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| A simple quiet time strategy, just you, the Bible, and God… |
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New to “quiet times”? Wondering what older Christians mean when they talk about their “daily devotional time” with the Lord? Want to start reading God’s Word but not sure how? Or know someone else who is? Well, here is a simple “strategy” I picked up back in my youth group days that helped me get started having meaningful quiet times. I’ve used this to get my oldest daughter started doing quiet times by herself. I imagine this might be especially appealing to young people and newer Christians, however my devotions most days still include most of these basic elements, which might easily be remembered by the acronym “PREAPT”.
P = Pray … Always begin with prayer, asking the Lord to reveal Himself to you through His Word by the Holy Spirit. ........"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (John 16:13)
R = Read … Read the passage of scripture you’ve selected. There are different ways to select which scripture to read, both systematic and random, but that’s a topic for another blog. ........."All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16)
E = Examine … Spend some time examining the passage you’ve read. Meditate (think deeply) on the words. Examine your life as well, in light of the passage. What might the Lord be trying to tell you? (This tends to be deeply personal, possibly the longest part of your devotional time.) ............"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (Psalm 139:23)
A = Apply … Apply the message you’ve received from God’s Word to your life. Be as specific as you can. There is little chance that a time of scripture reading in the presence of the Father will yield nothing useful for your personal spiritual growth. ..........."Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17)
P = Pray … Again pray, this time thanking God for spending the time with you, and for giving you His precious Word. Ask Him to give you a sense of His presence all day, and to help you make application of His Word to your life a top priority. ............"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:9)
T = Tell … Tell someone about what the Lord gave you during your devotion. The Christian walk should never be a lonely walk. Share to encourage, share to invite another’s perspective, but just share! ..........."…that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." (Romans 11:12)
So there you have it, a simple tool to help you (or perhaps someone you know) get started with the daily practice of reading God’s Word on their own and enjoying the Father’s presence. As you continue to do this, you’ll likely feel led to change things up, since it’s difficult to force a relationship with a living Being into a fixed template. But hopefully you find this useful in getting you started.
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| To add a comment to "A simple quiet time strategy, just you, the Bible, and God…" |
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| July 09, 2007 |
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| Great advice for all those looking for ways to get started in quiet time. |
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| July 09, 2007 |
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| That's it bro....get em in the Word! |
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| July 09, 2007 |
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| Great advice!!! :) |
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| July 10, 2007 |
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| Great for all even one's who arleady do it.The PREAPT, LOVE IT. |
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| July 10, 2007 |
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| PREAPT!!!love it! |
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| July 10, 2007 |
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| Mike, thanks for this guidance. The Lord has really blessed you with a gift for dispensing knowledge. My daily devotions have been sporadic over the years until just recently. They are finally becoming a habit and one that I miss if something comes up and keeps me from it. I am going to apply your PREAPT method right away! |
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| July 10, 2007 |
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| Hi Kristie, thanks for the comment on PREAPT! I hope you'll let me know how it goes for you. That daily time with God in His Word is so important. btw, this was one of the few things from youth group that I never forgot. This and getting sick at Hershey Park, PA... Thanks for commenting Deb, Sue, Lora, Diana, and Angie!! My Em.. really likes PREAPT, it gives her the structure she craves (she's still at the "Daddy, how do I" stage). ~mike |
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| July 11, 2007 |
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| Very cool! |
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| July 11, 2007 |
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| this is good Mike. You remind me of my Sunday school teacher when I was a squirt. |
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| July 11, 2007 |
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| Thank you Mike. This is very timely. |
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| July 11, 2007 |
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| Nice Mike. I like the PREAPT concept. <>< |
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| July 17, 2007 |
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| i love it |
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| July 24, 2007 |
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Awesome Post. When you share what God has given you, definately there will be others built up by it. This post was timely for somebody trying to figure out a way to dive into a growing relationship with the Lord. Blessings, Onenine/ Honoray |
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| July 24, 2007 |
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| thanks Onenine! my old youth leaders would be so thrilled to see how much mileage their "PREAPT" strategy has gotten me over the years, and now that it's been put out on the web, oh man would they be thrilled! (except I haven't a clue where they are today - lol!) ...and Kaylin, thank you too, glad you liked it! ~mike |
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| July 24, 2007 |
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I know exactly where they are my friend. IN CHRIST. B-) They are heroes for our Lord they came in and saved the day and reguardless of where they are on earth, what they planted in us during our youth is eternal. They were obedient then and You are obedient now in sharing it. Same goes for me. Im trying to be obedient in following the Lords lead. Its all about Him Not me... Blessings, H. aka Onenine |
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| July 28, 2007 |
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Hi God's Chosen One! Thank you for letting me know, it is a great blessing to me to know this post is helpful. God bless! ~mike |
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| November 19, 2008 |
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| The way I learned to meditate on the Word was RWSSP! Read it, Write it, Say it, Sing it, Pray it, One other very important thing while soaking in the word is SLOW. take in every word,every phrase, GREAT BLOG |
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| November 19, 2008 |
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| Hmm, never heard that one Timothy. Sounds great though, if it works for ya! :-) Thanks for stoppin in! |
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