Ten Tips for Keeping God in your Life Daily

In our world of technology and fast paced living it's extremely easy to lose touch with our higher power and get pulled into the rat race. We often end up losing all touch with our higher power and practicing principles that aren't in line with our beliefs. We are bombarded daily with so many things that are immoral and wrong, and it's essential that we keep a strong relationship with our higher power. I will refer to this higher power as God in this list, but it can apply to any faith. The important thing is staying in touch with who you are and what you truly want. The best way I have found to do this, is to keep close to the thing I believe in, which is God, Jesus, and the Bible. These are ten tips to keep that spiritual energy flowing all day and all week.

1. Start your morning with a reading - This is a great way to start off the day with a positive mindset. Let the reading for the day spark you to do good in the world and remember that there are bigger things at work. 12 Step programs often include a reading from a book that has a specific message for every day of the year. Many spiritual faiths have books in a similar format, with a message for everyday of the year. Buy one, and keep it by your bed.

2. Attend Spiritual Services - For me this is church, and I know theres a lot of stigma when it comes to the message of certain faiths and congregations. Find the one that's right for you! I know for me I almost always feel rejuvenated after a service on Sunday.

3. Listen to religious radio stations - I know I'm always in front of the computer, night and day. I tended to always listen to music, but eventually I discovered the "radio" function on Itunes. I found a sermon station and whenever I think of it I'll turn it on for a bit. If you're one of those people who are constantly in the car, find a station that plays Christian readings. If there isn't one in your area, download some readings and put them on your Ipod!

4. Watch Spiritual movies/documentaries - For a long time I was the kind of person who always had the TV on as background noise for when I was working on the computer. A good way to keep that message working in your mind is to find a good spiritual movie or documentary and leave it playing while you work. For me, I love having "The Gospel of John" playing in the background as the dialogue in the movie is directly from scripture. The Left Behind series is also pretty good. There are classics too like Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments that hold a good message.

5. Talk to your higher power during the day - I love talking to God, whenever I have a minute. If I'm driving or waiting in line, I'll just make random comments to God. I'll give him my take on the moment. I'll ask for his help with something. I'll just request that he stays active in my life! Talking to God when I'm angry or upset is also extremely helpful. I always feel better when I do. I'm a firm believer that God loves it when we talk to him and keep him in our life daily.

6. Attend a Bible Study - This is something that takes me a step further from just attending services. I actually get into the depths of the Bible. I also get to know people around the congregation and make healthy connections for when I'm upset or troubled. I always leave Bible studied feeling like I've learned something profound, even if I don't agree with everything that's said.

7. If you're having troubles consider attending a weekly 12 Step Meeting - I know there's a lot of stigma and bias around the ideas of 12 Step work, but it's worked wonders in my life. There are support groups weekly for things like Alcoholism, Grief, Drugs, Sex, Over-eating, and much more. The people at the meetings generally take the idea of anonymity very seriously. I always feel refreshed after a meeting, and it's another good way to build a network of supports.

8. Attend Church events & perform Service work - This is another way to take it even a step further from just attending service and study. This is way to help out an organization that is helping you! I feel great when I help people, I honestly do. There are usually church picnics, basement meals, and charity drives regularly at congregations.

9. Fill your Social Feeds with Inspirational and Positive messages - I know once I had established myself on Facebook as a politically active individual I had an incredible slew of negative news constantly popping up on my feed. I would often start my day on the internet stressing over the troubling facts of the day. I needed to get rid of that! I also needed to watch less TV news. I removed a lot of friends and unliked a lot of pages. I then liked plenty of positive and spiritual pages, and added new friends. It was like night and day. I soon found myself constantly reading bible quotes and positive news, and I felt much better!

10. Read the Bible - This is something that many tend to overlook, yet it's the most basic thing to do! Read the Bible! For other faiths, read your founding books! Read interpretations as well. It's a great way to stay grounded and remind yourself of the principles of the faith. If you have troubled staying focused while reading (which I do) download or purchase audio CDs of it spoken. That really turned it around for me.

Other suggestions: Subscribe to spiritual newsletters, Subscribe to email lists, Participate in Christian social networks, keep a journal of your day, meditate, attend spiritual retreats

I know it's a tall order and it may seem overwhelming. In fact for me it was often extremely uncomfortable as well as overwhelming! I had to force myself to do these things for my own good. And after a few months, I found I loved doing them. The conscience that had constantly poked at me in the back of my head about doing the right thing went from troubled and lost to found, confident, joyous, and free. Yet I knew and accepted it would never work out perfectly.

I knew I wanted to live a moral and upright life, but I didn't know how. It was by forcing myself to be uncomfortable and get outside my comfort zone that I truly found a new comfort zone that was in line with my beliefs and philosophies.