Guidelines for Having a Set Time of Fellowship with the Lord
Below are the guidelines for a time with the Lord that are mentioned in Flee and Pursue Podcast #7. Each of the items listed below has suggested amounts of time to spend on that item; the first time is for the 7-minute version of the program, and the time in parentheses is for the 10-minute version. Of course, these times are only guidelines, not rules. So if the Lord leads you to spend more time on a certain item, you should faithfully follow His leading.
- Calling - Calling on the name of the Lord to help us set our mind on our spirit (1 Cor. 12:3; Rom. 8:6; 10:12-13; 2 Cor. 10:5; Psa. 62:1) - ½ min. (½ min.)
- Praying - Opening our heart to the Lord, telling Him what we want from Him (2 Cor. 3:16; Psa. 27:4; 42:2; 62:8) - 1 min. (1 min.)
- Pray-reading - Using our spirit to contact the Spirit in the Word by mingling our reading with prayer and personalizing the Word in our prayer (Eph. 6:17-18; 2 Tim. 3:16) - 2 ½ mins. (5 mins.)
- Confession - Confessing our sins in the Lord's light to remove all hindrances to the fellowship with Him (1 John 1:7, 9; Psa. 66:18; Isa. 59:1-2) - 1 min. (1 min.)
- Consecration - Presenting ourselves to the Lord afresh, giving Him the full ground in us (Rom. 12:1-2; 6:13, 19; Mark 12:30) - ½ min. (1 min.)
- Thanksgiving - Giving thanks and praising (Eph. 5:20; 1 Thes. 5:18) - ½ min. (½ min.)
- Petition - Praying for others or for personal needs or guidance (1 Tim. 2:1; Eph. 6:18; Matt. 7:7; Psa. 143:8) - 1 min. (1 min.)
Amen!!
Oh Lord Jesus…Oh Lord Jesus…Oh Lord Jesus…I love you Lord Jesus…
The messages are timeless. Even nine years after the first time I heard this, it still speaks directly to my heart. Practicing the time with the Lord is indeed a daily warfare with the self. Thank the Lord for His abounding grace! After some years of practice, I learned to enjoy the most the matter of pray-reading. Before it’s just a mechanical repeat-reading exercise which is not something I’d daily look forward to. But eventually through the training and practice in the church life, it is now a daily practice I can’t live without. When I enjoy pray-reading, all the other points – confessing, consecration, thanksgiving, petition – become spontaneous. The word is truly living and real!