Up on cloud nine

You know that feeling when your thoughts are jumbled and you space to think and an enabling environment to gather your thoughts?It’s a similar reason why campus communities are built for students, why libraries designed especially for reading, why offices have been structured for workers. A studio is a haven for an artist or photographer to curate masterpieces and a certain mood is vital for intercourse or “knowing” between spouses. You need to be in a certain space/ mind-frame/ atmosphere/ aura to experience and encounter the unusual.

Take a step back from life as you know it and separate yourself. This requires you to be very intentional about blocking a time every day to meet with God. “Quiet Time” is the time you spend with God alone. By making and spending time with God, you build and develop the most important relationship that can ever be. Quiet Time involves making time to read your Bible, meditating on what you have read (Saying it to yourself) and praying by yourself. In today’s post I want to share with you how to make quiet time an important habit of your life.

Turn your frequency up a notch so you can connect /plug in. There are 7 secrets you should definitely take note of to understand the essence of having a personal quiet time:

1. During your quiet time you develop the most important relationship in your life. A natural relationship develops between any two people who spend quality time together. Spend quality time with God. Many Christians do not know the importance of this time with God. John 17:3 says, “Now this is Eternal Life: That they know you. The only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.” Proverbs 8:17 also says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”

2. Having your quiet time makes you develop the most important personal habit of all time: a regular time with God. By having quiet time every day, you learn how to make time for the most important things in life first. You learn to prioritise your time and your goals and how you serve God. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember you creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when say. “I have no delight in them”

3. During your quiet time you draw near to God and He draws near to you. By having quiet time every day, you learn how to dwell in the secret place of God. ”Those that dwell in the secret place of the LORD shall abide under the shadows of His wings”. James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

4. A quiet time makes you read the most important book in the world. The Bible is the most important book in the world. It is the most outstanding volume known to the human race. Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

5. Your quiet time is your personal school of the word. During your quiet time, you sit and learn at the feet of the greatest teacher Jesus left us – the Holy Spirit. He will teach you many things and show you many wonderful revelations in the Word. John 16:12-13 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…and he will shew you things to come.

6. During your quiet time you increase in your personal knowledge of scriptures. By studying the word you show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15). We learn these also from the second book of Peter “…add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;…” (2 Peter 1:5) and (2 Peter 3:18 ) “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…”. Your personal quiet time gives you the opportunity to add knowledge to your faith.

7. During your quiet time you experience the presence of God. By studying the word you will know that thanksgiving is the foundation of all your praise and also know that God inhabits the praises of His people. Adam experienced the presence of the Lord in the Garden of Eden until he backslid. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God…( Genesis 3:8)

Drink deep or taste not the saying goes. Why hover on shallow waters when there’s so much nourishment in the deep? If you really desire to encounter God and the beauty of His presence you may ask how do I do this? Below are 3 strategies to get you started:

• Strategy #1 – Set a practical, unchangeable and regular time for your quiet time. You must set a regular time when you meet God. It is very important that you set a regular time for your quiet time. Notice that Moses had his quiet time in the morning. And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. (Exodus 34:2,3)

Strategy # 2 – Withdraw from the presence of other people. Although fellowship is good, it has its place. And no man shall come up with thee,… (Exodus 34:3). A quiet time is a time when you are alone with God. You cannot develop a personal relationship with someone unless you are alone with the person.

Strategy #3 – Create an atmosphere that is conducive for fellowship with God. You can do this by playing good worship music in the background.

If you’ve read all the way to the end, then your hunger and thirst for intimacy with God needs satisfying. How about you pause right now and schedule your next private appointment with your Heavenly Father. He yearns to spend time with you too.

With Love, Esinam.