Quiet Times?

I was looking through some of my notes from my Quiet Times and wanted to type some things out, not only for those who actually ready this blog, but for myself.

Why do Quiet Times?

      It's common for believers to have the thought of "why doesn't God answer me?", "why is God letting me go through all of this?", or something along those lines. One of the things I've come to the realization of, is a random analogy I came up with. Our relationship with God is like a telephone conversation. Us talking to god, is by prayer. And the way we hear God respond, is by getting into His Word. How can we hear what he has to say is we hang up on him (aka- don't get into His Word)?

Things to help or do as Quiet Times?

• Make our Quiet Times a regular thing in our daily routines. It can be hard to prioritize. It's tempting to make excuses or just not even bother. Preparing our hearts for God requires effort. If we don't understand the importance of having a regular, committed Quiet Times with God, we are not likely to hear His voice. 
• Keep a Prayer Journal. For me personally, when I'm praying, I can get distracted insanely easily. So if we write out what we're wanting to pray, it's a steady stream of thought and easier for me to focus.
• Keep a notebook when we do our Quiet Times, writing out things that stick out to us. Like favorite verses, quotes, etc. It'll be a good resource at a later time.
• Find a bible that you understand. I like using The Message version if I'm reading straight through a book of the bible. But it's not the best as far are pin-pointing certain verses. I prefer the Holeman version. ESV and NIV are the more popular, most used versions.
• We need accountability. 
• If you realized you're not being as faithful to making time to spend with God as your should, ask one of your close friends, to help you be accountable. Text each other something that spoke to yourself during our Quiet Time, which would encourage each other to get into God's Word.
• Make a Facebook page with group of friends, where ya'll can talk about your Quiet Time, your prayer requests, etc. It's good to have a core people that you know will encourage each other.
• When having an off day, keep an index card in your wallet, with encouraging, uplifting verses. God's Word is massively powerful. It's amazing how a simple verse can change your outlook on a situation. After all, God's Word is God's way of talking to us.

Quiet Times are so insanely important when it comes to our walk with God. We can go to church, and listen to our pastor, but most of our growing with Christ takes place when we have one-on-one time with Him. God can talk to us more personally when it's just me and him.

You're either becoming more like Christ every day or you're becoming less like Him. 

There is no neutral position in the Lord.

Stormie Omartion

And how else do we become more like Him, if we don't get in His Word to discover how He lived and what He wants from us to glorify Him?