4 Free Apps to Help You Grow Your Faith
By Chris Denning
I think it would be fair to say that most of us are pretty connected to our phone nowadays. I recently lost my phone (ask me about the story sometime, its worth your time), and I was surprised at how often I caught myself reaching for my pocket when it wasn’t there.
I don’t think this is necessarily a good thing, but I do think we can leverage this tendency of ours to grow in our faith. By adding a small degree of intentionality to our device usage, we can use the time we spend on our phone to improve our walks with God.
What I’ve done is gathered a collection of 4 apps that you can download right now on your device to help you grow in your faith. Not all of these apps are available on Android, so sorry in advance! Here we go:
1. Bible – [ iOS, Android ]
This may seem kinda duh, but the Bible app from LifeChurch.tv is SO GOOD! This app is so much more than a simple Bible reader, it’s more like a Bible study command center. The Bible app is designed to help you enjoy reading the Bible and to make that a daily part of your life.
Not much of a reader? Try listening to audio versions of the text.
Have a hard time figuring out what you want to read? Check out one of the millions of reading plans they have (which you can setup to be emailed to you, or to remind you daily).
Seriously, set aside 10 minutes tonight to check this app out and you’ll look up and realize you’ve actually just spent 30 minutes reading the Bible because you get sucked in. Making daily Bible reading a part of your life will help you grow so much, try it for just a week and see what happens.
2. Just Pray – [ iOS, Android ]
I just found this app recently when someone I follow on Twitter mentioned it. Basically, this is a simple app where you can sign up with your phone number (just to confirm your identity, you don’t get spammed), and you can share your prayer requests with people in your network.
You can be as detailed or as discreet as you’d like, and these requests are only sent to the people you want to send them to. This is PERFECT for Life Groups who want to keep up to with each other’s prayer requests during the week. When a new request is shared with you, you’ll get a little notification, and you can pray for them right then!
I LOVE the idea of people sharing their prayer requests with each other in real time, as they arise in their daily lives. There is something special that happens when we share what we need prayer for with others, as well as when we pray for others. If you’re in a Life Group, you’ve GOT to check this app out.
3. Verses – [ iOS ]
Wish you could actually quote the Bible when you need to be encouraged or to humbly point others to absolute hope? This app turns the tedious task of memorizing scripture into a fun, interactive game that you can do ANYWHERE.
By using memory games and strategies, you can use Verses to memorize scripture verse-by-verse. I started using this a few weeks ago, and I love having something I can do while I’m waiting or trying to burn time that actually helps me grow in my faith. After a few minutes of playing, I forgot that this wasn’t a game, and I’ve been able to memorize scripture like never before.
You do have to pay extra for specific translations of the Bible, but this cost is nothing compared to having scripture written deep in your heart. This app will help you to see how God can work in your life when you decide to dig deep into His word.
4. Podcast – [ iOS ]
Again, this may be an old hat for some of you, but using the native Podcast app on iOS, or any podcasting app on Android, will help to expose you to an INSANE amount of incredible teaching. Many churches today are podcasting their weekly messages for you to catch during the week.
We do this at Journey, and you can find us by searching “The Journey Online Podcast,” and many other great churches and teachers use podcasting to give you direct access to their teachings. You can easily find pastors & leaders like Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, Tim Keller, Joyce Meyer, Dave Ramsey, Louie Giglio & many more just by simply searching.
I’ll listen to messages while I’m driving or working out, and I think there is something about getting wise teaching into your life that can change your attitude and view on life. Take a few minutes to search around to see if you can find some podcasts you might enjoy.
BONUS! | Journey App [ iOS, Android ]
Its a shameless plug, and I don’t even care!
Our Journey app is a great place for you to get all sorts of information and inspiration from Journey Church. There you can catch our live service on Sundays at 11am, and you can find some great links like featured videos and easy mobile giving.
You’ll be able to find everything from past messages to episodes of The Journey Online Podcast, and you can even share your prayer requests with us there! The Journey app is meant to help you stay up to date with what’s going on at Journey and for you to find ways to connect even better, so go check it out!
I hope you find these apps helpful and can use them to help you grow in your walk with God. Honestly, there’s nothing magical about these apps, it really comes down to how intentional you are with your time.
Every day, we have a choice to either grow closer to Jesus or not. I want to challenge you to take every moment you can to grow in your faith, even with your phone in your hand!