Morning Tea with Jesus

The speaker, Emily B., shares her personal experience with building a devotional and prayer life and emphasizes the importance of spending time with Jesus every day. She explains that this practice has had a profound impact on her life and suggests starting small and being consistent. Setting goals, personalizing the experience, and finding accountability through friends or church groups are other tips she shares. Emily encourages listeners to seek God with their whole heart, as they will find Him through this dedicated time with Him. Hey, everyone, and this is Emily B. from More of Jesus, Please, blog and podcast. Thank you for joining me for our second episode. This week we've titled it, Tea with Jesus, and the reason I titled it this is because the first thing I do in the morning is I make a big cup of hot tea, and I get my Bible out, and I begin to do my prayer and devotional time, and this time has become so important to me that I just can't even go without it. It's like a morning cup of coffee or tea, you just can't go without it. Well, I can't go without my time without Jesus. I could go without a lot of things, but I can't go without my time with Jesus in the morning. And so that's why I titled this episode, Tea with Jesus, is because I can't go without Jesus. It's like I can't go without tea, and I wanted to talk about just the practical side of building a personal devotional and prayer life and praying without ceasing and what that really looks like, what it looks like in my life, and some of the ideas and things that you can take and try in yours. One of the reasons I push this so hard is because it is the one thing that really changed my life. I mean, I've done a lot of different things. I've changed a lot of things in my life. Things have come and gone, people have come and gone. God has dealt with me with a lot of things, and I've grown up a lot. But where it all started was when I started taking my relationship with Jesus seriously and started investing time. And one of the easiest ways and best ways to invest that time is through prayer and devotionals and setting time aside for Jesus every day and making it a habit. And so I continue to stress that on my blog, and I will continue to stress that in this podcast. And I just thought, if I'm going to keep stressing it, then I should break it down as to what works for me and give you some tips and tricks and help you to start doing the same for yourself so you can see the same changes that I have in my life. When I started my journey with Jesus, I was a child. I was born to Christian parents who'd just gotten saved when they got pregnant with me. And so I don't remember a life without Jesus being in it. But the thing is, is that I wasn't really, I didn't have a relationship with Jesus, unless I'm not saved. I know I love Jesus, I knew a lot about Jesus, I thought He was a nice idea, especially when I went on to be a teenager, I thought good living was good advice, it was a nice way to live, it was a good sentiment, it was how I grew up, it's all I really knew. But it wasn't something super personal, it wasn't something that I was just so devoted I couldn't be shaken from. People could come and suggest other ideas and I would consider them because I didn't know any better and I didn't have a deeper sense of connection to God other than that's how my family did it, that's how we always did it, and it worked out pretty well, so why not? I was kind of just culturally Christian, kind of like how the Jews in Israel in the Old Testament, a lot of them were Israelite and Hebrew by culture, but they didn't worship God, they didn't follow Him, they would turn to idols and they'd come back and they'd go and they'd come. Well, I had a lot of the same kind of relationship with Jesus until recently, I knew a lot about Him, I attended a Bible school for a while, I served in the church, I loved Jesus but I didn't know Him, He was a good idea to me, but recently after going through a lot of hard times and a lot of bad choices and mistakes and finally hitting the rock bottom and coming to the end of myself, I finally realized that what was missing was a relationship with Jesus and that just knowing Him wasn't going to bring me the peace, wasn't going to bring me the love and the joy and the hope that I so desperately needed and that I was looking for in all the wrong places. So my first thing that really changed me was to just start reading the Bible and I picked the things, I had to start small and that's what I suggest for everybody is that I start small because at first it was after years, ten years of not really reading the Bible, not really going to church, not really, I'd fallen out of church, I'd fallen away from doing all the things that I had grown up doing due to the circumstances and the life choices I had made. I found myself in a place where I wasn't surrounded by Christians, I wasn't surrounded by my family, I wasn't surrounded by anything that was godly or good for me and I had gotten out of practice and so I had to start super small, one verse, one verse a day and then, you know, I'd just ponder it for the day, that's it. So getting the Savage Heart Memorandum at first, I just thought on it and it started with like the YouVersion Bible app and the Daily Bible and the meditation that would come, that they do with it. I would do one of those in the morning and sometimes I missed days, sometimes I wouldn't, I wasn't very consistent at first but when I started becoming more consistent, even in the small things, that's when it started to change. So some of the things that I found was, other than starting small, was to be consistent that every day I was doing it, even just that little bit, just doing it because it takes 21 days to make a habit and I found that once it was a habit, it wasn't no thing, it wasn't a big deal to go and just take my five minutes and do my Bible. It just became a part of my day, it became something that I did, it became natural and once that started happening, I was able to push myself a little farther, read a little more, do a little more. I found that having goals helped me, is knowing, okay, well, I'm going to read this book in the Bible this week or I was going to read so many chapters or so many verses, I could celebrate and look forward to it and if there were parts that were a little bit harder, I could be like, you know, I only got a couple more days and then I can change my subject or change the book of the Bible or change the verses. So I found that having a goal helped me get through the parts that were more difficult. It gave me a sense of accomplishment. I could be like, yay, I've read a book of the Bible, yay, I've completed the New Testament. Right now I'm trying to read through the Bible in 90 days and so far I haven't missed a day, so far I've done really good. I'm into Chronicles and it's a little bit harder there at the beginning where they're talking about the genealogy, but that's where the goal comes in place, is I know I'm only in Chronicles for two more days, so if it's hard to get through, then I can get through it for two more days and then we'll be on to Ezra and it'll be different. So having goals, staying consistent, starting small, I also found that personalizing it, it's your time with Jesus. So some people I've heard say and draw and write out their memory verses and do all this really artsy stuff. I'm not super drawing, I'm not super talented in drawing, but I do like to write and I do like to write poetry from time to time, so I found that I take scripture and I write it out in pretty calligraphy and then I make my own poem about it or something like that. It's been a really great way to connect with God, to write out my feelings, to write out what He's telling me, and to do it in a way that is fun and creative to me. It feels very personal. It feels like I'm really sitting down with Jesus and writing a poem with Him and it makes Him come alive. It makes Him real. It makes Him like my best friend and I sit down for two hours with Jesus and we read and we talk and I write out poetry and I think about our day and it's just like starting it out with your best friend knowing that He's going to start your day all good. He's going to encourage you and give you the hope and the strength you need to get through the day. He's going to be with you. He's going to walk with you. It just gives you so much encouragement just to go through the day and know that He's with you and you started your day out that way. The other thing I found is that accountability is important. I have a group of friends at church that really keep me accountable. They ask about, you know, we do a Bible study together. We talk about the scriptures we memorized, about what we are reading, what we're learning. We remind each other when we're having rough days. This has been monumental as well, just having somebody to keep me to my goals. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get distracted or discouraged and I give up on my goals. But to have somebody that's continually asking me, hey, have you done your Bible reading? Hey, what scriptures are you memorizing? Hey, what have you learned this week? Are you coming to Bible study? Are you coming to church? Just making sure that I'm staying on track. I have somebody to show up for, somebody who's looking for me. And it keeps me from wanting to disappoint the people I love and disappoint Jesus. And so I keep doing and keep going and keep pushing on, even on the hard days, even when I don't want to get out of bed, because I struggle with chronic illness. And so sometimes it's hard for me to want to get out of bed. And so sometimes it's hard for me to want to get out of bed. And so sometimes it's hard for me to want to get out of bed. And so sometimes it's hard for me to want to get out of bed. And so sometimes it's hard for me to want to get out of bed. that are pushing for you, that are encouraging you, that are holding you accountable. It makes a difference. It really does. So just find that one friend or that one group of people, that church or that Bible study, whatever it is, to get plugged into your local church and to be able to have people that hold you accountable. It will do you wonders. And as you start to build this routine and this time with Jesus, it'll become so personal and it'll become so alive with the Spirit. As you seek God, as you seek God with your whole heart, you will find him. And this is by seeking him with your whole heart and starting your day out with him, seeking him first, giving him your best first. You will find that you hear his voice better. As you know his word, you will know his voice better. You will find that you see him throughout the day because you saw him first in the morning. You will just see him in everything. For example, we were just picking up the kids not an hour ago. They're sitting at a stoplight and my knee kept going out and it kept me, my foot kept coming off the clutch as I drive a manual. And I was like, oh my God, I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. 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I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. So I've prayed to God, like, God, just help me finish dinner. Just help me get through this. Please let me have enough of, enough eggs and even, or enough flour or whatever. And it's like He always makes it work. And that's what a life of prayer is, is in those little moments when you're, you think you're out of eggs, God, please let's just, I mean, that may not always work exactly like that, but it has for me in the past. But I know that just going to God for everything, it always works out. Whatever His solution to the problem is, it's always a good solution. It's always the best solution. It always works out for your good and His glory. It tells us in Jeremiah 29, He knows the plans for us, that they are for good, for hope, and for our future. And knowing that, we know that we can trust Him, and going to Him in prayer for everything, everything, every little thing, from lacking ingredients to life-saving moments, God is there, and He hears our prayers, and praying to Him like He's right there, you know, God help me. It just makes Him so much more alive. It makes His presence so real. And He does hear our prayers, and He does answer them, and it all works out for our good. And as we pray, and as we make that a part of our life, our devotional life, our prayer life, our spirituality, our relationship with God will just continue to grow. We'll continue to see Him work in amazing ways to move in our lives, and to change us, but not just to change us, to change the people that are in our lives, the people that are around us. They see God, and they see Him working in us, and they see our faithfulness, and our dedication, and our prayer life, and our devotions, and they see what it does for us, and they want that too. They want that hope. They want that joy. And that's what God calls us to do, is to have a strong relationship with Him first, and then to take that relationship and share it with everyone around us. And so having a strong devotional life and a prayer life that is living without ceasing is going to do that, not only for us, but for the people around us. So thank you for joining me with our second episode of More of Jesus, Please podcast. I've really enjoyed sharing some of my tips and kind of the process I've been going through for my personal devotions. I hope you will join us back here. I'm in the works of maybe getting some interviews from some cool people that are going to really share their faith and their heart, and I'm really excited to see what comes of it. So join me again next week. Thank you. Bye.