morning devotions

what are devotions and why do we do them?

1) we need Gods guidance and direction each and every day. contrary to popular belief, our goal for the day is not just to survive it but instead to thrive in it.

a) matt 6 33: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. want peace in the marriage? seek the kingdom of God. want financial security? seek first the kingdom of God. want children that honor God? seek first the kingdom of God.

b) psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.

2) we need Gods protection over us every day. each day the enemy shoots thousand's of arrows at us. remember -- we have an active enemy who is deliberately trying to hurt us EVERY DAY. one of the most effective tools of the devil is ruining the character of a professing Christian -- let alone the many other problems the devil causes for us.

a) eph 6 13-18 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,

3) God is not some distant character that created us, gave us a Bible and left us alone. He is here and with us. we as Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit and Jesus lives in our hearts. but at the same time, we need to build the relationship with God. this is never ending, we cannot be too close to God. i believe our relationship with God is the true foundation of our Christian walk, as i already mentioned. so much of the Bible talks about love and its hard to love someone you dont know (everything we do for God should be motivated out of love I Cor 13). its hard to trust someone you dont know. its hard to live for someone you dont know. countless Scriptures tell us of the times Jesus spend talking to His Father, Moses spending time with God, etc.

4) there is always room for us to learn more of the Bible. throughout the day, we are going to be tempted. how will we know right from wrong if we do not know what IS right and what IS wrong? unfortunately, too much of this world falls in a gray area, yet we are to know what we believe and live by it. and the more we know the Bible, the more we can withstand the temptations and guide others with our actions and words. we cant teach others stuff that we ourselves dont know

a) john 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

how can He teach if we do not read and how can He bring to remembrance those things which we have not learned? like i said, its never ending.

for several reasons, i think the morning -- before anyone else is up -- is the best time for devotions. if done correctly, it can be a peaceful time to think about and pray about the day ahead with a clear mind and little outside distraction. we can ask guidance for the day ahead, asking God for direction and help to accomplish His will in our lives for the day. you cant ask for guidance for the day AFTER the day has ended; and there's no sense putting on the armor of God after you've already been hit all day long -- when you go out to battle, you put the armor on BEFORE you fight, not after you get shot.

so HOW do you do devotions? to get started, get up before anyone else in your house. (be awake and alert -- get a good night sleep, drink some coffee!) then, open the Bible and read it for 10 minutes. start right at the beginning in Genesis 1. after that, kneel down next to your couch or a chair and pray for 10 minutes. talk to Him about your feelings, your fears, ask for guidance and direction, ask for forgiveness, ask that He will show the things in your life that He disapproves of, ask for Him to help your friends that you know are hurting; be specific. for the last minute, be silent...ask Him to speak to you. do this routine for weeks to get into a habit. let the Spirit lead you. the 10 minutes is just somewhere to start -- maybe He wants you to read / pray for 20 minutes or maybe an hour. trust that He will guide you and He will.