For the past few weeks our Pastor, Robert Morris of Gateway Church, has been speaking on the subject of hearing God. It is a series called Frequency. It is a great series, as we all NEED to hear God in our lives. He wrote a book on it too: http://amzn.to/1qlYRDG

The message today struck me. It was called “Value His Voice”. It was about the importance of spending quality time with God. Making time, an appointment, to spend time with God on a daily basis. We make appointments with people we don’t even like or want to spend time with, so why wouldn’t we set aside time to meet with God who is supposed to be most important in our lives?

Pastor Morris presented the major principles of what you should do when you meet with God. This laid out clearly to me as a plan for how to conduct my “quiet time” with God everyday.  Here are the formula he laid out: Worship, Pray, Read, Listen, and Write.

Worship

Start by worshiping God. Turn on some christian music and listen to hear what God is saying to you through the music. There are lots of options out there. Kari Jobe is my favorites right now. However, like I said there are plenty of options out there from virtually every genre.

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Pray

Next is prayer. This is your time to talk to God. Open your heart and be honest with God about what is going on with your life. Talk to him about what is pressing on your heart.

Read

Next it’s time to read. Not a devotional book, a motivational book, or some excerpts about the bible. It’s time to read THE BIBLE. Where do you start? Anywhere. Although, I like starting from the beginning. Another good option to start is in Psalms or Proverbs. Or you can start from the beginning of the New Testament in Matthew. How much you read each day is up to you and your relationship with God.

Listen and Write

The last step is perhaps the most important, so don’t skip it! It’s time to listen and write. One thing Pastor Morris pointed out is that as you spend more time with God and you begin to hear what God is saying to you, you will move from writing in third person to writing in first person. Start spending some time with God, using this formula of worship, pray, read, listen, and write and you will understand what that means, as you will find that God’s words in the Bible are speaking specifically to you as you read and reflect on his words.

Listen to hear what God was trying to say to you as you read and digested the word of God. How does the message apply to you specifically and your path in life? Write about your reflections and the thoughts God is giving you. Start a journal and write down your thoughts, prayers, and what God is speaking to you personally.

You can’t grow your relationship with God without spending time with him, so why not start today? There is no time better than the present, as we never know how much time we have on this earth.