Lesson Plan – April 12, 2023

The Power of Daily Devotions. Part 1 – How to have a fruitful Devotional Session

One of the things that helped me as a young Christian seeking to grow in my walk with God and when I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ at 19 years of age was learning about daily devotions from my early faith mentors. The emphasis placed by those early coaches on habitual daily devotions has had a great impact on my life. If you do not have a steady habit of meeting God daily in a focused session of fellowship this will be a blessing. And even if you already do you will find this a refresher as well.

Jesus Himself set the example of a daily devotional lifestyle and if He being the Son of God didn’t think it unnecessary we must of necessity think the same way. After all, He is the Master and Bishop of our souls. Jesus did this for continuous fellowship with the Father. It was the source of His strength and power. It was the reason why He could say “I do what I see My Father doing.” Through fellowship with our heavenly Father, we give ourselves to Him and in turn, we receive spiritual nourishment for our lives. Deuteronomy 8:3 says man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Jesus echoed these same words in Matthew 4:4 when the devil tempted him in the wilderness. The word “bread” there means food.

Today we are going to examine what a fruitful devotional session is and how to have one.

Scripture Readings: Jesus and Devotional Prayer: Mark 1:35, Luke 11:1-9, Luke 22:43-44,

What stood out to you in the Scripture texts?

Guided Group Discussions

Jesus’ Devotional Life

In order for Jesus to be our perfect example He was fully God and fully human. While we know that His power was from God, examining the mechanics of how this happened will help us understand in order to live a fulfilling Christian life.

Read the scriptures below showing Jesus’ devotion to God. Discuss your thoughts

Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42. Jesus started His day with prayer. Why do you think this was necessary for Him? Why is it necessary for us as His followers?
Luke 22:43. Jesus was strengthened by an Angel from heaven during prayer.
Luke 6:12. Jesus sometimes spent a whole night in prayer. Would you ever consider a few hours of praying into the night?
Matthew 14:23. Jesus habitually spent time ALONE with God
Luke 5:16. Jesus withdrew Himself often

Why Study Jesus’ Devotional Life?

His devotional life was fruitful. He had fellowship with the Father and received power for ministry
Jesus teaches us how to pray properly like no other. Luke 11:1-4
With His help, we can learn how to pray for 1 Hour or more. Matthew 26:39-40
Angels can help us when we pray during heavy spiritual battles whether we see them or not
The Holy Spirit also helps us by praying through us. Romans 8:26-27

Part 1 Conclusion/Summary

If you will grow in Christ and have victory daily over the world, the devil and the flesh the recommendation from the word of God is to cultivate a daily devotional lifestyle. Joshua was told not to neglect the counsel of God’s word (see Joshua 1:8.) Jesus re-echoed Moses’ instruction that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Finally, in the opening Psalm, David writes on the importance of meditating daily on the word of God. See Psalm 1:1-3. Our prayer session will be fruitful if we read meditate and use the scriptures in prayer.