Remain Devoted

If you’re like me, then coming out of a camp or retreat where God moved like City Week is much more challenging than going into City Week. Even though City Week is probably one of the most physically and mentally exhausting weeks of the year, the tradeoff is far greater. Why is this the case? For most of us, it’s one of the most impactful and rejuvenating spiritual encounters we get to experience during the summer. It’s a week where we come together as a ministry with the sole purpose of encountering Jesus and representing Jesus to our community. We partake of true community and carry the sound of revival as a team. I see it as a reflection of the early church in Acts 2:42-47, specifically verse 42-43 which states “They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to eating meals together and to prayers. A sense of awe was felt by everyone and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles.”

This begs the question - Why is it so difficult to carry the sound outside of City Week? I believe this comes down to three reasons:

Distractions

Lack of focus and expectation

Comfort/complacency

During City Week, the noise of distractions is severely limited. Each day intentionally scheduled out as we carve out time for encounter, serving, and communal worship. There is little to no room for comfort or complacency to slip in. We have an expectation for God to move in our lives and the lives of the community. The challenge really starts when we leave this environment and return back to our daily routines and everyday distractions.

So how do we combat distractions and carry the sound in our daily lives? I believe the key is intentional daily devotion. There is no longer a schedule planned for us with dedicated devotional time or services. There are no dependencies or contingencies that we can rely on to carry the sound or keep the fire burning for us. We MUST choose to set aside our time for Jesus. If we don’t prioritize Jesus in our day-to-day lives, the noise and distractions will consume us and eventually choke the sound that we cultivated during City Week. However, as James 4:8 states “If we draw near to God, He will draw near to you.” We need to become desperate for Him to the point where we don’t need to rely on a group retreat or camp to keep our fire burning. Our hunger must be greater than our comfort.

QUESTION FOR TODAY: Does your hunger outweigh your comfort?

PRAY THIS:

Dear Jesus, today I choose You before anything else. I pray against any distractions that take my focus away from You in Jesus’ name. Help me grow closer to You each and every day. I rebuke any spirit of complacency or mediocrity that tries to take hold of my mind. I surrender myself to You today Jesus. Help me become a true reflection of You throughout the day. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

TRY THIS:

Challenge yourself to have intentional devo time at least 20-30 minutes every morning for the following week. Take time praying, reading, journaling, and/or worshiping. You’ll notice a difference in your day to day when you prioritize Jesus.