He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. – Psalm 23:3
As a newly born-again Christian, it is vitally important to begin to develop a daily routine as you walk as a Christian. I offer a starting point in this chapter. These are only suggestions. You can build on this as you see fit, but this is what I recommend as the very minimum you do each day. Once again, I’m just listing what has worked for me in an attempt to help you get started. For the first 30-days, every single day, without fail:
MORNING:
- Get down on your knees and thank God for giving you the gift of today and for the gift of Jesus on the cross and the forgiveness of your sins. You can add other things also. As new sins come up or are revealed, you should confess them before God.
- The important thing isn’t really what you pray about or exactly how you pray, it’s the act of doing it; by doing this, you are learning to humble yourself before God and be thankful above all.
- As you pray in the morning, watch your heart; God may reveal things to you that you need to confess, work on, or realize about your own heart.
- Read 1-2 chapters from your Bible reading plan. If you cannot do this in the morning (which I strongly recommend), try to do it during the day. However, I’ve found that if you don’t do this first thing in the morning, you will find many reasons (excuses) to put it off the rest of the day also, and pretty soon, you will realize that the whole day is over and you didn’t even read a single word of Scripture (remember, it is the Word which feeds your spirit, see Matthew 4:4). Satan loves it when this happens.
- If you like, a daily devotional can serve as inspiration also. Just beware that some devotionals are designed to appeal to your emotions (and your wallet) instead of adhering to sound doctrine and biblical truth. They may also contain false teachings.
DURING THE DAY:
- Pray and talk to God as often as you can remember to do so. Don’t worry about formalities, technique, body position (sitting, standing, kneeling, etc.), words, language, semantics, topics, etc.…just talk to God as if He were right with you as your Heavenly Father. You don’t need to (and can’t) hide things from God – for He knows all. Be 100% candid and open with Him.
- Remember that prayer is not just talking to God; it’s talking with God.
- If you find that you do not remember to pray during the day, make some simple reminders to help you.
EVENING:
- Get down on your knees again and thank God for giving you the gift of that day, for the gift of Jesus on the cross, and His forgiveness of your sins. You can add other things you feel you want to confess before God also.
- The important thing isn’t really the specifics of what you pray about; it is the act of doing it and learning to do it regularly, humbling yourself before God, and being thankful above all.
BEFORE ALL MEALS:
- Thank God for His provisions (Psalm 24:1)
WHAT TO PRAY:
If you are unsure what to pray each morning and evening (or at any time), I offer the following as a suggestion. This same prayer could be used every morning and evening for all 30 days if you want. Over time, you will adapt it, and it will then change each time you pray, but this gives you a starting point:
“Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy great name. Thank You for the gift of today and for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ on the cross. Thank You for the forgiveness of my sins. Father, please forgive me for {_____insert anything here you want to confess, maybe something the Spirit is bringing to your attention today_____}. Father, help me to walk worthy of You today and to seek and do Your will, not mine. Help me to seek the things above, the things of Your Kingdom, and not the things of this world. Help me to read and understand your Word and to dwell on good things which come from above. Father grant me Your wisdom, teach me Your ways, and keep me safe from selfish, worldly and fleshly pursuits. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and humble spirit within me. Thank you so much. It is through Jesus I pray. Amen.”
RELATED SCRIPTURE:
Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my groaning.
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. – Psalm 5:1-3
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night. – Psalm 1:1-2
The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it. – Psalm 24:1
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. – Romans 8:28-29
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. – 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows [fiery darts] of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:10-17
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:14
