How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time

Why is it so important for Christians to have a quiet time. Listen to Adrian Rogers.

Christianity is a law relationship you cannot love someone that you do not know and you cannot know someone that you don't spend quality time with no him is to love him. The love him is to trust the trust him is to obey mental mayhem is to be last. Welcome to the world as we just heard from pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers to become more like Christ. It is crucial to spend quality time with God and in his word. You begin your day with a meaningful quiet time when you read God's Word, the Bible does speak to you new and fresh ways. Pastor Rogers explains the mark of your prayer life is not how well you pray in public but in private. Your father who sees you in secret will reward you openly.

If you have your Bible find Psalm 119 and look at verse 97 is Adrian Rogers reveals how to have a meaningful quiet time with God's word in five ways. Psalm 119. I will begin reading in verse 97. All how to live. I long. It is my meditation all the day bow through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies for the day. That is my enemies are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers like testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the ancients because I keep thy precepts.

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep by word. I have not departed for my judgment. This for about hast taught me how sweet are thy words and my taste sweeter than honey to my mouth through thy precepts. I did understand me. Therefore I every false way. Christianity is not a legal relationship is a love relationship you need to spend time with Jesus Christ. Christianity is a love relationship, and it begins with a quality quiet time, a daily communication with the Lord.

First of all, you must have a proper. The that is the right time. When should you have your quiet time. Here are two keys number one, it should be the very best time and number two it should be early in the day. I don't give the Lord the left give him the very best time and that best time should be sometime in the morning, ask God when that time is and don't try to find it make and you make it as a matter of priority buyers. The second thing, not only must you have the proper. But you must have the proper preparation and the three things that will prepare you for quiet time. Number one, you must be physically alert.

Find a time when the cobwebs out of your mind when you can think clearly when your juices are flowing in your body physically alert number two.

This is very important. You must be morally pure and clean that quiet time you want quiet time is quiet time is fellowship with a holy God.

The reason that some folks don't have a quiet time is they feel uncomfortable and the reason they feel uncomfortable is they don't want to look God in the face and the reason I don't want to look God in the face is the centerline. So what is the proper preparation you physically alert your morally pure you are.

Thirdly, mentally aware be tough-minded so I'm coming more and emotion that will have all that much to do with it is good to feel juicy when you private.

You don't have to pay as 1/3 thing. If you would have a good quiet time.

A meaningful quiet time. There must be the proper place. What is the proper place. Jesus said when you pray, enter into your closet and pray that he did not mean the" as you study the life of Jesus you find out that Jesus was not always in a literal closet which you will find out that Jesus would see be a low sometime to go out into the mountain. Sometimes he went into the wilderness sometimes see winter garden you see is the secret place that is the sacred place now when I say the secret place. I don't mean a place that no one else knows about.

I simply mean a place where you are there along with the Lord. My suggestion is that it be, well lighted and well ventilated Lord, saying, entity or closet and pray well number one what you are when your loan is really what you are the marketer paralyze not really how will you pray in public but in private. Your father who sees you in secret will reward you openly memorize one reason just to keep us from being hypocrites, but another reason to go to the secret places to avoid distractions visual distractions and noise as audible distractions and people who come in and so have the proper. In the morning when I direct my prayer today and will look up the proper preparation physically. Marley mentally be prepared to find a proper place get someplace that is the place that you're accustomed to going my place.

I'm blessed in the I have my study at my house and I love that is a blessing to me.

Most people don't have that I have met. I knew my work there when I'm there I I can go in my study, my book so that my desk is there.

I have my materials out there and that's a blessing meaning.

Granted, many people have a place like that. My wife has a place where she gets up and goes around is a hallway that connects our garage to our living room and we have some books out there is a look at their that's the place that she retires to the be alone with God.

It is her special place but fireplace pray and ask God to give you place it just might be your bedroom. It may be yellow children in the house.

You may have to go to bathroom and locked the door wet. Whatever but find a special place to get alone with God is the fourth thing.

Not only should there be a proper place which you need to have the proper provisions you need to have the right tools and these are going to include the first of all, a readable Bible. Now don't get a small print Bible invest in the Bible.

A good Bible with good paren and wide margins and good paper. Something that you can write in and make notes in and don't be afraid to write in your Bible and make notes in the Bible where it out and get another one but also little away, save it and keep it and look back on it sometime be like an old friend to you. To me it would be almost unthinkable to think that I would read without pain in my hand, almost unthinkable. I mean, I instinctively when I reached the Bible reach with NY expect God to give you something is fast.

I got a good memory. I'll remember you getting I have a fair memory, but I want to tell you folks that it is better to write it down and impresses it in your mind and the weakest think is better than the best memory right now in your journal.

Expect God to give you something.

Not only should you have a journal where you keep thoughts, but you need a companion which is a prayer journal and then 1/3 thing that you need. This doesn't need to be a piece that you keep all the time to just keep a little notepad there to write down things that you need to do during the day yesterday, reassignment, and those things will come to your mind as you prayer come your mind before you pray so you can pray for what you're doing when you come to the prayer time is reporting for duty and asking God to show you what I want you to do that particular day and also pleading for power to do what he wants you to do so. There the proper provisions the Bible.

The devotional Journal, the prayer journal and a note reminder of things to do.

This is your quiet time.

Do not even hear preparing the Sunday school lesson.

You're not here preparing a sermon per se. You just here to meet with the Lord will now number five a proper procedure.

What is the proper procedure and you walking in the place it's your best time you are physically alert your morally pure. You're mentally aware come you shut out distractions you in there with God, you're ready I know what you do.

What procedure do you take not recommended. The very first thing you do is just to get still and get quiet. No Bible says be still and know that I'm the Lord just fix and focus your mind on him, calm down, relax, recognize his presence.

Be still and know that I am God. If you think about what's happening you are having a private interview with the Lord Jesus Christ.

You need to think about that. Let your mind dwell on the fact that Jesus is there with you mean to me alone with the Lord Jesus Christ to sup with him, and he with me.

That's what he is inviting us to do and we need to fix our minds and and focus our minds only get friendly Lord Jesus at all.

I am with you all way even to the in of the world. So number one just get quiet day getting a breath, focus your thoughts on the Lord now next get into the word of God.

It's better to start reading the Bible into starting prayer. Don't pray first and then read the word read the word first and then pray is more important for you to hear from God. Even then, for God to hear from you because God already knows all about you, but you need to know a lot more about him so so you start. First of all, reading the word of God that will tune your heart and get your heart ready to pray. You hear God and then talk to God in prayer. Quiet time is a time alone with God. When you hear from God, and God hears from you now when you read the Bible read for quality and not quantity. Don't see how much of the Bible you can read now a lot of people have a gold read the Bible through the year, read the Bible through in six months that's on the phone bill that that is not your quiet time. I mean if you are not careful you be pushing ahead when you ought not to be pushing ahead. Sometimes you might spend the morning holding one of verse, stop and think is your reading word of God and what isn't God telling me, not what is this saying of course, it says something. Of course, is the word of God what is God saying to me. To me, not what is God want me to tell somebody know what her teachers on is what isn't God saying to me, so read it very thoughtfully about course read the Bible like you would read any other book in one sense of the word. You don't just pick up a book and just open it up at random and start reading in the middle of a paragraph and then say will this book that makes sense to me as well. People read the Bible, just, lucky bit. No read sequentially and read it in paragraphs or units use some common sense when you read the Bible and keep your Bible reading balanced read from the Old Testament and read from the New Testament read regularly from the Psalms, because when you read the Psalms you will learn to worship and you get encouragement read regularly from the book of Proverbs, because from the book of Proverbs, you get wisdom and then reading balanced reading in the rest of the Bible. Now, what about having devotional books devotional books are wonderful, but even now, this is not the place for this. This is a place where you just open the Bible and read intelligently sequentially with an open mind, a readable Bible to let God speak to you by so did quiet focus your mind on the Lord began to read the word of God and then meditate on meditate on. Think about I don't mean the mystical meditation. Those people assume that the answers within them, but the answer is not you focus on the word of God and you meditate on the word of God and and let the word of God permeate you just think about it, meditate on that I've given you many times these questions to ask is you meditate on the word of God and if your teacher or preacher or anybody else in your trying to get up a sermon. Are you just simply our lesson are you want a blessing on the word of God you asked these questions with a clean heart.

The Bible burst of flame. Here they are jotting down number one is there a command to old Bay number two.

Is there a promise to claim number three is there a sin to avoid for. Is there a lesson to learn by is there a new proof.

The guy with me. I just simply take those questions. There may be others.

I used to have those questions recorded in the flyleaf of the Bible and I will refer to them often is amazing.

Let me give intrigue in case you did not get them all. Is there a command to obey a promise to claim a sin to avoid a lesson to learn a new truth to carry with me.

So prepare your heart, get into the word of God meditate on the word of God and then record what God is giving you. This is where the prayer journal comes in right now it doesn't have to be flowery you not writing it for publication.

You not writing it to impress other people make it intensely personal, but once you do this you find yourself sharing it with other people.

I mean you will when you do this you will be wanting to share the nuggets that God has given you not make you a blessing to be around you will have a wealth of material for lessons and emotions, though that is not even your part in doing at the same time take that notepad and write down the things that you need to do action points this is the one that may be just for the day. Obligations and goals and decisions that come out of that time.

Now you're ready to pray, pray, and and when you pray just soul the natural don't try to use flowery language when you pray, Jesus said don't use vain repetitions you not heard from you much speaking. Be honest with God telling how you feel. He already knows telling be honest, this is a time from time to time, you referred your prayer journal continuing burdens in prayer people that you praying for answers to prayer.

Pray out loud, pray audibly if you just try to pray silently, and you have to pray silently.

Sometimes if you are in a crowd, but when you're alone, pray why it keeps your mind own try.

It enables you to stay focused.

Try to make complete sentences. Try to use good English when you break a medal by King James English. I'm just simply saying that you're speaking to God.

Speak clearly, speak plainly think about what you are saying when you pray, and all Russia prayer we don't brought out I mean when you finish, pray, as always, you have a concern on your heart.

Don't just keep repeating things like you can impress God with a number words that you say, what about when you pray in your mind wanders while what two reasons. Number one, it may be an attack of the devil. If you sense is intact and the devil rebuked the devil, but number two it may be that something is coming. The archer pray over here which are real need in your real design your subconscious is like this is what I'm concerned about my meeting this afternoon. Your mind that how you deal with it.

Just leave this legal and pray about that that thing is because your mind wander when pray about.

Tell God about it. Talk to God about it when you're done with it but until you deal with it.

It will just keep coming back again have time where you tell God the concern of your heart, and they go back to the pray. Matthew done.

This began to share out of your quiet time with one another well to meet people and exhort one another. You see, God did not make us to be reservoirs. God made us to be conduits are and what we said number one gets to Illinois God member to get into the word of God number three meditate on the word of God and asked those questions number four. Write down what we learn then number 548 and the natural pray our hearts out to God. Number six share what we've learned and now listen old Bay what God tells you that's the seventh thing were talking now about this proper procedure old Bay trust and obey all there's no other way that your spiritual train is going to run into royalties.

One is revelation and the other is obedience revelation and obedience and of either rail stops your train stops learn to obey the word of God and that when you fail, confess, I say pastor if I began to do this. How soon will it be before I'll see a change in my life while I don't know.

You see some change. Ugly Broadway, but don't expect anything radical and dramatic, but if you get on a regimen of obeying the word of God getting into the word of God and feeding your soul. The change will not be spasmodic, and it may not be dramatic, but on the long run it will change you for eternity.

We need to have a quality quiet time. Father seal a message to our hearts and help us to learn their Lord, how to have a quality quiet time in Jesus wonderful name. Amen.

What an encouragement from God's holy word for us today. You know would love worth finding. It's one of our greatest owners to come alongside you, and pray with you, pray for you.

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Call us at 1877 love God and mention the title how to have a meaningful quiet time this message is also part of the powerful series cultivating a deeper faith how to strengthen your spiritual life for the complete collection, all six insightful messages go online to LWF.org/radio or call us at 1877 love God, to order, or you can write us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183 thanks for joining us for this profound and practical message is your quiet time with God meaningful if you properly prepared and set yourself up for a fruitful time with God each day.

Consider these steps today and talk to God and be sure to tune in next time for more timeless truths from God will listen in Florida reached out to us with these thoughtful words recently. She said I enjoy your programs and encouraging words of God as pastor Adrian preaches from God's holy Bible. Thank you and know you will be rewarded by God himself. One day in heaven as he thanks again for doing God's work, you know, we are blessed to be able to share these timeless messages from Adrian Rogers and we are only able to do that because of the generosity of listeners who get involved this month as a thank you for your generous gift. We want to send you our walk by faith, booklet collection, this bundle includes powerful messages from Adrian Rogers such as live like a king in victory, making dreams come true in the golden key faith request the walk by faith, booklet collection when you call the gift of 1877 love God, forgive online it LWF.org/radio