I was a high-school shrimp. It wasn’t until I reached grade 12 that I finally passed five feet in height and attained my current six foot plus stature. People just grow at different rates. And people grow spiritually at different speeds too. Over the years I’ve known many who advanced very rapidly, quickly mastering biblical principles, overcoming their problems, and outgrowing their weaknesses. They soon picked up new skills, unpacked their spiritual giftings, and soon moved off the pew and out onto the playing field of ministry.

Others, however, seem to struggle with the same issues year after year, perpetually stuck in a discouraging cycle of repentance and relapse. Evidence of spiritual aptitudes is hard to find. And they usually require ministry rather than ever administering it to others. Their Christian life seems confined to just watching others from the stands.

So what’s the difference? Is there a spiritual DNA that separates the players from the spectators? Maybe. But I have noticed one thing that sets the real go-getters apart. Most of them utilize a secret spiritual technique that only a few have ever mastered. It’s called daily devotions. Now before you roll your eyes and move on, just stay with me for a few thoughts.

For too many people their Christian walk has been like a big wedding with separate honeymoons. Lots of ceremony but little substance over the long haul. Happy couples know that it’s not the size of the wedding budget, but love’s kindness shown day after day, year after year that makes a marriage. Great relationships are built little by little, over much time, through all kinds of different circumstances.

Devotional people understand that lives are built – not primarily through great moments of crisis and breakthrough – but out what we do every day. Successful lives are built inch by inch, step by step, day after day, month after month, year after year. I always say that the real secret of success in anything is to  1) Do the right thing   2) Do it for a long time. And that’s what a daily devotional life is all about.

God is not a set of principles we have to memorize – he is a Person that we must get to know at an ever deeper, more intimate level. Those who grow and progress spiritually are those who have developed the habit of spending a little time alone with God every day. And in the process they have built an unshakeable bond with him. By sticking to it day after day after day, they have made God a ubiquitous face in the photo-album of their lives. He’s in every shot – through all the ups and the downs, the triumphs and defeats, the good times and the bad. The pathway to his presence has become so well-worn and familiar they could walk it in the dark, and often do.

So stop waiting for your big breakthrough, your miracle revival, or your spiritual ship to come in – just go to him every day. Start now. And keep doing it for a long time.