Three Misconceptions about Spiritual Transformation

I mentioned in my message on August 4 & 5  that I would provide a little more info about my four-fold quiet time with God. I divide my quiet time into four somewhat even chunks of time as follows: . . . but that can vary:

Worship – I have been reading through the Psalms which provide the seed for some wonderful worship and prayer. I just pray the words of Scripture to God. One variation to reading the Psalms is to read through the entire book in about a month. You can do this by starting with the psalm corresponding to the numerical day of the month. Today is August 3^rd, so this morning I read Psalm 3. Then add 30 to the day of the week and read that psalm. Then add 30 more and read that Psalm, etc. until you reach the last Psalm of the day. So this morning I read Psalms 3, 33, 63, 93, and 123. Sometimes I enjoy singing the words of the Psalms to the Lord.

Reading/Meditating on the Word – I read a portion of Scripture every day. Currently I am reading through the Gospel of John. I usually just read until a word or phrase captures my attention. I think about the phrase for a time, sometimes turning to cross-references for additional insight. As I mentioned in my message, sometimes I will try to imagine a certain scene from the gospel narrative and place my self in it as a bystander, or even a participant. I try to feel what the people might have felt, etc.

Memorizing the Word – The Lord has been graciously enabling me to memorize Scripture verses lately. The Lord uses the Word that is buried in our mind and heart in a number of ways to build us up in Christ. Perhaps you already have some favorite verses you can memorize. Or, you may want to memorize verses from your daily reading. Memorization is hard work, but so worth the effort.

Prayer – I end my time with prayer. I use several prayer lists and prompts. I’ve found it helpful over the years to prepare a prayer notebook. When I am praying for specific requests, I list the date I first entered the request in a column on the right. Next I write out the prayer request, citing a scripture verse were possible. Then in a column on the right I leave enough space to share how God answered my prayer. It is a wonderful encouragement to go back over the list to see how God has answered my prayers.

A good pattern for prayer that is easy to remember is ACTS: A = adoration, praise, worship.  C = confess your sins according to 1 John 1:9. T = thank God for what he has done in your life and for His blessings. S = supplication – this is an old fashion word for making personal requests to the Lord. This is where you would use the prayer notebook mentioned above.

Experiment with this four-fold approach and then create your own!

 The book I referred to in my message was Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster. It is a classic on the Spiritual Disciplines.