Pursuing Christ Through Personal Worship

Pursuing Christ Through Personal Worship Today’s Devotional December 11, 2023

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” —Matthew 6:6

Our most important time with God is through our daily personal worship. The time spent with God in prayer and Bible study provides the life-sustaining spiritual nourishment that feeds and replenishes our souls. Created in the image of God, our souls are connected to Him. We cannot fill the emptiness of our souls without God.

Jesus tells us to separate ourselves because worship places us in God’s Holy presence. Quiet solitude frees us from interruptions and distractions allowing us to focus on our intimate relationship with Christ. Worship is a one-to-one interaction between us and God. During personal worship, we surrender our will, and with faith, we renew our daily covenant with Christ to follow Him.

Our intentional and unrushed time with God places us in a posture of humility and demonstrates our faith in His faithfulness. The more time we spend in worship the greater the blessing we receive. The Holy Spirit gives us the spiritual revitalization and restoration that our minds, souls, and bodies rely on to be victorious overcomers through Christ.

“Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” —Psalm 54:4

To remain faithful in perilous times, it’s best if we have daily worship in the morning and evening. To commune with God is to receive life-sustaining strength, peace, joy, and happiness. Do you know Christians who always have joyful expressions on their face? They are spending time with God which gives them confidence even when going through trials and tribulations.

The Holy Spirit provides us with supernatural strength, clarity, wisdom, and guidance. No longer do we possess a sense of dread when facing our activities of daily life. Not only do we receive the spiritually energizing power to effectively achieve our daily tasks, but we remain energized until the completion of our daily goals.

Worship is more than praying and listening to inspirational music. We pray for Divine wisdom before we diligently study the Holy Scriptures because we need the Holy Spirit to provide us with the only accurate definition of God’s written Words of Truth. Spiritual discernment is a gift from the Holy Spirit that prevents us from embracing false or convoluted teachings based on another person’s interpretation.

Studying the Scriptures imparts us with the vital knowledge of God’s promises. When hardships arise, instead of fear, anxiety, or stress, we enjoy God’s greatest blessings of peace, joy, and restoration. The Bible contains God’s Righteous precepts and commands which keep us on the Narrow Path of Righteousness. The word of God also provides us with an understanding of the perilous times we live in.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” —Romans 8:26

Worship is for the weak. Although our weaknesses differ, every believer is weak in some area of their lives due to our inherited carnal hearts that gravitate toward pleasing ourselves. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit rescues us by giving us the spiritual wisdom and discernment needed to recognize internal and external spiritual warfare. And He also gives us the strength to walk away from temptation.

When facing temptation or life’s dilemmas, whisper a prayer for help. Effectual prayer is our greatest weapon against Satan. Self-reliance is abated when we ask for the Divine reinforcement of the Holy Spirit. We desperately need to make prayer our first response so we do not succumb to the raging internal battle of satisfying our heart’s carnal desires.

The benefits of daily worship are endless, but most importantly, we show honor, reverence, and respect for our Awesome Heavenly Father. Aligning ourselves with His perfect will demonstrates our faithful obedience. Worship allows us to receive spiritual growth and the transformation of our mind, character, and personality.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law (Galatians 5 22-23). And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).

From consistently staying in the presence of God, we are changed into the likeness of Christ’s Character. Our character and personality begin to align with the Fruit of the Spirit, and our hearts overflow with the love of God as demonstrated by a gentle and loving spirit.

“‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” —Jeremiah 33:3

From our time with God, our spiritual insight deepens and God reveals great and mighty things that we do not know. Our heightened awareness includes a greater appreciation for God’s love, grace, and abundant mercies. Instead of relying on our feelings when challenges arise, we remain steadfast because we trust in the faithfulness of God’s Character.

Personal worship prepares us for Eternal life where we will freely worship God with pure hearts in a perfect New Heaven and New Earth.

Prayer: God, we thank You for the privilege of boldly approaching Your Throne to receive grace in our time of need which is every day. We surrender ourselves completely to You and ask for the anointing, power, and presence of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries