Many times people ask me questions about having a quiet time with the Lord. I honestly believe that it is impossible to have a thriving, intimate relationship with Jesus without a regular, and consistent quiet time.
Let me first define what I mean by "quiet time". It is a time that you set aside for Bible reading, prayer and reflection.
I believe that the only way to be consistent, is to have a set time to have it. Maybe the first thing in the morning, or while you're having your breakfast (or lunch), or maybe some time in the evening. The time doesn't really matter (although I personally find it beneficial to have mine in the morning before I face the day), as long as it's consistent.
Once, the church I was attending brought in an author and conference speaker on the topic of prayer and quiet time. This guy was amazing. He told us how he would wake up every day at 4:00am and then have 3 hours of quiet time. I was so inspired, I vowed to start doing the same thing. So the next morning I set my alarm for 4:00am. I got my Bible and sat at the breakfast table and began to read. The next thing I remember was being woken up by my wife 3 hours later with my head laying in a puddle of drool in my open Bible! I had fallen asleep within the first 5 minutes. I felt like a failure, but the truth is, what worked for that guy, didn't work for me. the key is to figure out what works for you.
Another question people ask is, "how do I know what to pray about or what to read?" Those are great questions. I like to keep things pretty simple, so I basically start with prayer, and then some Bible reading and then reflection. (Remember, this is about increasing the quality of your relationship with Christ, not checking off a bunch of things on your spiritual to-do list)
On the Prayer part I usually pray the A.C.T.S method. A= Adoration. I begin my prayer with giving glory and adoration to the Lord. C= Confession. I confess my sins specifically by name. T= Thanksgiving. I thank Him for all He has done in my life. S= Supplication. I lift up my requests to Him.
As far as Bible reading, I generally like to read a couple chapters a day of a book of the Bible, and stay in that book until I'm finished. One thing that I do occasionally, that is really good is what is called the SOAP method of Bible reading (The acronym of SOAP is S= Scripture. O= Observation. A= Application. P= Prayer). Here's how it works. Let's say the today I am reading Hebrews chapters 2 and 3. As I am reading I am paying attention for the Lord to show me a verse that kind of stands out to me. After reading the chapters, I then come back to that verse, take out some paper and journal. It would look something like this:
S. (Scripture) Hebrews 3:13 You must warn each other everyday, while it is still today, so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
O. (Observation) Sin is deceptive. It lures, then it destroys. It promises, but never delivers. It is short-term satisfaction with long-term consequences. One of the consequences is that it causes our hearts to be hardened towards God. When this happens, our desire for God, His word and the things of God dissipate.
A. (Application) The closer to God I remain, and the further I stay from sin, the better my life will be! I must guard against sin's deception.
P. (Prayer) Lord remind me that sin leads to death, no matter how enticing and harmless it may seem. I desire closeness in our relationship, so help me to be strong.
That's it! Anyone can do that. If you don't have a regular quiet time, why not start today?
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