Having your personal devotions or your quiet time with God can be confusing to do, especially if you're a new believer. And the reason why is because there's not really a set way to do it. I mean, if you think about it, our quiet time with God is just us taking the time to build a relationship with Him.
So that means that the way we all connect with God will probably be a little different. However, just because we all have different ways we can connect to God, there are specific steps that should be applied for every believer. So if you're someone that would like some guidance on how to spend your quiet time with God, follow these seven steps.
Step number one, create a space for God. Matthew chapter 6 verse 6. "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
" In this passage, Jesus is teaching His disciples in the multitude how to pray and how to connect to God. And then He tells them to shut their door and to communicate with God privately. So the first thing that I highly recommend for you to do is to set aside a special place for you and God.
For me and my best friend, Johnny, one place we've built much of our friendship was in his living room. And there we talk about our relationships, watch anime, pray, confess our sins to each other, and have communion. And in the same way that Johnny and I have a thing, me and God have a thing.
Most mornings, I'll wake up and walk around the block of my neighborhood, and thank God for yesterday's blessings. And I have a rug in my room where I'll pray, and I'll have specific places in my room and in the kitchen where I'll read my Bible. So for you, I highly recommend you dedicating a special place with God where you can build your relationship with Him.
And maybe you can pick a place in your backyard or a spot next to your bed or the dining table. So remember, one of the keys for having a devotional or quiet time is being intentional about your time with God. And I find that having a specific place that's solely given to God helps with building spiritual strength and intimacy with our Father.
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Step number two, choose a reading plan. Second Timothy, chapter three, verse 16. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.
It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. In this passage, Paul is talking to Timothy and is explaining that all scripture is inspired by God and is able to teach us, correct us and give us clarity on what's right and wrong. On top of that, Ephesians chapter six, verse 17 tells us that God's word is the sort of the spirit that helps us to fight our spiritual battles.
So if in these two passages we learn that God's word can teach us what's true and right, can correct us if we're wrong and can give us the strength and power to fight the battles of today, then mastering God's word must be something all Christians should work towards. And while mastering God's word can sound intimidating to some, take small steps. And those small steps typically look like a reading plan that'll get you to read the Bible in a certain amount of time.
A common one I hear is reading four chapters of the Bible a day, where you read three chapters in the Old Testament and one chapter in the New Testament. And if you hold to the schedule, you can finish the Bible in a year. I've also heard that some people think that's too much reading for a day, so they do two chapters a day and finish reading the Bible in two years.
For others, they like reading the Bible like a regular book and will read Genesis to Revelation and will read at their own pace until they finish. For me, I try to read two chapters a day, and for one chapter I'll read quickly, and in the other chapter I'll really take my time and take notes on what I'm learning. So if you're someone who really has no idea where to start, I'd recommend you start by reading one chapter a day and begin by reading the Gospel of John.
And once you're done with that, read the other books in the New Testament until you've read the entire thing. And for more details on how to read the Bible in a deeper way, please check out our How to Study the Bible series where we have a beginner, intermediate, and advanced level. And for all you people waiting for the advanced level, it'll be releasing in the next few weeks.
But all that to say, pick a reading plan and stick to it. Because in the same way that a soldier or police officer can't be ready to fight to their full potential without their weapon, neither can Christians. So we must take steps to cling to God through His Word.
Step number three, grow in your prayer life. Matthew chapter six, verses nine to thirteen. In this passage, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray.
And the prayer we see here is commonly known as the Lord's Prayer. It's important to note, though, that this prayer is not meant to be mindlessly repeated because in the verses right before this one, Jesus said, "Don't pray using vain repetitions where you repeat things over and over again. " And the reason why is because God values having an authentic relationship with His kids.
And us praying automatic prayers isn't all that sincere. Prayers like, "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food in your name we pray. Amen.
" I mean, imagine if you have a child and you worked hard to prepare their meal for them, and each and every time you did that, they responded automatically, "Thank you for this meal. I really appreciate it. " You'd probably start thinking that they didn't actually mean it.
Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't repeat prayers, but what I am saying is to really think about what you're praying and to consider if you actually mean it. So going back to the Lord's Prayer, I refer to it as a list of things that I need to pray for. So to begin my prayer, I'll say, "Our Father in heaven.
" And I'll own the fact that God is my Father and that He is in heaven and deserves my respect. So I'll use this time to thank God my Father for what He's given me. After this, I'll pray I'll live be your name, and then I'll start thinking about the names of God and who He is to me, how He's my shepherd, my King, the Lord of Lords, and my friend.
And depending on the book of the Bible I'm reading, I'll remind myself that my God is the God of Joseph or of Moses or Paul. After I'll pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. " So once I get here, I think about everything I need to do for the day, and then I'll dedicate them to God.
I'll think about my meetings, my work responsibilities, and my feelings, and I'll ask God for direction on what His will is regarding all these things that I'm about to do. Once I'm done with that, I'll pray, "Give us this day our daily bread. " And before I pray for my needs, I'll pray for my girlfriend's needs.
And I'll ask for her protection, her direction, and any support that she may need for the day. And then I'll go through my schedule again and ask God for wisdom, strength, and help for the tasks at hand. And it's here that I'll also pray for my unsaved friends and family, and for my Japan mission team, and I'll pray for my family and friends.
Once I'm done asking God for my needs, I'll pray, "Forgive me my sins, as I forgive those who sinned against me. " And here I'll ask God to bring to my attention anything that I've done wrong. And most of the time it's very apparent where I've messed up, and I'll ask God for forgiveness for my mess-ups.
And then I'll take the time to think of all the people who wronged me and I feel bitter towards, and I'll ask God to help me forgive them if there's anyone I'm struggling to love. Once that's done, I pray, "Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one. " And I'll ask God to help me where I feel weak in my life.
So I'll ask God to help me not to do things in my strength, and to help me in my lust, and to help me in my pride. And finally I'll pray for yours is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever. Amen.
And once I get here, I'll remember that my life is all about God. My life is all about serving God's kingdom, by God's power, and for God's glory. It's not my kingdom, my power, my glory.
So I'll finish my prayer by surrendering myself to God, and to remember that I am his servant and his son. So that's part of my prayer routine, and sometimes it can take as little as five minutes, and other times it can take over half an hour. And sometimes I'll be on my rug praying, or I'll be walking while I pray, or I'll be journaling these prayers.
So all that to say, I would encourage you to really focus on your prayer life, and think about how you can grow deeper in it. And the reason why I focus on the Lord's Prayer when praying is because in Luke 11, verse 1, Jesus' disciples asked Jesus how to pray, and Jesus responds to them with this prayer. So if this is what Jesus' answer was to prayer, it's something I want to always use as I try to connect with God.
And since it helped guide me, I hope it guides you too. Step number four, know what you're applying for the day. Matthew chapter 7, verse 24.
"Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. " In this passage, Jesus is still teaching his Sermon on the Mount, and as he finishes, he closes with the lesson of the man who built his house on the rock. And Jesus taught that a man who hears God's Word and does it is just like a man who built his house on a rock.
And then he says if a man just hears God's Word, but doesn't take any steps to actually do anything that God commands, is just like a man who built his house on the sand. And it's important to note that the man who built his house on the sand, while he was able to build his house quicker than the man who built his house on the rock, his house could not stand against the storms that came, and it led to the destruction of all that he built. So for you, you must remember that in the same way that it's hard to keep digging to find the rock or foundation for a house, it's hard to apply God's Word, especially if the commands are to love God first above all else or to love your enemies.
So note, if you want your house or life to have enough strength for the storms and trials in the future, you need to apply God's Word. Remember the reading plan that we talked about before? Do not just read to read and leave once you're done reading for the day.
You see, before you finish your quiet time, you need to identify what you can apply for the day. Because if you don't know how God's Word will affect your day, you run the risk of living a life like the man who built his house on the sand. So if you really struggle to find an application for God's Word after you read it, I highly recommend that you learn the acronym "Spectrum," and I developed it in order to help students find scripture applications, and I cover this acronym in our video "How to Study the Bible, Beginner Level.
" But all that to say, when following your reading plan, keep reading or rereading your chapter until you know how it can affect your life. My suggestion is to not finish your devotion until you have your marching orders for the day. Step number five, respond to God in love, Romans chapter 5 verse 8.
In this passage, Paul tells the Roman church that God showed his love for us by sending his son Jesus to die for us despite the fact that we're sinners. So this is important. When you have your quiet time, don't do it just because you want to be a good Christian that reads the Bible and prays every day.
Instead, do it because you want to connect to the God who loves you. Honestly, praying can be very difficult for me, especially if I feel unmotivated. So to help with that, I just start thanking God for what he's given me, and I start thanking God for his blessings, and I start realizing how much God loves me, and that reminds me that I love God, and that I do want to talk to him.
And that needs to be our motive as we read and pray. God is our friend and our king who died for us and loves us, and by focusing on those truths empowers us to overcome feelings of obligation that says we need to pray and read. And the reason why this is so important is because those things that we do to try to connect to God can actually turn into something that can cause distance between us and God.
For example, a husband can work a job, pay for rent, help with the groceries, and even cook for his wife. But without love for her, this man is nothing more than a roommate who shares the same living space. And let's say this wife feels disconnected to her husband and asks him, "Do you love me?
" To which the man responds, "Well, I'm doing all these things for you, aren't I? " The point I'm trying to make is that our prayer and reading, while they are good things, they must be done out of love in order for them to actually help your relationship with God. Step number six, make it a habit to connect to God every day.
Luke chapter five verse 16. So he himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. In this passage, we have a small peek into the private life of Jesus.
And we see here that Jesus often disconnected from everyone in order to pray to his father in heaven. And this is where I wanna highlight the word often. You see, Jesus being God the son, full of power and strength, still relied upon God the father for help and direction.
And if that's the case with Jesus, how much more should we rely upon God for help with the problems of the day? So as an encouragement to you, I highly suggest you make it a point to do your quiet time with God daily. And I understand that we can be busy and feel like we lack time.
But I'm sure a lot of us can look at the screen time on our phones and see that we may actually have more time than we realize. The reality is that we all have time for God. But many times we just choose not to make him a priority.
Because if something is absolutely important to us, I know we'd make the time to do it. I remember long ago, I was having the worst day and I felt defeated, exhausted, and I remember that I did not read my Bible that morning. And at the end of the day, I finally found time and read my chapter.
And once I was done, I remember feeling frustrated and upset because if I knew what I just read at the beginning of my day, my day would have been a lot better and I would have saved myself a lot of stress. And I felt God lean into me that day. And I felt him say, "I wanted to help you.
"This is why you need to stay close to me. " Going back to Ephesians 6, verse 13, Paul tells believers to put on the whole armor of God so that they can stand in the evil day. So an observation I'd like to make is, not all days are equal.
Some days are evil and are filled with trial, tears, hardship, and opportunities to fail in sin. And should we skip our quiet time with God, we may end up doing so at our own peril. And step number seven, learn how others follow God.
Ephesians chapter four, verses 11 to 12. And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. In this passage, Paul is telling the Ephesian church how Jesus gave some people to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the church so that they can serve and so that they can be built up.
For me, I'm a teacher, and I know God put me in this position so I can help encourage Christians to follow God. Some people in the past have called me pastor, but the reality is that I'm not a pastor and I'm not ordained by a church. So my advice to you is don't just listen to me when it comes to having your quiet time.
I'm just one of many people that you can potentially learn from. There's pastors, other teachers, evangelists, and prophets and apostles that God has blessed us with. Actually, much of the advice I'm giving you is just knowledge that was passed down to me from my mentors that helped raise me.
So if you find a strong Christian that you respect, I'd encourage you to ask them how they pray and how they read so you can potentially learn from them. And the reason why this is important is because throughout my life, my personal devotions have changed countless times and mostly because I like changing things up. But learning new ways and methods to follow God from other people may act as fresh perspective that can bring new life to you.
Okay, so if you're wondering what you should incorporate in your personal quiet time with God, remember these seven steps. Create a space for God, choose a reading plan, grow in your prayer life, know what you're applying for the day, respond to God in love, make it a habit to connect to God every day, and learn how others follow God. So I hope this helps you.
And as you draw near to God in the quiet, I hope you do so knowing that Jesus loves you.
