Start Your Engines!
Welcome to our Colossians kickoff!Some of you have just come from my class, Moving Beyond, where we spent 5 weeks talking about what it means to spend time in the Bible and pray. Many of us often get stuck in our relationship with the Lord. If we want to get unstuck and stay unstuck, it means we need to be intentional about staying connected to the Lord. At Highpoint Church, we say God should be the one priority that determines all our priorities, so for the next several weeks, I encourage you to join us as we have our priority time through the book of Colossians.[bctt tweet="God should be the one priority that determines all our priorities."]If you’re already familiar with the idea of a priority time and you already hear from the Lord through your daily time in the Word and prayer, you should be well on your way in the book of Colossians. If this is a newer idea, or you struggle getting much out of the Bible, or you need a little refresher, you’ll find the very basics of a priority time below…
Priority Time… in a Nutshell
Before you start each day, you’ll want to have your Bible, a journal, and a pen. Set a timer on your phone for 20-25 minutes so you won’t be worried about being late to your next activity… and then…
1. Read the passage 3-4 times.
2. Focused ThinkingAsk the journalistic questions that apply (who, what, when, where, why, how, and what). Write out your questions and answers in your journal.
3. Personal ApplicationOnce you know what the passage says, ask yourself what truth the Lord’s revealing to you and how it specifically applies to you today. What’s the timeless truth that applies to you? Here are some questions to help you:
What should I know?What should I stop?What should I change?What should I start?
Be sure to make your personal application specific, not generic.
Generic: I need to have a better attitude.Specific: I have a poor attitude when it comes to my family. This attitude doesn’t honor the Lord or help the situation. I’m going to intentionally spend 5 minutes each day thanking God for these relationships and be intentional to choose to speak only life-giving words when I’m with them this week.
4. Interactive PrayerBefore, during, and after your time in the Word is the right time to pray! As the Lord reveals things to you, stop and pray. As He brings conviction or thankfulness, stop and pray. Have a conversation with Him.
Your prayer time should also consistently include confession and repentance. Confession is simply agreeing with God about your sin. Repentance is turning from your sin. These are both signs of a healthy relationship, not things to be avoided.
5. Life JournalingUse your journal throughout the entire process. Record your questions and answers during Focused Thinking and Personal Application. If you pray out loud, consider coming back afterwards and summarizing what you asked the Lord, and anything He showed you through prayer.
One blog cannot do justice to the amount of joy you can experience if you understand some basics about why you should be in the Word and the practical information on how. For more help, check out my sweet husband’s sermon series on priority time. Don’t miss part 2 of that series… the truth Chris teaches here is what God used to give me the desire to spend time with the Lord daily…