Meaningful Devotions Part 1

These Meaningful Devotions articles were written for God's Girls Newsletter after I (Lady Theophilus) heard Mark Cravens give his presentation on the same. The bulk of the articles are my comments on each of the different points. I am sorry for the frustration of how it is formated here... I can't get blogger to co-operate with the way I'd like it to be.


Written for the girls receiving God's Girls Newsletter, August 2011.


(from Mark Cravens)

How important is it to have personal devotions?

- It is probably the single most significant key to maintaining and nurturing your relationship with God. Therefore, it may very well be the area of your life that Satan will fight you in the most.
- Gaining victory in this area of your life will help you establish victory in other areas of your life.

(from Lady Theophilus)

God’s Word is:
Cleansing, Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.”
Preserving, Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!”
True Hope, Psalm 119:114, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.”
Direction, Psalm 119:133, “Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.“
Reviving, Psalm 119:154b, “Revive me according to Your word.”
God-given and makes us different then the world, John 17:14 (Jesus said) “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
Truth, John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

(from Mark Cravens)

Why do we struggle in developing a meaningful devotional life?

- We don’t really believe the transforming power it can bring to one’s life.
- We don’t view it as an absolute and indispensable necessity.
- We often lack desire, and are therefore plagued with apathy and complacency.
- We lack the personal discipline that is necessary to a life of prayer.
- We fail to see the seriousness of the spiritual warfare that surrounds us.
- We often view it only as a duty and not as a delight.
- We had poor or possibly no relationship with our earthly father; therefore, we struggle with having a close relationship with our heavenly father.
- We don’t really know how to establish a meaningful devotional life.

(from Lady Theophilus)

In what “truth” do you base your beliefs? What gives you spiritual strength to obey God and be protected from evil? Do you expect to become a strong Christian without daily spending time alone with God? It can not be done. We are called to abide in Christ, to study His word, to pray, to obey what we hear Him speak to us. If you aren’t basing your beliefs and actions on what God’s Word says (by studying it), how can you expect to do His will? I challenge you: if you have not already been having daily personal devotional times, start today. Learn how to do it. (We will have “Meaningful Devotions—Part 2” in the next GGN.) If you already spend this time with your Lord, continue steadfastly. It is worth every effort.

(from Mark Cravens)

The time—When should you have your quiet time?

- When you are the most alert and refreshed.
- When you are the least hurried.
- When you are able to be alone with God.
- When you can be the most consistent. (Surveys show that it takes about 4-6 weeks to establish a new habit.)

My best time to be consistently alone with God is: ____

(from Lady Theophilus)

I have discovered that the best time for me to have time with the Lord is soon after or before breakfast (after if breakfast is early, before if breakfast is late). When I started having devotions every day, I did it in the evening, and I found that I was distracted by the events/emotions/burdens of the day, and that I was tired by that time. I also found that it wasn’t meeting the need of tuning my heart to God, that a pre-day devotional time does. Hudson Taylor said it this way, “Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him. ”

Meaningful Devotions Part 2 -

Written for the girls receiving God's Girls Newsletter, September 2011.


(from Lady Theophilus)

I know we talked about “When should you have your quiet time?” in the last issue of GGN, but I thought of a couple other things to share about that question.
When it comes to having daily personal time with the Lord, we need to make it a HABIT: a part of life that never gets left out (just like eating or sleeping). At the same time, we need to be careful that we do it for the right reasons, not BECAUSE it’s a habit. Go to your Bible reading time, not because you “have to”, but because you want to. There are days when we might not FEEL like it, but we want to be with God because we love Him.
Another thing to note is that God is not just waiting for us to miss a day or have a change of schedule, so He can “yell at” us. We need this set-aside time each day, but there are some days when you’ll have to do it at a DIFFERENT time then usual. Don’t let the devil beat you up about it, but put yourself into whatever time to you have with God. For instance, if your family is leaving at 3:00am for a trip, don’t get up earlier than you would’ve just for your devotions. You’ll probably have a chance to read and pray while driving (or flying).
See KEY THOUGHT.
We need to establish devotional habits at this time in our life, before we have greater responsibilities that come with age, and would make habit-building much more difficult.

(from Mark Cravens)

The place—Where should you have your devotions?

- Where it is quiet.
- Where it is private.
- Where you are least likely to be interrupted.
- Where it is conducive.

(from Lady Theophilus)

Where can you concentrate and commune with God without getting distracted? A place with audio or visual distraction would not be good.

A conducive place: appropriate for the needs of a devotional time; not distracting; helpful—Perhaps a chair or table on which to read, versus a bed that would draw you to sleep instead of study.


(from Mark Cravens)

The tools—What do you need for devotions?

- Study Bible
- Hymnbook
- Worshipful Music
- Devotional Material
- Notebook/Journal

(from Lady Theophilus)

Please don’t use “just any Bible”. There are so many versions available that are not truly God’s Word, but are rather paraphrases—what someone summarized from God’s Word. This is not good. Its words will not have the power of God’s word as listed in 2 Timothy 3:15-16. King James Version is good as far as accurate TRANSLATION, though our family prefers New King James Version for accuracy AND clarity.
As far as “study Bible” goes, that is something to be careful about to. Most modern commentaries have very unbiblical content, and would harm Bible study. We’ve liked the Wesley Study Bible (which isn’t available anymore), but even that has a couple of comments that disagree with Bible text (God’s Word). The Thompson Chain reference Bible doesn’t have commentary, but has “links” for verses of the same topic. This can be helpful in STUDY versus READING.
A hymnbook can be used for prayer and meditation, as I’ll mention on the 4th page.
If it’s not distracting, but rather helpful, you can listen to Christ honoring, music—probably gentle instrumental.
Devotional material should be used in addition to Bible reading, but should never replace it.
A notebook can be used for listing things you’re praying for or learning or for journaling. It is optional, but may be helpful.

(from Mark Cravens)

The plan—How do I do devotions?

BIBLE READING

- Daily
- Selectively
- Prayerfully
- Imaginatively
- Meditatively
- Purposefully
- Inquisitively
- Obediently

(from Lady Theophilus)

Selectively: don’t read passages chosen at random. Don’t just read the feel-good passages. Read all the way through a book of the Bible, or study a subject throughout the Bible. Prayerfully: Pray before you start, then listen to God. Imaginatively: Picture the situation. Purposefully: You want to learn, to grow, to listen to God. Inquisitively: Ask questions. Obediently: see James 1:21-25


(from Mark Cravens)

MEDITATING

- Reflect on what you have read during your devotional time.
- Think of ways to apply what you have read to your life.
- Write down key verses or ideas and read them throughout the day.

(from Lady Theophilus)

Allow God to search your heart and teach you, not just when you’re reading, but throughout the day. Don’t let activities, etc. make you forget what you’ve read and thought about.
Another way of meditating is reading through a hymn or spiritual song and absorbing its truths or praying its words.

KEY THOUGHT (from Mark Cravens):
Your daily time alone with God must never become disconnected from the rest of your daily walk with God.

When it comes to personal
devotions, remember
Keep it simple.
Keep it personal.
Keep it meaningful.
Keep it joyful.
Keep it do-able.
Keep yourself
accountable.

~ Mark Cravens ~