You, Your Smartphone, and Jesus: Top 4 Free Devotional Apps
I spent the past two years of college struggling to create a consistent prayer time that works for me. I found that I could not find an hour each day to spend studying the Bible or sitting in silent reflection. Additionally, I'm a religious studies major which means I am always reading religious academia so I don't want something dense either.
My dilemma boiled down to this: How can I get myself into a routine of spending time with Jesus every single day?
After many failed attempts of devotional after book chapter after Christian music after prayer journals I was stuck. Shouldn't my prayer time be my favorite part of the day? Just as I was about to give up on my quest for a perfect prayer time and spend my days in repentant suffering via listening to gregorian chants (sorry, not my thing), an iPhone commercial whispered into my heart "there's an app for that." I mentally screamed. There has got to be an app for this!
So without further ado, I would like to share with you the official College Girl Guide to Devotional and Prayer Time Apps:
1. d365 (free)
d365 is the app that got me hooked. My favorite part about it is that it's designed for college students. It only takes a few minutes to complete each day but it's not shallow. Each d365 meditation consists of five steps for each day; pause, listen, think, pray, go. It's perfect combination of prayer, scripture, challenge and cool features makes this app my go-to! (It's also available online at www.d365.org)
2. Prayer Prompter (free)
Designed by Rick Austin, someone who had a hard time focusing during prayer, this app is great for the visual minded individual. It's designed as a kind of "prayer file cabinet." separating Scripture, quotes, devotional material, and prayer requests. It comes with rotating Scripture passages and the ability to add whatever inspires you. Prayer Prompter is extremely customizable and allows for a lot of flexibility within the app!
3. Hillsong (free)
The Hillsong app is the official app for (you guessed it!) Hillsong church. It is very aesthetically pleasing and has lots of different ways to connect with the Hillsong community. They stream services and have music available to listen to in addition to content from the Hillsong team. This app is a very natural extension of Hillsong and an easy way to keep up with the way they express their mission!
4. Bible+ (free)
This is no ordinary Bible study! Bible+ not only offers the Bible but "outstanding commentaries, maps and dictionaries for an in-depth study experience" as well. With the ability to take notes, bookmark, and highlight, dare I say this rivals a hard copy?! Understanding, not just skimming Scripture is so important! Bible+ makes it super easy, too.
We also love the She Reads Truth app - their devotionals are so powerful! Although the app is free, some of their Bible studies can be purchased for a small fee. From one girl to another - they are totally worth it!
Don't just pencil in your Jesus time, write that stuff down with permanent marker! Make it a priority, so that next time you find yourself scrolling through yet another social media feed, put Jesus first with one of these apps. Schedule time into your day to spend in prayer and study His word (we have some great tips on studying the Bible). The rumors are true, it won't always be easy but it will always be worth it!
What devotional apps do you enjoy?
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