Devotional books can help us grow spiritually.

Devotional books can help us grow spiritually by encouraging us to set aside time each day to spend in intimacy with God. These books can help us understand His Word and apply it to our lives. And they can encourage us to open our hearts in new ways to our Heavenly Father – allowing Him to speak to us and work in us.

However, reading devotional books is not a substitute for reading the Bible. They supplement the Word of God and often broaden our understanding of it. Make sure that you read the Bible and meditate on it, as well as contemplating the ideas that are shared in your devotional. It is helpful to look up the verses that are mentioned in the devotional and see what their context is within the Scriptures.

Keep in mind when your read a devotional, that you are reading a point of view from an author. This author is interpreting and/or applying Bible passages or teachings. You must compare what he or she writes with the Bible itself and ask God to help you discern whether the author’s application lines up with the context of the verses quoted.

It often helps to discuss what you are learning through your daily devotions with others.  Tell them how God is speaking to you and share what you are learning.  Get their input.  If you have a prayer partner, good friend, or a spouse, it can be a great idea to both read the same daily devotional and then talk about what God is showing you.  You will learn from each other.  It’s often amazing how different people can read the same Scriptures and each get something different that applies to their lives.  In the process of sharing, both people benefit because the perspective is widened that way.

During a time when I was directing a day camp, we had our whole camp staff reading the same devotional throughout the summer.  During part of our daily staff meetings, we would talk about what we got from the readings.  As various people shared, we were all blessed.  We gained insights beyond what we had learned from our own reading because of how God spoke to each of us as individuals.  You might try the same thing with a prayer group, a mom’s group, or a few friends!

Here on this website I’ll be adding links to many different devotionals.  Ask the Lord for wisdom and get one for your own use.  You’ll be glad you did!