It’s the middle of the semester here in college-world. The start of the year was chaos – the good kind – where things were new and exciting. But here in November, there is no semblance of this good chaos…it’s a settled routine and head-down-power-through, honestly just trying to make it to Thanksgiving.

Sometimes, that’s how it can feel to me spiritually around this time as well. I’ll start the school year with high faith, springing out of bed in the morning to meet with Jesus so He can fill me with hope and promises. But now I can catch myself going through the motions, lacking expectation, just to check time with God off my daily to-do list. But I’m convinced that a mundane relationship with Jesus is not what He intended, and I won’t settle for it as my portion today.

Here are a few ways I’ve found to keep my time with God fresh and exciting:

• 1. Read an encouraging and challenging book.

  As part of your time with God, read a story that will inspire your own walk with God. Here are a few I’ve read recently and would recommend:

  • Secrets of the Secret Place
  • The Heavenly Man
  • Unashamed
  • Intimate Friendship with God through Understanding the Fear of the Lord

• 2. Get new music for worship.

  We’re made to sing new songs – there’s got to be something fresh stirring in our spirit that makes its way out of our lips. Sometimes, listening to a new album (or reviving an oldie) will help stir that up. Or, listen to instrumental music and sing out your own song. Let God do a work in your heart, even if you’re not a worship leader on the stage.

• 3. Change up your scenery.

  If you usually sit in the same chair in the same room every morning, try moving around. Either to your kitchen table or to a couch at your favorite coffee shop, sometimes just making a move helps readjust our expectation to meet with Jesus. You can also go for a walk around the neighborhood or around your campus – let God speak something new to you as you take in the world around you. Use the things you see as a springboard for prayer…you might find yourself walking and praying longer than you expected. One of the best things about God, in my opinion, is that He isn’t confined to a particular location. Wherever it is that you want to try, He can meet you there.

• 4. Try new methods.

  Set yourself up to encounter God by doing something different. If you usually sit to pray, try standing or kneeling or walking around. If you usually read the Word first, try worshipping first. Write down things you feel like God is speaking into a journal and refer back to it daily. Read the Word out loud. Write it in your own words. Make notecards to help you memorize Scripture. Create a prayer calendar you can follow to intercede for your family, your sphere of influence and the nations of the earth.

• 5. Do it with a friend.

  This one takes some cooperation from a buddy, but I believe it can help boost our own hunger and expectation when we spend time with God with a friend. There is something in the Spirit that can be contagious when God’s children gather to seek Him. Grab a friend, worship and pray together, study the Word and then hear God for one another. Doing this every once in a while can serve as a little shot in the arm that will keep us going on our own.

• 6. Ask God for new promises and goals.

  There’s nothing that can keep your time with God more fresh than simply receiving new things from Him. Ask Him to speak new promises – words you can cling to in this season – and then pray those things. As you read the Word, ask Him to reveal ways you can respond. Set a goal with Jesus to see the Spirit produce fruit in your life. God knows exactly what we need, and He can set us up to thrive if we just ask Him.

Again, God designed us for adventure with Him. Our daily time with Jesus shouldn’t be boring or mundane. If you feel yourself at a plateau, press in and ask Him to make it fresh again. We are made to thrive and enjoy relationship with God!

By Meredith Gordon – Antioch College Staff