Meet Valerie — one of the most amazing, on-fire-for-the-Lord Christians I've ever met in my life. Here is a woman that I was privileged to spend some time with when I spoke at a Carlsbad Community Church, Carlsbad, CA, Women's Retreat. Valerie isn't even from that church. But Valerie went online to Christian Book Distributors looking for a book on prayer. Guess what book she found? Passionate Prayer — A 30-Day Journey. When she showed me her book, I almost fell over. It was amazing. If you've ever read any of the A 30-Day Journeys, then you know that I always encourage others to dialogue and interact with each day of reading. Well, let me tell you — Valerie knows how to do exactly that! Look at one of the pages in her Passionate Prayer — A 30-Day Journey book. Every page was like this! I was just blown away. In fact, I was so thrilled with how she reads a book that I took numerous pictures for others to see, including her markup of A Woman's Heart That Dances. What you see here, my friends, is a heart for the Lord! After she read Passionate Prayer, she looked in the back, found the Quiet Time Ministries phone number and called our office. She found out about the Carlsbad retreat and that was that. Be encouraged by Valerie. If we all followed her example, I think there might be a fire of revival that would spread everywhere.
I would not have you simply watch a travelogue about the Lord; I challenge you to experience the great adventure of knowing God for yourself. Psalm 34:8 NASB.
Catherine Martin, Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time
I often receive inquiries at speaking events or through online social media about getting started in quiet time. An inquirer will ask, "I would love to develop a quiet time with God, so what would be a good way to get started? What kinds of materials would be good to get to start my quiet time?" These are great questions and I love answering them, so I thought I would share my responses with you.
The three essentials for quiet time are to set aside a time each day, choose a quiet place to draw near to the Lord, and have a Bible study plan. I like The PRAYER Quiet Time Plan that I introduced in my signature publications, Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time and The Quiet Time Notebook.
This simple and effective plan helps me in drawing near to the Lord each day. The devotional disciplines of this plan include devotional reading, Bible study, hymns and worship, meditation, word studies, journaling, prayers, and application of God's word to your life.
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4 NASB
The most exciting part of quiet time is drawing near to God and growing in our intimate relationship with Him. I love my quiet time with the Lord each day – it's the one thing in life – the essential part of my day. He encourages me, teaches me, and helps me as I get ready to face the day and live for Him.
The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), and the Holy Spirit uses it to comfort and encourage you. You can't afford to miss a day without it. So, if you find yourself needing some encouragement, let me ask again, have you opened your Bible lately? If not, grab it, and spend some time alone with the Lord.
Blessings ♡ Grace
