An example of a structured devotional time
1. Come before the Lord. Have a time of
silence being aware of who it is you are approaching.
2. Ask the Lord for the Spirit of prayer
and praise.
3. Confess any known sin.
4. Recognise that the Lord has forgiven
you by the blood of Jesus. Enter into praise (a chorus book or hymn book is
good to have handy). If there are besetting sins or difficulties you are
facing, make a note of Bible verses that help you, and make good use of them.
Scripture
verses may help meditation and will lead to prayer. Let the truth of
them lead you into praise. Here are some examples:
Colossians 2:10
Romans 8:11
1 Peter 5:7
Ephesians
2:13-14
Ephesians 1:6
Colossians 1:14
2 Corinthians
5:17
Galatians 4:5-6
1 John 1:7-9
1 John 4:4
1 Corinthians
6:20
Ephesians 1:22-23
John 8:36
1 John 2:1
Hebrews 7:24-25
Hebrews 13:5
John 10:3
2 Timothy 1:7
Philippians
4:6-7
Job 23:10
2 Peter 1:3-4
Psalm 56:9
These
are just some, but you will have others which are special to you. This could
be a point at which you begin learning a memory verse over several days. You
could even use a short devotional reading at this point, such as an extract
from the commentary of Matthew Henry.
5. Turn to the Bible with a prayer that
God would open his word to you (Psalm 119:18).
- There are so many ways of using the
Bible: don't get bogged down by incredibly long reading plans. You can do that
at some other point in the day. Look for God to speak.
- One plan is to read a part of the Old Testament
and a Gospel portion on one day; a psalm, or part of a psalm, with another part
of the New Testament on the next day.
- You're not cramming for an exam; you want
to hear from God and feed on his word, and to grow in the knowledge of Christ
Jesus.
6. Pray about what you've just read.
7. Ask for God's power and grace for all
that is coming this day (expected or unexpected).
8. Pray for your family or household.
9. Pray for finances and health.
10.Pray
for opportunities to witness.
11.Pray
for people you know, for the government, for politicians, and for other countries. Pray also for missions. This will grow in time:
you don't need to be praying for hours. Limit yourself to begin with. It is
not unspiritual to have a fixed time with God. It is your appointment with the
King: he knows you've got to get on with your day.
12.End
in praise, perhaps with the words of a chorus or song.
|