There is no set formula for spending time with God. Sometimes, I set aside an hour; Sometimes, I have only five minutes. Sometimes, I only pray; Sometimes, I only read. Sometimes, I just pray for my family; Sometimes, I just pray for specific circumstances. Sometimes, I just read a Psalm; Sometimes, I read the "chapter for the day". But years ago, a faithful mentor guided me on having"a quiet time" with the Lord, so I have followed (more or less) this basic pattern since I was in high school, usually spending time with God in the mornings:
30 Minute Meditations
10 minutes of praise, thanksgiving and confession: I pray scripture to God such as Psalm 19, Psalm 23, Psalm 29, or Psalm 100. Or I praise Jesus from any Gospel account. Or from sermon notes still in my Bible. Praise before reading gets my mind focused on the task at hand, and I feel more settled and peaceful after a few minutes (especially if I'm very distracted and just want to check it off my list for the day...sad but true.) And I'm also following the pattern of praise in prayer first that Jesus taught his disciples..."Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy name...."
Thanksgiving, acknowledging what God has done, is different from praise, acknowledging who God is. At this point, I ask the Lord to bring to my mind all the things going on in my life that I need to be thankful for, good or bad, easy or hard. Again, this attitude of thanksgiving makes me grateful and changes my thinking. And it reminds me to trust God for my life by acknowledging His control....sovereignty.
Finally, I ask the Lord to remind me of any thought, attitude or deed that wasn't right and confess it to Him, admitting that I was wrong. Confession is agreeing with God that I have sinned in some area and I need to repent of that thought, attitude or deed. I purpose to change my ways. And sometimes I have to go one step further and make it right with someone else. When I confess my sin, I restore my fellowship with God. Nothing breaks fellowship with God like unconfessed sin. "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:6.) If I feel unsettled or uncomfortable in my spirit, especially as I am trying to be in the Word, chances are I have some unconfessed sin that I need to deal with. God will "restores to me the joy of my salvation" when I have a "clean heart" (Psalm51).
At this point, I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me (because spiritual things are spiritually discerned), and I usually pray a scripture about understanding scripture. My current favorite is Psalm 119:18: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law!" Now I'm ready to read.
15 minutes of Bible reading: Read at least one chapter and ask God to teach you and give you wisdom for the day. As you observe the chapter, look up any unusual or interesting words in the original language (Greek or Hebrew) for better understanding. Mark any repeated words because if the same word is used three or more times, it is important and key to our understanding the meaning. Always look for lists of commands, instructions or exhortations. Number them or underline them in your Bible.
When you finish reading, ask the Lord what truths you should meditate on for the day. Sometimes God gives me specific instruction that I need for that day; Sometimes He just reminds me of one of His many attributes; Sometimes He very clearly answers a prayer request. You may read a chapter that seems strange or irrelevant but God promises that His "Word will not return void." Isaiah 55:11 and "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 16-17. So know that there is something significant in any chapter that you read.
5 minutes of prayer: This is rarely enough time to pray for every prayer request for friends, family, myself, missions, etc. but this is a start! My 7th grade Sunday School teacher told me to pray "JOY"...praise Jesus (which we did first), pray for Others, and lastly, pray for Yourself. So start by making a list of people to pray for as God shows you needs. Pray for the people you love. Pray for your friends. Pray for the lost. And then pray for yourself. Pray for specific needs, but also pray scripture. Find scripture that addresses areas of need in your life. Nothing is more powerful than praying God's Word. A few verses that I pray for myself are "..that I would prove myself a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer who deludes myself." James 1:22
And "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul." Psalm 94:19 And "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3. And my life verses are Philippians 4:4-8....I'll let you look those up:) If you don't have a "life verse", ask the Lord to show you what that should be. He may give you several over time, but the more you're in the Word, He will give you scripture that seems particularly meaningful or appropriate for your life.
Again, this isn't the only way to spend time with God and you can certainly adjust the time for every segment. The idea is to development a love for God and a love for His Word. And this will grow more and more as you make spending time with Him in His Word a priority. Let the adventure begin!
30 Minute Meditations
10 minutes of praise, thanksgiving and confession: I pray scripture to God such as Psalm 19, Psalm 23, Psalm 29, or Psalm 100. Or I praise Jesus from any Gospel account. Or from sermon notes still in my Bible. Praise before reading gets my mind focused on the task at hand, and I feel more settled and peaceful after a few minutes (especially if I'm very distracted and just want to check it off my list for the day...sad but true.) And I'm also following the pattern of praise in prayer first that Jesus taught his disciples..."Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy name...."
Thanksgiving, acknowledging what God has done, is different from praise, acknowledging who God is. At this point, I ask the Lord to bring to my mind all the things going on in my life that I need to be thankful for, good or bad, easy or hard. Again, this attitude of thanksgiving makes me grateful and changes my thinking. And it reminds me to trust God for my life by acknowledging His control....sovereignty.
Finally, I ask the Lord to remind me of any thought, attitude or deed that wasn't right and confess it to Him, admitting that I was wrong. Confession is agreeing with God that I have sinned in some area and I need to repent of that thought, attitude or deed. I purpose to change my ways. And sometimes I have to go one step further and make it right with someone else. When I confess my sin, I restore my fellowship with God. Nothing breaks fellowship with God like unconfessed sin. "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:6.) If I feel unsettled or uncomfortable in my spirit, especially as I am trying to be in the Word, chances are I have some unconfessed sin that I need to deal with. God will "restores to me the joy of my salvation" when I have a "clean heart" (Psalm51).
At this point, I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me (because spiritual things are spiritually discerned), and I usually pray a scripture about understanding scripture. My current favorite is Psalm 119:18: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law!" Now I'm ready to read.
15 minutes of Bible reading: Read at least one chapter and ask God to teach you and give you wisdom for the day. As you observe the chapter, look up any unusual or interesting words in the original language (Greek or Hebrew) for better understanding. Mark any repeated words because if the same word is used three or more times, it is important and key to our understanding the meaning. Always look for lists of commands, instructions or exhortations. Number them or underline them in your Bible.
When you finish reading, ask the Lord what truths you should meditate on for the day. Sometimes God gives me specific instruction that I need for that day; Sometimes He just reminds me of one of His many attributes; Sometimes He very clearly answers a prayer request. You may read a chapter that seems strange or irrelevant but God promises that His "Word will not return void." Isaiah 55:11 and "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 16-17. So know that there is something significant in any chapter that you read.
5 minutes of prayer: This is rarely enough time to pray for every prayer request for friends, family, myself, missions, etc. but this is a start! My 7th grade Sunday School teacher told me to pray "JOY"...praise Jesus (which we did first), pray for Others, and lastly, pray for Yourself. So start by making a list of people to pray for as God shows you needs. Pray for the people you love. Pray for your friends. Pray for the lost. And then pray for yourself. Pray for specific needs, but also pray scripture. Find scripture that addresses areas of need in your life. Nothing is more powerful than praying God's Word. A few verses that I pray for myself are "..that I would prove myself a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer who deludes myself." James 1:22
And "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul." Psalm 94:19 And "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3. And my life verses are Philippians 4:4-8....I'll let you look those up:) If you don't have a "life verse", ask the Lord to show you what that should be. He may give you several over time, but the more you're in the Word, He will give you scripture that seems particularly meaningful or appropriate for your life.
Again, this isn't the only way to spend time with God and you can certainly adjust the time for every segment. The idea is to development a love for God and a love for His Word. And this will grow more and more as you make spending time with Him in His Word a priority. Let the adventure begin!
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