crucial to overcoming any tendency you might have to
procrastinate or give in to fatigue. Choose to do it in the
beginning if your emotions try to talk you out of your
commitment. (As a wife and a new mom who also coached
and worked in a nonprofit organization, this new time
commitment presented quite a shake-up of my daily
schedule, so it would have been very easy to quit.) But
I’m convinced, after all these years, that the primary
reason I’ve been able to keep my daily one-hour
appointment with God is not because I am inherently
disciplined, but because I willingly place my appointment
with God on my calendar, one day in advance, and not
always at the same time. This single secret has helped me
—and thousands of others—keep daily, consecutive
appointments with God (they’ve told me so).
(2) Cleansing. Set aside time daily for God to expose and
cleanse any impure motives and questionable behavior.
No exceptions. Confession of sin is not an option if you
want to be “on fire for God”—don’t run from it. Don’t
pretend you don’t need it. Call sin what it is in your life;
otherwise it will hurt you and shame God. Seek holiness
and humility until you acquire it. This takes time.
(Kneeling prayer is one practical way to achieve a humble-
before-God heart, mind, and body.)
(3) Expectant. People who spend time with God have access
to His power. People who don’t, don’t. Miracles,
supernatural intervention, expectation in the face of
disappointment, and the courage to never give up are not
results of education but of hearing God talk to you, telling
you what He will do for you. When you hear God say,