Spending Time With GodBible based Christianity is not a creed (a set of beliefs), but a person: the Lord Jesus Christ. When we receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we receive Him as a real Person into our heart and life — and although there are many things to learn about the Lord and the Christian life, we must never forget there is a personal relationship to be enjoyed and maintained.
Personal relationships are maintained by communication. Every Christian needs to “Spend time with God” in order to enjoy all that God has in store. This is the battleground where victory or defeat in your Christian life will be decided!
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD?
A. God’s will for you as a young Christian is to _________ into spiritual maturity.
B. There are a number of essential requirements for physical growth, and there are some essential requirements for spiritual growth. This study will deal with two vital things you need for a daily walk with the Lord.
BIBLE STUDY
(God talks to me)
PRAYER
(I talk to God)
WHEN SHOULD I SPEND TIME WITH GOD?
A. Actually, our walk with the Lord needs to be constant. Look up Joshua 1:8. God’s command to Joshua was that the Word would not _________ from the mouth of God's people day and _________ (Read Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Look up 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Here we are encouraged to pray without ______.
B. It is important, in our busy schedules of daily life, for a Christian to set aside a specific time each day for a devotional walk with the Lord. Look up Daniel 6:10. How many times did Daniel pray each day? _________. Look up Acts 17:11. How often did the Christians of Berea read the Word of God? __________________
C. There is no prescribed time for your daily devotions — the important thing is that you set a time aside.
It may be early in the morning. It may be after the family has left home for the day. It may be during an undisturbed lunch break. It may be when the family has gone to bed.
JUST SET A TIME – THEN STICK TO IT!
HOW SHOULD I SPEND TIME WITH GOD?
Now that you have set aside a definite time for spending time with God, remember that good habits are hard to form. Ask the Lord to help you keep this vital appointment. If you fail, don't quit — there's always the next day to begin again.
A. Divide your time roughly into thirds.
1/3 — for Bible reading
1/3 — for thinking about what God has said (meditation)
1/3 — for prayer
This time, approximately 20 minutes, must be deliberately reserved, conscientiously kept, and valiantly defended against the attacks of the Devil.
B. Make Habakkuk 2:1 your motto! “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.”
SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN STUDING THE BIBLE.
The basic message of the Bible is simple enough for a child to understand. The Scriptures introduce us to God, tell us about creation, and set forth our primary need – that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. It answers the three great questions of life: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?
The Word of God is also deep and profound. It defines the nature and works of an infinite God. It deals with the great problems that have plagued mankind since the time of the fall. It provides both “milk” and “strong meat” in bringing the readers of it into spiritual maturity. I would like to give you several simple suggestions for profitable Bible study. They are:
A. Keep It Practical. Do not allow your study of the Bible to become a mere intellectual exercise. Every Scripture has one primary interpretation, but many applications.
Look For The Primary Meaning of The Passage.
Look For The Life Application of The Verse For Your Life.
Ask Yourself What The Word Is Saying To You.
WARNING: As you do this exercise the Holy Spirit may rebuke you for some sin in your life. You may be challenged to make a greater commitment of your life to God. You may receive valuable information to help you through a crisis of life. You may be moved to render thanks giving and praise to God for His excellent mercies, grace and benefits in your life.
B. Keep It Scriptural. This may sound strange, but it’s sensible. One of the most important rules of Bible study is to compare Scripture with Scripture. Someone has said, “Scripture is its own best interpreter.” One way of doing this is to follow the marginal references in a good study Bible. Another way of doing this is by defining words, terms and phrases. One more way is to use a Bible concordance to follow a words usage.
C. Keep It Personal. I don’t mean for you to keep it to yourself. Always look for Christ in the Scriptures; He¹s the central theme.
John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
Luke 24:27 “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Learn to see the message of Christ as God’s message for you.
1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
D. Begin with a short prayer, asking the Lord to teach you. Look up and write out Psalm 119:18. _____________________________________________
E. Remember God means what He says and says what He means. Take every word in its primary, literal meaning — unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. “When the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense, or it all becomes nonsense.”
F. While the entire Bible was written for you, it was not all written to you, nor was it all written about you. To help you understand a passage ask these 4 questions:
Who is speaking?
Who is being spoken to?
What is being spoken about?
When was he speaking?
D. Have a definite Bible reading schedule. If you don't, your Bible reading will become hit and miss — and so will your Christian life.
E. Keep a notebook to write down truths, insights, and questions.
F. Mark your Bible. Underline key verses. Write down other references in the margins. (If you do not wish to do this in your best Bible, purchase a cheaper one for study purposes.)
G. Treat the Bible as a personal letter from God. Read it ardently and expectantly — as a lover reads a love letter. Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
H. Scripture always interprets Scripture. 2 Peter 1:20 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” Always interpret an obscure passage in the light of a clear passage.
I. You MUST resolve to obey the Word of God as you read it and study it. John 15:14 “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”
J. When you cannot understand a Scripture, remember you have a pastor who cares for you, and who delights in teaching the Word of God. Call him, listen to him, and then check the Scriptures to see if what he says is so.
SOME IMPORTANT THOUGHTS ON PRAYER.
In your daily quiet time with the Lord, you will want to pray. A full lesson on prayer will be presented later, but let’s take a brief look a prayer now.
A. What Is Prayer? Look up Matthew 6:5-7. In your own words, tell what prayer is not. Prayer is not __________________. Look up Matthew 7:7a. The word “pray” means “to _________.” Prayer is the cry of a Christian unto God, the request of a child to his or her Father.
B. To Whom Do We Pray? Look up John 15:16f; John 16:23c; and Luke 11:2. To whom should we address our prayers? __________________ Note: Nowhere does the Bible teach us to repeat Luke 11:2-4. It is not the Lord's Prayer. (He never prayed it — it is a “model” prayer.)
C. In Whose Name Do We Pray? Look up John 14:14 and John 16:24. We pray in the Name of __________________
D. What Are Some of The Things We May Ask For? Look up the following verses and write out your answer.
Matthew 6:11 _________________________________________
James 1:5 ____________________________________________
2 Thessalonians 3:1 __________________________________
Acts 4:29 ____________________________________________
Psalm 34:4 ___________________________________________
Psalm 119:18 _________________________________________
Psalm 119:133 ________________________________________
There are many other things we can pray for; the above are some examples. As a general rule: Begin your prayer by thanking God for blessings. In the middle, pray for others and their needs. At the end, pray for yourself and your needs.
E. Keep An On-Going Prayer Journal.
Keep a prayer list with your Bible. On it write down any definite requests you have — special family needs, church needs, and the special requests other Christians may share with you.
Don't forget to write down the answers as they come.