HAVING AN EFFECTIVE QUIET TIME

Quiet time with God is one of the key things that will build us up as individual. It does not just bring glory to God but also bring us closer to Him and that means spiritual growth. There is now way we can talk about growth without talking about quiet time.

God longs to spend quality time with us as His children. It is there that we reverence Him, adore and worship Him. It is also during this time that we pour our heart out to Him. It is during this time that we fully communicate with Him. That is, we

talk with Him. So it is a time we should not neglect at all.

WHAT IS QUIET TIME?

Quiet time, otherwise called devotion time, refers to our daily appointment with God. It is the time when we shut out all possible interference so that we can talk with God. During our quiet time, we sing praises, we pray, we read and meditate on God’s word and or simply being still and listen by all means possible. That is why you always have a reason not to do your quiet time. That is why you have a reason not to spend quality time with God. That is why you even sleep during your quiet time.

God longs to spend quality time with us as His children. It is there that we reverence Him, adore and worship Him. It is also during this time that we pour our heart out to Him. It is during this time that we fully communicate with Him. That is, we talk with Him. So it is a time we should not neglect at all.

CHALLENGES

One thing is sure; the devil does not like it when we do our quiet time. So he will want to distract

QUIET time outer challenges: This might be noise from traffic or people living around, your phone, TV and sound system, etc.

QUIET time inner challenges: This might be the thoughts that go through our mind. We think about our problems, and so many other things.

HOW TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH GOD IN YOUR QUIET TIME

•            Get the right attitudes: right attitudes get you ready to spend quality time with God. What are these attitudes:

a.       Right frame of mind: You have to forget all the activities of the day for the mean time. Take out from you all anxiety, worries and burdens of life. Just free your thoughts and just focus of God alone.

b.      Be expectant: Know that you are about to dine with your heavenly father, therefore come before Him with anticipation. I normally say it is wrong to enter God’s presence without expectations. You will never come out from His presence the way you were when you entered.

c.       Willingness to obey: Most of the time, we enter God’s presence having in mind what we want to do and most at times, we lock our hearts and just want to do it that way. We should always be ready to do it God’s way. Wherever He leads us we should go. This is very vital in our quiet time.

•     Choose the right place and time: We should be able to choose a right place so as to shut ourselves out from the entire world. That is why Jesus talked about praying in our closet. We should stay in a place where nothing should distract us. Choose where you can pray with disturbing others or you being disturbed, where you will be comfortable but avoid a bed.

                Again the time is also vital. We should choose a time when we are still fresh and alert and that will        definitely be in the morning. Give God quality time; times when you are at your best in both mentally and physically, and not leftovers of your time.

•        Get the right tools: You will need a bible and a writing pad. Make sure you use a bible that is readable and maybe with enough room to take notes. If it is possible, use two translations so as to always compare and have a better understanding ‘of what you are reading. You can also use a highlighter on a line or verse that catches your attention. You can use the writing pad to take notes of what the spirit is telling you both from the scriptures.
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•       Follow a proper procedure: I don’t think there is a best way of doing your quiet time. You can start with this pattern but always listen to God and your spirit to know the right pattern or procedure for every moment.

a.       Starting point: At this point when you are about to start, there are two ways you can do it;

                                                              i.      Sing praises and worship: just sing praises to God and as you sing, always focus your attention and try to read meaning into what you are singing. It makes you get focus and know that God is really there with you.

                                                            ii.      Be quiet and still: You can just be still and focus on God too. There is great power in being still and quiet and focus on Him alone. Clear your mind of every other thing. Just calm down and recognize His presence.

•         Read the word of God: To me, this is one of the most important moments. This is the time you hear from God because it is more important than you hearing from God. God knows about you already and He wants you to know more about Him. Some will prefer reading from a daily devotional or their yearly bible plan. It might not be the right time to do that but just read the bible with an open mind and allow God to direct you. As you read it, take it slowly, don’t rush it. You can always repeat it until it sinks into you. Remember, it is not about quantity but quality.
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•       Meditate on the word: As you focus on the word of God allowing the contents to sink into you, ask yourself these questions;

i.        Is there a command to obey?

ii.      Is there a promise to claim?

iii.    Is there a sin to avoid?

iv.     Is there a lesson to learn?

v.       Is there a new truth to carry with me?

•          It is now time to pray: Always pray as the spirit leads you. And remember too, it is not just about you talking. Sometimes, also allow God to talk to you. Learn to always be ready to hear from Him.

•          Remember to share your blessings because you are blessed to be a blessing.

FINALLY

Keep your quiet time fresh with these tips:

Vary your plan. From time to time change your methods. Don’t fall into the trap of performing a method instead of getting to know Christ.

Sometimes when prayer seems hard and heavy, spend your whole quiet time just thanking God for who he is and what he has done. In Psalm 145 the psalmist asked nothing for himself. Or just sing some songs of praise to God.

Spend a whole quiet time in Scripture memory. Let God speak to you in this special and challenging way.

Remember your main purpose: to get to know Christ. Don’t let your quiet time become a legalistic exercise in “doing your duty.” Remember that you are there to meet Jesus Christ and get to know him.