How to have a 30-minute devotional

“ When you’re living in a hard Place “

Psalm 63:1

And for David

His Hard place

Is the Wilderness The word wilderness

It’s symbolic of struggle

When the word wilderness is used in the bible

It’s always used to know the place of struggle or a place of testing

But what's interesting about this dry place

Is that David ends up at this place

Because he was forsaken by the familiar

In 2nd. Samuel 15

The Bible teaches us in those chapters

That David had some people he was close to

And these people that was close to him

Conspired against him

And cause him to go to the dry place

David’s own son Absalom

David’s best friend Ahithophel

David’s own nephew Amasa

These 3 men got together

And they conspired to steal the throne from David

The Bible teaches us in 2nd. Samuel 15:6

That Absalom literally stole the heart of the people

And as a result David finds himself in a dry place

What’s interesting about Psalm 63

It's not about how David arrive at the dry place

But it's how David thrives at the dry place

It's how David manage to sustain himself at the dry place

In life you can't always control

How you arrive at a place

But you can't control your response

To when you arrive at the dry place

In the midst of the dry place

The first thing that David does

When you’re living in a hard Place

1st David Conveys His love for God

Psalm 63:1 (KJV 1900)

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, My flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Define: Convey — make known or understandable to someone

Verse 1A - 1

David want God to know

Quote: My affliction from you Has not alter my affection for you

David conveys his love for God 3 different ways

Psalm 63:1 “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, My flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;”

1st. Lord you’re still my Possession ( My God )

2nd. Lord you’re still my Priority ( Early )

3rd. Lord you’re still my Passion ( SEEK )

When you’re living in a hard Place

1st David Conveys His love for God

2nd. David Commits his life to God

Quote: In Psalm 63 David makes a powerful commitment to God without the promise of contentment from God

There are 3 things in David commitment to God

1st. My Hard Place won't affect my witness ( V. 3,5 )

2nd. My Hard Place won't affect my worship ( V. 4 )

3rd. My Hard Place won't affect my walk ( V. 8 )

When you’re living in a hard Place

1st. David conveys his love for God

2nd. David commits his life to God

3rd. David continues to lean on God

3 reasons why David was leaning on God

1st. David is leaning on God's Past Power ( V. 7 )

2nd. David is leaning on God's Promised Power ( V. 9 )

3rd. David is leaning on God’s Prophetic Power ( V. 11 )

HOW TO HAVE A 30-MINUTE DEVOTIONAL

STEP #1 PRAY ( 5 min )

This is just a recommendation that you spend 5 minutes in prayer using the S.T.O.P. method below.

· What SIN do you need to confess?

· What are you THANKFUL for?

· How can you pray for OTHERS?

· What are you PETITIONING God for?

Pastor Fondal’s Thoughts:

Having a consistent devotional life can be difficult, especially when we go into it thinking that it needs to be at least one hour long. Sometimes we become intimidated if we don’t think we have the time, and then as a result, we don’t do anything.

Step #2 BIBLE READING (10 min)

Spend 10 minutes reading a text of your choice.

Write down the text you are reading below

Step #3 APPLICATION (10 min)

Spend 10 minutes to write down how you plan to apply the word of God to your life using the 3-2-1 method.

· What are 3 things you learned from today’s reading?

· What are 2 ways you plan to apply this to your life?

· What is 1 thing you need to pray about?

Step #4 MEDITATION (4 min)

Spend 4 minutes simply meditating on what you’ve read and plan to apply. Write down any final thoughts you have and how God may be speaking to you.

Step #5 CLOSING PRAYER (1 min)

Spend one final minute in prayer to close out your devotion and ask God to help you actually apply what you read that particular day.

[ The FREE BIBLE APP ]

How to Study the Bible by Topic

Question #1

What am I struggling with right now in my Christian life ?

Question #2

What areas do I sense that the Holy Spirit has been prompting me to respond ?

Question #3

In what areas am I struggling in my relationships ?

Question #4

What are some topics that I’d like to learn more about ?