A Quiet Time With God

Penned By: Erlinda Mejia Olson with David Olson💓
On Friday, 14th of January, 2011 at 20:15PST
Posted on Monday, 8th of January, 2018 at 6:15CST

PSALM 46:10 ~ "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

JOHN 14:27 ~ "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Hello Friend, how has this Year been treating you so far?  I understand how easy it is for our days to be jammed with the demands of life calling for our attention. That is why we need to plan a personal time to be alone with the LORD—with nothing on our agenda except to stretch out in His love, to thank and worship Him, to listen to Him, to beseech for others, to rest our lives and activities before Him.

I have learned that by listening to the LORD earnestly, is very crucial in knowing the LORD's will and purpose for my life as I live life - day by day.  The LORD is my GPS in life: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." (Psalm 32:8). I shared this journal with my husband, as we walk together in the LORD—as a married couple and partners in Christ. By God's grace, I would like to share this with you, hoping it will be a vessel of God's spiritual blessings in your life as well—as it has been for us.

Surrender every fiber of your being.  Let  God give you directions.  A sense of purpose.  New perspectives.  The Bible says in James 4:8a, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

💗The Lord is waiting for you ...

Don’t be in a hurry.  The goal is to spend an uninterrupted time with God.  To unravel. To uncoil. To be candid. These are just initial guidelines which may help you in getting started.  Make God your core guide.

💗Bring your heart before the Lord ...

Preparation is a vital part. Choose a place free from commotions. Where you can be alone. To purge yourself. To come broken before His presence — James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

💗Reality check: Lessons in Life ...

*How are you managing the time God is giving you?
*Are you growing spiritually?
*Check your compass and let God lead you.

💗Things to bring ...

*Your Bible.
*A notebook and pen.
*Christian music that will stir your heart.

💗Thanksgiving ...

Start with thanksgiving — Psalm 100:4 tells us, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."

*Thank God for His forgiveness and mercy.
*Thank God for the privilege of coming into His presence.
*Thank God for what He has done in and through your life in the last year.
*Take time to pen down what God has done for you. Be detailed. Think through every area of your life.

💗Declaration of Guilt …

*Ask God to search your heart — Psalm 139: 23-24
*Confess any sins the Holy Spirit reveals — Psalm 19:12
*Be reminded of the certainty of forgiveness — 1 John 1:9
*Make certain you are walking and praying in the will of the LORD, in Godly wisdom — Ephesians 5:15-20

💗Give reverence to God …

*Become still before the Lord — Psalm 46:10
*Think about who God is — Psalm 103
*Praise God for His attributes — Psalm 145
*Rejoice in your fellowship with Him and that He delights in you — Proverbs 15:8
*Read passages of Scripture and pray them back to God — Psalms 146 and 150
*Sing to the Lord — Colossians 3:16
*Meditate — Psalm 19:14

💗Pray for the whole world, beseeching the Lord for others.  Ask the Lord to reveal the world to you from His point of view as you read and meditate on Psalm 33 ...

*Start with your non-Christian friends, relatives, neighbors, strangers, and anyone the Lord puts on your heart.
*Pray that the people who have never heard about Jesus would have an opportunity to hear and understand the gospel — 2 Peter 3:9.
*Pray for those in authority: federal and national, provincial and state, municipal and county, and government leaders — 1 Timothy 2:1-2 .
*Pray for Christians all over the world, exercising Paul’s prayers in Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-12; Ephesians 1:16-19.

"By intercessory prayer we can hold off Satan from other lives and give the Holy Spirit a chance with them. No wonder Jesus put such tremendous emphasis on prayer!" – Oswald Chambers

💗Assessment of Your Personal Life …

*Ask God for wisdom and discernment as you read an entire book of the Bible.
*Ask God what He thinks of your life. Wait and be patient. Listen for His answer. Take note of ideas, thoughts, insights God gives you.
*Assess the use of the time, gifts, talents, skills, treasures (material and non-material), education, and experience God has entrusted to you. Are they bringing glory and honor to God? Is there a need to change what you are doing?
*Talk about with God your joys, your sorrows and pains, and tough decisions you are facing.
*Find promises, commands, and counsels in the Bible which you can note down.

"The greatest answer to prayer is that I am brought into a perfect understanding with God, and that alters my view of actual things." – Oswald Chambers

💗Closing your day with God …

*Praise and thank God for the fellowship you had today.
*Schedule the next, "Appointment with the Lord", in your planner.
*Give God all the glory He deserves by sharing about your day with someone.

💗💗💗

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ," (Philippians 1:9-10)

To God be all the glory in Christ Jesus our Lord and Personal Savior!