Dear blog viewers, I am so happy to have you here in this new year. The fact that God Almighty has brought us into a new year is proof of his unfailing love and commitment to seeing us fulfill the fullness of our days here on earth.
At this juncture, I want to say a big congratulations to you. Remember that the Almighty God is not done with you yet. Every opportunity to exist here on earth is a chance to fulfill our purpose before exiting this space to the heavenly mansion that He has prepared for us.
I encourage you to work the works of He that sent you while it is day…strive to fulfill the purpose of heaven for your life and pursue it completely. This is what makes a man truly successful according to heavenly standard. This is what makes you heavenly-rich, because you are laying up treasures in heaven.
I want to appreciate you again for the support, encouragement, and loyalty to me.I do not take it granted. God bless you!
The blog has officially resumed for the year and a whole lot has happened in course of the Christmas vacation. The Almighty God has prepared a lot in store for you here on the blog this year. Many life-changing musings are to be published.
The major categories of the blog are ‘People, poetry, principles, lifestyle, Bible stories and faith. It has pleased the Lord to have me incorporate ‘purpose‘ . We shall also be having other subcategories such as interviews, biographies, book reviews, Christian blogging etc.
I am quite enthusiastic about these developments, trusting Him to truly make these changes a phenomenal reality in transforming people across the globe.
It is against this backdrop, that I would want to proceed further to introduce the topic for today, which is Tips for Winning in your Personal Devotions.
Morning Devotions are personal. They are concentrated moments of worship, prayers, study and meditation.
Although, devotions can be done at any time of the day, but for the sake of freshness of mind, openness and quietude, it is best done in the wee hours of the morning! (smiles)
Tips for winning in your personal devotions
Our Model, Jesus Christ shows us a pattern thus:
Mark 1 :35 “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
More still, personal devotions can be done at night, preferably before bed time. The important factor to consider is identifying an ideal moment in which one’s mind is stable and free from conflicting thoughts.
However, my concern today is the morning devotion, which is quite instrumental to the health of every christian relationship with God. Our world is replete with busy people with little or no time to spend several hours in communion with the Father. Hence, if we must thrive in these days, we must be intentional about winning in our personal devotions.
Realizing that as Christians, God has accepted us and has chosen to love us eternally. Hence, it is His utmost desire that we spend time with Him. He desires your time in fellowship, as He is never tired of hearing you speak to Him. Permit me to say that one of God’s profound love languages is ‘quality time’.
They are many people are at the verge of losing out of this beautiful experience of fellowship due to several reasons, including disturbing thoughts, laziness, non-nonchalance, encumbering tasks, emotional challenges. lack of commitment.
A lot more are daily being frustrated and finish up sooner than envisaged, for lack of visible results.
For the sake of brevity, I will highlight some of the important requirements for winning in this exercise:
Boldness
Grace is everything we need here, for no one can commune with God without the Grace of God. Grace is what keeps a man in the place of communion even when God seems far from Him and He is tempted to exit. Grace is also the factor that sustains men for hours unending in their places of prayer.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. I am what I am by the Grace of God.
In certain scenarios, our rising up in the morning is not without a plethora of worrisome thoughts impinging on our subconscious and this can affect the communication pattern. Some songs have a conditioning effect, plus it’s cushioning ability against the distraction.
Later on, I will be sharing with us some soul lifting songs to be added to our playlists for this purpose. The potency of songs are beyond the lyrics, they minister to our spirits and help us connect to frequency of the Spirit of God. In some instances, the believer could wake up with a song strongly registered in his/her spirit.
Hunger
The Spirit of God responds to our state of heart as we approach him. Believers must earnestly desire to sit at the Lord’s feet if they will ever hear God speak. This is very important as people are often seeking to know the Lord. However, enshrined in this desire is a backlog of ash…. an inate projection of our past encounters with God. We must come to God with an empty mind, one that is ready to absorb!
Hunger is a clear indication of the life inherent in a person. A dead man has no organ of expression of spiritual hunger and this is dangerous, because prolonged hunger predisposes one to sicknesses and eventually death sets in.
Disc
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
All other factors may be in place, but if discipline is lacking, then the believer would be hanging on a loose end… Discipline could be in the place of being deliberate to depart from noisy and distracting environment. Much is to be said about overcoming the ‘sleepy thingy’, resisting the ‘phone‘ lure etc. Young people are often drawn to the latest on social media. This will always pose a major hindrance, and must be completely avoided.
Faith is the substance upon which all other factors will be solidified. Our faith in God informs us of His intentional love for us and this in turn influences how we will approach Him. Faith in God is the lifewire that fuels our convictions and sustains us even when the storms of this life are raging. Approaching God is a matter of faith…
I desire to see you grow and wax strong in the spirit. As you prayerfully apply these principes. God will truly encounter you… Amen.
Have you seen this post..? 12 Productive Ways to Spend Time with God
Great
Thanks Peter and God bless you
Profound 👌… As simple or light aa we may think this topic is, it’s quite a great pillar in our Journey of faith
Thank you may
Thanks Dayo and God bless you