Enjoying Your Time with Jesus Podcast

By Tom Shanklin One of the great joys of my life is the time I spend with the Lord each day. I have found this daily time in prayer and the Word of God to be a great source of refreshing and strength, with blessings that have spilled over into my life in many ways. Some of the benefits that come to mind are: Guidance and wisdom in affairs of life Recognizing God’s voice A constant supply of spiritual substance and strength Stability Victory over temptation Development of your ministry Answered prayer. Although the value of a daily devotional time are evident, many Christians struggle in this important exercise. And if you view it as a religious duty, it can become drudgery. But if you tap into the beauty and wonder of experiencing God's presence and fellowship each day, it can become a delightful discipline. It is my desire to see you enjoy your devotional time with Jesus each day. This podcast is more on the quiet side. It's a teaching and sharing time. It's not preaching, but I believe it will encourage you as you listen and apply the principles in your life. The notes are below as well. ENJOYING YOUR TIME WITH JESUS READING: John 14:15-16, John 15.7, John 16:27, 17:3 MAIN THOUGHT: You can enjoy and greatly benefit from spending time with God in prayer and in His Word. Today, I want to talk to you about your daily devotional time, some times called morning devotions, quiet time, or time with Him. My goal is to help you understand the benefits, give you some keys and techniques that have worked for me, and help you experience the joy of spending time with the Lord alone. I recommend family devotions, too, but besides that, we all need our one-on-one time with the Lord. So often in the things of God, what we encourage and teach can be translated in people’s minds as a duty, and it can become a drudgery if it becomes merely a religious work, it is totally unfruitful. “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” Luke 18:10-12, KJV. “And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:” Luke 15:29. Lets’ go from duty and drudgery to discipline and delight. Discipline is a normal part of relationships. Discipline is a part of healthy relationships. Ex. Pick up your socks, control your tongue, provide for you family, etc. “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4, KJV. RELATIONSHIP—marriage, you don’t have the marriage ceremony, kiss the bride and then come home and live in separate bedrooms. You fellowship, you cultivate the relationship, you love one another, and share life together. That’s what our life is to be like with the Lord. So, don’t receive this as another thing you have to do. Just think of the great privilege that we have to meet with the King of Kings & the creator of universe every day. This fellowship will then carry on throughout your day. Pray without ceasing. Meditate day and night. Some helps and techniques… (seasons, a living relationship) Devotional books (Find one that builds your faith) Helps to get into the discipline. Reading plans The Lord’s prayer as an outline Praying in tongues for one hour Using scripture lists Meditate on something you heard at church or Bible Study Variety is the spice of life, don’t be afraid to change, try something new, grow, explore To me, the ideal devotional time is just me and my Bible and the Holy Ghost, but there are times when you need someone to help you encourage, inspire and teach you.