Five Fundamental Devotional Concepts

We define the devotional as the time we set apart to fellowship with God in prayer and His Word, during which He nourishes, strengthens, and refreshes us. Though we publish a daily devotional (Deshen Daily) and encourage believers to read or listen to any devotional the Spirit uses to enrich their lives, the devotional to us transcends reading a piece of Christian literature. We focus on the biblical concept—consistent time with God.

We will present five fundamental concepts to the devotional to supplement the essential concepts discussed in the divine. To learn what the holy really is, please read “what is a Devotional?” and “Purpose of a Devotional.”

The Time Factor

In essence, the devotional is time—time with God, in fellowship, devoted to prayer and the Word. This time is first seasonal, then chronological. We spend a moment or season of time in practical fellowship with the Father. Additionally, this time is also chronological; It also has a duration.

How much time should spend with God daily? Thankfully, the Bible does not prescribe any length of time. We can do a devotional for 3 minutes or 2 hours. However, if we sow 3 minutes daily, our harvest will be proportional to 3 minutes. I often meet believers who spend 2-3 minutes with God daily and assume they will speak words in faith and see things happen when they run into a crisis moment. Sadly, spiritual things do not work this way.

Sow to the Spirit, and you will reap the benefits of the seeds of time and dedication you sow (Galatians 6:8).

Positional And Practical

Why should we pray or read the Bible when the Spirit is permanently in us? This question is complex, has multiple facets, and we will only fully answer it when Jesus returns. However, there are a few things scriptures clearly teach us, and one of these critical truths is the idea of positional and practical.

Our position in Christ refers to the spiritual realities of our born-again spirit. For example, when we believed in Jesus, we received the fullness of Jesus, the Father, and His Spirit. In contrast, the practical refers to our daily experiences here and now. Though the power of the Spirit is in us, not every believer experiences or expresses that power.

Similarly, our born-again spirits are Christlike in all respects. We look perfectly like Jesus in our spirits. But you know, just as I do, that we are often far off in practice from what He is. So God gives us tools to make us more and more Christ-like in practice. The devotional life ensures we constantly feed on God’s Word and fellowship with His Spirit to enjoy whatever we have in Christ practically.

Fellowship

The concept of fellowship is closely related to positional and practical. Fellowship with God is communing, relationship, contact, or communication with God.

At the new birth, God brings us into permanent fellowship with Him. He establishes a Father-child relationship; We are in touch with Him, and He is in touch with us. This is positional fellowship, Spirit to spirit.

In contrast to the positional fellowship in our spirits, practical fellowship entails communing with God in the natural realm—body and soul. For instance, it is one thing to have God in your spirit, but it is another to hear His voice in your heart or your physical ears. Furthermore, this practical fellowship varies with time, from person to person; in fact, we can get in and out of this practical fellowship!

We fellowship with God principally through prayer and by reading His Word.

Spiritual Food

A foundational principle for the devotional life is the Word of God as spiritual food. Jesus said:

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4 KJV)

The Word of God does to our hearts what physical food does to the body: it nourishes, strengthens, and furnishes the nutrients for growth, maintenance, and function.

The Devotion Factor

There is a devotion factor in the devotional life. Devotion is a wholehearted commitment to God. The devotional life is devoting ourselves to the Word of God and prayer. Peter gave us a definition of the devotional life in the Bible:

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4 ESV).

Devotion demands commitment, consecration, sacrifice, surrender, and obedience. There is a price tag for intimacy with God. This price is not money but principally our time and will. If our devotional life costs us nothing, it will be worth nothing, and we can be sure we will get nothing out of it. Your hunger for God will make you wake up early or say no to certain things to make time for God.

Conclusion

We have considered five foundational concepts of the devotional: time, practical and positional, fellowship, spiritual food, and devotion. I hope this helps you understand the devotional and encourages you to start or grow in your devotions.