As promised in the previous post How Do I Spend Time With God, this is a quick step by step guide for those of us who need a little help or sample of what to do in your quiet, private, intimate time with God. These steps can be adapted to suit you better.

1. Begin by going into a place where you can be alone and uninterrupted by anyone or anything; and if possible do not take your phone in there


2. Sit quietly in that space for some time to quiet your mind; then invite the Holy Spirit in to assist you in praying and spending time with the Lord


3. Begin with praise and worship; you can play songs and sing along, or you can sing on your own. You can even just have the song playing in the background while you sit quietly and meditate on the song, the words of the song.


4. At this point, you can either go into prayer, beginning with thanksgiving and then your petitions, or you can read first and then pray; it’s up to you. You can read a daily devotional that guides your reading or you can read the bible itself. If you don’t know what part of the bible to read, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He will either drop a scripture or a story in the bible into your heart, or something else that will lead you to a particular part of the bible.
   
   You can also pick a topic such as love, hope, patience, trust etc. and look up what the bible says about it. You can decide to read the bible in chronological order or simply just start from the very beginning, the book of Genesis. The book of Psalms is also a great place to start because it is uplifting and encouraging. See, you have several different options and you can’t go wrong with either one of them. Whatever the Holy Spirit places on your heart, go for it


5. Next, journal whatever comes to your heart/mind as you spend this time in God’s presence, because more than likely that is the Holy Spirit speaking to you. It could be a whole sentence, a phrase, or even just a single word – write it down! Don’t make the mistake of thinking you will remember it even when you don’t write it down because chances are you won’t remember it three days from then or the next week. When you write things down, you can always revisit it and take it to the Lord in prayer for further clarification or understanding of it.


6. Lastly, as you go about your day, be sure to meditate on what you read in the bible, your takeaways, and whatever God spoke to you. Meditating on the Word of God is how you become transformed into a new you and change your life forever.

These six quick steps can be adapted to your schedule depending on how much time you have. The key is to remember that the purpose is to spend intimate time with God. He wants you to come as yourself, with an open heart. He wants a relationship with you. So as you speak to Him in prayer, be sure to take the time to listen to what He has to say to you, which is by far the best part in my opinion. Learn more on how to hear God speak to you.

Remember, keep your hope in God for He loves you and has promised to never leave you nor forsake you!