Yesterday morning the snowfall was heavy. Yesterday morning the roads were horrible. Yesterday morning I swerved off the road, hitting a guardrail in my fairly new, 2004, black Honda Civic.

I like stuff. I like to take care of my stuff. When this incident occurred, my heart sank. Then I read this in my Bible reading this morning:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-20).

I’m simply reminded today that loving material possessions too much is stupid.

I’m reminded that when something difficult happens in my life, it’s another opportunity to thank God for what is eternal – for what cannot ever be taken away.

He:

• was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5).
• was full of grace and power (Acts 6:8).
• did great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8).
• was so utterly committed to his cause that he received dispute for what he did (Acts 6:9).
• could not be withstood because of the wisdom and Spirit with which he spoke (Acts 6:10).
• shone with the brightness of God’s glory (Acts 6:15).
• was a wise, convicting preacher (Acts 7).
• saw the glory of God & Jesus Christ (Acts 7:55).
• forgave his murderers (Acts 7:60).
• was a martyr for Jesus Christ (Acts 7:60).

I’ve had the privilege of spending some extended time with Jesus the past two days and it’s been so refreshing. I’m excited to do this more often in 2009. Here’s some things I do that may enhance your own time with God:

• Worship – sometimes I play worship music, but most of the time I don’t. I love to open up the Psalms and pray them to the Lord. I’ll pause after each verse and just worship Jesus through His Word. So powerful. They key here is to do it out loud, which keeps you from falling asleep!
• Pray in the Spirit – this may not be a part of your religious tradition, but for me it is essential. Praying in tongues over an extended period of time really lifts your spirit and focuses your heart. I feel the presence of God most strongly when I am praying in the Spirit.
• Prayer Focuses – it is essential to enter a season of prayer with specific focuses on your heart. Don’t just leave it to chance. Lift up your requests to God and spend time listening to the Holy Spirit. Pray in faith!
• Meditate on Scripture – after pacing and praying in tongues for a while, it is easy to get tired. I’ll then sit down and just read and meditate on Scripture. It’s important that you view this as dialogue with the Holy Spirit. Think about the text. Pray the text. Ask questions about the text. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.
• Songwriting – this may not apply to everyone, but I love expressing worship through songwriting. I love sitting down with my Bible open and writing songs from Scripture. The best songs are Scripture songs. Period.
• Reading devotional/theological books – sometimes I don’t even get to this. It’s vital that a person has their own time with God and not just hearing from another writer. However, certain types of books can help expand your view of God and fuel your  heart for deeper intimacy. Don’t read books until you’ve meditated on Scripture and talked with God yourself.

Are there any techniques you practice?

I just finished reading a great book on endurance. One of the authors, John MacArthur, poses a great quote. In the early years of his ministry he adopted this life posture:

“If you concentrate on the depth of your ministry, God will take care of the breadth of it.”

This is convicting. Before I was ever involved with full time ministry, I feel I focused hard on depth. I went after God. I studied His word. I took steps to witness to the lost and reach out to people. Somewhere along the line I feel I subtly began pursuing breadth at the expense of my depth with Christ. Ministry can too easily become a to-do list and go no further. When you think about it, trying to expand ministry in human strength is completely worthless anyway.

Over the last few days I have been asking God to challenge my heart. If the breadth of my ministry is up to Him, I want to focus my energies on my walk with Him and my faithfulness in the secret place.

Do you feel the same?