At the beginning of each session:
God is present with us. As a way for us to be also present with Him, take the next few moments to slow down and be still before Him. As you begin to focus your heart towards the Lord, breathe in deeply, slowly letting it out.
If your mind wanders, silently pray a simple prayer again and again, such as, "I surrender to your love" or "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" until the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace and focus.
Reading:
Hebrews 12:7-11 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Consider:
God disciplines the sons and daughters that He loves.
It is for discipline that you endure.
Ask God what trials He’s using in your life to bring this discipline.
God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
The sorrow of the discipline we experience is temporary.
The peaceful fruit of righteousness that comes through it is eternal.
At the end of each session:
Take a moment to thank God for the work He is doing in you.
As you go from this time, may your heart and your mind continue to relate to God, fixing your eyes on Jesus through each step of your day. Amen.