A thoughtful hour: 5 tips for spending time with God

So last month I wrote about my commitment to having a “thoughtful hour” each day – which for me was all about my desire to find small intervals throughout the day to spend time with God while still juggling a busy schedule. In this blog post I wanted to get practical and share some tips and ideas of ways we can find time in the day to have our thoughts drawn to Jesus. Some of these tips I already implement and some I am hoping to try out.

So, getting straight into it – Here are my 5 tips:

1.       Bible Audio

I love Bible audio!! Bible audio is handy when you are on the go or when you want a few thoughtful minutes. I sometimes use bible audio when I do things that require me to walk around, for example: - walking around the building at work, walking into town, taking a stroll by the sea front on my lunch break etc. I find listening to Bible audio generally keeps my mind in a focused and reflective place. I use the Bible audio app – Bible.is - this app has the Bible in many different languages and has a variety of different Bible audios to suit different preferences. As a side point, I make use of Bible audio almost every night - I leave it to play quietly and it is so great to go to sleep and wake up to the word of God!

2.       Scripture on paper

The title may make this tip sound a little bit sophisticated, but with this I literally write down scriptures on a small piece of paper (about the size of my hand). This allows me to read and mediate on the word of God in situations where I am not able to have my bible open in my hands. This is handy for me as most of you know I work in ICT Support, and there are times when I have to wait for things to install/load, so I am pretty much sitting around and waiting. However, I am technically still working so I can’t just crack open a book and do my own thing. However, having that small piece of paper in my hand allows me in that period of waiting to lift my thoughts heavenward and meditate on scripture.

3.       Scripture memorisation

This is an area I definitely need to improve on, but when I have been consistent, it has been such a blessing. Scripture memorisation is a powerful tool for keeping the word hidden in your heart, and you can recall to your mind scripture at any time when you need them. I try to memorise scripture that I can use when I am confronted with specific situations throughout the day.

For example, when I am in situation where:

·       I am feeling overwhelmed and have so much on my mind:

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 49:19

·       I need to plan something important:

“Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.” Proverbs 24:27

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

·       I encounter possible conflict:

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” James 1:19

Some people find scripture memorisation too hard or boring, but the key is in finding a method of memorisation that suits you. Some people memorise through repeating the scripture aloud repeatedly, some have to write the scripture down over and over again, some use scripture songs to memories and some make use of memorisation apps/websites. My best friend recommended this website as being very useful for scripture memorisation - https://learnscripture.net/

4.       Sermons and Audio books

Sermons and audio books are great for when you have longer periods where you may be sitting down working on something, on a long journey or doing something that doesn’t require much mental focus.  Sermons and audio books work for me specifically because I often drive long distances and have very little time to sit down and read leisurely. Using this method has helped me get through   many sermons and even whole books, which would have taken me longer (if at all) to complete if I tried to do it leisurely in my spare time.  Sermon and audio books are also great if you want to focus on specific topic - one of my favourite audio books is The Desire of Ages by Ellen G White.

5.       Scripture songs

Most of us know that when something is put to a tune, it is easy to remember. Music is a great learning tool and there are some songs that I haven't heard since childhood, but granted if I heard the tune, it is likely I would be able to remember the words too. If you want to memorise scripture fast and keep it in your mind for longer, then scripture songs are a very effective method. There are so many scripture songs out there that you can learn, and if you want to be creative you can make your own scripture songs. Creating your own scripture songs can also give you time to really think and meditate on the words as you put it to a tune.

6.       Journaling

This blog post is meant to give only five tips, but I will throw in a somewhat related bonus. Journaling is so special to me!!!! I find journaling extremely useful as it gives me the opportunity to really pour out myself and express myself to God. It is such a blessing (sometimes hard) to be completely candid and vulnerable before your maker. I write a daily journal, and it is so powerful  to look back at my past journal entries and view times that I have rejoiced, cried, surrendered. It is such a blessing to review what God has done and to also track your growth in Him. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer try adding journaling into your time with God, and you won’t be sorry! J

I hope these tips have been helpful, if you have any more tips please share them with us in the comments section below.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥  


Stay in touch with me 

Email: missdaisyspetals@gmail.com
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A thoughtful hour...

“It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit…”

Desire of Ages page 83

Doesn’t the above sound amazing! Imagine how much power we would have if we spent just a thoughtful hour each day contemplating Christ’s life and the great sacrifice he made for us. 

Well…

As amazing as this sounds, there is a problem…

Time!

Time is definitely something that we all can say we need more of!

…but God is gracious. He has given us 86, 400 seconds/1440 minutes/24 hours in a day and yet he doesn’t demand all of our time.

It’s almost like tithe, God could ask for 75% of our income or even 50% but he only asks us for 10%

…because he that is faithful in little is faithful in much?

Going back to the actual topic though…

God has given us all a measure of time and it’s up to us to choose and determine how much time we should spend with him and how to allocate our time and juggle things like family responsibilities, work responsibilities etc. 

Can I be completely honest with you...

I sometimes struggle to have my thoughtful hour each day. I remember praying and asking God to interrupt my day. I wanted to find extra time with God throughout the day outside of my morning and evening devotional time.

This sounds all good in theory, but I’m finding that as you get older and take on more adult responsibilities your days tend to be drowned by all the “important things” that need to be done.

Lord I need more time!!

…or maybe I need to be intentional and find time.

..but from where?

Hmmm, it’s time for me to get creative and find a new way to do things.

I need to make time.

I remember a sister in Christ sharing her testimony and she mentioned the “thoughtful hour”, and how she does it in 15-minute increments throughout the day.

I thought to myself “That’s it! That is exactly what I am going to do!”(Getting creative doesn’t always mean being completely original 😊)

So…

I have decided that I am going to be more intentional about my time and ask God to grant me little pockets of time throughout the day. I want to be able to pull away from the day’s activities and take some time out for reflection and meditation. It may mean sacrificing a trip into town during my lunch break, postponing that telephone call, reducing my time on social media etc

Have you always desired to have that “thoughtful hour” during the day but are struggling to find the time? Join me…Get creative and find a way to make time that works for you.

… But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Psalm 1:2

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥  


Stay in touch with me 

Email: missdaisyspetals@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missdaisyspetals 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missdaisyspetals

2019 is NOT going to be my year

If we judge it by how long it has taken me to write this one blog post!

No, but on a more serious note.

God has a reputation of answering prayers,

…therefore we need to be careful what we ask for.

It’s true that he “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” Ephesians 3:20.

But that “abundantly above” doesn’t always look pretty, or come in the way we expect it.

Sometimes answered prayers bring us face to face with our own weaknesses and may even require sacrifice.

In 2018, I prayed.

I asked God to help me to learn to stand tall; and for His name, be able to face this world and not flinch.

I asked for this and received;

trials, challenges, estrangement, grief, and even betrayal.

…But like I said God answers prayers.

I guess, firstly he wants to give me an experience that can maintain what I am asking for, right?

He has to build me and make me stronger; otherwise what I am asking for will never be of any benefit to me.

I used to have the “this is going to be my year!” mentality.

I had 2018 planned so well but the Lord had a change of plan...

…I tried so hard to resist it.

But the scripture says “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

I know this very well yet here I was falling into the same trap.

2018 did not go to plan at all, but the change of plan turned out to be such a blessing; one that I wouldn’t have been able to plan myself…or even fathom.

God is good!

So much so that I can look back at 2018 and count it all joy because he is “too wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly” Steps to Christ, page 96.

I needed to learn that God will change plans for our benefit and his glory; so I need to be ready and willing to surrender.

So! 2019 is not going to be my year,

...Because I am going to trust.

 I am going to give it over to him, come what may, so that his name may be made great…even in all the earth.

Happy New Year everyone!  I pray that God’s will may be accomplished in your life this year,

… be ready and willing always to surrender.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥  

Birthday Blues

So today is my 29th birthday!!! I can’t believe I have reached the final year of my 20’s…eeeeekkkkk!!!! 

I am so thankful for this day and my heart is filled with so much gratitude as I look back at God’s goodness towards me! However, I wanted to write this blog post as it hasn’t always been a “happy birthday".

Last year on my birthday I was miserable! So miserable that I almost refused to go out with my friends and family that day.  I had a bad case of the birthday blues and it all stemmed from feelings of discontent and inadequacy. I kept on thinking to myself “I am 28 years old and I haven’t done this and that”, “Most people my age are in such and such a position”, “It’s too late for me to do this now”, “I feel like a failure”.  

Honestly! All these thoughts were running through my mind and I genuinely believed them to be true. 

Have you ever felt this way? Not just on your birthday but any day? 

I just want to encourage you....

When we feel like this God calls to our hearts to come to him for perspective. 

Why? 

Because most of the time some of these thoughts are based upon unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves, and unfortunately these expectations often don’t line up with our current reality.  

Let me give an example...

One of the things I was really down about last year was not having massive savings. I believed a lot of people my age had enough savings to buy a house or to help them out in a huge emergency…..but that wasn’t me.  

When speaking with a friend about it she reminded me that I can’t compare my situation to others. She said “Daisy, I can afford to put loads of money away in my savings account as I still live with my parents, I don’t pay any rent or bills and I walk to work etc. You on the other hand, don’t live with your parents, you have your own place and you pay for everything  yourself so it’s natural that you won’t always have huge amounts of money to put towards savings after you’ve met essentials."

Can you see what I mean about perspective? 

Don’t be so hard on yourself! Don’t compare your life or current situation to others, or the standards of society or whatever else…take your problem to the Lord and ask for some perspective and a reality check. 

I have truly gained perspective in this area and now my whole approach and altitude has changed. Now instead of feeling sad about my lack of savings I just save as much as I can and trust in the Lord. God is always providing so I need to remember that my hope is in him and not in my savings account.   

So if you ever have a case of the birthday blues or just life blues in general, take some time out with the lord to work through these concerns and ask him to show you the reality alongside his will for you.  

You may feel like you’re well into your 30’s and not married yet…. 

Ask the Lord to show you your heart, are you feeling this way because your friends are all getting married? Are you even ready for marriage? Are your ideals of marriage in line with what the bible teaches? Where does the idea come from that being single in your 30’s is a bad thing? Is this what the bible teaches? 

You may feel like you hate your job and just want better opportunities….  

Are you being faithful even now in  your current job, or are you doing just enough to get by? Are you actively doing things that put yourself  in a position to be available for better opportunities? Are you proactive in seeking for opportunities? Don’t expect anyone to approach you, sometimes you have to put yourself forward and make it known you are available for opportunities and further development.  

You may feel like you're far from God and your Christian walk is not what it used to be…  

How is your devotional life? Where is your heart? What is filling up your time and especially your mind? Are you engaging in things or hanging around with people who are drawing you away from God? Do you renew your mind daily with the word of God? Remember you can’t live off of last week’s bible study.   

At the end of my birthday last year (after spending the evening with my friends and family *smiles*) I remember going to bed with the lesson that life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to,  and things don’t always work out according to the way we have mapped it out or the timings we have set forth, however we can rest assured and have full confidence in God as he has promised to direct our path.  

Here are some scriptures of encouragement  

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  

Psalm 37: 4-5 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  

Psalm 3: 5-6 

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps 

Proverbs 16: 9 

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

Jeremiah 29:11 

Yes, so no birthday blues today, just pure and utter gratitude and overflowing love.

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥