Life Lessons: Getting Right With God

Hey family, Might be a bit late for a happy new year but to everyone reading this, bruhhhh we are going to make this year pop, okay?

May it be filled... in fact, speak it into existence that it will be filled with love, joy, peace, breaking barriers, conquering fear, genuine friendship and strength to keep going when all of the above seem distant.

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So, it's a new year and we all have new goals right? Some of which are spiritual goals. At the worship event I held in December called Worship Lounge, a number of people expressed their feeling that God was 'calling them' and that they had a desire to 'get right' with Him. Whether your goals are to find yourself, find God, get closer to Him, or attain peace, the following steps can be beneficial for you.

(issa lengthy one, but a good one)

1) Find a good daily devotional: This step propelled my relationship with God to the next level. Trying to read the Bible may appear overwhelming, and even uninteresting. Daily Devotionals contextualise various stories and instructions from the Bible making them easier for you to understand and apply practically into your life. The devotionals I use are also available online FREE:

Open Heavens: an annual devotional with a memory verse, action/prayer point and Bible In A Year reading plan.

Available as an app (£) and paper copy.

40 Days In The Word: a 40 day practical devotional with a memory verse and short reading.

Available along with sermons etc on the app: Jubilee Church London.

ALSO- what really makes the use of devotionals effective is to study, not just read. When revising or in class, people rarely just listen and read in hopes of processing information- they take notes. Same applies here. Taking notes helps ensure that devotional time is active, not passive- and very focused. Every sentence I read has to be thoroughly understood before I paraphrase it in my notebook, so it really encourages deeper understanding as well as prolonged memorising.

2) Continuing on from this, obviously, reading the Bible is essential. Christianity is a relationship which means you talk to God and He speaks to you. One of the primary ways in which He speaks to us is through His Word. The Word is timeless and will never be outdated. Plus, just think- everything you could imagine going through- someone in the Bible probably went through that too. The Word gives you instruction, reminds you of God's promises (which you can repeat to yourself and Him in time of need), and gives you guidance. ANYWAY, my point is- get you a Bible- one you can read and understand. PLS don't go and collect the King James Version because really and truly is that how thee speaketh?

No? Ok. So get a Bible in a translation you will understand like the English Standard Version, American Standard Version, New Living Translation.. like, I really even translated a memory verse into the children's bible translation once just to make sure I grasped it well.

3) Surround yourself with like-minded Christians. Not exclusively, I'm not saying start deleting your non-christian contacts, but make sure you've got Christian friends around you. (AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT CHRISTIAN THINGS) They will be able to advise you on situations with God in mind rather than advising you in a worldly way. They will be there for you to talk to when you have doubts and questions. I'd say having people in the same position in their journey as you is good, and also having someone who can act as a mentor (note: they don't have to be older). Don't just keep these friends there- engage in conversation about the things you are experiencing. We can talk for hours about our uni struggles but not about Christian ones?

4) Pray and Pray again when you dont feel like it. Praying is really just talking to God. I really know people who start their prayers with 'my g' and 'bossman' LOL. (Pls just be careful and always put respect on His name). Back to the matter- prayer. D'you ever have days where you come back home from wherever and talk to yourself for time? Overthinking, thinking aloud whatever it is- direct it to God. This step will have you praying more than you thought possible. Literally just talk to God about everything you'd be going around in circles about mentally. It might feel wierd at first- but He is there with you.

5) Find some goood sermons: When reading the Bible, there will be stories and verses in the Bible that you passively read or just don't understand too well. Sermons put these into context and allow you to take a different perspective from it. They can be educational and empowering, and they can be a good way of learning bits of the Bible when you aren't actually reading. Some of my favourite preachers are: Joyce Meyer, Stephen Furtick, TD Jakes, Tope Koleoso, John Gray, Bianca Olthoff, Heather Lindsay (more of a christian youtuber but same effect).

Try to take at least 2 of these things into account actively this year. Consistently.

Love and light and all of that positivity for your headtop,

Young B x