Bible Study

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The Quiet Time "The men who have most fully illustrated Christ in their characters, and have most powerfully affected the world for Him have been men who spend so much time with God as to make it a notable feature in their lives... To be little with God is to be little for God." E.M. Bounds A quiet time is a daily, unhurried time of Bible reading and prayer. It is the heart of your fellowship with God, where you get alone with him, away from the noise and distractions of the day. It is your opportunity to open the communication lines between Him and you. Following are some practical suggestions for your daily quiet time. Set a Regular Time: It is impossible to legislate when and how much time should be spent. It varies with the individual. Many people want to begin their day with a quiet time in the morning. It helps to get a proper focus for the day ahead. Our recommendation is for you to begin by spending at least 30 minutes daily reading your Bible and in prayer. You can build on this as you become more consistent. Set a Regular Place: You will usually have a more productive quiet time if you can find a regular place where you know it will be quiet and away from potential distractions. Noise and disturbances from the busy world around you are the most common disruption to your quiet time. Read with a Pencil:It is good to have a pencil in hand ready- to record thoughts, insights, and personal applications which God may give to you as you read your Bible. It is good to log these thoughts in a daily journal, so that you can look back and reflect on what God has been showing you. Don't be afraid to underline key verses or passages in your Bible as you read. Meditate:You may be impressed to meditate on a specific passage or verse as you read. Meditation is thinking upon and contemplating the Word by mulling it over again and again in your mind. This is in order to receive a deeper meaning to the verse, or revelation of God or to better understand how it applies to your life. In meditation you are allowing God to speak to you through the particular passage you are mulling over. Scripture Memorization:is putting to memory key verses so as to have a spontaneous use of the Word in everyday living. The following suggestions will help you in memorization: Place the topic of the verse at the top of a 3x5 index card. Write out the reference (where it is found in the Bible) over and under the verse itself. Write out the verse word for word. Attempt to memorize it verbatim. Prayer:another vital part of your communion with God, is actually talking to God. It is your open communication line to Him. Jesus sets the model for our prayers in Matthew 6. There are five major types of prayer. Adoration This is the worship or praise of God. Confession Asking forgiveness for sin present in your life. It is admitting before God that you have disobeyed His Word, are sorry, and have changed your mind (repented) about that sin. Petition Prayer requests for yourself. Intercession Prayer for the needs of others. Thanksgiving Showing gratefulness for the blessings that God has bestowed upon your life. NOTE: It is good to keep a prayer list of the things of which you desire to pray. It assists you to remember for whom and what you want to pray. It can also be a source of encouragement by updating it regularly and reflecting on how God has answered your prayers. This lesson on having a quiet time is designed to give you an understanding of what a quiet time is and why it is so necessary for living in vital union with Christ. The ultimate goal is to learn how to consistently feed yourself with daily nourishing intakes of the Word and time in prayer. God promises numerous times in His Word that if you seek him, he will be found by you (Jeremiah 29:13.) In your quiet time You will discover more about God, learn to know Him in deeper ways, and how you can please him with your life. So seek him with all your heart. Memorize John 15:5 What do the following verses say about companionship with Jesus Christ? John 15:4-5 __________________________________ 1 Corinthians 1:9 __________________________________ What do the following verses say about spiritual growth and nourishment? Psalm 119:104 __________________________________ Jeremiah 15:16 __________________________________ Hebrews 5:12-14 __________________________________ 1 Peter 2:2 __________________________________ What do the following verses teach you about seeking God? Mathew 6:33 __________________________________ Jeremiah 29:13 __________________________________ Hebrews 11:6 __________________________________ Hosea 10:12 __________________________________ From what you have heard thus far, why is it important for the believer to have a daily quiet time? __________________________________ Prayer Read Matthew 6:5-8. What are some favorable and unfavorable characteristics of prayer, mentioned in this passage? Favorable __________________________________ __________________________________ Unfavorable __________________________________ __________________________________ Read Matthew 6:9-13. According to this passage who should you address in your prayers? __________________________________ List and define the five types of prayer. __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ Again list the five types of prayer placing each one next to the appropriate Scripture verse. 1 Samuel 12:23 __________________________________ Psalm 38:18 __________________________________ Ephesians 5:20 __________________________________ Hebrews 13:15 __________________________________ James 1:5 __________________________________ List one thing you can pray for in each area. adoration __________________________________ confession __________________________________ petition __________________________________ intercession __________________________________ thanksgiving __________________________________ Jesus gives the believer assurance of answered prayer. According to John 16:24 what is a prerequisite for answered prayer? __________________________________ The Word Define the meaning of meditation in relationship to the Word of God. __________________________________ From Joshua 1:8 answer the following questions: What should be the source of your meditation? __________________________________ What relationship does meditation have with applying God's Word to your life? __________________________________ What are the results of meditation? __________________________________ Meditate on Psalm 1. Write down your impressions and observations concerning this passage. __________________________________ According to Psalm 119:9-11, what benefit does memorizing the word have in your life? __________________________________ Define the meaning of memorization __________________________________ Explain what John 15:1-5 means to you. __________________________________