A “Secret” to Start Doing Spiritual Disciplines

The setting is a classroom at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where I teach. The class is an intensive class on discipleship—which means that it meets for eight hours a day for five straight days. That kind of schedule really does make it intense!

On this day, we begin class with 10 minutes of prayer. The focus is on praising God for who He is. For just 10 minutes, the entire class turns their attention to the greatness and the grace of God. The students pray silently, but I can hear some of their whispers as they praise God.

Throughout the day, we will stop for prayer five more times. The emphases for this particular day are 10 minutes of praise, 10 minutes of confession, 10 minutes of Thanksgiving, 10 minutes of intercession for family, 10 minutes of intercession for non-believers, and 10 minutes of intercession for the students’ local church leaders. Because we are meeting for eight hours, we can spread out the times throughout the day.

The following day, I will ask the students this question: “How long did we pray yesterday?” They often need prompts to remember all the prayer times, but they eventually recognize what we did the previous day. In those eight hours together, we spent an entire hour in prayer. Most of my students will tell me that it’s been a long time since they prayed an hour in a single day. Some, in fact, tell me they’ve never prayed an hour in one day.

We prayed an hour . . .  but we did it by praying in 10-minute segments. It’s those 10-minute segments that are the “secret” to doing spiritual disciplines in this post’s title. My argument is that we can do many of our spiritual disciplines this way—10 minutes at a time—and grow in Christ. I have taught this approach for a number of years—so it’s hardly a “secret” anymore—but I want you, too, to know why I believe this approach to spiritual disciplines is helpful:

1. We have to start somewhere when doing the disciplines. Even just 10 minutes a day is more than zero minutes in a given day. If I want to guide you to spend at least one hour per day with God, I won’t get you to that hour until I can get you to at least 10 minutes. Ongoing, 10-minute spurts of obedience can go a long way.
   

2. Everybody can find 10 minutes to start. I have never had a job where I did not have regular breaks. Nor have I ever been so busy that I could not find 10 free minutes at some point during the day or evening. I suspect everybody else, too, can also find 10 minutes to start if they seek the time with prayerful intentionality. This approach eliminates the excuse, “I don’t have time for spiritual disciplines.”
   

3. Consistency matters more than quantity in doing the disciplines. In my judgment, 10 minutes with God each day this week are better than an hour with Him on only one day in the same week. Daily consistency is more relational than a once-per-week encounter with God.
   

4. You can accomplish a lot in a focused 10 minutes with God. You might be surprised how much Bible reading, prayer, or journaling you can do in 10 minutes if you’re focused and intentional. Plan your time well ahead of time, and the time will often pass quite quickly. Indeed, 10 minutes can become 15 minutes . . . which can become 20 minutes . . . or 25 minutes . . . . or an unexpected but surprising longer amount of time with God.
   

5. 10 minutes are a start to toward a DNA change. Think back to what I did with my class that day. Ten minutes are just a start. Ideally, you will schedule more 10-minute segments throughout the day to do your spiritual disciplines. Focus during each of those 10-minute times, and you will love God in obedience throughout the day. Do enough consistent brief times with God, and your spiritual DNA will begin to change.
   

6. 10 minutes occurring more than once throughout the day keep our focus on God. Suppose one of your days looks like this description. You start the day with 10 minutes of prayer. During your first break at work, you begin reading your Bible reading plan for the day. At lunch, you choose to intercede for your non-believing family members rather than eat. At your afternoon break, you finish your Bible reading for the day. Your day may vary, but the goal is the same: to keep your eyes on God throughout the day.
   

7. Having a plan to use your 10-minute segments wisely lessens the sense that disciplines are difficult. I’m not suggesting that you start with an hour of Bible study and prayer (even though I think extended times for disciplines are also a good approach). Nor am I saying that you should just hope you’ll find 10 free minutes in a given day. You still need to plan when you’ll find the 10 minutes and determine how you will do your disciplines during those times. When you know the when, what, where, why, and how of doing your disciplines before the day begins, though, you’ll often look forward to those 10-minute moments.

   
   

If you’re struggling with your spiritual disciples, start with just 10 minutes today. Or, if your current plan to do your spiritual disciplines is effective and productive, keep this “secret” available should you need it on a busy day. Ten minutes with God can be life-changing.