HOW TO USE THIS DEVOTIONAL

1. Choose to believe that your life is going to be transformed by the grace of God as you invest time and attention in Him and His grace for a month. Jesus invites you to step up into a new season of grace, joy, power, and effectiveness as rewards for your diligence.

2. Intentionally step into the presence of God before each devotional by quietly acknowledging His goodness, thanking Him for such great salvation, and telling Him that you are ready to tremble in His presence (Jer 5:22) and to tremble at His word (Isa 66:5) because you choose to fear the Lord and expect Him to speak to you and give you grace through your reading of His word.

3. Read the Scripture passage slowly and attentively with open ears and heart, allowing yourself to be impacted by it. You may find it helpful to read it out loud.

4. Trust the hearts of these writers. Let yourself be moved by the pastor or other leader who wrote the devotional, listening for Holy Spirit who inspired them. These devotionals have been reviewed and approved by our pastoral leadership for your spiritual vitality.

5. Journaling is encouraged for your optimum benefit, but is not required. If you take time to journal, you may want to do it on a document you create in your cell phone or computer so you can easily share selections from it with others for their encouragement by simply copying and pasting.

Journaling suggestions:

• Ask God how to answer the questions, and listen.
• Write down the thoughts that He gives you. They will usually be the quick and simple ideas, not the complex or confusing ones that come if you get out of the “pool of grace.”
• Add any other thoughts that you feel are coming to you by Holy Spirit, even if they are on different subjects.

6. When you get to the end, ask God for grace and write a devotional yourself for another day, or two, or three…

If you think only ordained ministers can hear from the Lord and write thoughts that encourage, engage, or challenge others, you may be delighted to hear Him speaking to you -- and then through you -- as you create with His grace.