LESSON 1

THE IMPORTANCE
OF A DAILY QUIET TIME
Nothing will increase your spiritual maturity more, than developing a personal
________________ ________________ with God each day. The Lord Jesus knows this
secret very well. In fact, there are many instances in the Bible that describe how Jesus
________________ spent quality time alone with His Father on a regular basis. In one
instance, the Bible says:

Mark 1:35
35 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.
(Encircle the phrase “very early in the morning”.)

In another passage:

Luke 5:16
16 … Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. NIV

Withdrawing to a solitary place to spend time with His Father, usually in the wee hours
of the morning, is a ________________ ________________ of the Lord Jesus. This
practice is often called “________________ ________________”. It is the first agenda
of the day, a special __________________ between God and you.

God Speaks
God speaks. The Lord declared to Prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things
you do not know.” NIV

Most Christians do not realize that this passage is still true today. God wants to speak to
you directly and even tell about great and unsearchable things. Often, it is not a
question of ‘does God speak’, but more of the question of ‘can you recognize His voice if
he speaks’. God has spoken directly to the people in the Old Testament, he has done so
in the New Testament, nothing limits Him to speak to you today. Jesus said something
very insightful regarding hearing from God. He said:
 John 8:47
“He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is
that you do not belong to God.”
NIV

In this passage, Jesus is empathetically saying that those who belong to God can hear
from God and is expected to hear from Him. If you do not, it’s really a question of
whether or not you really belong to Him. You see, a lot of people think they belong to
God, when they do not. They may talk like they belong to God, walk like they belong to
God and even pray like they belong to God but in reality they do not. Just because a
person goes to church, sing worship songs on Sundays, read the Bible every day is not
an assurance they belong to God. Jesus warned of people such as these. He said that not
all people who can call Him, “Lord, Lord” will see heaven. In fact, Jesus went as far as
saying that:

Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
NIV

So, before we go ahead with the lesson, let me ask you, “Friend, are you sure you
belong to God? Do you have a genuine and intimate relationship with Him? Can you
honestly say that Jesus is the Lord over your life and decisions in life? Do you have the
calm assurance that you are truly saved and possess eternal life? Are you born-again?
Are you sure you do not belong to the category Jesus spoke about in Matthew 7?” If you
are not sure, you need to settle this issue today. Your very future hangs on answering
these questions correctly. In fact, we will not be able to proceed with this discipleship
program unless you answer them first because hearing from God is a requirement to
finishing this program. The good news is this, your discipler can help you answer them.

(Take this time now, Discipler, to answer any question your disciple may have.
And, if need be, lead him/her to prayer of repentance and salvation.)

Going back to our lesson, in case you are saying that you are already saved and have a
genuine born-again experience and yet you still can’t hear from God, this is now a
question of how strong is your ‘relationship’ with Him. You see, ________________ is
the key to hearing from God and it comes only from having an intimate love relationship
with Him. God will speak to you, there’s no question of that, but will you be able to
recognize his voice? Again, you can only do so if you have a genuine and intimate love
relationship with Him. This teaching on Quiet Time is designed to help you develop this
area in your life.

3 Ways God Speaks in Quiet Time

First, God will speak through your ________________ time. Now, you might say, “But I
don’t hear God speak when I pray!” Well, if you do not, chances are you don’t hear, NOT
because God speak, but because you do not wait long enough for God to speak! Often
we do all the talking and expect God to do all the listening. Really, when was the last
time you paused in the middle of your prayer and said, “Go ahead, God, I’ve talked a lot
already, it is your turn now to speak and I will listen?”

Chances are we don’t do that. What happens now is more of a ________________

rather than a ________________.

The second way God speaks in Quiet Time is through the readings in the
______________. The Bible is not called the ‘Word of God’ for nothing. It is what it
claims to be, the very WORD OF GOD! In other words whenever we read the Bible it is
actually GOD SPEAKING to us through the printed page. And, there is tremendous power
in those letters! To illustrate, do you not notice when we read the Bible, words from the
pages seems to leap out from the book and speak to us in a powerful and convicting
way, so powerful it causes us to be moved and to take action? This is God or, more
accurately, the ______________ ______________, already speaking! Countless number
of lives have been changed by the mere reading of this powerful book. Why? Very
simple. Meaning it has a ______________ of its ______________. And this life in the
Bible is powerful enough to truly change lives!

Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-
edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 1
NIV

And the third way God speaks in Quiet Time is through ________________. Journaling is
when we choose to write down what we want to say to God and what we believe we
heard from Him. This is a powerful tool in developing your intimate love relationship
with God and hearing from Him. (Towards the end of this study you will be taught how
to do this ‘journaling’.)
Practical Teachings
On How to Conduct Quiet Time
1. SELECT A ______________, ______________ TIME.

The best time to have a Quiet Time is when I am at my best! But there are reasons
worth considering why an early morning Quiet Time is better:

a. It demonstrates that meeting with God is your first ______________.

b. Because these were _________________ by Bible characters.
(Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Job, Hezekiah, David, Daniel, Jesus, etc.)
c. It seems ______________ to begin the day with it.
Somebody once said: “The best time to tune your instrument is before you play
the concert, not after!”
d. Because you are more ____________ in the morning and your mind is less
______________.
e. And often the early morning is the ______________ time of the day.

2. CHOOSE A SPECIAL _________________.

The Bible gives us a glimpse of the style of Jesus Christ. The Bible says:

Luke 22:39-40
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples
followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray…”

Please encircle the words “as usual”.

Where did Jesus Christ usually spent time to pray? Mount of ______________

The same with us. We must find a special place to pray. It can be in your garden, on
the patio, even on the balcony. It does not have to be outside your house, it can
simply be in your room or even in a closet as long as it is a quiet and a non-
distracting place. Other people designate a __________ ________ just for Quiet
Time. Often they fix-up a corner of their room, decorate with pictures of people they
pray for, prayer items, and promises of the Bible. Others spend money and build
themselves a nice “prayer ____________”. Whatever you choose, the important
thing is that you have a special place to go one-on-one with the Lord.
3. ALWAYS BRING WITH YOU THE FOLLOWING:

a. Your ____________
b. Your Spiritual ____________ and a pen
c. A Hymnal or ____________

4. ALWAYS BEGIN WITH A RIGHT ____________

a. ________________

Psalms 46:10
(The Lord says), “Be still and know that I am God”

b. ________________

Ps 119:18
“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law (Word)”
NKJV

c. Willingness to ______________

John 14:15
“If you love me, you will obey what I command”

5. IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR QUIET TIME, LEARN TO ______________ ONCE IN A

WHILE AND SAY, “SPEAK, LORD, FOR YOUR SERVANT IS LISTENING.”

These words, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.” are the very words the young
Samuel said when he was learning how to hear from God. Go ahead and try this and
you will be amazed that it actually works, that God actually speaks! Now, don’t go
around looking for a big, loud, booming voice from heaven bellow out words to you.
No. God will speak but, often, in a manner that you do not ____________.

One day, the Prophet Elijah was so discouraged with what was happening around
him that God instructed him to go to a certain mountain and there He will speak to
him. The prophet went there expecting God will show up in a big and mighty way,
but He did not. Instead, the Bible said God came and He spoke to Elijah in a small,
still voice or in another version, a quiet whisper. (I Kings 119:12) So often, God will
speak to you in this manner, too.
 Quiet your heart, friend, and be still. If you truly want to hear from God learn to
develop quietness and stillness. Don’t be impatient. He will speak. Just wait for Him
and keep your mind stayed on Him. Then, when your heart is very quiet and very still
He will speak to you. Again, in a still, small voice, in a quiet whisper God will speak to
your heart. Not aloud, but deep down in your heart. He will not disappoint you. He
will speak. You can trust Him in that.

How to Do the Daily Journal

6. Your Journal page is divided into four parts:
a. Scripture
b. Observation
c. Application
d. Prayer

7. SCRIPTURE PORTION: Write down the verse you have chosen in the area. Write
down where it is found in the Bible, too.

8. OBSERVATION PORTION: Write down all that you observed in the Scripture IN
RELATION TO:
a. Who was writing the passage?
b. What was the background of the story?
c. To whom was he talking to?
d. What was he trying to say?
Caution: Do not write down your own personal _______________. Only write
down what you observed regarding the passage. Remember, to observe simply
means to examine more closely.

9. APPLICATION: This is the portion where you get to “_______________” all that
you learned from observing the passage you have chosen. Include:
a. Why you have chosen this passage?
b. What does it mean to you?
c. How can it help you in your life?
d. What is God trying to ________ to you?

10. PRAYER: This is the portion where you will write a personal prayer to God in
relation to the passage you have chosen. Write them down and then pray the
prayer afterwards.
Assignment
One of the best ways to develop SPIRITUAL MATURITY is to develop the daily habits of a
mature Christian such as: (a) Bible Reading, (b) Memorizing Scriptures, (c) an Early
Morning Quiet Time with the Lord, and (d) maintaining a Spiritual Journal of your daily
walk with Christ. You will be given assignments by your disciple every week. Accomplish
tem well because you are expected to show him the results next meeting.

1. Read your Bible.

2. Verse to Memorize:

 John 1:12-13
12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the
right to become children of God- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of
human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

3. Continue using the Journal. Be prepared to share with him/her your entries in
your journals in the next meeting.

4. Our next meeting is:

Date _________________.
Time _________________.
Place _________________.