The Daily Habit That Changes Everything

Hello, friends, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus.

Today, I want to talk about something deeply personal—something that connects directly to everything we've been discussing about reaching the nations, praying for the unreached, and living out the Great Commission. Before we can effectively love and serve the world, we need to be firmly rooted in our relationship with Jesus.

So let me ask you: when you hear the words "quiet time" or "devotional time," what happens in your heart? Does it bring a smile to your lips? Or does it cause a pang of guilt?

If I'm honest, I think most of us feel a little bit of both. We know, as Christians, that we're supposed to have a quiet time with the Lord every day. We know it's important. But many of us don't do it consistently.

Why? The reasons vary, but they usually boil down to one thing: we don't feel like we have enough time.

But friends, you do. You do have time—IF you will seriously ask God to give you that time and help you keep it dedicated to Him.

Let me share a bit about my life to illustrate this, because there was a season when this truth became more real to me than ever before.

When I was young, my grandmother showed me, by her example, the importance of having a time set aside to be with the Lord each day—praying and studying His Word beyond Bible studies or church. I began this habit and continued in it regularly. I'm so thankful that I had many years of establishing this pattern before I became a mother. I had no idea how much I would need it.

I had spent 10 years in the Air Force full-time, so when I came home to take care of our two children, it was quite a change! I gave birth to Rachel, and then six weeks later, we went to China to adopt 10-month-old baby Grace. So it was a bit like having twins.

That first year was filled with blessings, but it was also very, very difficult. I suffered from postpartum depression, insomnia, and intense anger at times. I had never in my life been in such a difficult place. I remember waking up some mornings and literally dreading the start of the day.

While my family and friends were incredibly supportive, I want to tell you something with absolute certainty: the number one reason I made it through that year—the number one blessing that came from those difficult days—was my daily quiet time with the Lord.

I am not exaggerating when I say that I only had about an hour of free time every single day. Rachel slept with us that first year, so I didn't go to bed until she did. During that one precious hour, as Grace napped upstairs and Rachel napped beside me, I opened my Bible, read, and prayed.

There was nothing else I could have done that would have been more beneficial to me and to our family than those hours spent with the Lord! If you're familiar with the Michael W. Smith song "This Is the Air I Breathe"—that described my life during that season.

"This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence living in me... And I, I'm desperate for You. And I, I'm lost without You."

God was closer than He had ever been before. He filled me with the strength, encouragement, and wisdom I needed each day to keep going. And through those days of utter dependence on Him, I got to a place where my quiet time became the time of day I most looked forward to.

I am serious when I say this, and I don't think it's disloyal to my family: Yes, I absolutely love and cherish the time I spend with my family each day—it's one of the reasons I teach my children at home. But I got to a place in my life where I loved God even more. Where I looked forward to that time and would not give it up for other things.

You've got to get to this place—this place of utter dependence—before you'll have a daily, committed time with Him that comes before any other commitments in your life.

And you know what? Jesus modeled this for us. Listen to what Mark 1:35 says:

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."

Here is the God of the Universe, come to earth with only three short years to accomplish all that He had planned. His schedule was much fuller than any of ours, yet He made time daily—usually in the early mornings or late at night—to get away to be with God the Father.

If Jesus, the Son of God, needed that time with the Father, how much more do we?

Now, I'm telling you all this about myself not to increase your guilt if you don’t have a quiet time. I want to encourage you to try again—or to try for the first time. But this time, don't do it out of a guilty sense of obligation.

Instead, remember that you are going to be spending eternity with God, and you want to get to know Him now. Remember, He looks forward to hearing from you. You are so very special to Him!

Imagine how you would feel if your husband or wife or children talked to you only once or twice a day, for just a few minutes. You would yearn for more—more time to tell them what you were thinking and hear what was on their hearts.

God wants that from us. He wants to talk to us. He wants us to get to know Him.

And here's where this connects to everything else we've been talking about on this podcast: as we get to know Him, He will begin to speak to us about the things that really matter to Him—about the things He wants us to be doing with our time.

It was during that first year of parenting, during those desperate quiet times with the Lord, that God really began to develop a heart in me for His Church and the lost. As I focused my eyes and thoughts upward and outward, my own problems began to get smaller. I began to focus less on myself and the difficulties in my life, and more on God, on His strength, and on other people.

That, too, was a lifesaver.

Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

That's an invitation, friends. Come to Me. Learn from Me. Find rest in Me.

And when we come to Him daily, when we sit at His feet and listen to His heart, we begin to hear His burden for the nations. We begin to understand His love for the unreached. We start to see the world the way He sees it.

You cannot effectively pray for the nations if you're not spending time with the God of the nations. You cannot love the lost if you're not experiencing the love of the Father yourself.

I know some of you are thinking, "But I'm so tired. I have so much to do. Where will I find the time?"

Here's what I promise you: if you set aside this time, God will be faithful. He will help you stay committed. And if it means you lose a bit of sleep—waking up early or staying up late to spend time with Him—He will give you the energy you need for the rest of the day.

We, as Christians, pour ourselves out for everyone all day long. But it's our time with the Lord that refills us each day. If you aren't being refilled, you are running on empty!

So let me give you some practical ideas:

• Start small. Even 10-15 minutes is better than nothing.
• Choose a consistent time and place. Make it a sacred appointment.
• Keep it simple: read a passage of Scripture, pray, and listen.
• Ask God to give you a hunger for His Word and His presence.
• Don't give up when you miss a day. Just start again the next morning.

Friends, if we want to be part of what God is doing around the world—if we want to pray effectively for unreached people groups, support missionaries, share the gospel with our neighbors, or even go ourselves—it all starts here. In the quiet place. With our Bible open. With our hearts listening.

That's where God cultivates His heart for the nations in us. That's where He breaks our hearts for what breaks His. That's where He gives us the strength, wisdom, and passion to obey the Great Commission.

So will you join me? Will you commit to meeting with the Lord daily? Not out of obligation, but out of desire. Not out of guilt, but out of love.

Heavenly Father, we come to you with hearts desperate for you. You are waiting for us. You long to spend time with us. And You have so much You want to show us—about Yourself, about ourselves, and about Your beautiful, broken world that You love so much. Help us to commit and stay committed to daily time with You. You are so very worth it! We love you! In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Thank you for joining me today. I pray this encouraged your heart. Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus and on the nations... and watch what God will do.