Remember, God has promised to bless His Word, not illustrations about it.

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1 EFFECTIVE DAILY DEVOTIONS «A.K.A. Quiet Time» Quiet time is NOT best done by reading a chapter from a devotional book before you start your day. Remember, God has promised to bless His Word, not illustrations about it. The result has become McTruth rather than the rich feast of the deep things of God. Hold everything! Wait a minute! Have you read the Scripture for today? It's only eight short verses, and it will take you only 45 seconds. No, don't lay this booklet down and mumble to me, "I'm in a hurry and you're delaying me." I see you're eating breakfast this morning even though you're late. You take time to feed your body, but you were going to starve your soul Take 45 seconds and read Psalm 119: If you don't read the rest of this devotional, that's okay--as long as you read the Bible. These articles in Our Daily Bread are not designed to be a substitute for the Bible; they are meant to stimulate your desire to read more of the Bible. If reading this booklet has caused you to neglect the Word of God, please throw this booklet in the wastebasket!" Quiet time is also NOT reading a small passage of Scripture each day in order to find some happy moral to brighten our day. The purpose of this time is to quiet our minds before God so that He can share His heart with us. God wants to spend time with you. And we learn to enjoy spending time with Him! Couples who are in love do not need to be coerced into spending time together. Our walk with God is much like a spiritual marriage. Jesus, the Bridegroom, has sought us out for an eternal relationship. The Bible & prayer are at the core in developing this relationship. God Created People For Fellowship Genesis 1:26 make man in our image 1 Corinthians 1:9 "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 John 1:3-4 truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that you joy may be full. Jesus Quiet Time Was A Source Of His Strength Personal fellowship with His Father in heaven was a top priority of Jesus life on earth Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and prayed. If a time of quiet prayer was a priority for Jesus, how much more do we need to do 1

2 it. D.L. Moody (From His Biographer): He was an early riser. He generally rose about daybreak in summer, devoting the early hours to Bible study and communion with God. He used to say that one who followed this plan could not get more than twenty-four hours away from God. Have You Ever Gone Without Food For A Day? If you go without food for too long, your strength will begin to diminish. The same is true in our spiritual lives. It is a sign of health for a Christian to have an appetite for the Word of God. Many Christians consistently try to get by with only one meal a week Sunday morning. How Long Would You Go Without Bathing? A daily quiet time is like a spiritual bath Ephesians 5:26 - "that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word John 15:3 - "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." The Privilege In Devotions An opportunity to worship God Psalm 29:2 We get direction from God Psalm 25:4-5 We gain delight in God Psalm 34:8 We become more Christ-like Acts 4:13 Excuses For Not Doing Devotions I do not have the time for daily devotions - We all have the same 168 hours each week - We make time for what is important to us - If you are too busy to have daily devotions, then you are too busy, period. (SIMPLIFY!) "I have so much to do today that I must spend at least three hours in prayer." Martin Luther Are You As Busy As This Guy? We are not as busy as this great man: George Mueller - After having read the Bible through one hundred times with increasing delight, made this statement: "I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. Friends often say, 'I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study ' Are You As Busy As This Guy? Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I. I ve had annually about 30,000 letters, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, Besides, charge of five immense orphanages; the printing of millions of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and 2

3 His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful." Tips for Your Devotions No script can be written for you. We can be as close as we want to be with Jesus each day. The following are some suggestions for you to consider as you plan your quiet time with God. Begin With The Right Attitude Pray For These Attitudes: Expectancy: You will expect to have a good time of fellowship with God. Reverence: Your heart will be prepared and still before His majesty and holiness. Alertness: You will give Him your best focus. Teachability: You will come for the purpose of doing what God asks (despite your opinions). Choose a Consistent Time Always give God the best part of your day. For most of us, early in the morning usually works best. Missionary Hudson Taylor once said, "You don t tune up the instruments after the concert is over." Choose a Consistent Time The best time to converse with God is before worldly occasions stand knocking at the door to be let in: The morning is, as it were, the cream of the day, let the cream be taken off, and let God have it. Wind up thy heart towards heaven at the beginning of the day, and it will go the better all the day after. He that loseth his heart in the morning in the world will hardly find it again all the day. O! Christians, let God have your morning meditations. (Puritan Thomas Watson) Choose a Consistent Time The Bible encourages any time Psalm 63:1 early will I seek You Nehemiah 8:3 midday Psalm 119:148 night watches Psalm 1:2 day and night What matters most is that you establish a regular time Choose a Consistent Time Earl Cairns-Lord, Chancellor of England, was an extremely busy man, but no matter what time he reached home in the evening, he always arose at the same hour to have his quiet time the next morning. His wife said, We would sometimes get home from Parliament at two o clock in the morning, but Lord Cairns would always arise at the same hour to pray and study the Bible. He later attributed his success in life to this practice. How Much Time Should We Spend? Aim to spend not less than fifteen minutes a day with God in your personal devotions. Out of the 168 hours we all have in a week that will only take, 1 hr. and 45 min. of 3

4 your weekly routine. That seems terribly small when you consider that you were created to have meaningful fellowship with God. Choose a Consistent Location The place you choose ought to be a quiet and secluded place where you can be alone and undisturbed. In today s noisy world this may take some ingenuity, but it is important. It will become special because of the wonderful times you have had with Jesus. Choose a Consistent Location In her book In the Arena, Missionary & Author Isobel Kuhn wrote about a time when she was a student at Moody Bible Institute and found herself so busy with school and work demands that she was in danger of quenching her devotional life. Other students were facing similar problems. So they met together and Isobel suggested they sign a covenant, not a vow, but a statement of intention to this effect: Choose a Consistent Location I suggested our making a covenant with the Lord to spend an hour a day (for about a year) in the Lord s presence, in prayer or reading the Word. The purpose was to form the habit of putting God in the centre of our day and fitting the work of life around Him, rather than letting the day s business occupy the central place and trying to fix a quiet time with the Lord somewhere shoved into the odd corner or leisure moment. Choose a Consistent Location For Isobel, the major problem became finding a quiet place. She wrote, The only place I could find where I would disturb no one was the cleaning closet! So each morning I stole down the hall, entered the closet, turned the scrubbing pail upside down, sat on it, and with mops and dust rags hanging around my head, I spent a precious half-hour with the Master. The other half-hour had to be found at the end of the day. Practice True Reading Do you read the Bible in a hurried way: Just a little tidbit and off you go? Do you soon forget what you have read? That is NOT helpful reading of the Bible. Be resolved to get at its soul, its juice, its life, its essence, and to drink in its meaning. You will never get comfort for your soul out of what you do not understand, or find guidance for life out of what you do not comprehend. Practice True Reading If you are to understand what you read, you will need to meditate upon it. This simply means to carefully and slowly consider what you have read until you fully understand what God is speaking to you from that passage of Scripture. Meditation: Not for the Lazy A.B. Simpson wrote, "God has hidden every precious thing in such a way that it is a reward to the diligent, a prize to the earnest, but a disappointment to the slothful soul. All nature is arrayed against the lounger and the idler. The nut is hidden in its thorny case; the pearl is buried beneath the ocean waves; the gold is imprisoned in the rocky bosom of the mountains; Meditation: Not for the Lazy the gem is found only after you crush the rock which encloses it; the very soil gives 4

5 its harvest as a reward to the laboring farmer. So truth and God must be earnestly sought It s been said that Little perspiration leads to little inspiration. Memorize Verses Consistently Scripture memorization is sadly neglected. Psalm 119:11, Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. A good example of this truth is Christ's temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). Each time He was tempted by Satan, He responded by quoting Scripture (all within 3 chapters between Deuteronomy 6-8) Memorize Verses Consistently Not only is Scripture memory vital for getting victory over Satan; it is also essential for staying close to the Lord throughout the day. Joshua 1:8 - "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have A Basic Plan It could be as simple as: Briefly Pray Praise God Read the Bible Meditate (or Memorize) Journal Figure Out How to Apply Close in Prayer Read to Meet with Jesus One of the main reasons why we study the Bible is to get to know the Author better. So look for the savior in every chapter of the Bible! (John 5:39) Do you see a messianic prophesy? Is He foreshadowed as a type? APPLICATION TIPS James 1:22 - "be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." W. H. Griffith Described It Best Application puts feet on our Bible study. God is not impressed by our knowledge; He is blessed by our obedience. The greatest evidence that we love God is that we walk in obedience to His Word, not out of a sense of duty or in response to a book of rules, but out of a genuine heart of love and devotion to Him. Love for God will always motivate us to obey Him. The 3 P s of Good Application Personal: Ask yourself: How does this truth apply to my life? Practical: Ask yourself: In view of this truth, what specific changes should l make in my life? Design a project. 5

6 38 39 Provable: Ask yourself: How do I propose to carry out these changes? When will I do this? It is also good to set a deadline for your application. What Are Possible Applications? S - Is there a Sin to avoid, forsake, or confess? P - Is there a Promise to believe with conditions? A - Is there an Attitude to change? C - Is there a Command to keep? E - Is there an Example to follow? P - Is there a Prayer to pray? E - Is there an Error to mark? T - Is there a Truth to meditate upon? What Are Possible Applications? Memorizing an impressive biblical truth. Doing a special Bible study on the topic. Writing a letter of apology or encouragement. Righting a wrong that you have committed. Doing a kindness anonymously for someone. Giving a gift to a friend, or an enemy. Building relationships with both God & others. Making a change to your schedule Deceptions with Application Beware of these subtle dangers: Substituting interpretation for application. Remember, knowing it and doing it is not the same. Substituting a one-time obedience for a substantial life-change. Substituting rationalization of your sin for repentance from it. Be Doers of the Word! Martin Luther said, "The world does not need a definition of religion as much as it needs a demonstration." That demonstration comes when we begin to be doers of the Word. In the margin of pages in D. L. Moody s Bible, he wrote the letters T and P, (tried and proved) next to every passage that he had personally tried and proved, in his life The Battle of the Blankets Almost every morning you will be tempted to hit the snooze button and sleep in. Resist at all costs! Go to bed early enough and with thoughts of Scripture. Leave your Bible open to the passage you ll read the next morning, and get out of bed as soon as you wake up. We all know just 5 more minutes really means 50 more minutes. Who are you fooling Concentration Our minds easily wander. So, be aware. If you are sleepy, pray aloud and with your 6

7 eyes open in order to stay alert. Never have your quiet time in bed. Wake yourself up; take a shower, drink some coffee, eat breakfast. Remember to keep a notebook handy for "to dos. That way you can jot it down and not worry about forgetting that important task. Dry Seasons Sometimes you may feel like you are not getting anything out of your daily devotions. But obedience is more important than our emotions. Feelings come and go, but the Word of the Lord endures forever (1 Peter 1:25). If you only had your quiet time on the days when you felt like it, the Devil would make sure you never felt like it. An attitude that devotions are nice but not necessary will not help you in life. Dry Seasons: Possible Reasons For It Disobedience Are there sins you need to confess? Your physical condition Getting enough rest? Rushing Don t try to do too many things. Routine Watch for staleness mix it up a little. Selfishness Share your insights with others. Satan s strongest attacks will come in connection with your desire to be diligent in your quiet time. If he can keep you out of the Word, he s defeated you. Dry Seasons: What Should You Do To Persevere? Be honest with God about how you feel Tell God if your heart feels cold with no motivation. Isaiah 40:31 Those who wait on the Lord shall renew [exchange] their strength Christians are not supposed to stir up their willpower, but instead exchange human energy for divine energy. Don t Give Up! Persevere! Wilbur Smith once said, If the time has gone for our devotional reading on any one day before the chapter has yielded some truth for our souls, then we can give it further thought while riding down to work in your car or as you go about your normal activities, but do not let that particular passage in the Word remain for you a barren area: keep drilling through the soil and rock until you strike Living Water! Don t Give Up! Persevere! I m convinced one of Satan s most successful schemes against God s people is in blinding us to the importance of spending time studying the Scriptures Satan s wants us to live spiritually bankrupt and destitute lives. One of the ways in which he goes about accomplishing that is by keeping us from studying God s Word. Don t Give Up! Persevere! If you miss a meal, it does not mean that you should give up eating. The same is true of your quiet time. It takes time to develop and maintain good habits. Remember, a habit is like a ball of twine: every time you drop it, many strands unwind. So be sure to: - Be consistent 7

8 - Avoid exceptions There is a QUIET PLACE Far from the rapid pace, Where God can soothe my troubled mind. Sheltered by tree and flow r, There in my quiet hour, With Him, my cares are left behind. Whether a garden small Or on a mountain tall New strength and courage there I find; Then from this quiet place, I go prepared to face A new day with love for all mankind. Missionary to China Bertha Smith She wrote an absolutely fascinating story of her life. It was bitterly cold in her part of China. During the day she wore thirty pounds of clothing, and at night she slept under heavy bedding and with a hot water bottle. But her challenge came in the early morning hour when she wanted to rise before others so she could have her quiet time before the scores of interruptions that each day brought. Missionary to China Bertha Smith She would struggle in the darkness to put on her thirty pounds of clothing, then break the ice to wash her face in the cold water, and then she would slip out to a particular haystack where she should rake aside the frosted part of the hay, kneel down, and spend time with the Lord before the sun came up. WHY? Why Was It So Important To Her? Hebrews 11:6, He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! Do you believe that? Free Daily Devotions Notepad 8