We have experienced the manifestations of God’s glory in the past weeks but there’s still a whole year ahead of us. It is still the year of The Glory and you can continue to experience these manifestations daily not just during special seasons of Consecration. But for this to happen, there must be a system in place to sustain this experience.

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬
New King James Version
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”

Apostle Paul, the author of this letter to the Church at Rome urges the Believer to not lag in diligence, to remain fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Why is this important?

It is very easy to fall into the trap of overcompensation after such a thorough season of consecration. That is, going back to old habits that do not necessarily edify you but you enjoy. This is because of the wrong idea that the just concluded time of consecration should suffice. Do not fall into that trap because it is only a matter of time before inconsistencies in devotion begin to set in.

This is why Apostle Paul strongly admonished the believer in this letter not to lag in diligence but to remain sturdy.

James Clear, author of the bestseller book- Atomic Habits taught that your habits are just as important as the systems and structures that uphold them.

Contextually, this means to habitually experience God’s glory this year, you must create an environment that sustains such an experience. You must give yourself to structures that ensure you retain this consciousness through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with the Saints consistently.

Even the early church believed and practiced this:

Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭52‬
New King James Version
52 And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.”

The Apostles had just witnessed Jesus’ ascension. What an experience! They were filled with great joy and the Bible tells us they were continually in the temple praising God.

Acts 2:42
New King James Version
42 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

This was shortly after the Pentecost and the Bible says they continued ‘daily’. The New Living Translation says “They worshiped together at the Temple each day…’. The Spirit had just lit the flame for the Church of God and to sustain that experience, the members of the Early Church met daily.

‭‭These are but a few Biblical examples that show that the early church understood the place of systems in sustaining a supernatural experience. They met daily to pray, learn from the teachings of the Apostles, and fellowshipped with one another diligently. We must learn this from them.

Here are practical ways you can set systems and structures for your spiritual devotion to help you sustain what you have received and experience the Glory habitually:

1. Daily:
   Have times of prayer

Set alarms to remind you and get an accountability partner if you have to. Prayer allows you to communicate with God, align with His will, and leaves you edified. The Apostles and Jesus had times of prayer:

Acts 3:1
New King James Version
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.”

Acts 22:17
New King James Version
17 Now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance”

Paul recounted that while praying in the temple, He received a vision from the Lord. The texts above show that the apostles continued to participate in prayer times at the temple.

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬ ‭
New Living Translation
35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”‬‬

‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭
New Living Translation
16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”

Jesus himself had times of prayer he was committed to. So, we shouldn’t have excuses in that regard.

Additionally, we see that the early church met daily to be taught the word of God. Make time in your day to edify yourself with God’s word by listening to a sermon or committing to a daily Bible reading plan to help you stay rooted.

2. Weekly:

Set evangelism targets for yourself where you share the Gospel with at least one person a week. That way, you build consistency and with each interaction, your zeal for evangelism and Bible study increases.

2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭
New King James Version
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

This means that to rightly divide the word of truth, you must be diligent. Continuously strive to learn more about God’s word through Bible study and diligently apply yourself to the teaching curriculum of your local church. God wants to fill the earth with the knowledge of his glory through you, to this end you have to stir up a hunger for his Word, grow in it, and stand sturdy in conviction.

3. Monthly:

You must have special seasons of consecration where you retreat away from the distractions of day-to-day living and just spend time with God; Basking in his presence, Brooding in His glory.

During this time, review prophetic instructions received- tick off Words fulfilled and spend time praying on the others. Greater clarity and instruction will come as you do so. Draw strength from the consciousness that you are backed up by the force of His glory to see all He has said concerning you come to pass.

Remember that we received a prophetic word that this is our year of devotional consistency. That we remain on fire for God in devotion all through the year. Give no room to apathy in devotion or like Apostle Paul wrote, ‘do not lag in diligence, (rather stay) fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Stay STURDY!

God has engraced you for this. Therefore, the onus lies on you to set up structures and systems to ensure you stay sturdy, and continually experience God’s glory this year!

Prayer Point: Lord, I thank you because your word has declared that this is my year of devotional consistency. Help me to commit myself diligently to the structures set up for my growth so I can experience your Glory daily!