Hi everyone,
As I promised in my last post HERE, I’ll be sharing six tips that will help you build a consistent quiet time:
Have a prayer time and place
While it is good to pray randomly and at all times, it’s great to also have dedicated times and places of prayer more like an appointment that we keep.
You have to choose a time that is feasible and consistent, in my opinion; mornings are the best times. But if night time works for you, stick with it.
Sometimes, getting up and getting out of bed to pray can be such a herculean task especially if you haven’t made it a habit. It requires a lot of discipline but like Jesus, it is best to leave your comfort if you want to pray Mark 1:35.
Have a place you literarily have to walk to, this helps you to be fully awake and overcome the temptation of returning to your bed.
Here are other ways to ensure you’re fully awake: brush your mouth, have a bath, pace around the room, pray out loud. Whatever you do, don’t stay on your bed; you can’t wake up from sleep and then lie down to pray, you’ll sleep off.
Practice spiritual journaling
Always come before God with a pen and a book. My pastor will always say “God tells who cares.” If you always come ready to hear from God, you’ll discover that He has something to say to you.
On some days, you may not get a special ‘Rhema’ to write down, but I can assure you that there’ll be days God will actually speak to you from His word.
Write down your prayers and expect to get answers, write down your thoughts as you meditate and write down the bible passages you’ve read. Keep a record of your journey with God, this is so important.
I shared some benefits of Spiritual Journaling HERE you should check it out.
Use a daily devotional
If you’re just starting out in developing a consistent walk with God, you may struggle with systematically studying the bible in a deep and engaging manner. A good way to solve this is by using a devotional that takes you through small portions of the scriptures on a daily basis.
I started out my Christian walk by using Everyday with Jesus devotional and the impact on my life has been tremendous. I highly recommend it.
You version bible app and other apps can help you consistently study God’s word on a daily basis. There are bible plans available for you to interact more with the word and learn from others. There are also options to set an alarm and be reminded to study and pray daily, this helps you build consistency.
Remove all distractions
Distractions are the chief reasons why we fail in this journey of consistency and the sad part is, they are hard to let go. These distractions come in form of things that are always with and around us like our phones and Television but sometimes they also come from within like wandering thoughts, unfinished tasks and chores.
Any man that must build a consistent walk with God must master the art of concentration and refuse to be distracted.
Distractions won’t go away until we put them away, hence we must consciously set up systems that help eliminate distractions.
For example; leaving your phone behind when you’re going to your place of prayer or turning it off completely, praying out loud, prioritizing tasks and chores, and shutting the door.
Distractions are very distracting, they appear so urgent and important but we must never fall for this trick because once you entertain them, you won’t be done until the day is gone.
Have an accountability partner.
Adding a bit of intentionality to your growth strides will mean that you’ll go beyond your comfort zones so you need someone to help with that much needed extra push. This is what accountability is all about.
You’ll put in more effort to your personal relationship with God if you’re in the company of people who are doing the same and encourage you in your journey towards Christ-likeness.
It’s not old-fashioned to ask one another “Have you studied your bible today?” “Have you prayed today?” “What is the Lord saying?”
Nowadays we rarely ask these questions because when we do, we are termed as being overly spiritual. But truthfully, these questions are normal and shouldn’t be seen as extreme for a believer in Christ.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you
In my last post, I affirmed that the fight for consistency is the greatest fight of the believer. The truth remains that you can’t do it by your strength.
I remember one day I rushed off to work without praying or studying, I had a very long day at the office and was very tired at the end of the day. I was so tired that I didn’t even have the strength to eat dinner; all I wanted was my bed.
However, just before hitting the bed, I remembered I hadn’t prayed all day so I took my journal and bible to my place of prayer and mumbled “Holy Spirit, please help me.” My intention was just to mutter few words of prayer and retire to my bed, after all, ‘God will understand’. But amazingly, when I checked the time after I was done praying, I was shocked that I had been praying for over an hour. This is what only the Spirit of God can do.
Though this is not my experience every day; some days I’ll sleep off and find myself in the morning but either way, the Holy Spirit is always present to help our infirmities.
God rewards the efforts we put in and helps us to get better at it. You must not let the down moments discourage you. Go ahead, ask and receive the help of the Holy Spirit!
I hope this helps, feel free to add yours in the comment section. I’d love to learn from you too.
