Time Alone With God

Discipleship Lesson 6: Time Alone With God

One of the most important things we can do to help our relationship with God is spend time alone with Him in the Word and prayer. Being a follower of Jesus is a relationship with Christ. This relationship will only grow as we spend time with Him.

1. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

When asked about the most important commandment, Jesus said, “The most important one is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” Mark 10:29-30

Notice in this verse that there is a statement about God (“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one”) before the command to love Him. This indicates:

2. You cannot love God if you do not know God.

Love is relational. We must know someone before we have love them. God wants us to know Him first because He knows that from knowing Him will come loving Him.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’” Jeremiah 29:11-13

So, how do we get to know God?

3. We get to know God by spending time with Him.

God wants us to seek Him in order to find Him. God wants to be known. God wants to reveal Himself to us, but we must seek Him in order to know Him.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

How do we seek the Lord and spend time with Him?

4. We spend time with God by meditating on His Word and praying.

The best way to spend time with God is to devote some time to meditating on His Word and praying. Begin reading in the Gospel of John. Read a chapter each day. Read the verses several times and ask God to speak to you through those verses. Write down what God says to you through those verses. Pick up the next day where you left off the day before.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:2-3

For your prayer time, spend time doing the A.C.T.S. of prayer. Spend some time just ADORING God. This means you praise Him for who He is. Then take time to CONFESS any sins you have committed. Ask God to forgive you. Then take time to THANK Him for everything He has done for you. Finally,

SUPPLICATION is where you pray for various needs in your life and in the lives of others.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As we spend time with God, we will naturally love Him and obey Him. Therefore:

5. God wants our obedience to flow out of a love relationship with Him.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey My commands.” John 14:15

As we grow in our relationship with God, He does not want our obedience to be something we do in order to try to earn His love and favor. We already have His love in Christ. Therefore, just like in a godly marriage, God wants us to do those things that please Him, but He wants this obedience to be the result of our love for Him!

How do we spend time with God?

1. Choose a daily time.

The morning is the best time. The morning is when Jesus often spent time with His heavenly father. Spending time with God in the morning is the best way to start our day.

“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.” Mark 1:35

2. Choose a place.

It is important to have a place in which you will spend time with God.

“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.” Mark 1:35

3. Choose a plan.

The following is a suggested plan to use in spending time with God:

Time in the Word

We suggest you read about one chapter every day from God’s Word. If you cannot read, have someone read the bible to you. As you read this chapter, or if you have someone read it to you, answer the following questions:

a. What passage did you read?

b. What title would you give to this passage?

c. How would you summarize this passage?

d. What did this passage say to you personally?

Time in Prayer (A.C.T.S.):

a. Adoration. List some attributes of God you want to praise Him for.

b. Confession. What are some sins you need to confess and receive His forgiveness for, based on 1 John 1:9?

c. Thanksgiving. List some things you are thankful for.

d. Supplication. What needs can you pray for (in your life and in the lives of others)?

4. Choose to do a variety of things in order to keep it fresh.

Just like a married couple does not always do the same things on their dates, so we need to do a variety of things with God in order to keep it fresh and meaningful. For example, some days you might take a “prayer walk.” Read from different books of the Bible. Consider using a devotional to direct your times in the Word. Play some praise music and use this to worship the Lord. There are so many different ways we can spend time alone with God.

The most important thing to remember in spending time with God is that you are doing this in order to know and love God better. Enjoy getting to know God!

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.” Psalm 37:4-5