Getting Back on Track – The Spiritual life ( Part 1)

Even though Christmas is a “Spiritual” holiday, it seems that most of us end up so busy with the celebrations that we put our spiritual lives on the back burner. Sound familiar?  If you haven’t yet done it for 2012, I want to encourage you to get back on track in your walk with the Lord and to “fan into flame the spiritual gift God gave you” (2 Tim. 1:6). 

One way we do that is to make a consistent habit of meeting with and fellowshipping with the Lord on a daily basis.  When we come to Him as we begin each day, He will give us what we need to get going in His strength. If you have just 10-15 minutes to invest in improving your life each day, spending it with Jesus will reap eternal rewards. 

The following is a post I wrote several years ago, and on busy mornings, it is exactly what I do in my time with the Lord.  For me, because of the call God has placed upon my life, getting back on track spiritually also involves getting back to scripture memory and deeper digging in the Word.  I’m a firm believer that if you just have a few minutes to spare, you can’t go wrong by using it to read the Word of God.  You can pray as you go about your day.  God can hear from us all day long, but we need to be in His Word to know His voice, and to hear from Him. 

If you haven’t established a habit of having a daily quiet time yet, I pray that the Lord will use this idea below to fan into flame the gift {of intimate relationship with Jesus} that God has given to you. 

Do you want to spend some time with Jesus, but you’re not sure how to do it or where to start? An intimate fellowship with The Lord, time in His Word, soaking in what He has to say to you and responding to Him as if you are “best friends” is offered to each one of us. We just have to take the time to invest in our relationship with The Lord.

Like building any friendship, it takes an investment of time, energy, and purpose. But friends, it is SO worth it!

If you’re wondering where you’ll get any extra minutes in your day, let me ask you this: Do you use your snooze alarm?  If so… there’s your answer!  😉 My personal philosophy is that if I have time to snooze in the mornings, I could invest those 10 minutes in Jesus and be more rested than if I had slept a few extra minutes. If you’ll set your alarm back just 10 minutes earlier, and get up when it goes off, you can start your day filled and refreshed – rather than tired and cranky. I promise. You can never out-give God. You give Him those precious 10 minutes, and see just what He gives you in return: strength, encouragement, hope, a plan for your day, inspiration, peace… to name a few.

{Soon, you’ll find that 10 minutes just isn’t enough, and you’ll see such a “return” on your investment, that you’ll be craving more and more time with Him.}

Need a Jump Start? Here is a plan for 10 Precious Minutes with the Lord.
Have these items handy:

A Bible (easy to read and understand version – I LOVE the Amplified, Holeman Christan Standard, Message, NIV, and the New Living Translation)

Paper – I use a spiral notebook or several sheets of notebook paper folded up in my Bible for these moments with God.

A Pen or Pencil (highlighter optional)

Here’s the plan:

1 minute – Submit yourself to the Lord. Bow yourself to Him, acknowledging Him as your King and Authority over you. Give yourself and your day to Him. Ask Him to speak to you.

1 minute – Praise God for three of His Characteristics and Thank God for three ways He’s blessed you. Quickly write the date and record these on your paper.

1 minute – Ask God to create in you a clean heart (Ps. 51:10). As He reveals any unconfessed sin, repent of it lay it before Him. (Of course, this is more than a minute long process – it’s an every day, all day long process. This minute just opens the door for the Lord to speak to you throughout the day about your sin. As He convicts you of sinning, repent right then. Don’t wait until later. Confess it. Ask for forgiveness immediately, and stay clean throughout the day. It’s like washing your hands each time they get dirty, instead of waiting till the end of the day or the next morning. There are times we all need a long, deep spiritual cleansing, and I encourage you to set aside a special time with The Lord to do that.)

2 minutes – Ask God to fill you, cover you with His armor, shine through you, and speak to you.

“Fill me” – Colossians 2:10 says in the Jewish New Testament, “It is in union with Him that you have been made full.” Especially when we are rushed and stressed, we tend to run on empty. It is in union with Jesus – this time together with Him before anything else depletes us – that we are made and kept full.

“Cover me” – Using Ephesians 6:10-14, put on the armor God has provided for you to wear in Victory! You might want to list the armor pieces at the top of your notebook paper so you can quickly go through and picture each piece. I picture myself putting them on piece by peace, as I speak each piece aloud, thanking God for this awesome protection.

“Shine through me” – Pray that you will “Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

“Speak to me” – Pray Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things in Your Law.” and get ready for God to reveal Himself to you through His Word.

(Now, you’re about 5 minutes into the 10.)

3 minutes – Read God’s Word. Have a specific place in the Bible in mind, so you won’t waste your time randomly searching. I’m going through Psalms right now. Other wonderful books are Proverbs, John, James, Philippians… they are all so wonderful, it’s hard to choose one. But for this quick quiet time, I would encourage you to stick to one of the books mentioned above.

There is just something special about getting a Word from what I like to call “the raw Word of God”. I LOVE devotional books and Bible studies… and I encourage you to find time through out your day to add a Bible study or devotional book reading to your life. But if you truly have only 10 minutes, I encourage you to spend them in God’s Word first and add what someone else has written about God’s Word later. {If you have The Holy Spirit living within you, He will speak to you just as He speaks to those who write those devotions and Bible studies… That is…if you ask Him to…and if you then get in His Word. :-)}

What to do: Start at the beginning of the book/passages you are reading. Read for 3 minutes or until you have some type of “reaction” (Wow! or Oh, You are so Good, Lord! or I am so sorry! or I never thought of it like that before… or even, I don’t understand…) Stop reading at that point. You’ll pick up at this spot tomorrow and continue reading.

1 minute – On your paper, under your praise/thanks, write the reference for what you just read, then write your reaction. This makes Scripture come alive, because God has just spoken to you, revealing His Truth to you in some way, and in your reaction, you are responding to Him. It’s like you are writing to each other. This is so important, because as we get busy, we tend to forget the wonderful things The Lord revealed to us. Having them written down, gives us a reminder and a visible picture of God’s activity in our lives at the moment. These types of papers are a treasure to me.

1 minute – Pray these truths into your life. Ask God to help these truths be a reality in your own life.

The 10 minutes is over, but your fellowship with Jesus has just begun.

As you begin preparing for your day, continue to talk with Jesus about the day ahead, about your family, your concerns, your needs and those things/people heavy on your heart. You can even pray that these same truths you just heard from God in your time with Him would be found true in the lives of others. As you go about your day, drive to work with Him… fold the laundry with Him… acknowledge The Lord in your daily life … lingering in His presence as you would your best and dearest friend. The presence of God’s fellowship and the awareness of His personal involvement in your life will be a sweet blessing and reward for seeking Him!

No matter how busy the day ahead becomes, or what lies ahead, this 10 minutes with the Lord will help jump start your day with the breath of the Lord God Almighty propelling you forward in His strength, joy, and fellowship!

And if you want to really dig deep into God’s Word, check out this post from June 2011:
How to Study the Bible for yourself, by yourself (with the help of the Holy Spirit)