I.  What is a Quiet Time?

Quiet time or a time of Personal Devotion is when a Christian spends a small amount of time in fellowship with our Lord, with a balance of education (meditating on His Word) and communication (prayer).

To meditate means to think deeply, reflect, ponder, to fill our minds with the thoughts of our Lord.

II. Some of the benefits of having quiet time.

A. It provides spiritual nourishment..

Matt. 4:4                                              

I Peter 2:1, 2

B. It teaches us how to live as a Christian.

Eph. 5:15-19

Gal. 3:11

Col. 2:6

John 15:5

C. It will reveal and convict us of sin in our lives.

Rom. 14:23

Eph. 4:29

John 16:8

D. We will learn of God's attributes.

1. God's omnipresent. Ps. 139:7-12                                                                 

2. God's omnipotent.  Gen. 18:14

3. God's omniscient.  Ps. 129:2-6, Isaiah 40:13-14

4.  Teaches us how to fight and protect us in spiritual battles.  Eph. 6:10-20

5. We will learn that God wants to conform us to the image of Christ. II Cor. 3:18, Rom. 8:29

"May His beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win, and may they forget the channel, seeing only him."(1)

"For us to be 'conformed to the image of Jesus Christ' we must invest much time alone with Him in personal fellowship.  The leader who will do this, who has a 'built-in' devotional life rather than one that is 'tacked on,' will find himself in vital touch with God and being mightily used of God and searches for such men.  (By LEERY Eyes in the book "Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be.)

6. We will learn that the Bible is made to teach and guide us.  Ps. 119:105, II Tim. 3:16

7.  Discuss the benefits found in Psalm 1.

 8.  J.D. Packer in his book "Knowing God" says, "We cannot know Him unless He speaks and tells us about Himself.  But in fact, He has spoken.  He has spoken to and through His prophets and apostles, and He has spent in the words and deeds of His own Son.  Throughout this revelation, which is made available to us in Holy Scripture, we may form a true notion of God; without it we never can.  This, it appears that the positive force of the second commandment is that it compels us to take our thoughts of God from His own Holy Word, and form no other source whatsoever."

III. How?

There are two very important aspects to a quiet time; that is, a balance of education and communication.  Both are needed.  If your daily devotions are all just education, without communication, you will end up theologically sound but without heart or fire; no real relationship.  If your devotion is all communication and no education, you have an on - fire "baby", with no substance or depth to his walk with Christ.  By Christopher Admit in the book, "Personal Disciplinarian."

Discuss: 

a. "The 7 minutes with God"

b. "Our Daily Bread" - devotional booklet.

c.  Dr. Robert E. Cook, 7:00 a.m.

WFME - radio 94.7 FM.