TIME WITH GOD

CONNECT WITH HIM

It is always healthy to spend concentrated time with someone that you are growing in relationship with. Consider these ideas as an invitation into exciting encounters with God! (this is by no means an exhaustive list)

1.  Conversation: Read slowly and have a conversation with God about what you are reading in the Bible through asking Him questions.

2.  Pray it Back: Take a scripture and pray God’s Word back to Him. Example: Psalm 23

3.  Prayer Journal: Write down your conversations with God. Journal what God is saying and doing, write out revelations that you received in prayer, write out songs that the Lord sings through you, or write about any visions, dreams, and questions you are asking the Lord.

4.  Scripture Notebook: This notebook could provide a place for you to write out notes on scriptures you are studying personally and provide a place for you to record notes on sermons you listen to.

5.  Rest: Listen to worship music and rest in His presence. Nothing says you have to “do something.” Just being with the Him is significant.

6.  Thank You List: In a journal, keep a running list of things you are thankful for.

7.  Memorize: Memorize and meditate on a verse a week.

8.  Move: In prayer, select the physical position that will keep your soul and body engaged with the Lord the most. Examples: kneeling, sitting, rocking, lying down, walking, pacing.

9.  Promises: Set apart a section in your journal for the promises of God. As you come across promises in your Bible, write them in this section and pray these promises back to the Lord over yourself and others.

10.  Intercession: Write down your prayers for the specific people or things you are praying for, including verses you are feeling led to pray over them. Record prayers the Lord answers.

11.  Praise Break: Take at least 5 minutes thanking God for everything you can think of. Write these things down if you’d like.

12.  Identity: Declare the truth of the scriptures over who the Lord says you are and who others are (See Identity Resource).

13.  Complaining Fast: Spend hours, days, or weeks with only thanksgiving and gratefulness in your relationship with the Lord (asking for nothing).

14.  Micro Fast: Fast a meal and spend extra time with the Lord when you would normally be eating.

15.  Recipe of Revelation: Meditate on scripture using the RWSSP (recipe) of Revelation (find the RWSSP Info sheet at www.grovempls.com/resources).

16.  Big Picture Reading: Read five chapters of the New Testament everyday, and you will read through the whole New Testament in the span of 2 months. Or you can read the New Testament 12 times in a year (once a month) by reading ten chapters a day. This would take the average person around an hour.

17.  Be honest: Be completely honest with your frustrations with the Lord. Share your joys, disappointments, and worries.

18.  Repent: Ask Holy Spirit to expose lies that are acting as the root to recurring sin issues in your life. Ask Holy Spirit what the truth is that you can agree with to replace those destructive beliefs.

19.  Letter: Write a (love) letter to the Lord in your journal.

20.  Top 5: Pick the top 5 books of the Bible you want to study.

  • Start reading the top book that you want to read

  • Read slowly

  • Give each paragraph its own title in your own words

21.  Study: When your eyes catch a specific word or verse, camp out on it and study it with commentaries, with study helps like Blue Letter Bible, or by finding cross references and parallels. Explore the meaning of scripture passages by doing word studies, find if there are any applicable Jewish idioms present, and discover the historical/cultural context.

22.  Questions: Ask the Lord questions about what you are reading. Ask Him what he feels about certain global, local, or personal topics. Ask Him questions about the past, present, future. Ask Him questions about everything! (1 Cor. 2:16; Eph. 4:23)

23.  Topic: Pick a subject to study and use Bible Gateway or Blue Letter Bible or a Concordance to find all the scriptures that you can find on that topic.

May we never forget that God is a person, and that bible study, prayer, and worship, support the eternal destination and goal: deep intimate relationship with the Lord.