Today I want to encourage you to make your quiet time a priority in your life, such as, water.

It doesn’t just happen!

I must be INTENTIONAL!

The most devastating mistake that I have experienced was not getting back on track when I miss a day or two.  We are all human and have a full plate and wear many hats.

I stress to you!

Don’t let Satan win!

If you miss a day or two or even months at a time, get back in His Word today.  Don’t feel guilty about missing, that’s another one of Satan’s favorite schemes.  Repent and move on!

One of the greatest blessings to me that has inspired due to my early morning quiet time, is that my children see me in His Word.  They know when I have my Bible open not to bother me unless there is blood, and I mean a lot of blood.  Also, my 2 older children have developed their own quiet time each day without me requiring them to do so.

This my friends, is how the Holy Spirit works!  It brings tears to my eyes!  Our Lord is so powerful and gives new mercies everyday!

I encourage to keep a Disciple Notebook, so everything you need is right in one place to encounter the most precious time of your day, Intentional Quiet time with the Lord

• Prayer – prayer notebook page
• Scripture Memory
• Bible – bible plan and notebook pages
• Ministries – all my outside ministries information, for example, my nursery duty calendar with lists of number in case I need to find a sub, etc
• Sermon Notes – ones that stand out to me
• Misc – any poems, articles, or personal notes that have special meaning to me

Thank you for allowing me share my heart with you this week.  I pray it has blessed you as much as you all have blessed me with your comments.  They truly are encouraging to me.  And a few people have asked me if they can share this, Absolutely!  Please do!  Give Him all the glory!  These are His Words not mine.  Use this link to get all 5 Days of Intentional Quiet Time.

JOYfully Seeking Him,

Jill

Yesterday I talked about studying the Bible line upon line, similar to an IV drip.  Today I want to stress the importance of instilling God’s Holy Word in our hearts.  This is definitely the biggest challenge for me.  My mind is not as good as it once was.  LOL!

Time after time, I would fail and get discouraged.  I tried numerous strategies, but still to no avail, I felt like a failure.  My children knew more verses than me.  How can I expect them to quote scripture in time of need, if I can’t.

I whole heartily know that Hiding God’s Word in my heart is imperative for the following reasons:

• To resist Satan and his lies
• To avoid sin
• To worship God
• To facilitate the work of the Holy Spirit
• To discern the origin of my thoughts
• To witness to unbelievers
• To enhance fellowship with other believers
• To pray more effectively

A friend of mine suggested that I read this book, His Word in my Heart by Janet Piper.  It all made sense to me.  I realized I needed to memorize larger portions of scripture at a time, instead of random pieces here in there.  I memorize a verse each day and practice throughout the day.  I have a FREE Bible App on my phone that aides me when I am out and about.  I have worked on Psalm 51 at doctors offices, at parks, and in my bathroom office.  LOL!

I still struggle and certainly don’t memorize as much as I should, but I am making some progress.  And I love when someone reads a piece of scripture and I can quote it!  I know boasting is a sin, but I do get tickled inside.

You certainly don’t have to purchase the book to start memorizing scripture.  Just pick a chapter and start memorizing line upon line.  Review throughout the day!  Make signs on index cards and post them everywhere including inside your car.

I print out my specific chapter/or portions on paper in large print and place it under the scripture tab.  I review a previous chapter and/or verses each day during my intentional quiet time.

There are many different ways to memorize God’s Holy Word.  You will need to decide what works best for you.  We are all created differently.  Memorizing a large portion of scripture at a time works best for me.

What’s your favorite scripture that you quote in time of need?

Tomorrow I will be sharing my final thoughts on having an Intentional Quiet time, so visit me tomorrow.

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Trying to fit in your quiet time, but can’t seem to get motivated?

You yearn for that communion with the Lord, but just can’t seem to get up before your children?

First, of all STOP feeling guilty! We have all been there before! And for me personally, I still have seasons when it is much more difficult that other mornings. And you will, too.

Especially, when I am pregnant. Sleep takes priority and everything else is somewhere in between. Thank God for pop tarts!

This week I want to share with you some tools and ideas that have enhanced my quiet time with the Lord over the years.

When I became a Christian in 2000, I did not own a Bible nor did I have a clue about that man who was swallowed up by a HUGE fish. If they had a Bible for Dummies, it would have been written with me in mind. My prayers were memorized prayers that I was taught as a child.  I did not have any concept of what it meant to have an intimate relationship with the Holy One and certainly did not know how to earnestly pray except in times of distress.

And you might be exactly where where I was 12 years ago or might have gotten out of the habit of intentional devotion, but I want to encourage you to embrace the presence of our Heavenly Father daily.  An intimate relationship with God is imperative to live out His calling in our lives.

The Holy Spirit will change you, so be prepared!

It doesn’t just happen,  I must be intentional.  This needs to be a habit just like taking my vitamins everyday.

However, this redeemed sinner didn’t change over night. I give credit solely to the Holy Spirit who has encouraged me to be INTENTIONAL during my quiet time and to use my time diligently.

Over the years, I have put together a disciple notebook that has helped me maximize my mornings, especially when I have little ones, my alone time is limited. This notebook is not imperative, but has helped me stay organized, so I do not have to be looking all over the house for my prayer requests and bible study at the crack of dawn. You need to decide what time benefits you the most. It might take a few weeks or maybe months for you to make that assumption, but be patient and be willing to flexible. Just because I endure my time in the morning doesn’t make it a desirable time for you. No where in the Bible does it say that we have to resume quiet time before the sun rises.

I use a white 3 ring binder for my disciple notebook and switch out the cover periodically as time permits. I have dividers with the following tabs:

• Prayer – prayer notebook page
• Scripture Memory
• Bible – bible plan and notebook pages
• Ministries – all my outside ministries information, for example, my nursery duty calendar with lists of number in case I need to find a sub, etc
• Sermon Notes – ones that stand out to me
• Misc – any poems, articles, or personal notes that have special meaning to me

I am sure you can think of many more tab ideas, but these are the ones that I have used over the years.  Be Creative!

One of the pertinent steps that has guided me to be intentional each morning is to be prepared the night before. I make sure my coffee is on auto-set (a must for me) and I have my Bible, Disciple Notebook, and my MP3 player on the coffee table.

I always start my date with the King with at least 2-3 praise and worship songs. My husband loaded a gazillion songs on my MP3 player solely for this purpose. It greatly stirs my heart and prepares my mind for intentional worship. I have also used my laptop with head phones.

I can’t wait to share my thoughts on prayer and my notebook page that has enhanced my prayer time with you tomorrow.  Subscribe by RSS feed, twitter or Facebook, so you don’t miss any of the 5 Days of Intentional Quiet Time.

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