Week 3
You become more like the people you spend time with, so if you desire to become more like Jesus, why not spend time alone with Him each day?
I. DEFINITION
A devotional life is having fellowship with and developing your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
A. Main Objectives
John 4:23 - To_____________ the Father in______________ and in______________ to bring Him the glory due Him.
James 1:5 - To gain________________from God and to live each day according to His will.
Zechariah 4:6 - To receive____________________ from God’s Spirit to live the Christian life.
Galatians 6:4 - To_______________yourself to keep from sin.
Hebrews 2:1-3 - To not______________your salvation and keep from drifting away from God.
II. NECESSITY
A. Benefits
What are a few of the many benefits of a consistent time with the Lord recorded in these verses?
b. Psalm 27:1-3
d. Psalm 40:1-3
2. In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul said to Timothy: “I________________whom I have believed and am __________________that God is able to guide, protect, and keep me until His coming again.” That kind of statement can only be made by someone who has been with the Lord.
B. God’s Perspective: Read Psalm 73.
What is the Psalmist’s attitude and perspective in verses 1-16?
What is the Psalmist’s attitude and perspective in verses 18-28?
What brought about this radical change (v. 17)?
C. God’s Desire
Jeremiah 2:32 is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. What terrible mistake did God’s people make?
God is a jealous God. What does that mean? (James 4:4-5)
Did God create you for yourself or for Himself? Explain your answer.
III. PROBLEMS WITH YOUR DEVOTIONAL LIFE
A. The good is often the enemy of the best. In Luke 10:38-42, Martha let this happen to her. How might the story parallel our own lives today?
B. Time - The cost to have an effective and deepening devotional life is simple—TlME. It will take time to develop your relationship with Jesus Christ. “Hours for the world, minutes for Christ.” May that never be your pattern of life. Take time to be still and know God. He has plenty of time for you. The question is, “Do you have time for Him?”
IV. PRACTICAL HELPS WITH YOUR DEVOTIONAL LIFE
A. Set a definite place and time to meet with God each day. This will help you to be consistent.
B. Be thoroughly awake before you spend time with the Lord.
C. Remove any distractions so that your full attention is devoted to the Lord.
D. If you have no sense of God’s presence and feel that your prayers are empty, tell Him about it. At the same time, claim the promise of His presence (John 14:16, Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20). Trust Him that He will hear your prayers quite independently of your feelings.
E. Come to your time with God open to what He has to show you and a willingness to obey what His will is for you that day.
F. If you miss a morning for one reason or another, don’t go on a guilt trip. If the fault is yours, confess it, obtain immediate cleansing, and claim the full power of the Holy Spirit. If the fault is not yours, do not feel you have to make it up to God. Your devotional life should not become a ritual, but rather it is a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The T.A.W.G. (Time Alone With God) makes us more like Jesus, and the result of spending time with Jesus is shown in Acts 4:13 - Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. People will know that we have been with Jesus.