Devos

In His Presence: Practical Tips for Daily Devotional Time with God

October 17, 2024

As a follower of Jesus Christ, there should naturally be a desire to grow daily in your relationship with Him. A crucial step to accomplishing this is by spending time daily in the Word and in prayer. I refer to this as my Quiet Time. My goal is to spend time each morning reading and contemplating Scripture, followed by time in prayer. Here are a few practical steps that I believe can help you begin and maintain a daily time alone with God.

1. Make a Commitment to Observe a Daily Quiet Time

Decide that your Quiet Time will be your first priority each day.
Decide that each morning you will avoid thoughts like, “After a while, I will have my quiet time. But first, I must …

2. Develop a Plan for Observing Your Daily Quiet Time.

Choose a quiet place with minimal distractions to read your Bible and take notes.
Make your spot a daily habit. (Me… get my coffee and get to my spot)

Part 1: Getting in His Word – Bible Study – 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12

Begin your Quiet Time by reading a passage of Scripture. Select and read a daily passage prayerfully, asking God to speak to you as you read it.

As you read ask the Lord to call to your attention any:

Examples to follow
Attitudes to change
Commands to obey
Errors to confess
Sins to quit
Promises to claim
Truths to embrace

Remember to Read the Word, Meditate on the Word, and then Apply the Word into your life. Use a notebook to make a record of the insights you gain as God speaks to you through His Word.

Part 2: Talking and Listening to God – Prayer

As you commune with God each day, be sure your conversation covers these five areas:

1. Adoration / Praise – Psalm 95:1-6; Psalm 150:1-6

Adoration for His greatness and His glory.
Praise for who He is and for what He has done.

2. Confession Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9

Ask the Lord to make you aware of any sins in your life.
Confess each sin individually to the Lord.
Agree with God that the sin is wrong.
Express your desire to avoid these sins in the future.
Claim by faith His forgiveness.
Right the wrong to whatever extent you can.
Accept by faith the fact that you are totally cleansed and forgiven.

3. Thanksgiving – Colossians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Express your thankfulness for specific things.
Cultivate a general attitude of thankfulness whatever the circumstance.

4. Intercession – Praying for Others – 1 Timothy 2:1; Ephesians 6:18

Pray for the needs of other people.
Make a list and pray through it.
Follow through by checking on those you have been praying for.

5. Petition – Praying for Yourself – Jeremiah 33:3; Philippians 4:5

Share with God the desires of your heart and trust Him to respond in the best possible way.

Pray for spiritual growth.

Pray for your material needs.

Bee-Attitude

Blessed are you when you seek the presence of the Lord, for then you will find great joy and purpose in living for Him.

Author Profile

Jon Beck

Pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church

Jon Beck serves as the Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia. He also leads For The Coach, a ministry dedicated to impacting the lives of high school and college coaches with the Gospel. Jon and Sharon, who both hail from Lamar County, have been happily married for over 34 years. They are proud parents to 3 children and 8 grandchildren, with 2 more little ones on the way. Jon's ultimate goal in life is to encourage others to live faithfully for Jesus Christ. You can learn more about Jon and his ministry at pastorjonbeck.com.