What next? Ideas on what to ‘do’ during time with God:

Now that you’ve setup a time with God . . . the next logical question is:

What to do during ‘time with God?”

For me this changes — a lot. Why? Because just like any other relationship my time with God is organic, changing, growing and varying.

Some of the things I’ve done are as follows (these were discussed in a prior post, so I’m linking to it instead of rewriting all that material):

• Incorporate Music
• Pick and use a Bible Reading Plan:
• Use Devotional Books
• Journaling

Some additional items to consider are as follows:

Incorporate Prayer and Bible Reading:

I used to think about “Prayer Time” and “Bible Reading” as separate items — like Oil and Water, they didn’t mix much in my life. But, when I started to blend the two items, it was very powerful for my growth.

I might start by praying before my Bible Reading to ask God to prepare my heart for whatever message he has for me.

Then, through the reading, I would stop and respond to whatever God was saying to me.

• If I feel convicted, I pray immediately for forgiveness, cleansing and the power to overcome whatever it is I’m dealing with.
• If I read about traits in a Bible Hero that I want more of in my life (such as Joseph, Daniel, etc.). I’ll stop and pray to ask God to help grow that fruit in my life.
• If I read about weaknesses that I also see in myself, I’ll pray about that.
• If I’m reminded about something I’m grateful to God for, I’ll stop and tell Him about it.
• If a verse makes me think about something else to pray about, I’ll pray about that too.

You see, it becomes a conversation with God (in the present) — not a long distance relationship. Before it was more like God and I were letter writers — I’d send off a letter of prayer and then read His letters (the Bible) in return.

Reading and Listening to the Bible:

I’ve noticed times in my life where I can’t seem to settle my mind when Bible reading, so I’ve had some success with both listening and reading the Bible. That way multiple senses are focused in on the message.

My two favorites are:

• The Word of Promise: Complete Audio Bible (NKJV)
• The Listener’s Audio Bible NIV

My Husband’s favorite is the old classic: Alexander Scourby Audio Bible (KJV)

There are many others now too, so I’d consider getting a good audio Bible to use or listen to the versions available at YouVersion.

Use a Verse Jar:

This is a little like Bible Roulette or Verse-O-Matic, but I like it — a lot! I make a jar filled with lots and lots of my favorite verses (they are printed business card sized). Then I randomly pick one, read it and  let it speak to me.

Sometimes I’ll:

• explore that verse and section in the Bible.
• pick another, then another, then another card and read / reflect on the verses
• try to work on memorizing the verse and then meditate on how God would like to apply this to my life. I’ll ask Him: “Hey, How do you want to apply this to my life?”
• journal about whatever comes to mind related to the verse, maybe my paraphrase, maybe an application to my life, maybe random stuff I need to discuss with God, worries or problems brought up by the verse.

(If you don’t want to make your own verse cards, these Beth Moore cards, which I also have would make a great Verse Jar filler: )

Listen to a Sermon Online as a starting place for reflection: 

I’ll listen to a sermon, read the associated verses (and sometimes the included notes / information) and allow the message to penetrate my soul. Often some of the most powerful prayer times / conviction comes after listening to a sermon or series online.

Establish a “Deliberate Time with God”

©2012 - scottschwertly

The starting place to growing closer to God that we are all told about is: You need to have a daily “quiet time” / “devotional time” /  ”time with God”.

We should each begin to have God incorporated more in our day-to-day lives, which is one of the next areas I will be focusing on. So, I’ll instead call this “Deliberate Time with God”. Which is a fancy way of saying, setting aside some extended time for Spiritual Disciplines.

I always understood the need to spend time with God, but what I struggled with is what does the ‘doing’ look-like. Nobody gave me a plan or ideas on how they spend the ‘quiet time’ except read the Bible and Pray. Which, of course is critical, but not enough of an explanation to be helpful to me as a new Christian.

So, let’s start with our motivation for spending deliberate time with God. What will you gain out of it? Since, most of our generation is short on time, asking: “Is there any personal gain to this practice?” is a legitimate question. I say “YES!” If you do it only because in the smallest way you hope that — just maybe — this could positively impact your life; that’s enough of a seed of faith that God can use for miraculous changes. If you give it a shot, I think you’ll be amazed at how God can use this time to make significant changes in your life (from your attitude to understanding of what matters most in life). I’d be *shocked* if it didn’t make some positive impact in about 40 days time (or less).

It seems silly to spend time with ‘someone’ without knowing who “He” is, so start there:

Who is God? Jesus? the “Spirit”?

Get to know who God is:

As I’ve gotten to see God work and move in powerful ways it’s allowed me to personally get to know who He is. I see Him in an extremely holy and reverent way, but also as a friend. It’s a paradox for sure. Over time I’ve gotten to see how his “rules” are truly out of love and create proper boundaries for my life. He’s also a loving Father too: someone whose much older and wiser, who adores me and wants the best path for my life. But, He’s more than a best friend, more than a father, more indescribable, yet more frightening too. I’ve grown at times where I can’t wait to spend time with Him and want to talk about life. Yet, other times I’m avoiding Him, because I’ve let an area or two go adrift in my life — and I know it, but don’t want to face it, yet!

If that sounds like someone you’d like to know better, then here’s some tips to go about it:

• Select a time of day and protect it as your appointment time with God.
• Have a back-up strategy for busy days.

For me, I’ve picked first thing in the morning, because it helps set the tone for the rest of my day. But, there are days where I might not have been able to sleep or for whatever reason got up late, on those days I use my lunch hour or right after work (before dinner). Having a back-up plan makes it so I’m less likely to miss the time together.

Review: Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas

Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas (ISBN: 978-0-310-29081-0)

I had the privilege of getting a review copy of Gary Thomas’ latest book Every Body Matters. I was eager to read this book, since Thomas is the author of one of my all-time favorite books “Sacred Pathways”.

Since, 66% of the US population is overweight (and many more struggle without being overweight), this is a very timely message that needs to be discussed. The very real battle in maintaining our temples has profound spiritual implications. This book in many ways is the start of a conversation, asking “Have you considered the spiritual impact of your diet / fitness habits? “Are you engaged in the battle to present your best self to be used by God?” “Do you believe that God desires to use you for noble purposes?” “Where should health / fitness be on our priority list?” As Christians, we should wrestle with how the answers to these questions should impact our daily routines / habits.

Mr. Thomas passion for this topic is penetrating, it practically jumps off the page screaming “Please Listen — your temple matters, start the journey, begin to fight, don’t give up, God wants to use you!” This is not the kind of book you should just read, nod your head in agreement and go on with your day. No, it’s a book that asks you to wrestle with the topic and start fighting the battle on a daily moment-by-moment basis. God’s spirit can use this message to encourage, convict and empower the reader.

I got a lot out of this book, both in encouragement and motivation to continue on my life journey closer to Christ. I thought the most important starting place is asking ourselves:
Do I believe God when he says he has a plan for my life? Do I believe He wants to use me for noble purposes? What is my part in making myself a more usable instrument? Our temple is a great starting place to show that we are faithful stewards of our lives (body, mind and spirit).

Thomas talks about this point on pg. 20 saying:

Christians who don’t take their health seriously don’t take their mission seriously. What we’re saying by our action is, “My life doesn’t really matter.” But because of the ability of God to work powerfully in any repentant sinner’s life, every body does matter.

There were many good points and takeaways that can be directly applied to ones life, such as:

Gain a future mindset: (Pg. 96)

Bad habits provide instantaneous gratification vs’ the slow reward of good habits. This is the challenge that this battle is fought in the moment, but the rewards (weight loss, energy, clarity of mind, spiritual depth) may not be observed for many months later. That’s a lot of fighting, stress, battle when the reward for giving in to temptation is immediate. So, we have to focus our minds on the hope of the future reward.

Take advantage of positive momentum in building new habits: (pg.162)

Most of us when attempting to wrestle with our health struggles — try for a couple weeks with new healthy habits (perhaps as part of a new years resolution) and then give up accepting the fight can’t be won. However, if we had just persevered for a few more days or weeks to make the 3 or so week threshold the fight will get easier. Positive momentum will begin to build as the new behaviors are no longer struggles but habits on auto-pilot. The battle is not over, but is considerably lessened.

Create Boundaries around New Habits: (Pg. 162)

Don’t go more than two days slipping into old behaviors (skipping exercise, overeating, excess snacking, etc.) or you will be on the road to making them daily habits. The longer you slip into old patterns the harder it is again to break free.

Begin the Process of “Sin Killing”: (pg. 178-180) (I thought this was very helpful regardless of what the sin is. ).

Taste the Bitterness of Sin
- Think and feel the remorse, shame, pain and bitter ugliness of sin.

Examine the Deceit behind sin
– Ask yourself the question: What is the lasting value in Sin? We are deceived into believing that the instantaneous gratification is better than the lasting value of obedience.

Consider the circumstances of your sin?
- What scenario makes it more likely that you’ll be weak / vulnerable to a particular sin? Is it how you feel? Your circumstances? Time of the day? Then become prepared for this inevitable battle, before it defeats you — again!

Use the exposure that sin provides to gain a more accurate view of the conditioning of your soul
- Gain an accurate assessment of yourself based on the sinful behavior to fully recognize how contrary it is to what God wants for us.

Consider the strength of your sin
- Did this sin occur in a rare weak moment or are you out of control in this area (and risk being destroyed by it)? If this is a very strong sin in your life seek help to make the chance for freedom greater.

Find a Holy Substitute
- Replace the sin with a positive alternative. Being prepared with an alternative activity, food or approach will make winning the battle easier.

Fortify your soul
- Adopt habits that will nurture your soul, such as spiritual disciplines, meditating on scripture, listening to sermons, reading books, etc. Create a “spiritual workout” for your soul.

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I ended up with many quotes and tips captured in my notes from the book; I think this book makes a great reference on the topic of our “temple”. Some of the takeaways for me were simple actions, like memorizing 2 Timothy 2:20-21 and 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to adding in new boundaries in my life through the “Sin Killing” process, such as: I won’t use the internet until I’ve completed my Bible Study and Exercise for the day, since I could see that was an area I could waste time in instead of using my time more wisely. I also have been careful not to miss more than 2 days in a row in my new habits, because I can see more clearly how that creates a trend of bad habits.

If you read this book and are willing to make an honest assessment of your life, I think you too will find it has many practical applications that will prove to be life changing.

Create a devotional plan:

©2011 - The Journey Guy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/journeyguy/)

Now that you’ve decided on a time and place, you’ll need to put together some thoughts on what you will do during your time with God. Time with God should be some-what organic and constantly change and shift as you grow in your relationship with Him.

Some things to think about:

How to transition into devotional time:

Often going from waking up or the hustle of daily life to quieting ones mind takes a strategy. Below are some things I’ve found helpful to make this transition from a chaotic mind to quiet and ready to hear from God.

Music

This is as simple as picking a favorite praise songs that help to slow you down and begin the transition to quieting the mind, body and spirit.  I create a playlist on my ipod just for devotional songs.

Some of my favorites are:

Chris Rice – Hymn Project or The Living Room Sessions

Ginny Owens – Say Amen or my personal favorite: Be Still My Soul

Bible Reading Plans

A structured Bible reading plan helps with consistency and knowing what to read. I’ve used a variety of different ones over the years, such as:

The One Year Bible (NIV)

A Chronological Daily Bible (NIV):

But, Nowadays I use the YouVersion Bible Reading Plans: Currently for 2012 I’m doing: Project 345 Plus

Devotional Books:

I like using devotional books and have a large assortment that I’ve used at different times in my life. Like music they provide a transition and a spiritual thought to start my devotional time.

An easy option is simply – Our Daily Bread

Other favorites of mine are:

One Year Book of Hymns

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life

The Complete Personalized Promise Bible

Quiet Time Notebook:

Sometimes starting out with a devotional / quiet time is tricky to know what to do — Catherine Martin has a very great quiet time resource: The Quiet Time Notebook

I’ve always developed my own quiet time process, but this year decided to give Catherine Martin’s notebook a try. I bought it many years ago and just never used it. I like the structure of it and she’s like a friend whispering encouragement and helpful thoughts throughout the notebook. I think this is a nice resource for people just starting out in quiet time or someone like me who has had a regular time with God for many years, but wanted to get new ideas and a fresh perspective from someone else.

Journal

I’m a natural journal writer and love how writing slows my mind and allows me to listen to the rhythm of my heart. It also allows me to see what God has been teaching me and be nourished through his continued working in my life. The majority of great men and women of the faith are journal writers, because it is a powerful tool for continued growth in Christ. When I go through a spiritual drought the journals from my journey nourish and refresh me to keep journeying deeper with Christ.

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Book Review: Take Action Bible

The “Take Action Bible” has the following features:

• NKJV Bible
• Paperback binding
• 48 full-color pages
• 15 real-life stories with ideas on how to put your faith in action.
• 52 Take Action ideas (located in list form at the end of the book).

The Bible quality is such that it would be more of a gift Bible or a travel Bible (where the user doesn’t want their daily Bible to get wear and tear). I would not use it everyday, because it is awkward to page through, since the color pages are thicker and a much different paper quality than the Bible pages. The Take Action notes are on the color pages. In some ways, I’d prefer this be a small pamphlet with 48 pages of Take Action tips to go along with my preferred Bible than incorporated within the Bible itself. The Take Action portion is a short story with a thought or principle passed on. I had hoped the devotional / take action portion would be incorporated more as a devotional or pinpoints verses that detail scripture related to Taking Action. Instead it was like two items placed together, but not truly incorporated into one seamless package.

Book Review: Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate

Jesus was a wonderful story teller, because stories have powerful ways of reaching the heart and planting truths that facts and figures alone could never impart. Inspirational Fiction is a nice way to add spice to your Spiritual Life through Stories.

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This book is about new beginning and adapting to change.

I enjoyed the unique story telling approach of having two first-person accounts. It allowed the reader to understand the various complexities of both characters and their personalities.

I enjoyed the ride through the rough and tumble back roads of Moses Lake with a romantic undertow. Although the plot around the romance is not a surprise, it didn’t need to be a mystery to be an enjoyable read.

The book is full of enjoyable characters with complexity and depth for only briefly introducing each of them.

The only thing I felt disappointed with was the ending, it felt too short and compared to the rest of the book left me wanting. Or maybe it was just that I didn’t want the book to end.

I hope they are considering making the book into a series, because there are clearly many more stories to tell around Moses Lake.  I also would like more information included (in the next book, perhaps) about Andrea’s husband and if there could be a redemptive turn for him.

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I received a review copy from the publishers, Bethany House. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Book Review: Max on Life by Max Lucado

This book is a Q&A book on the many different types of questions that Max has been asked over the years.

This is typical Max Lucado style, which is as if he’s talking to a friend. It’s a little folksy, but that’s what I think is so appealing about him. The answers are often intertwined with a story to make the point more clearly understandable.

To the questions: there is a wide range of topics in 7 categories all starting with H (he’s obviously got the Pastor alliteration gift down ) Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Have/Have-Nots and Hereafter.

There is a nice index to the book both by topic and by scripture index.

I noticed sometimes the questions seem to be very similar, but are covering different nuances of a topic. For example (this is my quick summary of the questions, the actual questions are much more detailed): 13 – How to forgive myself, 14 – How to get over fear that God might not forgive me, 15 – What to do when doubting forgiveness, etc.

Occasionally, the answer leaned on Christian platitudes and didn’t quite seem complete to me.

All-in-all I think this book would have a wide appeal, since it covers questions that we’ve all asked from time-to-time. Also, it’s helpful to have a thoughtful answer to give to others who are questioning or hurting. It’s a good reference book.

This would make a nice devotional as well, since it covers a wide variety of topics and gives insightful answers from Max that draw the reader to want to know God more.

Prayer Ideas:

©2011 - C Jill Reed

I had the following information in my “Prayer” file, which gives ideas on what a Christian can pray about related to growing closer to God. I don’t know who put together the list, if anyone does, let me know and I’ll add the appropriate credits.

Pray for a spirit of:

• Reverence - The fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10
• Humility - The willingness to submit. James 4:10
• Purity - A desire to be clean. Matthew 5:8
• Purpose - The wisdom to set goals. Proverbs 4:25
• Simplicity - A life-style uncluttered. Romans 12:8
• Commitment - A dedication to the “cause”. Joshua 24:15
• Diligence - A willingness to work hard. 2 Peter 1:5
• Servanthood - The ministry of “helps”. Galatians 6:9-10
• Consistency - The quality of faithfulness. James 1:8
• Assurance - A depth of faith. Hebrews 10:22
• Availability - A willingness to go. Isaiah 6:8
• Loyalty - A zeal for fidelity. Ruth 1:16
• Sensitivity - Openness of heart. Luke 10:30-37
• Compassion – Love in action. Mark 8:1-2
• Tenderness - A willingness to weep. 2 Kings 22:19
• Maturity - The capacity to grow. Hebrews 5:12-14
• Holiness - Christ-like behavior. 1 Peter 1:16
• Reliability - A depth of dependability. 1 Corinthians 4:2
• Revelation - Learning to listen. Ephesians 1:15, 18
• Confidence - A baptism of boldness. Philippians 4:13
• Integrity - A quality of truthfulness. Romans 12:17
• Repentance - A willingness to change. Luke 3:8
• Trust - A fearless reliance. Psalm 125:1
• Teachability - A quality of meekness. Titus 3:2
• Unity - A respect for others. 1 Corinthians 1:10
• Generosity - The desire to give. Matthew 10:8

Book Review: 31 Days of Drawing Near to God by Ruth Myers

31 Days of Drawing Near to God by Ruth Meyers:

ISBN: 978-0-307-72944-6

©1999 – Multnomah Books

(Previously released as “The Satisfied Heart“)

This is a timeless devotional destined to be a classic for women. Ruth Myers’ writing exhibits a great passion for the Lord that leaps off the page. I felt my own hunger and longing for more of God, stirred up within the depths of my soul.

The book is targeted toward a Christian who needs a fresh touch in their relationship with Christ — to grow more deeply in Love with Him in their personal walk. It’s not an evangelistic book with a Gospel presentation. The book includes both a devotional and Ruth’s story of joy and heartache while continually turning back to the only source of true peace and contentment: God’s Love.

The main theme of this book is learning to know God more passionately by resting in His love and delight. Often when we think of drawing near to God, it seems like we have to do some work or task in order to get closer to Him. Yet, in reality, if we could just accept His Love and allow it to fill our Spirit, we would gain the intimacy and closeness we desire. This concept is showcased in many different forms and ways throughout the story to get this most important truth — Rest in God’s Love — in our heart and psyche.

Ruth highlights one of the things I love most about the Bible; as we read it and  it speaks more and more in our lives, it’s not just God’s story, but our story as well. His Word becomes the backdrop of the tapestry of our life. Throughout the book, Ruth combines God’s work in her life with a verse that spoke to her during that season or is related to the lesson to be learned.

Bible Verses, inspiring and thoughtful quotes and example prayers are the seasoning of the book that truly gives it flavor and the ability to satisfy. It’s so important to  gain a new insight and love for God’s Word in order to grow closer to Him. Ruth sees the Bible as the Love Story and Guide Book that it truly is.

The following prayer, which is on page 36 of the book, represent how I felt after reading the book:

Dear Lord, I thank You that I am Yours, that You know me through and through, and that it’s no accident You’ve led me to this book.

Father, I’ve tasted Your love, and I long to experience more deeply how You really feel about me. I long to know in my daily life the intense reality and great wonder of Your boundless love, which You so freely bestow on those who seek You.

Help me turn away from my misconceptions of Your love and from being casual or indifferent toward You. Help me to turn from hectic, frantic activity that often makes even my time with You so hurried. I ask that through Your Word You will speak to me of Your perfect love in powerful, life-changing ways.

I pray in Jesus’ name . . .

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I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I had never read a Ruth Myers book prior to requesting this book (or even heard of her). I was in a season of spiritual drought, so the title lept at me as being a most necessary touch of refreshment — and it left me most satisfied.

I wanted to know more about Ruth Myers and her life. I found out she had recently passed away (11/8/2010). The following article from The Navigators is a nice memorial with pictures of her life and an overview of her work for the Lord. It’s touching to know that her inspired writing has a legacy beyond her life and still is able to touch and encourage lives.

• Ruth Myers Enters into Never-ending Days of Praise, Navigators.org, 11/10/2010.

Below is another resource I found with free downloadable audio from Ruth Myers and a few PDFs:

• Discipleship Library: Ruth Myers

Book Review: Eat Your Peas Faithfully by Cheryl Karpen

Have you ever had that dear friend (or family member), who you wanted to let them know that they  mean the world to you . . . but, you just don’t know the words to say it?

That’s the purpose of this book. It combines a carefree way of delivering very important truths like:

• You matter to both me and God!
• I desire to completely know you and listen to you — and so does God!
• Have Faith — God has a wonderful plan for your life.
• You are a masterpiece of the living God — Special and Treasured!

Words of encouragement are written like a dance of letters across the page. Along with the scripture based thoughts and the corresponding Bible verses.

I love the story on the author page that describes how the book started; Cheryl Karpen (the author) had a dear young lady in her life that she wanted to encourage and let her know — you are really loved:  I want the best for you and I’m here for you. The reach of the book expanded from young adults to all ages, because everyone needs some encouragement and to know they are loved.

The subtext of “Eat Your Peas!” is because “They are good for you”. And like the nutrition of peas, this book does offer nutrition for the soul — If it is savored and accepted by the heart. Therefore, my recommendation is after reading through it once at a faster pace, next . . . read through it slow. This would be especially a nice practice at the beginning or ending of the day. Rest in the truths about who God is — and what he desires for you. Pray to grow in faith to believe these important truths.

The two main reasons to buy this book are as a gift to someone (the primary context for the book). Second to use for personal devotions and reflection.

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