools for searching the bible in different versions.

Write down two or three scriptures that really speak to you on the topic.

My Example:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

If you find more verses that speak to you, go ahead and write them down, but only choose one scripture per devotion that you are going to write.

Step Three – Meditate on the Word.
You don’t have to get goofy, just think about how the verse can apply to your situation.

Step Four – Write down what God tells you.
Write simply from your heart and don’t worry about perfect grammar or what anyone else would think.

My Example:

I can get out of balance so easy. I get ideas and I want to run with them and I don’t always know when to say when. Before I know it I have spent several days in a row working on my own agenda without any thought for what God wants me to do. Then Sunday comes and I sit in church and feel like a bad Christian.

It isn’t that working is bad, it is just that it has to be done in balance with the rest of my life. The bible says to put God first and all the other things in my life will fall into place.

Step Five – Write a prayer in response to what you have written.

My Example:

Father God, please help me to come to you with the first part of my day. When I get excited about a new project, please help me to keep my balance. I know all the very best ideas come straight from You and that you have plans for my success in all areas of my life. I trust You with my all the hours of my day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you will do this a few times you will find that you become better at encouraging yourself and others! Because you are taking a problem to the Word and really looking at how it can be applied to your situation, then turning it into a prayer.

If you are a bible study leader, take these steps to your next study group and work together on some devotions as a group. We did this and I was amazed at the women’s contributions to one another’s problems. We brainstormed scriptures and encouraged one another and the time flew by!