A visitor to this web site wrote:

I have been struggling with praying every day; and having devotional time with God...I am struggling with my flesh wanting to lie down instead of pray. Could you suggest some kind of book I could buy that could lead me in the right direction. Yours, Theola.

I don't know of a book but perhaps I can share how I have overcome my own problem with getting consistent about my devotional time and how it has become my favourite time of the day.

The Lord has given me such a victory in this area that I now don't have any problem getting up early for morning devotions. It is not that I'm so self-disciplined or sacrificial but because of what the Lord has done.

There was a time when morning devotions was a hard thing for me to get up for. It was a struggle to get into morning devotions and get much out of it but I began to see in the Bible and recognise by the Holy Spirit that this time was going to be the most important time of my day.

I laugh at it now but a short exhortation - a modern proverb - came my way that really helped me in this. It goes like this,

"If your day is hemmed with prayer it is less likely to unravel."

So I began to exhort myself by faith to get up. I'd say things like, "Better to struggle now to get up and into devotions than struggle later with every task in your day" and "God's going to get you fully ready and equipped for your day if you get yourself up and into devotions."

This began to get me up for devotions and I soon found that the whole way my day - and even my life - was going was changing for the better!

This was not quite the end of my struggle though. I was still at times having a battle being consistent about morning devotions. Then I realised I needed a word from the Bible that I could hold onto or that I could pray as a precious promise. The word the Lord gave me was a scripture portion scholars normally apply to Jesus but the Spirit directed at me,

"He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens me to hear as the learned. The Lord has opened my ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away."

Isaiah 50:4-5 - NKJV

This is the word that I began to apply and pray over my morning devotions. Soon I began to wake up with a verse on my mind that exhorted me and made me hungry for more. I was now getting eager for devotions.

This was years ago now and since then my personal devotions has become a time for me of being refreshed and revitalised both spiritually and physically. It is a time for me of being taught by the Lord. Over the years morning after morning I've been able to have quality time with the Lord before my day begins praising, worshipping, meditating on His Word, hearing from His Spirit and praying. I get up easily for morning devotions now because I'm eager to get into the presence of my Father in Heaven because so much happens there.

I'll tell you how my morning devotions goes now. You can then look to the Holy Spirit to see how this might help you.

Psalms are very important to my morning devotions. Psalms bless me. They're my spiritual breakfast that get me going spiritually for the day. I might not feel like praising but psalms prime me for praise. I might not feel like tackling the day but psalms strengthen me for victory.

Normally I'll start my devotions reading a psalm aloud. It seems like God often wakes me up spiritually with psalms. I'll read a psalm as blessing to God. I'll read it as an exhortation to myself and testimony of what God has done. In this way I start praising God and in faith I then come before Him through His Son Jesus. There I worship Him and talk with Him. I relate to Him as Dad and receive from Him as son.

Often from psalms the Spirit will lead me on to other scripture passages. What happens then is a fulfilment of what Paul shared with Timothy,

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - NKJV

So I get taught, reproved, corrected and instructed by the scripture the Spirit has led me to. As I let this happen I find that not only am I getting sorted out but my day and my affairs are also getting sorted out. As well as this I also find I am being equipped for prayer and as a result I start to pray as the Spirit prompts me with the equipping for prayer I have just been receiving.

I hope you are catching my excitement at what happens during these times - when I get into morning devotions it's difficult to stop. I do stop though. Like you I have schedule and I have appointments to keep. So I reluctantly begin to close my morning devotions. I commit everything to the Lord - myself, my family, my ministry, my church, my day, my affairs - and take my leave of the Father with thanksgiving for the precious time He has allowed me to have with Him. This is a very important end to my devotions and it should be to yours too.

As you close your devotions you need to make sure you have got everything off your heart and placed them in God's hands. By the faith you have in God you are to commit everything and everyone to Him, wholly trusting Him to protect and care for all that is yours. You must also LEAVE everything in the Lord's hands as you take your leave of Him. You don't pick back up what you have committed to Him and take it away with you. You leave the intimacy of His presence, confident in His care for you and confident that He will care for all you have been careful for. Committing things or people to the Lord is a once for all event! 1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalm 55:22.

May God's Word and His Spirit make morning devotions the best time of your day!