Reviving Our Personal Devotions, An Introduction

1) Our perspective of personal devotions ________ the rest of our lives.

2) How does _________ worship time affect corporate (group) worship times?

3) Why is it improper just to tell Christians to 'have devotions?

4) What is devotions?

5) From the diagram explain how effective devotions creates a non-stop cycle of growth.

Struggling with our Personal Devotions

1) What are people's reaction to having devotions? What about your concept?

2) What kind of training do most people get in having devotions? What training did you get?

3) If we neglect to properly train them, where do they get their understanding of what good devotions are? Where did you get your understanding?

4) Why is understanding the purpose of devotions so important?

5) Fill in the graph with your own line. Feel free to change the numbers on the graph to better fit your own life. What made the line go up? Did it go down quickly at times? Why?

6) Most importantly, where do you want to be? How important is it to you?

7) Pray the prayer of dedication provided or make one of your own.

Catching the Excitement of Devotions - Exodus 33:7-11

1) Why did the pastor think he was more like a Pharisee? Is this true of you sometime? How often?

2) What is the real problem?

3) What happens when we think wrongly?

4) What Old Testament picture best models good devotional times? Why?

5) Fill in the five conclusions for devotions drawn from Exodus 33:7-11.

1) Moses met ____________ with God.

2) Outside the ____________.

3) Moses meets ____________.

4) God ____________ with Moses.

5) ____________ response.

6) Application
How often do you meet with God? Where do you meet? Is it hard for you to keep the world from distracting you? Would you have devotions if God was not there? Have you heard God speak? What is the result of your time with God? Are the ones closet to you positively affected?

Meeting God in the New Testament - 2 Corinthians 3-4

1) How is the model of Moses said to be the same or different as for Christians?

2) Why might some people claim that Moses' experience to be extraordinary rather than typical for the average Christian? How does Paul counter that thought?

3) Finish this statement, "The _________ brings man to God; _________ keep him close to God."

4) In 2 Corinthians 5 our bodies are described as _________ . God lives in them.

5) How important really are regular devotions?

6) Is Jesus' life an example for us to follow in the area of fellowship with the Father or did He live on a different level than the average faithful Christian?

7) Are you struggling with having consistent quality devotion times with the Lord? Think through again the reason you have devotions. Why do you have them? Why should they be regular?

Describing Quality Devotions: Prayer

1) What are the three kinds of devotions?

2) Where do most of our problems with devotions start?

3) Write down or memorize the expanded definition of devotional praying.

4) Many people think of prayer as man speaking to God. What is wrong with this? Does not many speak to God?

5) What is a good example of how God speaks to us?

6) Read through the section on "Lead me not into temptation." Have you sensed God speaking back and forth with you during your prayer times before? When was the last time? What happened?

7) What is the danger of listening to God?

8) How can we protect ourselves from this?

9) What do you want from your prayer life? Do you now experience it?

Describing Quality Devotions: Bible Reading and Meditation

1) What wrong concept do many have of Bible reading during devotion times?

2) What is the expanded definition of Bible reading?

3) Why is it that many Christians struggle to have regular devotional times?

4) The evil one first used severely limited ______________ of the Bible as a way to keep God's Word away from people's hearts; now he uses ______________ to keep God's Word from touching our hearts.

5) Reflecting on the Bible is called ___________?

6) What does OXPET stand for?

7) Try this word by word process on your own. Pick a shorter verse and go through each word. Remember to be open to what the Lord is trying to say to you. One really needs to write down is thoughts to get the most out of the study.

8) Good meditative Bible study has _________ interweaved all through it.

9) What is your Bible reading like? Do you sense God's thoughts trying to get into your mind?

10) What are two things one can do the next time your Bible reading becomes dry?

Preparing Your Heart to Meet God

1) Go back to the first study sheet and review what you have written about:

a) Where you are at in having quality devotional times

b) Where you want to be in six months time.

2) Write down each of the six attitudes that are necessary to have good devotions. Write out the appropriate verse from Psalm 130 that matches each one.

1. Desperate for the ____________ (Psalm 130:1)

2. Dependent on God for ____________ (Psalm 130:2).

3. Sensitive to ____________ (Psalm 130:3,4)

4. Confident of ____________ (Psalm 130:4)

5. Waiting for ____________ (Psalm 130:5-6)

6. ____________ and ____________ from God (Psalm 130:7-8)

3) What is the spiritual exercise mentioned on this page? Is it reasonable? Why? Try it out for a week!

4) How much tolerance should we have for sin? ________

Great Expectations from Our Times with God

1) Our expectations largely determine what we ___________.

2) When God gives us more than usual or what we expect, what should we do?

3) There are four areas that God works in our lives through our daily times together with Him. List the four D's. Then match the four S's.

4) What is the chief reason for meeting with God?

5) What chapter of the Bible is good to study to learn more about communing with the Lord? How many times does the word 'fruit' appear there? Read through the chapter and highlight these words and their contexts.

Understanding Man's Ability to Commune with God

1) Is there anything like conversation within the Godhead? Why?

2) Where did man get his ability to commune with God?

3) In relation to man's ability to commune with God, what happened as a result of the fall?

4) How was the 'network' restored between God and man?

5) Draw three simplified diagrams illustrating each of these three stages.

Preventing Burnout through Devotions

1) Ministry is an ________ of our times with God.

2) What would you do? You are a leader of a church program and a key helper just dropped out. You look around and find one person who comes fairly regular. Should you ask him to join in with the hope that he will get more regular attending at the same time? Why or why not?

3) If that person declines because he doesn't feel qualified, what advice can you give to him?

4) Why do people often get burned out from ministry?

5) Sketch out the "Being Fruitful" diagram. Explaing the different parts:

The flame:

The top circle:

The two side circles:

The triangle:

6) Memorize Psalm 1:2-3.

7) Good devotional times with God, however, unleash a consistent and powerful ministry because it is rooted in the _______, _______ and_______ of God.

Questions on Devotional Times

1) Explain the reason from nature that suggests we are to have quiet times in the morning.

2) Who were two Old Testament godly men that prayed three times a day?

3) Paul helped strengthen accountability by two key concepts. What are they? _____________.

4) What is the key to being helped by prayers written by others?

5) How can songs help us in our devotional times?

6) What are three things I can check for dull devotions?

7) What are the three basic steps to inductive Bible study?

Teaching instructional materials available:

1) Experiencing God Through Devotions (4 pages); Adobe Acrobat pdf file)

This one hour lesson focuses on restoring our passion to meet God through our personal devotional times. The theme of a pole vaulter illustrates how the Christian must give all to meet God.

2) Developing Quality Devotions (8 pages; Adobe Acrobat pdf file)

This two hour seminar shows what the problems are to having effective devotions and more importantly the steps to take to dramatically change the quality of our times with God. Once we accept the challenge that God wants to specially meet Chistians each day, the Christian feels responsible to change his life habits and perspectives. We show them how to have effective prayer and Bible study times. It is easier than you thought!

3) Developing Quality Devotions Overhead slides ; Adobe Acrobat pdf file)

These overheads accompany the #2 seminar above.

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| Introduction | Shaping | Struggling | Excited | Meeting God | Prayer | God's Word | Preparations |
| Expectations | Communing | Burnout | Questions | Study Questions | Testimony | Mueller |

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