Personal Prayer and Devotions

Current Challenge from our Senior Pastor: Carve out 20 minutes 6 times a week to spend some quiet time with the Lord in prayer and meditation of scripture.

We cannot expect our spiritual needs to be met fully during one or two hours of church participation each week. We grow deeper in our relationship with God by spending time alone with Him. Continued spiritual growth comes as we carve out times of solitude and stillness each day to worship, pray, and study the word of God and commit it to memory.

There is a direct connection between the amount of time we spend alone with God each day and our spiritual growth. Though it is challenging to make the time, even 30 minutes a day will make a huge difference in your spiritual vitality.

Consider incorporating one of the following into your daily routine:

• 1. Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to meet you, speak to you, and lead you in your time with Him.
• 2. Purchase a readable version of the Bible, such as the New Living Translation or the New International Version. You might start with a chapter each day from one of the gospels (the historical accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry): Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Then read and reflect on one of the Psalms. Consider pausing after each line to “pray it back” to the Lord. If you don’t own a Bible, you are welcome to take one from our pews.
• 3. Take a few moments to read from a classic devotional guide by such authors as Oswald Chambers or C.S. Lewis. The devotional works of Max Lucado, John Ortberg, and Philip Yancey are perennial favorites, as are the works of older saints such as George Herbert and George MacDonald. Ask a friend for a suggestion, or work through a guide together.
• 4. Structure your daily prayers around the six lines of the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6.9-13) or use the acrostic ACTS: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication (making requests).
• 5. Make a list of all the things you are thankful for and all of the things that are pressing on you. Consider also the needs of those you love. Take time to pray through this list.
• 6. Purchase a journal and write to the Lord about the decisions you face, the problems that burden you, or the ways He is calling you to grow.
• 7. Memorize a portion of Scripture which is significant to you or has spoken to you in your daily reading. You might begin by memorizing John 15.4-5.