Dr. Stephen Olford is a man who influenced me greatly in my passion for preaching and my personal walk with the Lord. I thought about his helpful tips for having a daily quiet time with the Lord, so I decided to share them with you. Many of you are trying to spend time with God on a regular basis during the "Imagine the fully devoted life" campaign. I commend you for developing this habit in your life. You will never regret it!
The Requirements for the Quiet Time.
These are purely suggestive and practical. Needless to say, start with:
1) A Good Bible with clear print, and one in which you can enter a few notes. Remember, though, that too many notes on the page of Scripture tend to confine your thoughts to old meditations. Alongside of your Bible have a notebook and pen to record nuggets of truth that God gives you. Jot down the date, the Scripture reading, the text, and a few thoughts-something you will never regret, especially as you reflect upon them in future days.
2) A Prayer List, preferably a loose-leaf notebook so that you can always insert new pages. Put down the prayer requests of your church, your friends, also the requests that are on your heart… Here is a prayer cycle that you can use:
Monday: "M" is for missionaries.
Tuesday: "T" is for thanksgiving. That's when we give the Lord special thanks for wonderful answers to prayer.
Wednesday: "W" is for Christian workers.
Thursday: "T" is for tasks-the ministry God has given us.
Friday: "F" is for our families.
Saturday: "S" is for the saints-especially young Christians, that Christ may be formed in them.
Sunday: "S" is for sinners, and, in particular, the gospel outreach in which we are involved.
3) A Quiet Place. With many this may be Impossible at home. Such people may want to use a nearby church, library, or some unused room, for an hour before business, or during lunchtime. Where there's a will, there's a way. In the summer, nothing is better than having one's Quiet Time in the park, under a shady tree. Remember that Jesus had nowhere to lay His head; He had no home of His own, but He never missed His Quiet Time-never! (see Mark 1:35). Find a place without distraction in order to be totally alone with God.
4) A Definite Time. Most people agree that the morning is best, but this may not always be possible. A time should be fixed, however, and the appointment with the Lord punctually kept. The devil will see to it that the man of God never drifts into having a regular devotional period. It is imperative, therefore, that the place and time be arranged in the presence of the Lord and then jealously guarded above everything else.
5) An Expectant Spirit. The man of God receives what he expects in his Quiet Time. Such an attitude is usually determined by three factors:
a) A Physical One (see 1 Cor. 9:27). You cannot keep late hours at night and expect to be fresh to meet with God in the morning. Your life must be strictly disciplined, if you are going to get the maximum blessing out of your daily devotions.
b) A Moral One. The Word says, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear" (Psalm 66:18). This emphasizes the need for holiness. If you look with approval on anything out of adjustment to the will of God you have wrecked your Quiet Time. Therefore, see that your life is morally clean-nothing between yourself and your brother. If there is, make it right and then come and offer your gift of prayer and meditation (see Matthew 5:23-24).
c) A Spiritual One.This is the need for obedience. God conditions the revelation of truth on implicit obedience. Jesus declared: "If anyone wants to do [God's] will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God…" (John 7:17). As I obey, so God reveals; as I disobey, so God ceases to reveal. Or to put it another way, "Light received bringeth light; light rejected bringeth night." Obedience and revelation go hand in hand.
The Regulations for the Quiet Time.
Once again, these are by way of suggestion. There are seven regulations which aid the believer in the quiet place of communion with God. Let me state them simply:
1) Waiting. Samuel Chadwick says in his book on prayer that "hurry is the death of prayer." Five minutes in quiet waiting upon God will yield far more than thirty hurried minutes. Silently wait on God to realize His presence. Seek cleansing, the power of concentration, and the illumination of the Spirit. Don't even open your Bible at this point. Just wait on God and be still.
2) Reading. Now open your Bible and begin to read the portion for the day. System and sequence must be observed. Plan your reading passage by passage. The whole value of Bible reading is lost with the ' lucky dip" method of reading. A short portion well read is better than a chapter or more skimped.
3) Meditating. As you read, ask yourself: Is there a promise to claim, a lesson to learn, a blessing to enjoy, a command to obey, a sin to avoid; a new revelation of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit;' a new thought about the devil? Such meditation, under the control of the Holy Spirit, never fails to yield some message to the soul.
4) Recording. Briefly record the thoughts gleaned in a personal and devotional form.
5) Praying. At this point turn the meditation into prayer and do it in this fashion: personal examination-let it search your heart. Then spiritual adoration. Praise God-even if He has rebuked you. Then turn it into general intercession. This will deliver you from stereotyped praying. Pray back to God what He has given to you until your will has been adjusted to all that the Holy Spirit has revealed to you.
6) Sharing. Leave the place of prayer determined to share the good of your Quiet Time with someone else during the day. As you do so it becomes doubly enriching. Not to use what the Lord has given is merely to acquire knowledge which puffs up. When the Israelites hoarded the manna during their wilderness journey, they found that it bred worms and stank. You don't lose by sharing, you gain.
7) Obeying. Rise from your knees with a determination to put into action what God has taught you.
Adapted from a sermon by Dr. Stephen Olford, "God's Blueprint for Church Membership: Daily Devotions."
