Thirdmill Institute

Personal Devotions Badge

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With
my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up
your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your
ways! With my lips I declare all of your decrees. In the way of your testimonies, I delight as
much as in riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in
your ways; I will not forget your word.
Psalm 119:9-16

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all of
our days.
Psalm 90:14

The temptation that many students of the Scriptures can fall prey to is looking at
Scripture to learn more about God rather than getting to know your Heavenly Father. All
Christians, whether you are a church leader or a church member, need to meet with God
through His Word personally and intimately. This is how we can connect our hearts with the
Father’s heart and come to know His steadfast love for us. This badge will help you have a
devotional life that encourages a relationship with your Heavenly Father. Seek your Father’s
voice and heart for you and learn how you can lead others to His heart as well.

Badge Components1:

Surrender through Prayer – How can we slow down and surrender to God’s heart?
Listen to the Scriptures – Listen to God’s voice and see what He shines on your heart.
Pray through your Pen – How does this make me adore God, confess sin, thankfulness
for Jesus, and stir me to pray for personal growth?
Share with Community – How can we share what God revealed to us about his heart to
invite others into God’s steadfast love?

Discussion Topics:

1. What has been your experience with your devotional life? How often does it feel more
like a task or chore? How is your current devotional life?

1
Basic outline for this badge and all Discussion Topics taken from The CBR Journal. (Ted Sinn,
www.thecbrjournal.com. 2005).
 2. Why is it necessary to have a personal relationship with God? Why is simply knowing
about God not satisfactory?

3. As we begin our personal devotion, why is it important to begin by praying? How can
prayer help us submit to God and His ways as we begin? Why is it important to pray for
understanding? Should you pray that the Word of God transforms us? How does it
change our approach to God when we tell God how we are feeling as we begin?

4. Why do most devotional plans or seasons come to an end for you?

5. What would be a helpful devotional plan for you? Going through a book of the Bible one
chapter a day? Doing it in a group? (Too often we create a great plan that isn’t going to
last. Remember, the goal is relationship and intimacy with your Father.)

6. When would be the best time of day for you to have a devotional time?

7. Read 119:9-16, 103. If the goal of your devotional life is a deep relationship with your
Heavenly Father, then what do you hope to experience from this time that may have
been lacking in previous devotional times or seasons when it was more of a chore or
task?

8. In the proposed model of having a devotional time with God, we follow the ACTS model
– Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
a. How does this passage make me adore God, be in awe of who God is?
b. How does this passage reveal my sinfulness?
c. How does this passage make me thankful for Jesus (inauguration, continuation,
and consummation)?
d. How does this passage move me to pray for the Holy Spirit to be at work in me
and through me?

9. What is the significance in sharing what impacted you the most from your devotional
time each day?

Call to Action:

1. Pick a book of the Bible that you would like to read for your personal devotion time. Spend
the next 2 weeks reading a chapter, or sections of chapters depending on size, following the
above format.

2. Invite a friend or more to join you as you spend your personal devotional time following this
format. At the end, share with one another how God impacted you the most from today’s
reading.
3. Meet with your trainer and share how God used this time. Did it go well? Why or why not?
Did you experience any kind of difference from previous personal devotion seasons or plans?

Badge Criteria:

This badge shall be awarded by Thirdmill Institute as a part of the Certificate in Biblical
Studies upon successful completion of the call to action by the student in a manner that is
faithfully consistent with the badge components and in light of the topics discussed throughout
the course.

Example: