Ask Jessie / Lately I haven't been doing my devotions or spending time with God like I should be, and I can see it showing in my life. I know it's different for everyone, but what do you do or recommend doing for devotions?

First, I'm glad you recognize that your time with God is lacking and actually want to do something about it. It's one of the big struggles every Christian faces at different times in our lives. I've done lots of different things in the past. The key is to set yourself up for success by committing to a reasonable routine, and then disciplining yourself to stick with it even when you don't feel like it.

The struggle, it seems, is twofold. One, we have to find a time to do it, and two, we have to figure out what to do.

Are you a morning person or a night person? If you're a morning person, don't let yourself put on make-up until you've read your Bible for at least five minutes. If you're a night person, don't turn out the lights before bed until you've read. My personal rule is that I'm not allowed to turn on the computer in the morning (which I use for work and pleasure) until I've had my time with God.

As for what to read, I'd start out small. One of my favorite things to do is read one chapter in Proverbs each day for a month (there are conveniently 31 chapters!). Or you could read a psalm, or a chapter in the New Testament, or whatever interests you. There are a ton of really good teen devotional books out there too, which might help. You could ask your youth pastor for his or her top picks, or just browse a Christian bookstore (or an online store like www.christianbooks.com).

I'm proud of you for wanting to be serious about your faith. I know God will bless you for your diligence as you seek Him!

Love,
Jessie

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