A major part of learning about the Christian life is developing a regular pattern of spending time with God. Bible reading, prayer, and meditation on Scripture, are essential to knowing God's will and growing in your faith. But it can be hard to know exactly where to start. Learn a few tips that will show you how to make and keep your appointments with the Lord.
Make it your top priority
Select a time to spend with God that fits your schedule. Usually, morning is preferable, but you may want or need to choose another time.
Prepare the night before
If your quiet time is in the morning, set your alarm. If it is difficult for you to wake up, plan to exercise, bathe, dress, and eat before your quiet time.
Select a place where you can be alone. Gather your Bible, notebook, and a pen or a pencil, and put them in the place selected so that you will not waste time in the morning.
Develop a balanced plan
Pray for guidance during your quiet time
Follow a systematic plan to read your Bible. You can read through a book, follow a devotional guide, study a character of the Bible, or study a topic such as forgiveness to get started.
Make notes of what God says to you through His Word. Is there an example to follow or avoid? Is there a promise to claim? Is there a truth that should influence your life?
Pray in response to the Scriptures you have read
As you pray, use various components of prayer. Express your love for God. Thank Him for giving you His life through Christ. Share with God how you need His power in your life. Ask Him to live through you as you make decisions through out the day.
Be persistent until you are consistent
Strive for consistency rather than for length of time spent. Try to have a few minutes of quiet time every day rather than long devotional periods every other day.
Expect interruptions. Ask family members to respect your quiet time and turn off any electronic devices that may distract you. Satan tries to prevent you from spending time with God. Plan around interruptions rather than being frustrated by them.
Use a calendar to note that you have completed your quiet time for the day. Remember, God wants to spend quality time with you. Don’t rush through your quiet time so that you can check off a 'to do' item.
Focus on the Person you are meeting
View this as an opportunity to spend time with God rather than a habit of having the quiet time. If you scheduled a meeting with the person you admire most, you would not allow anything to stand in your way. Meeting God is even more important. He created you with a capacity for fellowship with Him, and He saved you to bring about that fellowship.
Nine ways to meditate on Scripture
You may do a meditation study in sections a few minutes each day, concentrating on one verse a week. Ordinarily, you may prefer to select a passage you have been memorizing or perhaps the key verse in a passage or a chapter you have read or studied during your quiet times. After you select a passage, pray, claiming James 1:5 for wisdom to apply God's Word.
Perimeter of the passage - Read the passages preceding and following to establish the theme and the setting, which will aid you in interpretation. Then write a summary of the passage.
Paraphrase the passage - Write the passage in your own words. Say your paraphrase aloud.
Pulverize the passage - Emphasize a different word in the passage as you read or repeat it. Then state the opposite meaning to reveal what it says. Write at least two important words from those you have emphasized. Ask these questions about the two words to relate the Scripture to your needs: What? Why? When? Where? Who? How?
Personalize the passage - Let the Holy Spirit apply the passage to a need, a challenge, an opportunity, or a failure in your life. What will you do about as it relates to your life? Be specific.
Pray the passage back to God - Make it personal. Vocalize or write the passage as you pray it back to God.
Parallel passages - Refer to other passages that emphasize the same truth.
Problems in the passage - List thoughts or ideas you might not understand or might have difficulty applying in your life. Discuss them with a Sunday school teacher, Bible study group, or with a Christian friend.
Possibilities for helping others through the passage - Write a way you can use the Scripture to help another person.
Protracted study - Record plans for further study of this passage.
