Christian Living

No More Dull, Dry Devotionals

by J.W. Phillips
04/22/25
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No More Dull, Dry Devotionals

Reading an ancient book before praying to an unseen God was never meant to be a burden. Since the “dry” devotional done from dull habit benefits no one, not even God has interest in this religious routine.

The seducer of souls, wanting to discourage us, insists that divine truth transcends what our brain will ever grasp, and therefore the rewards of Bible study are always going to be meager and minimal.

While it is indeed true that the god of the mystics hides in ethereal strangeness, and the god of the philosophers hovers above complicated abstractions, more blessedly true is that the God of the Bible purposes to reveal himself to us. “Search the Scriptures,” Jesus said, “for they are they which testify of Me.”

Isn’t that good? Jesus wants us to find him! He wants a sweeter and deeper intimacy with us!

What causes many Christians to grow weary in their treadmill “churchianity” is the fact that what they know about the God of yesterday, and what they believe about the God of tomorrow, is having almost no impact on their life today. Why is this?

Here’s why: The Word heard with interest, studied with diligence, discussed with enthusiasm but not acted upon with faith will cause a person to become spiritually stuck.

The Bible declares four times the just (referring to the people of God) are to live by faith.

It isn’t intellect that God responds to, or sincerity, or good intentions, or tears. The one thing that will activate the Lord in our life is faith!

Could this be the reason that our Bible study is often dull and, in the words of Hebrews 4:2, “unprofitable”—because we haven’t known how to mix faith with the Word we read?

The hope constructed by knowledge but not contracted by faith leaves the blessings on a distant horizon, and often in another world.

The accumulative effect of this truth-gathering is a belief in the God of yesterday (all that the Bible reports that he said or did), and a belief in the God of tomorrow (all that the Bible says about Heaven and the wonderful life that will await us there). But as strong as this confidence is in these forward and backward perspectives, it is in the present perspective just as weak.

F.B. Meyer characterized the problem this way:

We can believe in the wonder-working power of God on the distant horizon of the past, or on the equally distant horizon of the future; but that he should have a definite and particular care for our life or that our prayer should touch him—this staggers us, and we feel it too good to be true.¹

So long as what we’re believing is for another day, not today; another place, not here; another problem, not this one; another person, not us—it isn’t faith!

Unless a promise from the Word has been selected, connected, projected, and protected—that is, selected from Scripture, connected to a present problem, projected onto one’s mental screen, and protected from all that would seek to overturn it—that promise remains within the confines of hope. Faith hasn’t been activated yet.

To get faith activated, let’s briefly consider these four steps. First —

Selected

Instead of rapidly reading the Word as if the goal is to increase our words-per-minute capacity, slow down. We will miss out on grace if we continue this race. Apply the brakes. Come to a halt.

Think.

Contemplate.

The Word read needs to be the Word meditated.

Some people claim they don’t know how to meditate. The underlying assumption being that meditation is for more refined thinkers: those with a philosophical bent or maybe those with a flair for literary expression.

To those who think this way—that meditation is reserved only for those with a certain intellectual skill set—I would simply answer by asking: Do you know how to worry? If so, then you know how to meditate.

And you also know how powerful meditation can be!

Whether in fear or fantasy, thoughts will run wild that may disturb or delight (depending on the nature of those thoughts) throughout the night.

A.B. Simpson counseled, “The only way to make the Bible interesting is to learn to read it with your own name in it and to see in every promise a direct message for you.”²

So, select one of these principles or promises and begin to meditate it.

God told Joshua to meditate the Word “day and night.” This didn’t mean an around-the-clock Bible study. The Hebrew word for meditate in this verse (Joshua 1:8) is associated with the image of a cow chewing its cud.

Transferring this idea to the cerebral: Mull it over, think it through, consider all the implications and ramifications of the verse you selected.

Yes, a well-considered thought is potentially useful, but it needs to be—

Connected

It was said of Mother Mary after she received God’s word from the angel, that she “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). The Greek word for pondered here means to consider, to consult, to confer, to invite voiceless self-talk that seeks to make connections between the truth delivered and the specifics of one’s own life.

A major reason bible study has been unrewarding for many people is precisely because of this failure to connect.

If done right, biblical meditation always gets God’s answer to the question: What is the area of my life that needs this verse the most?

Many believers fail to make connections between the problems they’re facing and the promises God is offering.

This is like having the answer but not knowing the question, having the medicine but not knowing where to apply it, having the map but not knowing where you’re going.

The result being: having a lot of teaching but very little testimony; learning the Word but not living the Word.

It is imperative to connect the Word to our life, and particularly that area of our life that currently needs it the most.

Once a firm connection has been made, the next step involves having God’s word to us—

Projected

God’s Word, that word we have been meditating, will become a vitalizing vision for us if we follow the instruction given in Proverbs 4:21: “Do not let them depart from your eyes.”

This certainly doesn’t mean what some literalists during Old Testament times thought. They constructed a birdcage-like contraption, put some scripture verses in it, attached it to their headgear so throughout the day scriptures were always dangling before their eyes.

The eyes, in this verse, really mean what we see in our imagination. The principle involved is this: At which point we truly believe something, that belief will convert to a picture on our mental screen. We won’t have to squint or borrow New-Age techniques for this to occur; this transmission from belief to picture automatically happens. The strength of our belief makes it happen!

There is a sense in which if we don’t see it, we don’t yet believe it. That’s why Scripture tells us to keep Scripture’s words in our eyes. We don’t want it to fade or get blurry.

Therefore, if a certain sin has become chronic failure in our life, then, as director for what is currently showing on our mental screen, we must see our self—successfully obeying God. And if there has been lack in our life for which God has promised his supply, we must see on our mental screen that manifestation from God coming our way.

Andrew Murray observed:

Although I understand what I read, although I consent heartily to it, although I receive it, it may speedily fade away and be forgotten, unless by private meditation I give it time to become fixed and rooted in me, to become united and identified with me.³

It is this process that gives more permanence to the picture.

So, if we get the picture, will all be fine and dandy: the victory assured, the blessing on its way? Not exactly. That picture also needs to be —

Protected

Given the power of the picture, especially that picture taken from God’s Word, you can be sure that the Devil will try to dislodge it.

William James, a keen student of religion, said that whenever the will and the imagination come into conflict, the imagination will win every time.

The Devil knows this fact so he’s not likely to get into a “chapter and verse” argument with us. Instead, he’ll bypass the Bible and all our rational thinking by simply putting his picture onto our mental screen. That’s all it takes for him to win. That one move. Just change the picture.

In II Corinthians, chapter 10, we are warned of satanic strongholds, jurisdictions of the Devil that aren’t going to come down until we cast down every imagination contrary to the Word of God.

In Ephesians 6:16, the Bible also speaks of "the fiery darts of the devil.” These fiery darts are aimed at the mind; they are his messages, his images, flying our way!

But in this same verse triumphantly tells us that faith can quench every one of these deadly darts. How does faith do this? By talking back to the devil!

You see, not only are we to keep the Word in our eyes, but as God told Joshua, we are to keep the Word in our mouth (Joshua 1:8). Our warfare requires words!

Jesus told his disciples to speak to the mountain (Mark 11:23), that is to those seemingly insurmountable barriers blocking success.

Similarly, we are to release scripture-consistent words of faith with an unwavering confidence that these words are not going to return void.

Since Jesus is the High Priest of our confession (Hebrews 3:1) and watches over his word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12), that mountain is going to be removed! Indeed, it is our participation, with vocalized faith, that elevates us to the dominion role God wants us to experience.

So, if we want to take a detour from dull, dry devotionals, these four steps help to point the way: selected, connected, projected, and protected.

Follow these steps, as you take this detour, and your journey with Jesus will be much better than it has been during these recent days.

Notes:

1. 
   

   F.B. Meyer, Changed by the Master’s Touch, (Springdale, PA., Whitaker House, 1985), p.17.



2. 
   

   A.B. Simpson, But God, Kindle location: 721.



3. 
   

   Andrew Murray, The Collected Works and Sermons, Kindle locations: 3335-3337