Hundreds of millions of believers around the world find time to spend time with God every day. Pretty cool to think about right? Devotional time, devos, quiet time, abiding time, Jesus time, alone time, or whatever we else call it in the church is a dedicated time spent with Jesus. This time each day is crucial to having a real relationship with the Lord.

Many times in my own life I’ve struggled to set aside time to spend with Jesus. I am reminded time and time again that daily time spent with the Lord is an absolute necessity. Regardless of how busy my life gets I must figure out a routine that works and I must be relentless in this pursuit.

I’m interested in the practical ways people spend time with Jesus since starting a new job in a new city. Many people speak about a quiet time with Jesus but I’ve found few actually go into detail about what that looks like for them. I don’t blame anyone. It’s an intimate time alone with the Creator of the universe. But what does that time spent actually look like?

I’m going to share how I abide with Jesus daily sometimes with great success and other times with a big fat “F” for the day. My goal is to get you to think about how you are being intentional with your own day. In preparation for this post I texted a some of my Jesus loving friends who shared with me their daily routines. I will share some highlights from those conversations as well.

Here are a few routines I’ve found that work well for my schedule…

Quiet times in the morning

I’ve found that my time with Jesus is most fruitful in the morning when I’ve had a solid night of rest. For many years, I put off reading and praying until I was ready for bed but I found my mind was too tired to focus. I would often doze off while praying with my Bible open on my bed. Spending time with Jesus in the morning helps me focus my mind on what God has called me to for that day.

What that looks like:

• Turn of all distractions. I close my laptop and make sure my iPhone message notifications are turned off. It’s easy to lose focus if a message pops up.
• I use the Dwell audio bible to listen to scripture while also following along in my paper Bible. I follow their awesome reading plans. I’m currently on a 90-day journey through the New Testament!
• I take notes and highlight verses in my paper Bible
• I use a notes app called Simplenote to jot down other random thoughts
• I take time praying through the meetings I have and the projects I have for that day.
• Oftentimes a friend or family member will come to mind while I’m praying or reading the Bible. I will pray for that person and then if led text them a verse, question, or word of encouragement.

I spend anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour abiding each morning depending on the day and what I have going on.

Worship music on the commute to work

I have a 20-minute commute to work on my electric scooter. Yes, I am a 24-year-old adult that rides an electric scooter to work. During that ride, I bump worship music in my headphones. When I drive my car places I love jamming to live worship as well especially with other believers. If I’m ever going through some stuff blasting worship music and singing my heart out to God works wonders.

What that looks like:

• My must listens right now are Will Reagan, The Sing Team, Hillsong Worship, Phil Wickham, and Tauren Wells.

Short walks during the work day

I work at a computer all day. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in design work that I forget to get up and walk around. Lately, I’ve tried to be more intentional about taking 5-10 minute walks outside by myself. It’s a great way to get energy back. It’s also an awesome time to quiet my mind and listen to what God is trying to say to me during the day.

What that looks like:

• Walk a path along the downtown area that loops right back to my workplace
• If it’s raining I will sometimes walk around the office building a few laps instead

Small moments throughout the day

I’ve found that having small moments with Jesus at work are the best. Usually, that consists of me saying a quick prayer asking God to help give me the wisdom to navigate a challenge I’m having at work that day.

What that looks like:

• Pray in my mind right at my desk
• Take a quick moment to pray/quiet my mind in an empty call room

Listen to podcasts while I work at night

I have a solid routine of working on side projects a few weeks a night. I’m currently working on one called FontPair. While I design or code a website I oftentimes play a podcast or YouTube channel in the background.

What that looks like:

• Listen to Christian podcasts: the Bible Project, Hinge, Judah Smith, Read Scripture, Pray the Word, Ravi Zacharias.
• Listen to YouTube channels: the Bible Project, The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, Gospel in Life, Francis Chan.

Quiet/listening time at night

Right before I head to bed around 11pm I try to quiet my mind. I find myself wanting to constantly grab my phone but I try my best to resist and take time to listen to God’s voice. This is by far the hardest part of my day. Letting my mind wander and sit in stillness is often times uncomfortable. I’m confronted with all the doubts and fears I try my darn best to avoid. The only solution to these fears is having the Holy Spirit remind my who I am in Christ.

What I try to do:

• Set my phone alarm for the next morning and put it away for the night
• Recall my day in my mind
• Quiet my mind and listen for God to speak

I talked to a few of my friends to get their answers to how they abide daily with Jesus here’s what they said…

• A businessman in Georgia told me he enjoys the “in-between moments” with Jesus while he’s traveling to his next meeting he will pray or listen to worship music.
• A missionary from Indiana loves variety. Some days she will dive into a deep Bible study on a certain topic, other days she will read a Christian author, other days she will praise dance in her room alone.
• A designer from Tennessee loves to read different theological perspectives from Christian authors and wrestle with different Biblical topics.
• A businesswoman from Indianapolis has written down Gospel truths that she reads out loud to herself every morning while she makes her morning coffee.
• Another missionary from Indiana uses the Bible app to follow reading plans and uses podcasts to listen to sermons.
• A photographer from Indianapolis jams to worship music on all day while she works from home. She also listens to podcast sermons while she edits photos.
• A businessman from Indianapolis places all his technology in another room to make sure he doesn’t touch it while having time with Jesus. He also makes sure to spend time with Jesus before he checks his emails.

In summary

I know I must make it a priority to spend time with the Lord. I don’t want to depend on myself. I want to depend on Jesus and that starts with the simplicity of spending time with Him every day. My daily time is rarely Instagram worthy (shout out all those Christian Instagram girls out there) but it is real, raw, and much needed time spent with my Creator.

Question/challenge

What are some ways you spend time with Jesus every day? How have you been intentional to make sure it happens each day?