This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8 (ESV)
Quiet time is special time that is set aside for fellowship with God. It is important to build your own personal relationship with God. How do you build a relationship with someone? You spend time with him or her. This is how we build that personal relationship with God, by spending time with Him. Quiet time is the foundation to building that personal relationship.
Are you struggling with your quiet time? Let me walk you through how I spend quiet time with God.
The Morning Routine
I start my quiet time by waking up an hour or two earlier. I know some of you may be laughing right now, but I have found this to be the most effective way for ME to get quiet time in with God. There is nothing like feeling like you are alone with God while the rest of the world is sleeping. (If you are a night owl, do this at night.)
Set up for quiet time
My quiet time space a corner on my couch. I sit facing the window, as I enjoy watching the sun rise each morning.
· What is your favorite place in the house where you feel the most comfortable? Is it at your desk, the table, or the couch? Try to avoid your bed.
Essential tools used for quiet time
I keep my essentials in a small roller cart near my quiet time area so that I don’t have to run around in the morning trying to locate anything.
*Study Bible-that I can write/highlight in, and that stays in the basket (used only for study/quiet time)
*Colored pens- used for writing and underlining instead of highlighting, as sometimes the highlighter bleeds through the pages
*Post-it notes (write notes to post in different places or if you do not want to write in your Bible)
*Index cards (write out favorite Bible verses to post around home, place in car, or carry around)
*Notebook/notebook paper (to keep notes)
*Daily journal (write what God is speaking to you)
Now onto the exciting part, my quiet time consists of three key components:
1) Reading/Studying the Bible
Why read the Bible?
Once you accept salvation and become a part of the family of God, the Bible becomes your Book of Life for the rest of your life. The Bible provides the dos and don’ts about life. How will you know what God commands you to do if you do not read the Bible? The Bible gives you instructions. The Bible teaches you to desire God more and sin less.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Reading the Bible provides encouragement. The Bible refreshes the soul.
But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
When reading the Bible during quiet time, take your time. It is important that you don’t rush. Meditate on the scripture and get an understanding of the scripture. Remember you are getting instructions on how to live and lead your life. I try to read a chapter a day, but if the Holy Spirit leads me to meditate on a few verses of a chapter for that day, then that is what I do.
How do I meditate on scripture?
Write out the verse(s) that stands out to me. What did I learn? How can I apply what I learned to my life?
Pause and listen to the Holy Spirit for a revelation of the scripture. I also use the reference section of my Bible to help me get a better revelation of the scripture. This is a method that works for me, you can use this method if you are just beginning. But you can use whatever method works for you. I also use YouVersion Bible App or Biblegateway.com to read the scriptures in different version parallel to one another.
I write out key scriptures that I want to meditate on or memorize on index cards and/or post notes.
Start reading the Bible, one book at a time. If you do not know where to start, here are my suggestions:
Start with the books of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke. These books introduce to you to Jesus, His love, and His life.
The book of Psalms provides prayers and praises to God.
The book of Proverbs provides wisdom and instructions.
The book of Genesis provides information about how God created the world and all His creation.
Ask God to guide you from there. Daily devotions and topical studies are a great way to start quiet time with God if you feel overwhelmed with jumping right into the Bible. You can even find devotionals and study books that go in depth about the books of the Bible.
**Sign up to for emails at www.womenofendurance.com and you will receive a copy of my scripture study method, R.E.A.P.
2) Praise/Worship
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing. Psalm 100:2 (ESV)
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6 (ESV)
Praise is an expression of love and glorifying God for who He is. Praise at the beginning of my day gives God access to my day so that He can have control of my day.
Worship is remembering God for who He is and what He has done in my life. Praise and worship are gatekeepers to access of the presence of God.
I use praise and worship in my quiet time at different stages during my quiet time depending on the day. There are days that I need to play praise/worship songs to get me my heart ready to study the Word of God. Then there are those days that I play praise/worship to end/wrap up my quiet time.
3) Prayer
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)
Prayer is essential to your relationship with God. Prayer is how you communicate with God. You can use prayer to communicate your praises, thoughts, requests, needs, hopes, and worship. Communication with God also means listening to what He is saying to you.
During prayer time, it is important to speak, meditate, and listen.
I use prayer during different stages of my quiet time as well. I start quiet time with a short prayer asking God to reveal what He wants me to learn through His Word. After I am done with my Bible study, I pray. This may be a written prayer in my journal or me kneeling to pray. I allow the Holy Spirit to lead me in that moment.
The key to quiet time is the consistency of fellowship. I keep my routine the same throughout the week. My quiet time has become a habit and part of my life. I am intentional about quiet time with God. There are some mornings that I may only get through a few verses. There are some mornings, I may get through a chapter or two. I do not get it right every morning. Some mornings I am a mess and cannot focus. There are few mornings that my quiet time may be a silent tear-filled prayer with soft worship music. But the beauty of the whole process is that I am able to spend quality time fellowshipping and communing with God. God is loving and awesome. He sees our hearts. God longs for a relationship with you through quiet time. This is a great time to start a quiet time routine. God is waiting.
HIS LOVE and MINE,
Shemeca