If I’m honest, spending quality time with Jesus was not something I was familiar with until a few years ago. I would read my Bible here and there but it was just the occasional search for a scripture that applied to my current situation. But after listening to some of Heather Lindsey’s sermons, I began to realize how important it is to spend intentional time with Jesus. Through that time, you are able to learn His voice & understand His Word, His Love, His Power & more.

When I first started to spend intentional time with Jesus, a friend of mine introduced me to the S.O.A.P. method: S (scripture) O (observation) A (application) P (prayer). I liked this method because it was pretty straightforward; it allowed me to choose one scripture to focus on and it didn’t take too much time. Basically, once you decide on the scripture you want to focus on, you write it out in its entirety. Then, you write out what you observe about the scripture, how you can/will apply it to your life, and your prayer. It’s short, sweet & to the point and I rarely used more than one page in my small journal when doing this.

But as I started to grow closer to God, this method didn’t allow me to dig as deep into the Word as I was beginning to desire. I realized I just needed to actually read my Bible. I had to stop searching for random scriptures that applied to my situation and actually read my Bible. By limiting myself to stand alone verses, I was missing the context and I wasn’t able to fully understand what was going on or what God was trying to share with me.

So, I purchased a Bible that I could understand, a pretty notebook, and some colorful pens and I started reading the Bible – book by book. Through this process, I have gained a whole new understanding and appreciation of the Word of God. I’m able to understand the context of some of my favorite scriptures and I’ve begun to understand who God truly is. Because of that, I’ve grown to treasure the time I spend with The Lord and I now feel off-center if I skip a day.

6 steps for my perfect Quiet Time:

Decide where to start. Like I mentioned before, it’s easier for me to understand the full context when I set a goal to work my way through an entire book and begin with the first chapter of that book. So before you begin, decide what book you’re going to read through.

Prepare to pass the tests and fight back against attacks. Please don’t be surprised when you notice that you are being tested in this area and attacked. The moment you decided to devote time to sit down with God was the exact moment the enemy decided he would do whatever he can to try to prevent that from happening. So if you’re feeling tired, uninterested, distracted or anything else, I pray you notice it and decide to fight back by continuing to enjoy your Quiet Time with the Lord despite the attacks.

Create the right environment. What time of the day are you at your best? That’s likely when you need to schedule your Quiet Time. I’m at my best first thing in the morning and I’ve found when I start my day with God, I have a clearer mind and a more positive perspective going into my day. This all helps me to better navigate things that come my way. It’s also important for me to make sure the room is quiet so that I can avoid any additional distractions. 

Say a prayer.  This helps me to focus & clear my mind. I ask God to reveal to me what it is He wants me to understand from my reading today.

Read & mark the verses that stand out. As I’m reading, I make sure to put a small mark next to the scriptures that stand out to me. When I’m done reading the book in its entirety, I go back through and write out the verses I marked in my journal. Sometimes I’ll add notes to give them context or notes about my thoughts underneath the verse. If it really had a profound impact on me, I put an exclamation mark next to the verse. (See my example photos below!)

Write out your prayer. I always close my Quiet Time with a prayer and I always just let this section flow from my heart. Sometimes I write about something I read that stood out to me and I ask God to help me to apply it to my life. Sometimes it has very little to do with what the chapter was about and I use that space to just empty my heart out to God.

Maybe this method will work for you, too! Or maybe you prefer to use something like the SOAP method. No matter what, you just have figure out what works best for you and set aside time each day to do it. There are so many options on how you can organize your Quiet Time. So no more excuses! Find yourself a Bible you can read, some fun pens & a cute journal and start getting to know Him. 

If you want to try the method I use, sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send you the free Olive & Faith Quiet Time Journal which includes space to write out your key scriptures and your prayers for the day. Click here to sign up!

Do you already have a Quiet Time method in place that works for you? If so, please share in the comments! I’d love to have some extra ideas on hand in case I desire to change it up in the future!

Be blessed, friends! xoxo