The Key to Spiritual Health and Growth

 

The key to knowing God and growing closer to Him is spending time with Him in prayer and Bible study. Many refer to spending time with God as their Quiet Time or Personal Devotion.

 

Stephen Olford described this time as an absolute necessity for a Christian:

 

A quiet time is absolutely vital to a life of sustained spirituality, effectiveness, and love. It is the barometer of the Christian life.

 

Prayer and Bible Study are the Main Ingredients

 

1.      Prayer - talking to God and listening to Him.

 

a.  Prayer was a well-known priority in Jesus’ life: But Jesus often withdrew to   lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16).

 

b.  Jesus' disciples noticed the importance of His prayer life and asked Jesus, Lord teach us  pray (Luke 11:1).

 

c.  We need to follow the example of our Lord and His disciples and be people of prayer. 

                                   

     2. Bible study or Bible reading is the second ingredient of a Quiet Time.

 a. Jesus demonstrated the importance of Scripture in His own life by using the Scripture to defeat the devil when He was tempted. In Matthew 4, Jesus countered each of the devil’s temptations with the words, it is written, and then proceeded to quote an Old Testament Scripture that demonstrated His confidence in and commitment to God.

 

 b.  Pat Morley, author of The Man in the Mirror wrote: Personally, I have never known a man whose life has changed in any significant way apart from the regular study of God’s Word. We can do nothing more concrete to get to know God than to study the Bible.

 

 Your personal devotional life is one of the keys to living a meaningful Christian life. Just think, if our relationship with God is not right, everything else in our lives will be affected. If you are not currently spending time with God each day, use the following “Quiet Time Guide” to help you get started.

 

A “Personal Devotion” Guide

 

I. Establish a Time & Place 

    

A.  Determine the best time for you to meet with God every day. Make a firm      commitment to meet God at that time. Consider it your appointment with God.

 

             B.  Decide where you will meet with God every day.

 

 Note:  Be sure to prepare that place before your “Quiet Time” by removing distractions, and having your Bible and any other materials (notebook, pen, devotional book, etc.) in place without having to stop and search for them.

 

II. Develop a Plan 

A.  Begin with a prayer asking God to help you focus on Him and get to know Him better.

 

B.     Read the Bible

 

Link to Bible Study Plan: http://www.wmhk.com/news/bible-reading-guide.shtml

          

 1.  Have a plan for reading the Bible. Don’t just open the Bible at random. Be more concerned about the quality than the quantity. Suggestions:

 

a.  Read through the books of the New Testament over the course of a year. Read through the Old Testament over the course of 2 years.

 

            b.  Read one Proverb each day for a month.

 

 c.  Use a Bible reading plan. Some devotional books list plans to read the Bible through in a year.

 

2.      As you read, ask questions of the passage.

 

               a.  What was God saying originally through the human author?

                    (1) What do the verses surrounding the passage reveal?

                    (2) What are the key words or phrases?

                    (3) What is the main point?

                    (4) What is the passage showing me about God the Father, the Lord Jesus, or

                          or the Holy Spirit?

      

               b.  How does this passage apply to my life?

                    (1) Is there a command to obey or an example to follow?

                    (2) Is there a sin to confess and repent of?

                    (3) Is there a promise to claim?

                    (4) Is there something I need to begin, change, or avoid?

                    (5) Is there a word of comfort or warning?

                    (6) Is there any guidance concerning my future?

                    (7) Ask God to show you how to apply His Word to your life.

 

          3.  Don’t substitute reading devotional material for reading the Bible.

               

a.  Devotional books can be helpful.

 

b.      But man’s thoughts and opinions are no substitute for God’s true and reliable

Word.

 

            C.  Pray

 

The best way to learn to pray is to pray. Many people have found it helpful to structure their prayers using the acrostic, “ACTS.”

 

               ADORATION -- Adore God; worship Him; praise God for who He is.

 

   CONFESSION -- Confess your sins to God; repent (turn away from them);

    and ask for God’s forgiveness.

 

   THANKSGIVING -- Thank God for His grace (undeserved favor) and the

     many ways He blesses you.

 

   SUPPLICATION -- Talk to God about the specific things that are going on in

    your life. Ask Him for specific things such as wisdom, understanding, strength,

    love, and anything else you need. Pray for other people and concerns you have.

    Always ask with the attitude Jesus expressed as he prayed may Your will be

   Done (Matthew 26:42).

 

In addition to praying during your “Quiet Time,” learn to pray continually (1Thess.5:17) by being aware of God’s constant presence in your life. As a Christian, think of God as your loving heavenly Father who enjoys your talking to Him informally about everything going on in your life.

 

Think about what you read in the Bible and experience in prayer. Learn to look at life from God’s perspective. Live according to the ways and will of God as revealed in Scripture.