Listen to God's Word in you personal quiet time...

Psalm 119:18: Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
From Luke 24:32-45: 32 They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

If you look at the passages above they have two things in common: The verb "open" and the fact that "God does it".

We need the help of the Holy Spirit when we come to personal devotions, or as many people call it: “Quiet Times”:

- The Spirit can open our eyes, because we're often too preoccupied to notice Truth.
- The Spirit can open our hearts, because they can be hard.
- The Spirit can open the Scriptures to us, because they are God-breathed and not just human literature.

So.... Tip#1: Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!

After much thought and many questions around this topic, I decided to share some practical hints around having a daily devotional time. Many people call them Quiet Times. While most of us know that you should have them, they simply don't know how.

WHAT IS QUIET TIME: A simple daily time where we draw near to God.

PURPOSE: To worship God and recalibrate our lives.

ACTIONS: Slow down, Quiet down, Reflect on Truth, Worship and Pray.

KEY VALUES: Simple, Regular, Sustainable and Honest

A typical Quiet Time lasts 10 – 20 minutes and involves:

1. Slow down, stop the racing mind, become aware of God's presence.
2. Pray for God's help to hear Him and His message.
3. Read Scripture (not a book about Scripture – no other book is God inspired, only the Bible. Books about the Bible should be used for Bible study and not for devotions. Just read the Bible, God’s own Word to you, listen what God says - and reflect on it)
4. Reflect on where you are right now, hear what God is saying to your soul. Allow God to open your heart and your eyes.
5. Worship and Pray.

Expect God to speak to you. His Word is God-breathed and his Holy Spirit prefers to speak life into our lives through God’s book! Therefore, remember Tip#1 – Always ask God to help you as you have your Quiet Time!


(Thanks to the Rev Theo Groeneveld whose devotions on this topic gave direction to the thoughts in this series on Quiet Times)