Jumpstart True WorshipПримерок
Transformation Through Consecration
The easiest way to form intimacy with God is through consecration. It is a time to drown out all carnal influences and tune your heart to God’s eternal frequency. It is a time to gain direction, guidance, and wisdom straight from the Father’s heart.
We immediately become not only citizens of the Kingdom of God, but royalty in that kingdom through our new birth (1 Peter 2:9, John 3:3-5). Through this process, we respond to His calling to exit a lifestyle full of darkness to become a reflection of “His marvelous light.” But how do we begin to reflect His light? A reflection, simply put, is a return of light from the source it resembles (Oxford Languages, 2022). Through intimacy, we reflect the marvelous light of Christ as it shines through us, thus returning glory to God (Matthew 5:14-16). And how do we deepen our intimacy so that our light can “shine before men? Through consecration.
Consecration:
But what is consecration? Simply put, consecration is the act of setting one’s self aside for God’s use. Consecration is the preparation for service in God’s kingdom, which distinguishes between success and failure, strength and weakness, or even health and sickness.
What does consecration entail? In most cases, fasting often initiates consecration. Abstaining from natural nourishment is replaced with feasting from the spiritual buffet of God’s Word and presence. Fasting can range from refraining from food and water, certain foods or dry fasting. One can also abstain from secular pleasures, such as television, music, or other activities, in exchange for 100% dedication to prayer, meditation, and studying God’s Word. Whether you give up certain foods or surrender secular indulgences for a season, your deliberate commitment to consecration will guarantee your jump-start to a True Worship lifestyle.
Creating A Lifestyle of True Worship
The objective of this devotion is to help you jump-start a habit of daily devotion. Experts claim that it can take as little as 18 days to form a habit and 66 days for it to become automatic. By continuing daily devotions, you’ll transform that habit into a permanent way of life.
A habit of worship is like tooth-brushing in that you no longer have to remind yourself to spend quiet time with God. When worship becomes a lifestyle, you’ll notice God permeating your mind at all hours of the day and night, including during sleep. You’ll find yourself praising God throughout the day, seeking God more often for answers to prayer, and actively walking in faith as your intimacy with Him intensifies.
The primary goal of this Bible reading plan is to help you combine the various elements of worship consistently enough to form a habit. As you continue beyond this plan by spending consistent quiet time with God, you will transform that habit into a lifestyle.
Each devotion presented over the next five days will prepare your heart and mind to leave the conventional dimension of time to spend quality time in the eternal presence of your God, King, and Soul Lover. As you continue dedicating daily one-on-one time with God, my prayer is that:
- You will develop a hunger to pursue God with greater intensity during this 7-day jump-start to True Worship.
- You will more easily recognize God’s voice and become more sensitized to His nudging.
- Your lifestyle and character will begin to fall into alignment with His Word and will.
- And most importantly, you will begin to become the definition of a “True Worshiper.”
Reflection:
Schedule time dedicated to quality, quiet time with God in your calendar. If you are new to this practice, consider devoting 15 minutes to Him. Set a daily alarm on your phone as a reminder. Over the next 5 days, allocate a portion of that time to the devotions in this plan. Consider incorporating worship music, Bible reading/studying, and, of course, prayer into the time you’ve allotted. Also, consider journaling your experience.
Опис за овој план
Jump-Start True Worship will strengthen your walk with God by invoking intimate, intentional communion. This plan will help transform your mindset through increased engagement with God. In it, you’ll learn the difference between religious rituals and the Biblical definition of true worship. It also contains five daily devotions that provoke deliberate interaction with God and self-introspection, thus promoting spiritual growth.
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