“Ten-Minute” Steps to Strengthen Your Walk with God

Almost all of us, if not all of us, can find ten minutes a day to focus on God. In fact, we can likely find several “ten-minute segments” to devote to Him throughout the day—which means that we can grow in our walk with Him a little bit at a time. Start here: plan to use ten minutes each day this week to do one of these tasks:

1. Read a couple of chapters of the Bible. You don’t have to read a whole book in a single setting. I’d rather you read consistently for ten minutes each day than read once a week for an hour. 
2. Pray for a few non-believers. Focus on them, and ask God to turn their blinded minds (2 Cor. 5:3-4) to Him. Ask Him to send someone—including the possibility of you—to speak the truth to them. 
3. Meditate on your blessings. Do what the old-fashioned hymn told us to do: “Count your many blessings; name them one-by-one.” My guess is that this simple exercise will pick up your entire day. 
4. Tell somebody how good God has been to you. Ask a co-worker, a fellow student, a neighbor, or a family member for permission to tell your story – and gladly jump into it when you find a willing listener. 
5. Listen to Christian music. Take a break, and listen to your favorite hymn or chorus. Sing along at the top of your lungs if your setting allows it. It’s amazing how singing can turn your heart in a new direction. 
6. Prayerwalk. Take a walk, and pray for everybody you see. You can take this ten-minute jaunt in your neighborhood, your office building, your campus, your grocery store, or just about anywhere. 
7. Make a thanksgiving phone call. That is, use your voice, and call someone to say, “I thank God that you’ve been a part of my life.” That person will be grateful to hear your voice, and you’ll be glad you took a few minutes to make this task a priority. 
8. Memorize a verse. You’d be surprised how much you can memorize in just ten focused minutes. Here’s a suggested first verse: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). 

Ten minutes. Just ten minutes. All of us can start there.