How to Have a Quiet Time

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

First of all, there is no "right way" to have a "quiet time." Personally, I am not even partial to the name "quite time" as it suggests something that isn't really necessary. Here's the thing, though - you are in a relationship with Christ and unless you spend time with Him, that relationship will suffer. As you can see in the above Scripture, apart from Him (Jesus), you can do NOTHING. It is imperative that you spend time with God through Jesus, daily.

A great way to have a simple and fruitful time with the Lord is this simple acronymn, S.O.A.P. Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. These 4 elements will insure that you're in God's Word, that you're talking and listening to Him, and that you're also applying what you learn to your life. Let's break it down;

S - Scripture. It all starts here...read God's word. Read a passage multiple times. Read it in it's fuller context...and always, let Scripture interpret Scripture.

O - Observation. What did you just read? Who was it written to? Why? What is going on in the story or passage? Is there a principle in this passage that you can learn from?

A - Application. Now it gets personal; what is God saying to YOU through this passage of Scripture? Is there something in your life that you need to change after reading this?

P - Prayer. Put simply, prayer is talking to God. A simple "form" of praying is A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication).

Is that it? Maybe - a great tool for having effective "quiet time" is to journal. Not all of us are "journalers," but all of us can at least write down one or two sentences on what God is speaking to you at that moment.

Remember that the key to any relationship is commiting to spend time with that person and investing in the relationship. Have you had your quiet time today?