Devote

SCRIPTURE—STUDY

Scripture is the Spirit-given word of God, living, active and revealing his truth and grace for the world. As such, spending regular and consistent time in scripture is essential to knowing God, understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ, and becoming more like him. We rightly come to scripture for the deep inner formation of our minds and hearts by the power of God’s word as he speaks to us with wisdom and love and guides us in our thoughts and actions (Heb. 4:12).

In our core spiritual practices, we recognize that there are two distinct ways to engage with scripture: study and meditation. Through repeated study of scripture, we focus our attention for sustained periods of time on comprehending the meaning of biblical passages, making use of the many resources available to aid our study. We seek to understand the Spirit-inspired biblical texts and approach with humility the life-transforming truths of God’s word.

PRAYER—INTERCESSION

Prayer is the method God has given us to be able to know him better. Prayer is the way the spiritual truths we believe intellectually become fiery and real down deep in our souls. And ultimately, prayer is how we deepen our connection with God, delighting in his Fatherly presence while also leaning upon him for the renewal and transformation we long for personally and communally.

In our core spiritual practices, we recognize that there are several different types of prayer we engage in for a rich and formative relationship with Jesus. With intercessory prayer, we set aside regular times throughout the week to pray on behalf of others who are in need or facing difficult situations. We bring our requests to God, knowing that he is faithful to hear and answer our prayers.

FASTING

The practice of fasting is the act of abstaining from food for a time for the purpose of finding in God a deeper source of spiritual sustenance. We spend time with God in prayer and scripture while we fast. As we regularly practice fasting, we are shaped by a greater awareness of our resources in God, our complete dependence on him, and his sufficiency for us (Mat. 4:4). In this way, our fasting is centered on God, and our motivations for fasting are a desire for more of him and his power to form and shape us.