Seven Ways to Take Your Faith Further

Bliss Junkie is under a lil' construction and I am oh so happy about it. I'm transforming it into a Faith and Travel Blog. I have either told you this 163 times or not at all, I can't remember. That being said, I'll be switching the content of my posts every other week. One week travel based, one week faith based. 

​For a long time I've been praying about the direction of this blog. "How can I serve your kingdom with this thing?" Slowly, I've been infusing things God has taught me into my "travel" posts. I love this idea, but I feel like I can take it further. 

​I've already said I'm obsessed with growth, especially in my walk with God. This past year I spent a lot of time focusing on how I could take my faith further. Here is a list of things I've been doing and really enjoy. Keep in mind, I am no expert. I don't promise you'll wake up tomorrow hearing God's voice crystal clear and without anxiety. I love challenging myself to be better and these are ways I'm trying to do it...

Silent time:

This is something I do during my daily devotions. I’ve done it off & on the past two years and it’s done incredible things for my decision making. I read a portion of a bible plan on my bible app and then begin silent time. I start by cutting out any noise. (Jesus music, tv, or roommates talking) I normally just go into my room quick if that’s the case. I set my timer for fifteen minutes. I ask God what He wants me to hear. I try my best to sit still and listen. It’s important to shove any distracting thoughts aside. I like to think of a still lake to shift my focus.

If my heart feels heavy, I ask to find the root of it and maybe draw a web diagram. If I'm pissed off at someone, I ask Him to carry my bitterness and expose a different perspective of the situation. If I'm pretty chill, I ask Him to what kind of self-improvement I could start on.

​A few of my favorite bible plans on the bible app:
-30 Days of Heartwork (kick your butt kind of plan)
​-Lead Like Jesus (doing it rn and it is a game changer)
​-30 Day Prayer Challenge (learned the value of kneeling during prayer)
-Stop It! No More Worry (great techniques on understanding and dealing with your anxiety)
​-(Un)Qualified (by Steven who does Elevation church and izzz thee best)
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Gratitude journal:

In high school, I took a creative writing class. My teacher, Mrs. Wiarda (the one who opened the world of writing to me), had us conduct an interesting exercise. We were to write a handful of things we were grateful for everyday and see if we could make it to 1,000 by the end of the semester. I adored making lists, so I immediately accepted the challenge.

I did it, however I wanted that routine to live on. It’s been three years since that class and I continue to add to the list. I’m on #5,426😊 I like this routine because most of the things are examples of what God does for me on the daily, without much prayer involved.
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Tracking answered prayers:

Man, I am obsessed with recording answered prayers lately. I started this habit sometime last year? It has done CRAZY things to my prayer life. I use to think every week or so, “Oh hey wow God thanks for answering that prayer.” NOW, I’m finding myself saying thank you two to three times a day. THAT’S A BIG DEAL. God has put in A LOT of work for me. DYING ON THE CROSS type of work. It's about time I acknowledge his hand in more areas of my life. 

Leadership role:

This can mean a lot of things. A few examples are leading a bible study, discipling someone, taking a higher position in your church, or starting a service project. As believers, we’re called to live like Jesus and that entails leading like him too. I am by no means a “social butterfly”, but that shouldn’t keep me from leading, even if it means I need to leave my comfort zone. One thing I had to remind myself when I was considering leadership opportunities was, “You are qualified Logan. You love Jesus and you want to serve His people with your experience.”

How I pray:

My prayer routine has gone through quite the change over the last couple years. Once we had a war room. Once I prayed before bed. (already half asleep) Once I gave myself a daily limit for how many prayers requests I could have. (I would feel bad if I didn’t pray for absolutely everything in my life lol) The past few months I’ve taught myself to be kneeling when I pray alone at home. My knees ache and I’m usually dizzy when I stand up, but I think it’s important to go the extra mile for things. I may not be hurting that day, but I’m sure someone I’m praying for is. The least I could do is feel a little burn myself.
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Timing of devotions:

My life isn’t perfect, and this doesn’t happen every day. In fact, I was super tired this morning and ended up starting my devotion at 5 p.m. after work. Although, on a good day, I’ve trained myself to roll out of bed and do my devotions before anything else. Sure, it isn’t my favorite thing ten minutes in, but halfway through a cup of coffee and my grogginess, I’m digging it. I love starting my day with Jesus. Seriously though, think about it. How can you have a bad morning, if you are refreshed, content, and light hearted? Light a candle and open the windows for a perfect spring morning.
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Learning to tithe-

I started tithing three years ago. (Tithing is giving a percentage of your income to the church/ a charity/ someone or something in need. I use to think only adults like 30+ were suppose to tithe lol. ) It began as an experiment and I doubted I would be able to keep it up. Boy, I was totally wrong. I use a cash envelope system because I waitress and I absolutely LOVE it. (Maybe I'll write a post about that soon. Should I?)

Anyway, after every shift, I took 10% out of my tips and put it into an envelope labeled "Give." I didn't imagine it would come through at theeee coolest moments. My dorm room ran out of paper towels. Give. I needed to bring snacks for a Christian Student Fellowship event. Give. There was a random offering at church that I really believed in. Give. I needed $300 for a mission trip. Give.

​After a couple months, I started to take out 15%. I still do the 15% today and I barely notice the missing money.  He's never put me in a position where I've needed it to make rent or pay for something unexpected. It's been a true test of control and trust. A valuable lesson I desperately needed.
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​I never thought I'd write something like this. It feels kinda personal. Ya, it's a few common routines, but eh I used specifics and those aren't always fun to share. I did that though for a reason. Whenever I'm reading someone else's blog post about growth, I'm disappointed when they don't share many details. Being vulnerable makes you real. It screams authenticity and I deeply appreciate that. 

I hope these help if you're looking to grow in your faith. :) Save this pin for later if it was helpful! Email me if you ever wanna talk too. I love talking faith, so hit me uppp!

*What kind of things have you done to take your faith further? Any of the above?

*Did you find this post helpful? Would you like to see another post similar to this?
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