Here are some more great insights I got from Deep Preaching.

Meditation
There is a significant coorelation between great preaching and meditation. If I want to be godly, I have to meditate on the Word. As Kent Edwards says, it is easy to read the bible like how we eat 99 cent cheesburgers. I read my Bible in the morning as water flows through a pipe. It does not get the chance to settle in my mind throughout the day. The text has to be chewed over and over again until it becomes part of me. I have noticed that my Scripture reading has not been carried over to the rest of my day. Instead, I have comparmentalized my scripture reading to a morning and evening block without every affecting my daily life. In other words, I need to carry my scripture reading with me throughout the day.

Prayer
The Pharisees prayed, but not the way Jesus prayed. It is so easy just to pray before meals, a Bible Study, and Sunday Service. But if I am not nurturing a daily prayer life the way I breathe oxygen, then I have become like a Phariseee. When I am prompted to pray by the Holy Spirit, I must speak my mind to God. God, help me fight this sin. Lord, what would you have me do? Forgive me for being unkind. Teach me your thoughts. Be with me today. How does what you spoke with me this morning have to do with my situation right now as I work and study?

I bet the reason why our church is so lukewarm is because we don't pray and meditate on the Word. I am guilty of this as well. The apostles gave up a noble task (feeding widows) in Acts 6, to devote themselves to the priority of the Word and Prayer. We are spiritually immature because we do not spend time with the Son of God. We do not hear his voice in the pages of Scripture. Instead, we let facebook, emails, phonecalls, adminstration, and events crowd out the "closet work" of alone time with God.

Forgive us Father, help us spend time with you. In Jesus Name, Amen.