Enjoying Your Time with Jesus: Successful Devotions [Audio]

Share the Good News!

By Tom Shanklin

One of the great joys of my life is the time I spend with the Lord each day.

I have found this daily time in prayer and the Word of God to be a great source of refreshing and strength, with blessings that have spilled over into my life in many ways.

Some of the benefits that come to mind are:

Guidance and wisdom in affairs of life
Recognizing God’s voice
A constant supply of spiritual substance and strength
Stability
Victory over temptation
Development of your ministry
Answered prayer.

Although the value of a daily devotional time are evident, many Christians struggle in this important exercise. And if you view it as a religious duty, it can become drudgery. But if you tap into the beauty and wonder of experiencing God’s presence and fellowship each day, it can become a delightful discipline.

It is my desire to see you enjoy your devotional time with Jesus each day. This podcast is more on the quiet side. It’s a teaching and sharing time. It’s not preaching, but I believe it will encourage you as you listen and apply the principles in your life. The notes are below as well.

ENJOYING YOUR TIME WITH JESUS

READING: John 14:15-16, John 15.7, John 16:27, 17:3

MAIN THOUGHT: You can enjoy and greatly benefit from spending time with God in prayer and in His Word.

Today, I want to talk to you about your daily devotional time, some times called morning devotions, quiet time, or time with Him. My goal is to help you understand the benefits, give you some keys and techniques that have worked for me, and help you experience the joy of spending time with the Lord alone. I recommend family devotions, too, but besides that, we all need our one-on-one time with the Lord.

So often in the things of God, what we encourage and teach can be translated in people’s minds as a duty, and it can become a drudgery if it becomes merely a religious work, it is totally unfruitful.

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” Luke 18:10-12, KJV.

“And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:” Luke 15:29.

Lets’ go from duty and drudgery to discipline and delight. Discipline is a normal part of relationships. Discipline is a part of healthy relationships. Ex. Pick up your socks, control your tongue, provide for you family, etc.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4, KJV.

RELATIONSHIP—marriage, you don’t have the marriage ceremony, kiss the bride and then come home and live in separate bedrooms. You fellowship, you cultivate the relationship, you love one another, and share life together. That’s what our life is to be like with the Lord. So, don’t receive this as another thing you have to do. Just think of the great privilege that we have to meet with the King of Kings & the creator of universe every day. This fellowship will then carry on throughout your day. Pray without ceasing. Meditate day and night.

Some helps and techniques… (seasons, a living relationship)

Devotional books (Find one that builds your faith) Helps to get into the discipline.
Reading plans
The Lord’s prayer as an outline
Praying in tongues for one hour
Using scripture lists
Meditate on something you heard at church or Bible Study
Variety is the spice of life, don’t be afraid to change, try something new, grow, explore

To me, the ideal devotional time is just me and my Bible and the Holy Ghost, but there are times when you need someone to help you encourage, inspire and teach you. That’s why He put teachers in the Body of Christ.

REWARDS AND BENEFITS

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6, KJV.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8, KJV.

Guidance, wisdom in affairs of life, recognizing God’s voice, constant supply of spiritual substance and strength, victory over temptation, stability and (last but not least) answered prayer. What a privilege!!!

WORD

Read 1 Peter 1.15-2:4 desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may GROW thereby. It’s not normal to have a child, and then not feed it. Part of our job in the body of Christ is to nurse new believers in the Word. They don’t know how to have a devotional life. So we must be strong in ours and teach others. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105, KJV.

READING: “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” 1 Timothy 4:13, KJV.
STUDY: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15, KJV.
MEDITATE: “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” 1 Timothy 4:15, KJV.

There’s something you can do in order to be successful in the Christian life. Not as a duty, but as an aid and help to cooperate with the God. “Activating the Gospel.” mixed with faith.

The one constant in my devotional life is I read something in the New Testament every day. I read through the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation and then start over again. I believe reading through the NT keeps us balanced and on track. When you read, see what stands out to you and think about it, ponder it. picture. Ask yourself, “What is God saying to me today?” Then yield yourself to God in that area and confess it and pray about it.

PRAYER

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” Psalms 5:3, KJV.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13, KJV.

Worship the Father-It’s not just for church.
Petition-Thy Kingdom come in me in my family, my church, my community, my nation and the world. (It’s not automatic, we are God’s agents in prayer) Working with God to bring forth His will, starting with us.
Prayer for our needs.
Prayer of forgiveness
Prayer of victory over temptation
Praise the King, Amen, it’s settled.

Praying in the Spirit… Most of us underestimate the value of praying in other tongues.

“He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:4, KJV. “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” 1 Corinthians 14:15, KJV.

Waiting on God…

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalms 27:14, KJV.

It’s a two-way conversion. (Ps 27.14) God will speak to you through His Word, by revelation, by the inward witness, by the inward voice, even sometimes by visions spectacular manifestations. EX: Peter was praying and fell into a trance (his senses were suspended) and God spoke to Him. These things are the exception. Don’t seek spectacular guidance. Be steady!

CONCLUSION

Your life with God starts with receiving Jesus as Lord and being Born Again, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s a relationship to be cultivated and enjoyed every day. (John 17.3)