Do you struggle to find time to spend with Jesus? Do you struggle with having a “quiet time?” Natalie did, and she wants to help you learn how to cultivate your relationship with Christ just as He does with you! Jump on in and learn more about how to spend time with Him and His Word! We are excited to welcome Natalie Witcher today and next week for a short, but in-depth, bible study on Your Personal Quiet Time. Keep reading and then join us again next week because this is one you won’t want to miss!
Let just jump right on in by allowing me to ask you a question?
Do you struggle with a daily quiet time with Christ?
I mean, do you have some days where it’s real, and long, and meaningful, and then look up and a week or two have gone by? Maybe a month or two?
I know that everyone who chooses to follow Jesus struggles with this back and forth of spending time with Him and then, boink!, it’s been how long?
I know I did. (That’s past tense if you missed it…*wink wink*) I’m not tooting my horn here, I’m just saying that there was a long time in my life when I would have days of great journaling, Bible study, and prayer and then find that same journal under my bed with an entry from months past! I’d get so angry at myself and so upset and feel like I had let God down because I was so wishy-washy!
Anybody-eh!?
I mean, this is supposed to be the greatest relationship on the planet and I’d go days without even speaking to Him. That’s not to say I didn’t think about Him or worship Him or talk about Him, but my talking to Him and listening to Him were as haphazard as a drunk behind a wheel. I’d go over there and read, then slowly go back over there where I wasn’t even in the right lane with Christ anymore. Sometimes I’d find myself on the completely wrong road heading the wrong way into a deadly crash!
I needed some sobering up! So, I’d try to mark on the calendar every day that I met with Christ and journaled. I had a little chart with every day of the year on it after I had spent time with Jesus I checked it off. You know what? It worked. I met with Him aaalllmost every day. Then I actually went back and counted the days. Gerr! I was, in all actuality, only meeting with Him about half the month!
It didn’t work.
But that little wake-up of actually seeing the days I sat down and had time with Him opened my eyes. I began meeting Him more regularly, more deliberately. Soon, that little calendar had a check on every day.
Over time, I felt the Lord releasing me from using my little chart. It wasn’t hard and I knew I didn’t need it anymore. It had just become habit for me to go and spend time with Him.
Every.
Day.
I tell you this little story so that you will know that if you struggle with a consistent walk with Christ, then I know what you’re dealing with. It’s not uncommon, in fact, I think it’s more common that we do struggle with it.
I’m sure you caught that I used tools in my daily time with Him and today and next week I’ll share with you more about different things you can do, however, we’ll also, mostly, you-can-count-on-getting-in-to-it, talk about the heart of the matter.
During this time, we’ll dive into the Psalms and see if we can’t uncover some great passages to light our fire, set our sights heavenward, straighten out our priorities, and bring us a desire to sit with our King…
Every.
Day.
Are you excited about how to spend time with Jesus in the middle of it all???
Me too!
Click on the link below to download the study that you will work on through the week. It is only 5 days long – that’s it. Then, we’ll come back next week for our wrap up to our study and discuss what we’ve learned along the way.
(you will need Adobe Acrobat to read the above file, it is a free program and can be downloaded HERE)
Today, we’d love to have you join in the discussion and share a little bit about your quiet time. Let’s be real.
What does it look like? Are you struggling? What would you like it to look like?
Leave your link below or leave your thoughts in the comment section!
I have lots of little conversations with God all day long, but I have to be honest and say that I rarely have intimate prayer. And when I try to, I find I’m easily distracted and my mind wanders. For a couple of years, I have been praying and asking Him to help me with my focus in my prayer life and quiet time, but so far it hasn’t gotten much better.
I used to struggle as well (Yes, I noticed the past tense in yours and I hope you noticed mine too – wink wink) LOL!
In 1999, a friend suggested the One Year Bible to me. I’m very analytical about matters, so I set out to “read the Bible in one year” – I started in January and by April I realized that I wasn’t reading to “achieve the goal” – but I was reading because I was really hearing from the Lord daily! It truly changed my life! Well… it’s 2010 and I’m still reading my One Year Bible – every day. I get up @ 4:30am to avoid distractions from my family and TOTALLY enjoy the quiet house and my God.
Thanks for leading others to have a prayer time! This has been the most life changing thing I’ve ever encountered and couldn’t do life without it!
Glad you girls are here!
Chrissy, yes, more intimate time with him can be a heavy and challenging discipline, but the more you engage and ask him, the easier it becomes. Those times are so important and invaluable. Keep finding time where you can focus and spend longer moments in purposeful and “deep’ prayer. In that, you will be trained by the Spirit more and more.
Penny, that is a great testimony! love that you get up so early, I can’t do THAT early, but I love being up before my family for sure!
I started haveing daily quiet times with God when I was twelve and slowly, but steadily, it had become an ingrained habit. It didn’t hurt that I was homeschooled and had the leisure of being able to be “late” to class if I needed to! How sweet are these focused, uninterrupted times! I can’t wait to do this study!
Natalie,
You already know how blessed I’ve been by your words! This is a fantastic study and you have always been an inspiration to me in this department!
I’m struggling with finding a permanent spot in my morning to have those longer sit down times with Him.
One of the things we are praying about and working towards doing is creating an actual prayer closet in our home to have a special place to meet Him. A quiet place that everyone understands that if someone is in there, they are not to be distrubed, whatsoever (unless someone is bleeding profusely or on fire!)
I know what you mean about setting aside a place where we aren’t interrupted. We started doing this in my house, a few months ago. One day I was in that space and my son knocked on the door. I gently asked him, “Blood or fire?” I forget how he responded, but I think he got the idea.
I feel like I spend more time during the day talking to God in snippits of conversation; I try very hard to spend time with Him in the mornings before my day starts, but alot of times recently it seems very restless and scattered. I am very excited about this study!
Right now, I’m in a similar place as Chrissy described above. I’m looking forward to the rest of this study, as I know it’ll take discipline on my part of develop a better habit.
I’ve recently started trying visual prayer. I’ve mentioned it on my blog, but I have a blog post specifically about it scheduled for Tuesday (tomorrow).
“Blood or fire” That made me laugh!
I used to have a desk in my bedroom and if the candle on it was lit when I was sitting there they were not to disturb me. So, if you have a more public place and can’t find a good, quiet, I’m-away-from-all-my-kids-spot, create a notice they can understand. Either a candle, or just a note on the door, something they will honor. Ooo, great time to teach about honor too. See! Win-win!
Oh – what an awesome idea Nat! I NEVER thought of that!!! This I will have to try!
A daily quiet time is a part of my morning routine. It is not easy, but by rising earlier, it has become a vital part of my day. Just this morning I finished a 28 day study and was wondering what to do next! I’m looking forward to participating in this study.
Yeah! I hope this is an encouragement!
I struggle with having a quiet time. When my husband left the house very early (4:30) I would get him off to work and have my time with the Lord. Now he doesn’t leave so early and it is hard to get up and get going so early. I also work outside the home. In the evenings when dinner and the chores are done, I am exhausted and then I feel like I am giving the Lord just my scraps. I enjoy these studies together as it forces me to dedicate time and focus. I do read my bible everyday. That is one thing I am getting consistent at. My prayer time consists of my last conversation of the day and I often times drift off to sleep in this most important conversation! I am looking forward to this study and maybe some pointers from some wonderful believers. Thank you!
I’ll be joining in. As a homeschooling mom of 4, I struggle quite a bit trying to make the time for quiet time with God. I have already planned to work in time for all of us to be reading and journaling into our schoolday this year. I’m glad I stumbled upon this study!
I just made a mistake on my link up and it was the wrong link – sooooo sorry
Courtney
I hope everyone had a great week and I pray your time with the Father increases!!
My quiet time has finally come to an every day event, after years of struggling. I just decided one day that I would get up an hour before my boys and have quiet time with God. No matter how I felt about it. So, I get up. I’m groggy and cranky and annoyed but I get up anyway. By the time I’m down stairs listening to worship songs on youtube, I’m in a much better mood. So my quiet time consists of worship songs from youtube, prayer, study of my church quarterly study guide and journaling time. Some days are great and I leave my quiet time refreshed and ready to go. Other days, I am glad that I made myself spend the time with God. Get that, I’m glad I “made” myself. It’s a choice and I’ve chosen to do it.