Personal Devotions are the Key

 The following is a transcript of the Family Ministry Podcast episode titled, "Personal Devotions are the Key" published on December 30, 2022.

Maranda (00:01)
Hello and welcome to the Family Ministry podcast, where we equip you to disciple your kids God's way. I'm Maranda Gomes, and today's episode is called Personal Devotions Are the Key. Here in Family Ministry, we're all about learning and growing and discipling our kids the way God intended us to. So today we're going to talk about how our personal devotions are the key to discipling our kids the way God designed parents to disciple kids. And you've heard this verse before, but it's our key verse here at Family Ministry: Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

Maranda (00:44)
It says, "Hear, o Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk, by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."



Maranda (01:17)
God's plan for discipleship of children is contained in these few verses. First, it tells us we should love the Lord with all of our heart and soul and might. And then He tells us that we should write His Word on our hearts, and then we teach His Word to our children.

Maranda (01:42)
So it's obvious from this passage that God intends us to be in His Word, loving Him, growing in the knowledge of God, growing in closeness to His heart. And out of that flows the discipleship of our children. So how do we do that? What are personal devotions? What do they look like?

Maranda (02:09)
How do we grow in closeness to the Lord? How do we draw near to Him? How do we grow in the knowledge of His Word? Now, if you've been a Christian for any length of time, you already know that personal devotions are something that we're supposed to do. And it seems obvious and simple when you hear it, but it's not always obvious and simple to do.

Maranda (02:39)
It is rather simple and straightforward once you get into it and start doing it. But it can feel overwhelming and intimidating sometimes to start. Or maybe you've tried and you just got too busy and it fell by the wayside. Or you tried and you got discouraged because you didn't think anything was happening, so you gave it up. Or maybe you try, but you just don't get to it very often and you feel guilty.

Maranda (03:09)
There's a lot that goes into this idea of personal devotions. So today I just wanted to break it down. How do we grow in the Lord? Well, we do that through what's come to be called, over the centuries, the spiritual disciplines.

Maranda (03:28)
Now, those two words can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. So for the purpose of this podcast and what we're doing here, let's define what I mean by that. The spiritual disciplines are activities. They are things you actually do. They're not who we are.

Maranda (03:49)
They're not our identity in Christ. They're activities that we do to grow in the Lord. They're efforts that we make because we love God and want to know Him better. They are not done in order to earn His favor. We already have His favor by the blood of Jesus.

Maranda (04:11)
We do not do these activities, these spiritual disciplines, in order to get something from God, to get Him to like us better, to earn His favor. They don't work that way. When we do them that way, we come up dry and we quit because they do not work that way. They are activities that are done out of love for God in order to grow closer to Him in our hearts. We do not have to do any of these things to earn His favor. We already have his favor.

Maranda (04:49)
Let's look at 1 Timothy 4:7. It says, "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." And that's what we're talking about. How do we discipline ourselves for the purpose of Godliness?

Maranda (05:05)
Let's take a look at what spiritual disciplines are modeled in the Bible, and specifically, which ones are modeled in the life of Jesus. That's the best place to start. I'm not saying that there aren't other spiritual disciplines that are helpful. I'm just saying let's start by looking at the ones modeled in the life of Christ. The ones we're going to focus on for the purpose of this podcast are Bible reading, Bible memorization, Bible meditation, solitude, prayer, and fasting.

Maranda (05:45)
And these aren't the only spiritual disciplines modeled in the life of Christ, but these are the ones I want to focus on for our talk today, because they sort of all go together. Bible reading, memorization, and meditation, they are all centered on God's word. They all go together. They can be done together. They can be done separately. They all involve God's word.

Maranda (06:11)
Solitude goes with that. Because in order to really do these things in a way that brings life, we need to withdraw. We need to withdraw. And we saw Jesus doing that. We saw Him withdrawing to pray, to commune with the Lord.

Maranda (06:29)
So when we do our Bible reading, memorization, and meditation, if at all possible, we withdraw. We go behind a door and we close it, and we spend some time alone with God.

Maranda (06:42)
And of course, prayer meshes in really well with solitude and God's Word, because as we're reading God's Word, it's natural to start praying. It's natural to pray through the Word. As we're reading or meditating or memorizing, you read a verse and you say, "Oh, Lord, thank you for that promise." Or you say, "Lord, I'm sorry for not doing that right. Help me to do it better." Or you might even say, "Oh Lord, fulfill this promise in my friend's life or my family members life." So those all kind of mesh together really easily and simply. There's a sweet spot when you do those things together.

Maranda (07:34)
And then I mentioned fasting because some of you, I'm sure, are really in a good groove with these other disciplines. You're reading, memorizing and meditating. You're pulling yourself away for a time during the day and you're praying. So if you feel like you're pretty good and solid with those things, I want to suggest to you that in the New Year, maybe start to incorporate some or more fasting. That might be a really great way to go. And I'm not saying that we should or shouldn't make New Year's resolutions here, but what I am saying is when we approach the New Year, it's natural to kind of assess and think about what we want the next year of our lives to look like. And I would encourage you to make one of those priorities communing with the Lord, spending time with the Lord in personal devotions.

Maranda (08:38)
Now that we know what those are, how do we make it happen? Well, first you have to decide. Decide that this is important and that it will be a priority. Just make that decision. Personal devotions are important to me. I'm going to make that a priority.

Maranda (09:02)
I'm putting it at the top of the list. And then if you're going to do that, then you have to decide what things you will give up in place of this priority. So an easy way to do this is just kind of assess your days and what you do regularly and what you spend time on. And then think what things do not give life.

Maranda (09:33)
Because spending time in personal devotions, praying, reading your Bible, communing with the Lord, that is a life giving practice. It is something that is going to bring strength and vitality to you, to your spirit, to your heart, to your overall well being. So what are some of the things that you spend time on that do not give life? And you can then replace those things with this life giving practice.

Maranda (10:04)
Are there things that make you anxious? Are there things you do that make you angry? Are there things that you spend time on that make you feel stressed? Well, those things should be the first to go.

Maranda (10:18)
And those things can be many different things. But maybe it's social media and mindless scrolling. Maybe all that scrolling makes you feel stressed or it makes you feel inferior, like other people are better than you, that they have it better than you that they have more and that your life is less. That is not a life giving practice and maybe you could set limits on that. I'm not saying you have to give it up entirely, though that is definitely an option. But most smartphones today have digital well being built into their settings. And you can put timers on your apps.

Maranda (11:04)
So you can say, you know what? I'm going to put a 20 minute limit per day on Instagram, and I'm going to put a 20 minute limit per day on Facebook so that I don't spend more than 20 minutes, or 30 minutes, or an hour--whatever you determine is an acceptable time. After I use it for that amount of time, that app is going to turn off, and that's going to be a reminder to me that this is not a life giving practice, and I need to devote my time to a more life giving practice.

Maranda (11:38)
Maybe it's TV. Maybe you watch a couple of hours of TV every evening to just destress. Maybe you could give up some of that time and spend it in personal devotions.

Maranda (11:53)
Maybe you spend a lot of time consuming news or podcasts, and maybe that news makes you feel angry or anxious. Maybe you should give up some of that time and exchange it for the life giving practice of personal devotions.

Maranda (12:14)
Those are just a few examples. That is certainly not an exhaustive list. Just look at your life and pay attention to what you spend time on and then assess: could I spend more time with the Lord and less time doing that? And I think that will give you a really good place to start.

Maranda (12:35)
And then the next thing you have to decide is choose a Bible reading plan. Just have a plan. You can make up the plan, you can find it online. You can use the You Version app to follow a plan, but have a plan.

Maranda (12:52)
And then if you already have a plan in place and you're already regular with your personal devotions, I would encourage you to spend more time in God's Word this year. Can you spend a little more time in God's Word? Maybe you're used to reading just a short devotional and focusing on a verse or two. Could you add to that some focused reading straight from God's Word? Because while devotional books are great and they do help us and give us great perspective, sometimes what we really need is just focused time in God's Word, with God's Word alone, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us through His Word. So that's a challenge for those of you who already are settled on a plan and you do this regularly, maybe spend a little more time this year focused on reading God's Word.

Maranda (13:49)
And for those of you who do not currently have a plan, there's lots of places you can get a plan. But I just want to encourage you to download the plan off of our church's website, cobblestonechurch.com. On the main page, if you scroll down there are some black bars and one of them says Download Bible Reading Plan. Click on that and download the plan for this January. This year, rather than having a full year plan up front, we're doing a topical plan each month.

Maranda (14:23)
So January's plan will be on worship, and then the sermons on Sunday will also be on worship. I think there's something really great about us all reading the Word together and then coming together to hear a teaching on it. So if you don't have a plan that you've already decided, the church reading plan might be a really great place to start, and I encourage you to do that. All right?

Maranda (14:47)
And then the last thing that we have to decide on here... So we have several decisions. We have to decide that this is important. We have to decide what things to give up in place of personal devotions. We have to decide on a plan. And lastly, we decide on a time and a place.

Maranda (15:07)
Now, I know a lot of times you'll hear pastors say what you need to do is wake up really early in the morning and read your Bible first thing before you do anything else. That way, you're giving God the first fruits of your time, and you make sure that you get it in, and that's fine. And that works for a lot of people. That's actually what's working for me right now in this phase of my life. It's working better if I get up a little early and read my Bible.

Maranda (15:36)
But for most of my adult life, and especially my life as a mother, early mornings were not a good time for me. I tried to do it over and over, and I kept failing and I kept failing, and I kept feeling more and more guilty. And then finally I realized that giving God the first fruits of my time doesn't necessarily mean giving Him the first hours when I wake up. It could mean that it's the best time of my day. And so what I came to realize several years back is that because I home school my kids, so I was with my kids all day long, and then my husband would get home and I would make dinner for everyone, and then I was ready for a break. I am an introvert living in a larger family, and so I needed a break by that time in the evening.

Maranda (16:29)
So my husband agreed to take care of the kids for an hour after dinner. And what we did is we allowed them to have screen time. That was their screen time. So it was easy for him to look after the kids because he worked all day and he's tired. But we made it easy. We made that a downtime when they were able to watch TV or play on a tablet.

Maranda (16:53)
And then I would withdraw to our bedroom for an hour and spend some time in the Word, spend some time with God, and just spend some time resting and refreshing. That worked really well for me for several years, but our schedule has changed a bit and we do have quite a few things we're doing in the evenings now, and that's not working as much anymore.

Maranda (17:17)
I should also mention that--some of you know this, some of you don't--but I live with a chronic migraine disorder, so a lot of times I wake up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in my head. So there have been long seasons in my life, years long, where I would wake up almost every morning with a migraine.

Maranda (17:39)
That was not a good time for me to spend time with the Lord. So don't be dogmatic about it. Just decide on a time and a place and that can change. Maybe you have a time and a place during soccer season, but that time and place changes during basketball season. Or maybe you have a time and a place that works in the summer that doesn't work in the fall.

Maranda (18:10)
You can change it anytime you want to, but have a set time in place so that you know when this is going to happen. It could be before anyone else wakes up. It could be after you take the kids to school. But like I said, I home school, so that's not a good time for me because I have kids all the time. If you're a working parent, maybe it's on your lunch break. Maybe you just withdraw. You close your office door, or you find a quiet place, or you even go to your car and eat your lunch in your car and spend time with the Lord.

Maranda (18:45)
Do whatever works for you. Just make it a priority. It doesn't have to be a certain time of day.

Maranda (18:54)
Now, for some people, reading God's Word is difficult. They don't like to read. They have a difficult time reading. Reading makes them tired. The list goes on. You can listen. You can listen to God's word.

Maranda (19:09)
I encourage everyone to purchase and download the Dwell app. It's well worth the $30 a year. You can get a free trial of it, try it out for a week or however long they let you try it. See if you like it. I think it's great. You can choose different translations of the Bible. You can even choose different voices to listen to reading the Bible. And if that works for you, great.

Maranda (19:34)
I do want to mention, though, that I think reading God's Word is special and we should try to make at least some time for actually reading God's Word. Now, I will say this: research has been done on comprehension, through reading and through listening. There is no difference in the reading comprehension between reading and listening. So you're not cheating if you choose to listen to the Bible rather than read it.

Maranda (20:06)
However, I do think when we sit down to read, we're more poised for focus because our eyes are focused on the Bible and then we're also in a position where we can take a pen or a highlighter and we can highlight and we can make notes and take notes in our journal. So I think there is something a little special about that just because when you're listening it's easier to be looking at something else or you may even be doing something else. And that's okay. It's okay to listen to the Bible while you do the dishes. Absolutely.

Maranda (20:51)
But we want to just make sure that some of our Bible time is a little more focused. And so maybe if reading doesn't work for you very well, maybe you'll say, maybe you just want to read a Psalm once a week. Maybe that's what you're going to do. Or maybe you'll read one chapter of the Gospels once a week. Or if you have a reading plan, maybe you'll say, okay, on Saturdays I will sit down and do my plan for Saturday through reading rather than listening.

Maranda (21:29)
But if you are unable to do that, then just start wherever you can. If you feel unable to sit down and read the Bible, then just listen the whole time. But I do think if we make that special effort to sit down and read and take notes sometimes, I think there is fruit that comes from that. So that's why I suggest it.

Maranda (21:53)
I also want to say don't get discouraged. It will feel dry and unproductive at times. Sometimes it may even feel dry and unproductive all of the time. And that's okay because our weak efforts are empowered by the Holy Spirit and we can trust Him to work in the little effort that we give. He breathes upon it and puts power in it and it does change us, even if we don't feel like it.

Maranda (22:30)
I have a testimony about this. When I went to Bible college in my mid-twenties, I realized that I had never read every page of the Bible. I had skipped around. But, honestly, for my whole life up to that point, I wasn't much of a Bible reader because I hated reading. I didn't feel like I understood what I read and I found it very discouraging. So I didn't do it much. But when I was in Bible college, I felt impressed that I needed to know what God's Word said if I said I believed it.

Maranda (23:08)
So I asked the Lord to help me love reading. I said, "Lord, would you please just help me to love reading so that I can read your Word?" And it wasn't any more fancy than that. I didn't use big fancy words. That was it--just a thought prayer. I didn't even say it out loud.

Maranda (23:33)
Then I decided that I was going to get up every morning before classes and I was going to read the Bible for like ten minutes. I had roommates at that time and they were around doing everything, so I couldn't really withdraw at that point--and sometimes you can't--but I would sit down and I would read it and I would just say, "Lord help me to understand this."

Maranda (23:55)
And I would read it and it felt so dry. It felt boring. It felt completely unproductive and I didn't think I was getting anything out of it. But I kept doing it until I had completed the whole Bible. I didn't think that it had done anything inside me. But then I started to notice that when I was talking to people, the words that I had read from the Bible were coming out of my mouth. I was reciting the things that I had read and I thought, "It really is getting in my heart!" because the Holy Spirit was breathing on my little weak efforts and He was meeting them with power. It got into my heart and it changed me.

Maranda (24:44)
And you know what? There was also a miracle involved because now I absolutely love to read all kinds of books and I was never a reader before then.

Maranda (24:55)
Then from a parenting perspective, what happens when we start putting God's word in our heart is we'll find it naturally coming out of our mouths when we're speaking with our children. We'll find ourselves able to answer questions that they have about the things of God and His Word and we'll just naturally want to talk about it with our children. The more you engage with the Lord, the more you want to engage with Him. So just get started. Even if it feels hard, even if it feels dry, get started and I promise you will see the benefits.

Maranda (25:38)
Well, that's all I have today about personal devotions. But I would like to introduce what I hope will become a new part of our podcast and that is Testimony Time. I want to share each month a testimony from one of our kids on their experience in Family Ministry or in church in general.

Maranda (26:01)
Today we have a testimony from Noah and I'm very excited to share it. Noah's mom texted me the other day and said that they were driving in the car, and the mom and kids were talking about having encounters with the Lord.

Maranda (26:19)
Noah, who's ten, said, "The Lord encountered me in a worship song." And his mom remembered that day because it was a communion Sunday in November--that's when all the kids were in big church for the whole time and we did communion together as a church family. She remembers him praying and thanking God for His sacrifice. He was passionately praying that day because God encountered him that day on a communion Sunday. I just want to thank God for meeting with Noah and I want to thank Noah for sharing his testimony with us.

Maranda (27:06)
I just wanted to share that to illustrate a point, that the reason I have kids in big church on first Sundays is not because I don't want to be with the kids that Sunday. And it's not because I don't like the parents and I want to put more work on them.

Maranda (27:28)
It's because when God's family is together as one body, wonderful things happen. And this is a great example. Noah met with the Lord that Sunday. He had an opportunity to encounter the Lord not just in worship, but in prayer, through communion with his family. And that will change Noah and it will mark him for the rest of his life. These are the things that happen when our body, the body of Christ, all its members, are together, working and moving together.

Maranda (28:10)
We can't just take our most vulnerable parts of our body and relegate them to the back of the building all the time. We need to have all the parts of the body working and moving and serving together for one goal, and that is to know God and to make Him known. So thank you, Noah, for sharing your story.

Maranda (28:32)
I hope you were encouraged by Noah's story. If you or one of your kids have a testimony, please share it with me. I would love to hear about it and I would love to share on the podcast. Happy New Year, everyone. I'll catch you next time. Thanks.