Cultivating a Devotional Life

\”And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.\”

Gen 5:22-24 KJV

\”One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.\”

Psalm 27:4 KJV

\”And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.\”

Mark 1:35 KJV

Watch the exposition here on YouTube: https://bit.ly/newlifevideo-ep11 OR Listen to the exposition here on Spotify: https://bit.ly/newlifeaudio-ep11

THE PURSUIT OF THE LORD

Pursuing the LORD is the preoccupation of the new life in Christ Jesus. The first thing about a devotional life is the P of Pursuit. One of the proofs of a truly changed life is the change of your pursuit. What are you pursuing in life? What is your life about? What is the central focus of your life?

The entire beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11 are a collective index (indicator) of a life pursuing the LORD. For instance, the first four:

• Matthew 5:3-6
• 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. A DEEP LONGING FOR THE LORD
• 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. A SIGN OF PENITENCE AND CONTRITION.
• 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. MEEKNESS IS A BYPRODUCT OF FOLLOWING THE LORD.
• 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. A DEEP PASSION TO DO GOD\’S WILL

Meanwhile, the atmosphere of these beatitudes is devotional. Look at verses 1 and 2.

\”And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,\”

Matthew 5:1-2 KJV

A DEVOTIONAL LIFE IS THE LIFE OF DISCIPLES

His disciples came to Him on the mountain when He was set. The New Life has already separated you from the world. If you do otherwise by living contrary to your consecration, you will revoke your new life since you have refused to keep your vital contact with the LORD. Without Him, you can do nothing. No matter how many times you get born-again again, ignoring your vital contact with Him in a devotional commitment will break you off from the vine and you will dry up.

\”If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.\”

John 15:6 KJV

THE MARK OF THOSE WHO ENDED WELL

Everyone who came to know the LORD and eventually ended well is marked by one thing: their devotional life…their pursuit of the LORD stood out. Examples of such people are: 

1. Enoch
2. Abraham
3. David
4. Simeon 
5. Anna etc.

THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

The next thing after pursuit is the P of practice. Practice is how you go about your devotion. Practice depends on five things: 

1. Purpose
2. Principles
3. Place
4. Peculiarities
5. Priorities

PURPOSE

Devotion is not a religious ritual you do mindlessly just to check the box of spirituality. Despite the activities involved in devotion such as prayer, bible reading/study etc, you must never forget that the purpose of your devotion is to be with Him as in Mark 3:13-14 and sit before Him as in Matthew 5:2 or even to lay prostrate before Him.

PRINCIPLES

Since your devotion is a means to an end and not an end in itself, you want to prepare your heart and prepare your environment. You prepare your heart by looking forward to the time of being with the LORD. You prepare your environment by getting all the materials related to your devotion ready in the place of devotion. Your Bible, notebook, hymnbook and light source (to aid seeing during reading) etc. The general principle is to allow God to speak to you by reading and studying after which you respond to the LORD in prayer. This is not a rigid rule. Your spirit might be pressed to pray already before you settle down to read the Word.

PLACE

Mark 1:35 and Matthew 5:2 show that there is a place of devotion. This is part of preparing yourself for the LORD\’s company. Let there be a place where you wake up to meet with the LORD. And depending on your peculiar circumstances, you might have a back-up place to forestall any expected situation.

PECULIARITIES

You must know that there are no two people like you. This means the way God will deal with you is unique and while you can and will learn from others, you don\’t have to become exactly like them. This is a principle in Christian life. Always learn the principle from the godly things you see people practice. The Holy Spirit wants to relate with you directly hence He will factor your peculiarities into the disciplines He will bring to your life. Hence, allow Him to inspire you when you get to the place of prayer (devotion). If you don\’t, you might settle into a routine that can sap the life out of your devotional times.

PRIORITIES

This is the spiritual regulation within you to insist that you will not bypass Jesus for anything first during your day. Yet in a few unforeseen cases where you miss it, once you have sorted out the issue or emergency, bring back your heart for Him to work on. As you grow further in your walk with Him, you will even have a sense of being with Him while in the emergency pending the time you settle down properly for your devotion.

Finally, a devotional life is a composite that we can use 5D\’s to illustrate.

1. Duty: Mark 3:13-14. It is an ordination. It is a MUST. It is non-negotiable.  
2. Desire: Psalm 27:4, Psalm 42:1-2. The desire for God is a built-in system to facilitate your new life in Christ.
3. Determination: \”My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.\” Psalm 5:3 KJV. Also, Psalm 63:1-8
4. Discipline: \”Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41 AMP
5. Delight: \”Delight yourself in the LORD, And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.\” Psalm 37:4 AMP

Let us pray!

Featured Image: The Cove