20/20 Vision Day 3 - Over Your Devotion Time

What devotion time? When? What for?  If you are a new believer in Jesus, devotions may be new to you. 

According to 1828 Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, to devote is “to set apart, to dedicate by a solemn act; to consecrate”.   Devotion is “prayer to a Supreme Being, an act of reverence, respect, or ceremony”.

For most people, having devotion is to solemnly set apart some time of the day to focus on God, usually through reading the Word of God, reading devotional material, Bible study and praying.  This is not just a Sunday thing, but a daily practice of quieting oneself to speak to or hear from God.  Some people find that place of devotion while walking in the woods or on the beach, some find that place at the kitchen table, some find it in a favorite chair. The challenge is to get alone someplace where one can listen for what God wants to say.

Planning to meet with God and quieting oneself are two different things.

In planning, start with having the Bible, devotional book, pen, journal and space/time set up. If one is at the beach or in the woods, a phone, the Bible app and a note app are sufficient to stir up what you see in the Scripture and record what you hear from God.  

Learning to quiet oneself before God is the biggest challenge. In How To Hear The Voice of God, Mark Virkler teaches four keys to hearing from God:

1.    quieting yourself down – practicing stillness

2.    fixing your eyes on Jesus – determining what your will concentrate on vision

3.    tuning to spontaneity – letting God bring his thoughts to you

4.    journaling – writing down what you have received

  “Ears to  hear and eyes to see – both are gifts from the Lord.” Prov.20:12 NLT.

Find one verse or passage as a challenge to meditate on God – one verse for 20 minutes. Practice self-discipline. Ps 110:1, Eph 1:19,20, Heb 1:3

“And be sure to put into practice what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand what I tell you.” Mark 4:24 TLB

Thank you, Father God, giving us this opportunity to consider and plan for time with you. Thank you for this first step in looking up to see where Jesus is now and hearing from him.