Are you loving this Devotional Series on finding our way to the presence of God as much as we are?! We are loving getting to go deeper with you in the comments, in fact it's our favorite part! We'd love to meet & chat with you- so comment below with an answer to Today's Challenge! If you missed the first 3 Devo's, make sure to check them out here > Find Your Way to His Presence: Recognizing His Voice | Being Consistent & Sacrificing Perfection. Also, FREEBIE below!

"But he answered, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."' Matthew 4:4 (ESV)

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." Psalms 119:18 (NIV)

I have a confession. Maybe I'm not alone? I graduated College about 2 years ago (crazy!!), and found myself for the next year and a half really struggling to get into the Word. I would read it here and there, but not to the extent that I knew God was calling me to. I was seriously struggling, and my spirit felt it.

I even tried getting my hubby to wake me up early enough so that I could spend time with the Lord before work- but I swear, for a year and a half, sleep and schedules and plain laziness got the best of me. Ever been there?! But for some reason the Lord allowed it. He allowed me to go through that season, yet I could still feel Him, hear Him and follow Him. It was a season I DID NOT want to be in. A rut. But on I went, for a year and a half.

Then recently, at the beginning of a new season in my life- something changed drastically. Now, I seriously cannot go through my day without spending intentional time with the Lord. I feel as though the bones within me ache for His presence and intimate conversation. I know and feel deep within my soul, that I will not live this day to the fullest without having spent time with Him in the word.

And I'm so thankful for those feelings. Those urges to come to Him. I've been longing for them for a year and a half. I've realized just how life giving the Word of God truly is.

That's why I love the above scriptures. The word is the very breath and heart of God- laid out for you and I. And I know that I'm speaking to your heart and mine, when I say that we friends cannot live by earthly bread alone. Our spirits NEED the bread of life. The Word of God.

We can encounter God's Presence in the Word of God because it comes straight from Him, and because of His Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. But how?!

We don't have to be Bible proficient. We don't have to know it all. We don't have to have it all together. Friends, we just have to be willing to come and receive.

When we carve out time, be disciplined and come to read the Word, here are some practical ways to Encounter His Presence in Scripture:

• Pray before you even start reading. Ask God to open your eyes and heart to get something out of what you read today. Do you want to hear from Him, feel Him?! Ask Him for that.

• Read from a Bible Plan, devotional, just flip to a page or ASK Him to tell you where He wants you to read today. No matter how you get to a passage, it doesn't matter. ALL Scripture is life breathing- just start reading. (hint: if you are new to reading the Bible, a great place to start is the Book of John!)

• Read through an entire chapter, or even more, so that you get the context behind what you are reading.

• Be open, be willing and be still. God will speak to you in a unique way to you. You don't have to force it. Just come as you are, ask Him to meet you there- and start reading! Encountering His presence may be learning something in scripture, having Him speak something to you or simply just spending time with Him as you seek Him through the Word! It's not a formula, it's the presence of God. He loves you.

FREEBIE!!! Because we love you, we wanted to give you this free downloadable calligraphy print (our heart in a print)! Download it HERE! We hope you love it!

Today's Challenge: Let's go deeper together! Answer the following question below & we will chat back with you about it. Have you ever been in a rut like this before? What has held you back from spending time in the word & are you ready to be brave and start reading scripture?

THEN spend time today and actually read some scripture. Follow the steps above and allow yourself to Encounter His presence however He chooses to meet you there. And stop putting so much pressure on yourself! Just come and meet Him. He is always waiting! <3

xo,

Lanissa