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Spending Time With God

July 31, 2015 By Stephanie Leave a Comment

31 Jul

At the beginning of this week as part of my Fitness Challenge, I committed to waking up in time to exercise. What this also included was getting up early enough to spend quiet time with God. See, what happens is I hit snooze too many times, my kids wake up, the day starts, and I miss my prime time, which includes reading my Bible, praying, and getting in a little exercise. So, I decided I was not going to hit snooze this week. I was taking the option away.

The same day that I decided to do this I walked into my bedroom after my daughters had been playing and found a study guide that was from my youth pastor laying on the carpet. Keep in mind I have been out of school for 13 years! The guide was not filled out, but it’s a 30-day guide to help you start building the routine of a “quiet time”.  So, I jumped right in.

What I learned right off the bat

Day 1 led me to the verse, Mark 1:35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” There are some great things in this verse to walk away with:

Very early in the morning

Jesus didn’t wait to squeeze his time praying in as he fell into bed at night. He made a point to get up “very early… while it was still dark”. When I push off my time to read the Bible and pray, a lot of days, I don’t end up getting around to it.

I like to use the excuse that “I’m too tired” so I can hit the snooze button. There are a million reasons for this: I stayed up too late, the kids woke up a hundred times during the night, it’s too cold, the blankets are “just right”… If you read the verses before Mark 1:35 you find that Jesus had a busy day the day before. He ended his day by having lots of people come to him after the sun had already set, and he healed them. I would think this might make Jesus tired. BUT, he got up “very early” the next morning anyway.

How early did he get up? We don’t really know, but we do know that it “was still dark” outside. I think that Jesus did this because he knew he needed that time to pray. It was a priority to him, so he made sure it happened. He got up while others were still sleeping and before the demands of the new day pulled him away.

He got up

Jesus didn’t start praying while he was still laying in bed. Why? I’m guessing because when I try to pull this shortcut off, I almost always end up falling back asleep. Jesus actually got up, out of bed, and left the house.

He went to a solitary place

This can be a tricky one, especially for mothers. My children start waking up at almost the crack of dawn. I was the same way as a child, so I know it’s most likely not going to change. We don’t live in a huge house and sometimes it’s hard to find a solitary place.

I have found that one of my best places is to stay right in bed. Wait, didn’t I just say to get up out of bed? That’s right, but I think you can do both. I wake up, move around a little, turn on my lamp and sit back in bed (not lay down), and begin my time with God. This way if my children are awake they can be in the living room or kitchen and I can still have a quiet time. My husband is sleeping and not a distraction.

He prayed

This one was harder for me to do. I don’t have a hard time remembering to read my Bible, but to sit and prayer tends to be more of a challenge. This study guide leads in some areas to pray on and I have actually found by starting my day in prayer I am much more likely to pray throughout the day.

The guide also has me record each day a few areas that I saw God answer prayers in the day before. This was a little bit of a struggle the first day and that made me realize that I am not being as thankful as I should be. Even when life is rough, God is faithful and anyone can find something to be thankful for each day because God is always moving. We just need to take notice.

What am I even supposed to do when I have a ‘quiet time’?

That’s a great question! A “quiet time” or “devotion time” is just simply a time to find a quiet place and study the Bible and pray. The Bible was written so many years ago but is still so relevant to life today. I have experienced countless times where God “speaks to me” through the Bible. This isn’t me hearing his voice, it’s as simple as a verse or two really jumping out with meaning to a situation in life when I have read the same verse many times before and noticed nothing.

Praying includes everything from saying what you are thankful for (food, health, shelter, forgiveness, loved ones, a new job, anything at all), asking for guidance and help, acknowledging the things you have done wrong, and saying what you love or appreciate about God. Sometimes, when I don’t know what to say, I just sit quietly for a while.

Interested in more resources on having a quiet time with God? Let me know, leave a message or contact me. I would be happy to help or to point you to someone who can.

Do you have some great tips for how to get a quiet time in each day? Or a favorite devotion book that you have used? Share in the comments.

Filed Under: Self-Care Tagged With: Bible, prayer, quiet time

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Stuck in Your Rut - Stephanie


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When we go down paths we shouldn't go down, we usually have painful consequences.

Several valuable lessons were learned today and I would like to share them so I don't have to relearn them again in the future and maybe I can spare you some future pain too.

1. Be careful when doing business with people whose values don't align with yours

2. When you feel you should get out of a situation, do not delay

3. Never do any type of work that leaves you feeling your values were compromised

4. Toxic people can play nice... for awhile... But their true colors will always show through in the end

5. Trust your instincts

6. When you turn a situation over to God, it doesn't mean the way out will be pain free

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That seems to be the trend we have taken as society.

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I'm not sure. I'm still pondering. But I would love to hear your thoughts.


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Some are afraid to let their friends and family try a new adventure because their own fear is so strong so they discourage them from doing the thing even if that person really wants to try it.

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Y
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This.

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This.

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I was working to grow my freelance business and almost skipped an opportunity to take on work because the potential client wanted to schedule a phone call instead of just working through emails and messages. I broke out in hives just having to talk on the phone.

I couldn't handle ordering a pizza because I was too nervous about not knowing what to say. I overthought everything.

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Learning to overcome my fears took a lot of time. But slowly, I started to make progress. They were little changes at a time. I didn't even notice the growth as it happened. 

But then one day, that same client pointed out to me how much more confidence I had. And then another client mentioned how much I had grown in my confidence and ability to share my thoughts and opinions.

It ended up impacting every area of my life. 

But don't get me wrong, some days are still a struggle. Sometimes I still get hives when I have to talk on the phone or do a zoom call with someone I don't know, but not every time.

If you struggle with fear and confidence, know that you can improve and grow in this area. It doesn't have to be how you remain for the rest of your life. And so much of what you want is on the other side of pushing past that fear.

#overcomefear #buildconfidence #personalgrowth #growthmindset #motivationalquotes

Isn't it so easy to be happy and positive when you
Isn't it so easy to be happy and positive when you're on vacation? This picture is from over the summer when we did a mini vacation. It's easy when you get out of the routines of everyday life to start to think outside of the box and see new opportunities. 
 
But then we get back home. Clients need my attention. The house needs to be cleaned and dinner needs to be cooked. The kids have activities. And before I know it, I've fallen right back into going through the motions instead of really living each day. 
 
Here's your reminder for the day. I know it's Monday and it's easy to drag through the day. But choose to get outside of your comfort zone. Choose to look at things in a new way. Choose to start building the life you want to live, even if it's one tiny decision at a time. 
 
#mondaymotivation

Don't wait for the fear to go away. It's not going
Don't wait for the fear to go away. It's not going to. Choose courage and push past it and just watch as your confidence starts to build.


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