I was sitting at my desk. The phone rang; an emergency in my family. I felt so alone. Belatedly, I remembered I had skipped my devotional time that morning. Since I didn’t spend time with the Lord, I was not sharp spiritually; it was harder to hear God’s voice and it was harder to know what to do, or what to say.
Whenever I skip my daily devotional time with the Lord, I regret it. It seems those are the days where I need to be on my toes spiritually and if I don’t spend time with the Lord, I am not ready. Do you relate?
If you, like me, want to be prepared for the next life challenge you will face, having regular devotions is a real step forward. In Ephesians 6, Paul writes about putting on His “armor”(His spiritual protective covering) everyday. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” Paul writes. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
One way to put on your “armor” is to spend time with the Father everyday. Time with God allows you to listen to Him and get your heart ready to cooperate with whatever He plans to do on the day ahead. You will also find you can cope better with emergencies.
When I first became a born-again Christian a lot of people told me that I needed to have devotions the first thing in the morning. “No Bible, no breakfast!” one teacher declared. While that is a great goal, morning is not the only time to have devotions. Find a time that is good for you, whatever hour of the day it may be.
A good way to plan your time with God is to divide it up into parts. Spend time in worship. Sing to God, or just tell Him how much you love and appreciate Him. Thank Him for all He has done for you and your family. It is important to tell those we love that we love them. We need to do this for the Lord, too.
Read something from God’s Word that will help you in grow in faith. Some people read devotionals and that is fine, as long as you read the Bible, too. Some of my friends like to listen to the audio Bible on their phone. The Bible Gateway app has audio Bible, and if you choose NIV, you can choose audio in dramatized form. You can listen as you put on your make up and get ready for work. These apps make the Bible seem more real and more exciting! It also has the written Bible in several versions like English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilonggo, Spanish, etc.
Spend time in prayer. Paul writes in Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I think it is ok to tell the Lord all that is in your heart. He knows it, anyway!
Finally, listen. Be quiet and see what God has to say to you. Seldom does He speak in a voice you can hear, but He will speak to your heart. Ask God to be with you, to stand at your shoulder and direct you in everything you do, in every word you say. If you do these things, you will be ready to face whatever comes. You can walk with confidence into your future.
My favorite scripture verse comes from the book of Jeremiah in chapter 11. It says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Daily devotions are a wonderful way to seek God.
