2 Cents

PRINCIPLE #3 - Choosing The Best Time

Another way to make sure you are making your daily devotions about God (God-centered) and not about you is to have them at the time of day when you are most alert, most effective, and least distracted.

Many of us at one time or another have probably tried to read our Bibles and pray before we go to bed at night. I'm not going to say this is wrong, but I am going to say it is wrong for me. Here's why. At night my body crashes... hard. The closer and closer I get to my typical bed time the less alert I become. My wife has often commented on how she can't have a good conversation with me past 10pm.

But in my early college years I tried to make it my habit to read my Bible and pray every night before I went to bed. This led to numerous negative consequences...

• Immediately forgetting what I had just read
• Falling asleep while praying with my eyes closed
• Skipping quiet times because I was too tired
• Rushing through a chapter or two just to mark it off the list and get to bed

I didn't realize it until a close mentor pointed it out to me, but switching the time that I did my devotionals fixed all of these problems. Now I have my quiet times in the morning when I am wide-awake, alert, focused, and not distracted. My time with God is so much more rich because I've placed myself in the best position for Him to speak to me.

Does this mean that YOU need to do your daily devotions in the morning? Not necessarily. I have a good friend who is NOT a morning person and a bit of a night owl so he often has his as late as midnight and this works well for him. The key is finding what is best for you. Here are some questions you should ask yourself:

1. At what time of day am I most alert/focused?
2. At what time of day am I the LEAST distracted?
3. Can I re-organize my life around my optimal devotional time?
4. Are there things I need to give up (tv shows, sports games, late nights, or even sleep)?
5. Can I ask others to help me (spouse watching kids, roommate playing video games at a different time, someone to hold you accountable to daily time w/ God)?

There will be seasons in life where #1 and #2 don't match up. Maybe #3 isn't a possibility right now. Maybe #5 just can't happen. However make sure you are being 100% honest with yourself and God when asking these questions. So often we can't find the time to have a daily Bible/prayer time but we'll NEVER miss a UK Basketball game! Take some time and actually sit down and compare the rewards you get doing one versus the other. Is it even a question which is better for you?

Finally, if you need to improve in this area pray for God to help you. I can't tell you how many times I've prayed something as simple as, "God, help the events in my life to fall into place so I can have a productive daily time slot for you," and God came through for me! Be honest with Him about your struggles. Tell him if you don't want to get up in the morning. Tell Him if you're struggling to give up watching that TV show for a quiet time. Ask Him to change your heart. You'll be glad you did.