Caphome

My Spiritual Journal
2003-05-18 16:26:03 (UTC)

Importance Of Daily Time With God

IMPORTANCE OF DAILY TIME WITH GOD
Psalm 1:1-2 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is
in
the law of the Lord. And in His law he meditates day and
night."

IMPORTANCE OF MEETING GOD ON A DAILY BASIS
1. God Desires Us To - Psalm 1 tells us that when we
meditate on his law will be blessed and our hearts will
never be far from Him.
2. Get Closer To God - Just as with our spouse, our
parents, our children you know their voice as we spend
time
with God we will begin to recognize His voice, we will
become more familiar with how he communicates with us.
3. See God's Plan For You - God has a perfect plan for our
life, which takes into account and anticipates every
mistake we will ever make, it considers all our faults and
all our imperfections. So when problems and complications
come our way we need to understand that the answer does
not
lie in our solving the problem, but rather in our
discovering God's perfect plan for us in that situation.
And we cannot discover that plan if we do not spend time
with Him and allow Him to reveal it to us.
4. Listening To God - Many times people are so busy that
they never slow down enough to listen. This becomes
critical if we take this approach in dealing with God. Too
often we try to share His time seeking while driving,
while
cleaning, etc. He desires our undivided attention.

QUIET TIME
1. Should be a place where you are unlikely to be
disturbed
or interrupted.
2. Should be a convenient place where you consistently
will
access to it each day.

WHAT SHOULD I DO DURING QUIET TIME?
1. Prayer - Acknowledge God for who He is (worship Him.
praise Him). Be willing to acknowledge all areas of
disobedience and sin and to ask forgiveness, thank God for
what He has already done for you, pray for the needs of
others, requests (you can organize by praying for specific
things on specific days)
2. Bible Reading - Spend time reading and letting God's
Word speak to your heart. How His Word and His promises
apply to you personally. You can use a devotional guide
that directs through the entire bible.
3. Listening to God - No matter how much time you spend
praying to God you are not going to get much out of your
relationship unless you take the time to hear what He is
saying to you
4. Bible Study - This is a deeper study of the Word in
which you need along with your Bible a pen or pencil, a
notebook or notepad, and a study system. This could be a
topic, a specific book or chapter in the Bible, a further
study into a recently heard sermon or message.
5. Memorizing Scripture -
a) This helps you to communicate with God
according
to His Word.
b) It also helps to increase your familiarity with
the Bible.
c) You will become armed and dangerous when
confronted with temptation or spiritual struggle. The
ability to immediately recall God's Word at a tine when
your are in need of His instruction and encouragement is
essential. This is how Jesus was able to resist Satan
during a period of intense temptation. (Matthew 4:1-11)
d) Increases your effectiveness and confidence in
sharing the gospel with others.
e) Your mind will be occupied with the good things
from God (Philipians 4:8), which will in turn have a
purifying effect upon your life.

PRACTICE THE PRESENCE OF GOD
1) How much time daily do you believe God would like you
to
spend with Him?
2) Make a list of things you need to bring before God.
3) Develop a tentative plan for reading the Bible (two
pages a day? one chapter a day? a book a week?)
4) Of your total quiet time, how much should be devoted to
quietly listening for His input (ideas, thoughts, flashes
of insight)?
5) Ask God whether He wants you to sign the following
pledge:

I will, with God's help, spend at least ______ minutes per
day, five days per week, with God in prayer, Bible
reading,
and meditation. I will begin this discipline on
______________.

Your Signature:___________________________________________
Date _______________




Ad: