Quiet Time - Recharge

Can I admit something to you without sounding sacrilegious? I really don’t like the term Quiet Time. Sorry if I offended you, but it’s true. What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “quiet time”?

For some reason it conjures up the memories of sitting in my room awaiting punishment, or being stuck in the corner of the room in elementary school. Maybe it’s my mischievous past, but it sounds like discipline or punishment.

Of course, for parents, the phrase “quiet time” may be the perfect phrase in hopes of a few minutes to relax, to find peace and to unwind. Regardless of the imagery that comes to mind, it’s the concept that matters.

Growing up I’ve called it Quiet Time, Personal Devotions, Devos and the such. The “it” I’m talking about is spending time with God. The time you set aside to spend with the living God, the Creator of the Universe. Do you take time with God? What do you call your time? How often do you spend time with God?

I think it is important to find a term that helps you find the proper motivation to do it. It really doesn’t matter what it’s called, it matters that you do it. I like to call it “Recharge.”

Every night when I go to bed I have to pause for a moment and plug my phone into the charger. I know you thought I was going to be spiritual there. Nope, just stating a fact that my phone needs charged up. If I don’t charge it at night, then it may die on me the next day. Every once in awhile I can go several days without charging my phone, but then the functionality is limited due to battery life.

Spiritually, we need a recharge. Most Christians are so accustomed to operating on such a low charge that a weekly sermon seems to fuel them up. Now there are some really good sermons out there, but the sermon was never intended to be all you need for the entire week.

Maybe you get charged up by the worship music on Sundays or listening to Christian music. All very good, and will help sustain your current charge, but is not what’s going to recharge the battery of your soul.

The only Source we have to fully charge our spiritual battle is found in the presence of the Almighty. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself wants to spend time with you. Being in His presence is what leads to a fully charged soul. But as soon as we complete our time with Him, a drain on our battery begins. The lower it gets the more susceptible we are to sin.

The longer we go without spending time with Jesus, the easier it is for us to continue in sin. Just reading the Bible will not stop us from sinning, but actually learning how to relate to Him and growing in our friendship with Him will.

The Quiet Time, Recharge, Personal Devotion time is to be a time where you plug into the Word of God and learn about Jesus. Spend time with Him by listening to what He has spoken in the Word for you and by being open and honest with Him.   

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation”  (1 Peter 2:2 ESV). Our desire for God’s Word should be like a baby wanting his next meal. A persistent desire expressed that can only be satisfied by feeding. We are to long for the Word of God and we are to be nourished by it. Only by spending time with Jesus will we recharge and be effective.

A few tips to have an effective “recharge” time with Jesus are:

·      Open with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to teach you. Psalm 119:18

·      Choose an appropriate length of Scripture to dwell on. Not too long were you only read, but long enough to give you something to think about. The idea is to read and reflect.

·      Writing the passage out in your own words can be helpful to understand it.

·      Ask questions like:

o   What is this passage saying about God?

o   What is it saying about me?

o   What promise is there for me to claim?

o   What sin do I need to confess?

o   How do I need to change?

·      Try to focus on your relationship with Jesus in this time.