How Can I Improve My Daily Quiet Time?

[ladylovesJesus]

How Can I Improve My Daily Quiet Time?

Gregg Farah

Ask the Expert for Guys

Q. I have trouble doing daily quiet times and praying consistently. I want to though. Can you help?


A. I love your heart. And just so you know, I have trouble too. I have times when I'm consumed with God and times when God has to reintroduce Himself to me.

Before I share thoughts from my own struggles, let me ask you a question: Why is this important to you?

Are you hungry for God, wanting to love Him and know Him in greater intimacy? Or do you feel like you're letting others down? You know, other people respect your walk with God, and so you may be trying to live up to their expectations, rather than being more concerned with what God thinks. That's pride, and Jesus addresses that kind of heart in Matthew 23:1-6.

I'm guessing your motives are pure, and you're simply wanting to take the next step with God! But I can relate to that other motive ... the prideful one ... and it's ugly. Don't go there. Instead, here are some things that have helped me when I've struggled with spending time with God.

Don't Miss the Obvious!

Time with God is not a five-minute quiet time or even an hour. Time with God is a 24-hour lifestyle! Sure, there may be times in the day when we get away from our routine to pray or read or journal or sing or ... whatever. But we
need to worship God all the time, when we're in school, playing basketball, going to the movies, laughing with friends ... you get the idea.

Accountability

Sometimes I'm motivated by accountability. Ask a friend to call you once a week to let you share what you've been reading and learning and what God has impressed on your heart during times of prayer. Ask this friend to
pray for you, to be open to what God wants to teach you.

Prayer Partner

Meet with a friend or two and pray for one another, for non-Christians, or whatever else is on your heart. Designate a place and time to meet and give it to God. Not only will you be motivated to grow closer to God, but your friendship with your prayer partner(s) will deepen.

Think About It

Pick one thing from your Bible reading that you can think about all day long. Write down that thought on an index card and stick it in your pocket. When you're walking between classes or have any time to think (30 seconds or so), pull out that card and read it. Let it soak into your brain. By the end of the day, you won't even have to look at the card ... you'll already be thinking about its message!

Mix It Up

Don't get stuck in a rut. There's more than one way to spend time with God. So try something completely different. Draw, journal, sing, take a walk ... whatever. Just do it while focusing on God.

In his excellent book, The Life You've Always Wanted, John Ortberg reminds us that "our primary task is not to calculate how many verses of Scripture we read or how many minutes we spend in prayer. Our task is to use these activities to create opportunities for God to work. Then what happens is up to Him."

God wants to spend time with you and use you to serve Him. Are you ready?

 

[gladstone]

Thanks

These are some great thoughts. I shall try and implement them into my daily lifestyle, as I'm aware that I don't spend enough 'quiet time' with God.

Thanks very much,

Gladstone

 

[Zulu]

Prayer Partner

Meet with a friend or two and pray for one another, for non-Christians, or whatever else is on your heart. Designate a place and time to meet and give it to God. Not only will you be motivated to grow closer to God, but your friendship with your prayer partner(s) will deepen.

This is important, as one can recall Jesus called the disciples two at a time and also did He send them out, two at a time. Why was that?
If you look at the armor of God in the letter to the Ephesians, one will clearly see that the protection is in the front and nothing at the back. Your prayer buddy is there to protect you and vica versa.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

In the flesh, my will tends to follow my emotions but, with God's Spirit involved, my emotions are being trained to follow my will and my will is to follow His will.

SLE

 

[imanimachira]

i used to think that falling in love and staying in love with Jesus, to be something that happens automatically, and i couldnt understand why sometimes i had such a wonderful time during my quiet time and other times that felt "dry " . i realised it is something i have to work at on a daily basis whether i feel like it or i dont. and truthfully most times i dont feel like it, and i know it doesnt make me any less of a christian, maybe just a determined one to make things between God and myself work.

 

[Zulu]

Something I worked on some time ago and I really feel this fits in this posts here.

FEELING SPIRITUALLY DRY

Have you ever felt as though you couldn't hear the Lord's voice if He were next to you shouting your name? Have you been, or are you now in, a period of spiritual dryness? If you have had a spiritually dry time and are now past it, then praise God. If, however, you are in the midst of one, then maybe this can help you.

First of all, it isn't necessarily bad to be in a spiritually dry place -- unless it is because of sin. If we commit a sin that we know the Lord wants us to abandon, then He often withholds His fellowship from us. We sense a distance between the Lord and ourselves and it hurts. Of course, this does not mean that the Lord is abandoning us, nor does it mean He does not love us. If anything, it is a demonstration of His love to let us feel broken fellowship since it moves us to repentance.

On the other hand, spiritual dryness can be a specific time that the Lord wants us to go through as a time of testing and of preparation. The Lord will allow us to be tested into order to refine our faith. Think about it. Do we stay Christians because of the feeling of fellowship we have with the Lord or is it because we trust in Jesus, God in flesh (John 1:1,14), as our Savior and Lord (Jude 4)? We are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1) and our assurance of salvation is found by faith, not by feeling. After all, "The just shall live by faith," (Hab. 2:4). Therefore, The Lord can use a spiritually dry time to cause us to examine what and who our faith is in so that we might rest assured in the cross, and not our feelings that can deceive us (Jer. 17:9).

Spiritual dryness can also be a time of preparation. Most every major person in the Bible that was used mightily of God had to go through a desert time. This includes Moses, Elijah, Jesus, and Paul. Being in a place where we are dry, waiting, wanting, praying, examining, etc., is often the proving ground of strength and refinement. Then, after this time is completed, the thing that we have been prepared for comes upon us. Sometimes this preparation is for hardship, sorrow, and pain. Other times it is for blessing, reward, and ministry. Remember, the Lord has not saved us to be trophies on a shelf. We are instruments in His hands to be used in the world. This usage requires that we be able to be used, able to be sent, able to trust the Lord in spite of what we see and feel! Hence, the time of spiritual dryness that is a time of preparation.

What do you do in a time of spiritual dryness? First of all, you should ask the Lord to reveal any unconfessed sins of which you have not repented. If He reveals anything to you, then confess it as sin and repent of it -- even if it is a sin you have committed so many times before. Second, you must read your word regularly. Third, you must pray regularly. And fourth, you must trust the Lord through this. You must look to Him and remember that He loves you greatly and will never forsake you. In this, your faith will be perfected, your character improved, your walk strengthened, and you will be prepared for the tasks ahead that the Lord has called you to encounter.

And finally, in the midst of your dryness, offer praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. Do not let your feelings rob you of the opportunity to praise and thank God even when the times are not so great. Remember, it is easy to praise God when things go well. But the true men and women of Christian character praise God through the trials as well.

 

[joy]

Thank you all for the truth shared here.

You are all a real encouragement to me.

 

[ladylovesJesus]

Thank you Joy that is good to know. We are here to help and encourage one another in the Lord. He gets all the glory too.

We are just vessels God uses each day.

God bless :rainbow: :rose:

 

[Chad]

Great read, thank you for sharing LLJ and Zulu. This is encouraging because I like any Christian am struggling for some quiet time and breaking out of any possible bit of spiritual dryness. I am aware now that it does not have to be a negative thing assuming our heart is with GOD and focus on Jesus always.

Sin certainly takes a toll on us so we need to seriously repent and come clean with GOD, no pride allowed at His doorstep.