Spiritual Survival Kit

It's 2012. Last year, there were a lot of people talking about the world coming to an end in 2012 because that's when the Mayan calendar expires. For those of us that are Christians, we know that no man knows the day or the hour, so we patiently wait and live a spiritually disciplined life as we wait for God to send his blessed son Jesus back again. Amen.

I went over to my bookshelf today and picked up a book that we used in college called the "Survival Kit for New Christians"... I dusted it off and decided to go through the series again as a refresher. The first thing they recommend is establishing a quiet time. this is all so good, I thought I would share. (The book is currently out of print.)

Would you expect to be healthy if the only time you are a meal was on Sunday morning? Of course not! You would not survive long. Do you think you will be any healthier spiritually if you wait until Sunday morning to digest spiritual truth?

A daily quit time is the answer. Each day, you must find a time to be alone with Christ! You will be pleased with the results of doing so. You will be a health Christian.

Here are some suggestions for starting your daily time with the Lord.

1. HAVE A SPECIFIC PLACE FOR IT. It's important to have a regular place to meet your Lord. A desk, a table, or even the side of your bed will do. It is very important that you schedule 15 minutes for your Quiet Time. If it is possible, schedule your Quiet Time at the start of your day. Your day will be different because you met Christ first.

2. BE CONSISTENT. A hit-and-miss pattern is an indication that you are not as serious as you need to be about growing as a Christian. Computer workers use the expression, "Garbage in, garbage out!" They mean that if you put wrong information into a computer, that is all it will produce. In a very real way, this is true of Christians, too. Your Quiet Time is the time when you "program" your day to let Christ be Lord of your life.

3. HAVE A BIBLE AND PENCIL HANDY. ... use your Sunday School lesson, your Church Training material, or other Scripture material... Later, you will learn how to do personal Bible study. Then perhaps you will want to add a small notebook for keeping a spiritual diary.

4. BEGIN WITH PRAYER. Open your heart to Christ, offering him the right to teach, discipline, or to direct you as you study. tell him of your love. Share your concerns with him.

5. END WITH A DEFINITE PROJECT FOR THE DAY RELATED TO WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED. Before you stop, decide how you can live out the truth you have learned in your Quiet Time. This practical expression of truths grasped will make a very down-to-earth Christian out of you!

That's good stuff... and a practice that I try to follow... and... where most of the content for this blog comes from... spending time with my Lord, asking him what I need to work on. It's helped me struggle to survive as a Christian!