The Bible says to pray without ceasing. Meaning, we should always be in communion with God. Our minds must be consistently set on Him. Every plan we have, and every decision we make, should be filtered through the will of God. So how do we do that practically? It’s common practice for us to set the tone for our day. We ask God to be with us, to protect us, and to speak to us. Many Christians have an intentional morning devotional time. But I also want us to be intentional about spending time with God at the end of our day. It would be best if you had an evening devotional time too.
A True Relationship
Why? Well God doesn’t leave us at night and our relationship with Him isn’t limited to a time that we designate. Furthermore, to think practically about it, I believe that a great day starts the night before. You give yourself time to wind down and calm your mind. There is so much that we encounter during the day, whether it is good or bad. We need those moments with God at the end of the day to make sure we are staying in alignment with Him. That is an act of humility and a reminder to ourselves to remain submitted to Him and His Word. This is evidence of a relationship and not a to-do list.
Spiritual Warfare
“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh,”
2 Corinthians 10:3 CSB
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A lot of spiritual warfare happens at night. Why? When are we most vulnerable? In darkness or when we are asleep. As we put our minds on God and spend time in prayer and worship, we’re putting on the armor of God.
“Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit — which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:11-18 CSB
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Peace
I can successfully argue that we all desire peace at the end of our day. Who wants to go to sleep with their mind full of chaos? And though this is a desire, I will admit creating a non-peaceful night is something that I am guilty of. I am really into watching true crime documentaries. And at times, that is the last thing I watch before I turn in for the night. I know, I know, it is not the best idea. This is not a habit I would recommend. I have found that if I do that consistently, I begin to have wild dreams. My mind will reenact the episode, but I’m the victim! When I’m awake, I’m paranoid and thinking somebody is about to kidnap me. That’s crazy! I shouldn’t have more true crime scenarios in my mind than the word of God.
Speak The Word
Is God’s Word in you? In moments of stress or disappointment, we should be able to speak into our situation with God’s Word, even in our dreams. But we can’t do that if we aren’t putting the Word in us. 2 Corinthians 10:5 reminds us that we are to take every thought captive. And remember, God speaks to us in our dreams. Remember Solomon?
“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?” And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. “Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. Your servant is among your people you have chosen, a people too many to be numbered or counted. So give your servant a receptive heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?” Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to administer justice, I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no king will be your equal during your entire life. If you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.”
1 Kings 3:5-15 CSB
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God communicates with us in our dreams and expects us to respond to Him. Solomon’s heart for God allowed him to communicate with Him even in a sleeping state. Remember, God is Spirit and He created us to have spirits. This is why we must be spiritually disciplined and aware. We lack spiritual understanding and belief when we are not knowledgeable in the ways and nature of God. What if He’s sending the answer to our prayer in a dream but our mind is so clouded or full of other things? Or do we lack the spiritual depth to comprehend what is happening?
Our Evenings Belong To God Too
So let’s bring clarity to our evenings. Let’s bring joy and worship to our evenings. Every morning that we wake up is a miracle because God sustains us. Why wouldn’t we want to spend some time in the evening covering ourselves in prayer but also thanking and praising God for another day that we get to be a miracle? This is an act of devotion.
“I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.”
Psalms 3:5 CSB
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With Love,
Tamara
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Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
