Right From the Heart: Turning Your Day Toward God

By Bryant Wright

For people on-the-go who want a daily dose of God’s truth for their life.

You want to spend meaningful time each day with the Lord, but about 10 minutes into your day the demands of life distract and pull at you, and threaten to overshadow your plans for quiet time. Pastor Bryant Wright lends helpful guidance for staying focused on God’s Word and applying it to your daily living. His to-the-point messages set the tone for living as Jesus lived, no matter your circumstances.  

Setting aside just a few minutes each day with the Lord can change your heart. The condition of your heart can change your day.  And the outcome of your day can change the course of your life for His eternal glory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Aug 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781400317738

Book preview

1

RIGHT

from the

HEART

Turning Your Day Toward God

9781404190023_INT_0003_001

Bryant Wright

9781404190023_INT_0003_002

Right from the Heart

© 2011 by Bryant Wright

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material: The quote from Norman L. Geisler on ♣ was taken from Decision magazine, July/August; ©2006 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; used by permission, all rights reserved. The quote from Ronald Reagan on ♣ was taken from Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan, ©1999 by Edmund Morris (New York: Random House, 1999), used by permission, all rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Other Scripture references are taken from the following sources: The English Standard Version (ESV). © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers; God’s Word® (GW), © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group; King James Version (KJV); The Message (MSG) by Eugene H. Peterson. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved; New Century Version® (NCV). © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; Holy Bible: New International Version® (NIV). © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved; The New King James Version (NKJV). © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT). © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Designed by Lori Lynch

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wright, Bryant.

    Right from the heart : turning your day toward God / Bryant Wright.

      p. cm.

    ISBN 978-1-4041-9002-3 (hardcover)

1. Devotional calendars. I. Title.

    BV4811.W683 2011

    242'.2—dc22

2011005860

Printed in China

11 12 13 14 RRD 5 4 3 2 1

www.thomasnelson.com

To the staff and supporters of Right from

the Heart Ministries and those who take

part through radio, television, and the

Internet. It’s for you that the ministry exists.

9781404190023_INT_0005_001

Contents

Introduction

January

January 1: The New Year

January 2: The Path You Choose

January 3: What Lurks in the Dark?

January 4: First, Your Sword

January 5: Involved Versus Committed

January 6: Get into a Routine of Prayer

January 7: Overwhelmingly Conquer!

January 8: Making the Most of Your Time

January 9: The Best Way to Be a Good Parent

January 10: Where Is Your Strength?

January 11: Just How Big Was That Cross?

January 12: Praying for Daily Needs

January 13: Where to Start

January 14: How to Study the Bible

January 15: Miracle on the Hudson

January 16: What Makes a Woman Beautiful?

January 17: True Success

January 18: Prayer and the Healthy Church

January 19: Is Jesus the Only Way to God?

January 20: The Dangerous Game of Comparison

January 21: Life’s Storms

January 22: Fleeting Wealth

January 23: Prayer Calls for Praise

January 24: Give Me a Sign!

January 25: Facing Family Rejection

January 26: It’s All About Me!

January 27: Sexual Temptation

January 28: Why It Matters

January 29: To Cleave

January 30: A Wonderful Opportunity

January 31: Statistics 101

February

February 1: The Truth About Suicide

February 2: When Bad Things Happen

February 3: The Evidence of Things Not Seen

February 4: Heavenly Justice

February 5: If You Are a Victim of Adultery

February 6: Who Said Miracles Don’t Happen Anymore?

February 7: The Lions Never Retired

February 8: What We Treasure

February 9: God: The Answer for Temptation

February 10: Was Jesus Silent About Homosexuality?

February 11: A Stunning Revelation

February 12: The Matchmaker

February 13: Agape Love

February 14: A Beautiful Mind

February 15: Tolerance

February 16: Fall on Your Knees

February 17: Pass It On

February 18: What Do Women Want?

February 19: Two Perspectives

February 20: A Request from the White House

February 21: The Toughest Temptation

February 22: Throwing Gasoline on the Fire

February 23: Good from Evil

February 24: Good Fear

February 25: Love Thy Neighbor

February 26: If He Parted the Red Sea . . .

February 27: The Unpardonable Sin

February 28: A Word from Andy on Parenting

February 29: Pride

March

March 1: Love God with All Your Heart

March 2: Love God with All Your Soul

March 3: Love God with All Your Mind

March 4: Love God with All Your Strength

March 5: Consider: Seventy Times Seven

March 6: What We Have in Common

March 7: Social Networking

March 8: You Are Somebody

March 9: From Adversity to Greatness

March 10: When Does a Baby Become a Baby?

March 11: The Real Lesson at the Well

March 12: Connecting with Jewish Friends

March 13: Why God Hates Divorce

March 14: The Trinity

March 15: Righteous Anger

March 16: Victimless Crime?

March 17: Prayer

March 18: Justice

March 19: You’ve Been Replaced

March 20: Preparing to Be a Witness

March 21: The Need to Need More Than You Need

March 22: Blind from Birth

March 23: Making the Best out of a Bad Situation

March 24: Saved Forever

March 25: The Right Values

March 26: No Going Back

March 27: The Supernatural Power of God

March 28: How Great Thou Art!

March 29: Listened to Song Lyrics Lately?

March 30: Trusting God

March 31: Heading to Jerusalem

April

April 1: Fool

April 2: Real Marriage, Real Friends

April 3: Forgiveness

April 4: Our Greatest Generation

April 5: The Heart of Worship

April 6: But Wasn’t It Simply His Destiny?

April 7: A Secret Christian

April 8: He Is Risen!

April 9: Writing Your Legacy

April 10: Fearing God

April 11: Corporate Integrity

April 12: The Cure for Worry

April 13: Bouncing Back from Indiscretion

April 14: Those Who Have Not Heard

April 15: Money Problems: God or Cash?

April 16: Why, God, Why?

April 17: What Better Day Than Sunday?

April 18: Your First Response to Betrayal

April 19: Must Christians Go to Church?

April 20: The Greatest Calling

April 21: It All Comes Back to Jesus

April 22: When Fear Is Bad

April 23: Science Versus the Bible

April 24: Avoiding the Danger Zone

April 25: Knowing the Mind of God

April 26: When Integrity Is Revealed

April 27: The Right to Die

April 28: Time to Turn On the Light

April 29: But God Made Me This Way!

April 30: No Storm Lasts Forever

May

May 1: The Original Sin

May 2: How Should We Pray?

May 3: Why I Believe in God

May 4: Send It Ahead

May 5: What Is Heaven Like?

May 6: Marriage 101: The Basics

May 7: The Importance of Human Life

May 8: A Dash of Salt

May 9: Both an Atheist and a Hypocrite

May 10: Our Father

May 11: Self-Help?

May 12: Parenting Parents

May 13: Happy Mother’s Day!

May 14: The Blame Game

May 15: Is Scripture True or Not?

May 16: Forgive Our Sins

May 17: A Key to Contentment

May 18: The Writing in the Sand

May 19: Self-Appointed Judges

May 20: Legalism Is Anti-Biblical

May 21: Praising God

May 22: The Science of Astrology?

May 23: What Are Your Prayer Stats?

May 24: Rest for the Weary

May 25: How to Be a Good Boss

May 26: When Christianity Is Worthless

May 27: Grace Be with You

May 28: How Can We Repay Their Sacrifice?

May 29: More Than Life Itself

May 30: Better Read That One Again

May 31: Intercessory Prayer

June

June 1: Awol Fathers

June 2: One of the Greatest Mission Fields in the World

June 3: Contentment Through a Godly Life

June 4: Made in God’s Image

June 5: Today Is the Day

June 6: No Sin Is Too Great

June 7: A Horse Story

June 8: Last Words

June 9: Time

June 10: Your Secret Time

June 11: Literal Translation

June 12: The Role of the Holy Spirit: The Helper

June 13: The Role of the Holy Spirit: to Help Us Resist Temptation

June 14: The Role of the Holy Spirit: to Convict Us of Sin

June 15: No Backing Down

June 16: When George Got a Whippin’

June 17: Wisdom from Dad

June 18: The Shadow You Cast—Part 1

June 19: The Shadow You Cast—Part 2

June 20: The Accuracy of the Manuscripts

June 21: A Regular Meeting

June 22: It Doesn’t Always Have to Be Tough

June 23: Forgive Who???

June 24: Facing Rock Bottom

June 25: It All Comes with the Package

June 26: Remarriage

June 27: Identifying Counterfeit Religion

June 28: A Great Prayer for Your Children

June 29: Achieving Greatness

June 30: Stockholm Syndrome

July

July 1: Don’t Just Pray—Do Something!

July 2: Murder—Is There Forgiveness?

July 3: Equally Yoked

July 4: The Day America Told the Truth

July 5: The Gnostic Gospels

July 6: When Your Back Is Against the Wall

July 7: Actually, Money Can Buy Happiness

July 8: Can’t We Just Sort It All Out in Purgatory?

July 9: The Sword of the Lord

July 10: God’s Divorce Recovery Program

July 11: Insight into the Scriptures

July 12: Earth Pains

July 13: Our Hypocrisy Toward Gay Marriage

July 14: Taking Up the Cross

July 15: The Prince of Peace?

July 16: Parenting Preschoolers

July 17: Solomon on Leadership I: The Faith of a Child

July 18: Solomon on Leadership II: The Right Wish

July 19: Solomon on Leadership II: A Clear Mission

July 20: Solomon on Leadership IV: Networking

July 21: Solomon on Leadership V: Organize and Delegate

July 22: Solomon on Leadership VI: Provide Resources

July 23: Creation or Evolution?

July 24: Meeting Death

July 25: Finding Your Calling

July 26: Reaping What You Sow

July 27: Are You Sure That’s What It Says in the Bible?

July 28: Forgiveness When Rejected for Your Faith

July 29: The Road to Financial Security

July 30: Saving Our Marriages from the Start

July 31: Knowing the Truth

August

August 1: Midlife Blues

August 2: Evidence of Life After Life

August 3: The Problem with Religious Folks

August 4: Lying

August 5: Bodily Abuse

August 6: The Real Beauty of a Rainbow

August 7: Victory over Temptation

August 8: What Is the Sword?

August 9: Why They Blow Themselves Up

August 10: Giddy Giving

August 11: The Holy Spirit Speaks to All

August 12: Why Prayer Is Disappointing

August 13: Earthly Consequences Remain

August 14: Is There Other Life in the Universe?

August 15: No Greater Gift

August 16: Alone, But Not Lonely

August 17: Being More Like Jesus

August 18: The Audit

August 19: The Myth of Quality Time

August 20: Old Age Ain’t for Sissies

August 21: David’s Deathbed Advice to His Son, Part I

August 22: David’s Deathbed Advice to His Son, Part II

August 23: The Paradox of Modern Science

August 24: What If?

August 25: Two Very Different Sons

August 26: Fighting Internet Porn

August 27: Patience

August 28: To Be More Like Jesus

August 29: Always in Harmony

August 30: Hypocritical Preachers and Religious Leaders

August 31: How to Use the Holy Spirit as Your Matchmaker

September

September 1: Practicing for the Big Game

September 2: Enemies in the Home

September 3: Laziness and Work

September 4: Who’s Responsible?

September 5: What Is Your Ultimate Authority for Making Decisions?

September 6: Yet Another Troubling Statement by Jesus

September 7: Childlike Faith

September 8: Sex in Marriage

September 9: Where Is Jesus When I Need Him?

September 10: Going Home

September 11: Who Is Jesus to You?

September 12: Revenge—The Wrong Way to Pray

September 13: Appointments

September 14: Financial Wisdom

September 15: What’s Your Identity?

September 16: First Basic in Victorious Living

September 17: Set Free from a Tangled Web

September 18: Bothering Friends

September 19: Torture or Separation?

September 20: The Real Target of Their Wrath

September 21: God’s Family

September 22: The Most Difficult Job

September 23: What on Earth Am I Here For?

September 24: Touchdown

September 25: Just as I Am

September 26: God Is the Giver of Life

September 27: The Real Nature of Tithing

September 28: Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People?

September 29: Heaven Is Like Home

September 30: A Model for Forgiveness

October

October 1: But It Takes Two to Tango, Right?

October 2: The Local Church and Neighborhood Bar

October 3: In the Spirit

October 4: Strength for the Day

October 5: The Secret Weapon

October 6: Should You Tithe?

October 7: What a Wife Most Needs from Her Husband

October 8: What a Man Most Needs from His Wife

October 9: Running from the Light

October 10: A Magnificent Failure

October 11: The Original Religious Terrorist

October 12: Becoming Like the Crowd We Run With

October 13: Why Is My Neighbor’s Bible Thicker Than Mine?

October 14: Is It Tradition, or Is It Biblical?

October 15: Noise

October 16: Ark of the Covenant

October 17: But Wait, There’s More!

October 18: Keep Your Eyes on the Goal

October 19: God’s Financial Advice: Cosigning

October 20: God’s Financial Advice: Contentment Versus Want

October 21: Riddled with Guilt

October 22: The High Calling of Jesus

October 23: There Are No Good Cover-Ups

October 24: Secrets of Fishermen

October 25: Building a Relationship

October 26: Origin of Marriage

October 27: Notice: This Is When the World Will End

October 28: Thanks

October 29: A Fishin’ Story

October 30: This Is the Day; This Is the Time

October 31: Laziness Versus Workaholism

November

November 1: Legislating Morality

November 2: Why I Believe the Bible Is Real

November 3: Reason for Living

November 4: Getting Along with Those In-Laws

November 5: The Disillusionment of Sin

November 6: Trapped in a Dark Mine

November 7: The Slippery Slope

November 8: Picking Sides

November 9: True Financial Security

November 10: Our Role in the Harvest

November 11: How God Measures a Man

November 12: Your First Priority

November 13: Do You Need a Shepherd?

November 14: Getting the Order Right

November 15: Storms of Life

November 16: Visit to the White House

November 17: The Busiest Man Who Ever Lived

November 18: Friends

November 19: Answering Prayers

November 20: Do What’s Right

November 21: The Second Coming: Fear or Anticipation?

November 22: The Source of All Blessings for Thanksgiving

November 23: Our New Favorite Holiday

November 24: Wanting to Be Rich Has a Dark Side

November 25: Showing Your Love Through Obedience

November 26: Deceit

November 27: Bad News/Good News

November 28: Tolerance and Diversity

November 29: Kindness

November 30: Here’s a Theological Shocker

December

December 1: The Most Difficult Question

December 2: The Incomparable Christ

December 3: Overcoming Fear

December 4: The Creator and His Creatures

December 5: Appreciation

December 6: The Millstone

December 7: Is Heaven All We Hope For?

December 8: Questioning Your Faith

December 9: Nothing Is Impossible

December 10: Overcoming Animosity

December 11: Christmas Greetings from the Griswalds

December 12: God’s Clock

December 13: Mary’s Response

December 14: Use It or Lose It

December 15: Scrooge or Christian This Christmas?

December 16: The Unearned Gift

December 17: A Visit from the Greatest

December 18: The Light of the World?

December 19: The Real Story of Christmas

December 20: Folks Who Found Christmas

December 21: Folks Who Missed Christmas

December 22: Thirty Alleluias

December 23: Light over Darkness

December 24: O Holy Night!

December 25: No Crib for a Bed

December 26: The Gift to the Wise Men

December 27: Discouragement over Money

December 28: Symphony

December 29: Life’s Certainties

December 30: How Sweet the Sound!

December 31: Are You In or Out?

Acknowledgments

Notes

Introduction

Fitness is a big part of my life. However, the longer I live, the more I realize that exercise doesn’t go well without warming up. The muscles need to stretch. The blood needs to flow. Warming up is the key to having a quality workout.

And fitness has to be regular—a discipline to do something our bodies need us to do but we never really have time to do. We have to make time regularly, especially on those days when we are not in the mood, our energy is sagging, and we just don’t want to work out. Those are the days when discipline is most important and most necessary to stay fit.

One of the key aspects of spiritual fitness is regular time alone with God. Like physical fitness, it’s something we never have time for, can always put off, and seem to find most difficult when we are not in the mood. But regular time alone with God is essential in getting to know Him.

And like a fitness workout, I need a spiritual warm-up. For me, that spiritual warm-up is found in devotional books that get my spiritual thoughts flowing and help me focus on God and be ready to talk to Him and listen to Him through His Word.

I hope these daily devotionals will be your spiritual warm-ups over the next year. I hope and pray they will be used by the Lord to draw you to Him and give you a hunger to know Him, to trust Him, to worship Him, and to follow Him. Most of all, I hope they will help you connect with God through His Son, Jesus.

I wrote these devotionals with two groups of people in mind:

1. Those who are not connected to God. Hopefully these daily readings will help you begin a relationship with Him and see that faith in God really makes sense and that Jesus is who He says He is. I hope these thoughts give you a desire to know Him. I really think you’ll like Him.

2. Those who already know God and His Son. These words are food for thought that can strengthen your faith and enlighten your thinking.

For both groups, I hope these thoughts will help you understand the world we live in through a biblical lens—to see things from God’s perspective.

I’d like to make a couple of requests:

1. Read just one a day. They are short and easy to understand. You may be tempted to read ahead. Don’t do it. Just one a day so you’ll have some fresh food for thought to get your spiritual juices flowing each day.

2. Nothing in this book is a substitute for talking with God and listening to Him through His Word. I hope these thoughts will draw you to the Lord. But remember, God is the One you will need to hear from. His Word has all the wisdom and enlightenment you need. And most of all, God’s Word reveals to us the way to salvation and abundant, eternal life, to make our journey meaningful as we walk down the road of life.

January

Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?

ISAIAH 43:18–19

JANUARY 1

The New Year

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

So what is so special about a new year? Maybe it is this: Once a Wednesday is gone, another pops up seven days later. We’ll see a December every year, and as much as we’ll miss the spring, we can take comfort in the fact that we’ll see another one the next year, and the next, and the one after that. But it doesn’t work that way with years. Once this calendar year expires, it’s gone. Days, months, seasons, and holidays will all eventually return, but once this year is over, it’s over.

Maybe that is why we tend to schedule our resolutions for change at the beginning of each new year. The year is gone— maybe bad habits will be too. Yet real change requires so much more than a New Year’s resolution.

It’s tough to break established habits, but remember that there is hope for the person who sincerely desires change. The power for real change is in admitting that we are helpless to do it on our own. Lasting change requires the help of the Lord.

The Bible says that if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. Christ transforms us when we give our lives to Him. He changes us from the inside out. He gives us an inner want-to to please Him. Now that’s a change for the better. And it’s a change that can truly last.

JANUARY 2

The Path You Choose

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

PSALM 16:11 NIV

The story is told of two teenagers living in a small village where most made their livings either as shepherds or in other occupations related to sheep. One day they decided to steal a few sheep and sell them—but they got caught! To make an example of the wayward boys, the village elders branded their foreheads with the letters ST. This visible reminder of their shame would forever warn others what happens to Sheep Thieves.

One boy became bitter. His life spiraled progressively downward until the day he fell to his death during a drunken rage. But the other young man confessed his sin, got right with the Lord, and built a life of integrity and service that eventually brought him great respect throughout that little village.

Many years later, the now-elderly man passed a father and his son along the road. The boy asked his dad why the old man had the letters ST on his forehead. The father thought for a moment, then replied, "Something happened years ago, but I just can’t remember what it was. But knowing the man that he is, I guess it just stands for Saint!"

That’s what the power of Jesus can do in an individual life— supernaturally transform a sinner into a saint. No matter what your past, Jesus can cleanse you and put you on a path of great value to Him and to others.

JANUARY 3

What Lurks in the Dark?

You light my lamp; the LORD my God illumines my darkness.

PSALM 18:28

She had been driven crazy by her energetic children and just needed to get away, if even for only a moment. She ran upstairs to her daughter’s bedroom and closed the closet door behind her. And there, in the solitude of the dark closet, she cleansed her mind by letting out a long, loud scream. She immediately felt better and opened the door to leave. But blocking her exit, with eyes the size of saucers, were her three children. Her four-year-old daughter spoke first: Mommy, I told you there were monsters in there.

The truth is, both children and adults fear the dark—the unknown—and our fears are intensified when we cannot see what is really before us. Listen to these words from the psalmist: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139:7–10 NIV).

Like a loving father, God promises us He’ll always be with us. He’s there to offer us His hand in life’s darkest hours. He’ll carry us through the darkness and lead us where we need to go. And He’ll be with us forever.

JANUARY 4

First, Your Sword

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

JAMES 4:7–8 NIV

Britain claims no greater naval hero than Lord Horatio Nelson, the British admiral from the eighteenth century. Although best known for his brilliance and dedication to his duties, Lord Nelson was also noted for his courtesy and kindness toward those he defeated. On one occasion, a defeated admiral strode across the deck to meet Lord Nelson. With a sword at his side, the bested admiral put his hand out in surrender. Lord Nelson looked at him but did not immediately shake his hand. Instead he nodded and said, Your sword first, then your hand.

What our heavenly Father does is greater. He wants to give us the gift of grace and provision, and He wants us to enjoy the love of Jesus Christ. So first He extends His hand. Then He demands that we submit our swords and any area of self-reliance in our lives to Him. We are to give Him our hearts and our wills first. Accept the hand of the Lord by submitting to the lordship of Jesus and you will immediately be blessed with all that He has to offer—like kindness that knows no bounds.

JANUARY 5

Involved Versus Committed

They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.

2 CORINTHIANS 8:5 NIV

Apig and a chicken took an afternoon stroll that led them near their neighborhood Waffle House. They looked up at a sign in the window that advertised the daily special—Ham and Eggs for only $3.99.

Look at that! said the chicken. I am involved!

You may be involved, replied the pig, but for me, it’s total commitment.

Lou Holtz, the famous football coach for several great schools, said of one of his teams, They remind me of a kamikaze pilot who flew fifty missions. He was involved but not committed!¹ On a team, in the office, there are lots of folks who are involved but not many who are totally committed to the success of the team.

In church, to just be involved and not committed is a testimony of a lack of commitment to Jesus Christ. As people drift away from church in record numbers and still claim commitment to Christ, they are simply delusional. We don’t love Jesus if we don’t love His bride, the church. Now more than ever, Jesus longs for His followers not just to be involved but also to be committed to Him by being committed to His church.

JANUARY 6

Get into a Routine of Prayer

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

MARK 1:35

The new year is young, and if you’ve never been consistent in spending time in conversation with God, there’s no time like the present to start.

1. Pick a regular place to pray. You may have a quiet spot in your home where you could meet with God each day, or perhaps it would work better to