Devotional:
Someone once said, “Don’t prioritize your schedule; schedule your priorities.” If you want to fulfill the very purpose you have for being born you have to make time with God the #1 priority of your life! Time with the Lord is the very thing that has brought the most healing to my life. It’s built my confidence where I was terribly insecure and inferior. It’s healed my heart where I was so brokenhearted. It is the most precious thing in my life, and it’s the easiest thing to neglect! Unless you make it a priority and actually schedule alone time with God, you just won’t do it!Spending time alone with God (just you and Him) is the #1 way to discover His next step for your life. Paul spent time alone…after Damascus Road experience. Moses spent time alone on the backside of a desert. Joseph spent time alone in a prison. Jesus spent time alone in the wilderness before He ever launched his earthly ministry. Jerry Savelle (Dad) spent 8 hours a day for 3 months in his guest bedroom studying the Word before he ever stepped out in ministry. Keep in mind, when you pursue God, you are pursuing your dreams! Whether it’s 8 hours or 10 minutes a day, the key is in consistency. Don’t feel bad if you only spend 5 minutes a day, stick to those 5 minutes and watch what God will do in your life. Spending quiet time with God will cause you to get closer to Him, more comfortable with Him and more sensitive to His voice. Bobby Knight said, “The will to succeed is important, but what’s even more important is the will to prepare.” What are you doing right now to prepare for what you believe God has called you to do? Are you researching? Are you reading books about it? Are you taking any lessons? Are you attending a class? Are you saving money for it? Preparation takes effort! You have to invest in your future. Make time to learn, to grow, to expand your thinking. Get on a quest to feed your faith more today than you did yesterday. Success isn’t something you arrive at – its something you prepare for! You have solutions and opportunities at your fingertips. You just need to expose yourself to new things, new people, new books and new places. Your calling won’t just happen. You have to go after it! John Wooden said, “When opportunity comes, its too late to prepare.” My dad said that back in the early 1970’s when he was working for Kenneth Copeland, the Lord told him to “prepare” because the day would come when Mr. Copeland would ask him to preach with him. So, he did. He prepared messages, he prayed over the people who would “one day” come hear him preach…and he was ready. Months and months went by, but one day, his phone rang in that little hotel room in Jacksonville Beach, FL and Mr. Copeland was on the other end saying, “Are you ready?” And he was. He prepared for his calling and when opportunity came, he was able to seize it. Answering God’s calling is not an event, a one time moment, a special occasion, someone laying hands on you, it’s a daily choice and it shows up in your daily routine.
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