A reader asked me the question: “What advice do you have on doing devotions?” My response was this:
OK,
let’s begin by acknowledging the fact that our time with God can become the
routine fulfillment of some legalistic brain cell that keeps misfiring.
On the other hand, Peter Wagner reports that
South Korean pastors usually spend three hours a day in prayer. When asked “why?” they answer, “that’s where
the power is!”
You
can talk the issue to death – the bottom line is that for any relationship to
grow, you need to spend time hanging out with a person. Same thing holds true for God.
So,
I recommend mornings (after coffee) to set your day off right, renewing your
mind. Find some quiet place where you
can pray out loud. In general, it takes
me a good 90 minutes to quiet myself before the Lord and hear him. But often I’m only there for half that time
and get distracted by stuff. My book on the subject can help you work through this issue.
People
who are going to make an impact for the Kingdom will put this first in their
lives. Of course you want to study the
Bible.
If you’ve never learned how to
study it, the book by Howard Hendricks is good.
Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” The habit of journaling is probably the best
tool for reflection. Here are my
thoughts on journaling:
A
lot of followers of Jesus won’t make these kinds of commitments. They exchange their priorities for those of
Jesus, who regularly spent whole nights in prayer. Honestly, I don’t know how else you follow
Jesus except to do what he did.
Also, check out the Sons of Sceva, a blog on true intimacy and spiritual authority.
Leave a Reply