[i]<\/b><\/a><\/i>, Joanna Weaver shares some simple steps on how to have a half day of focus on God. I\u2019d like to share them with you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
1. Find a place free from distractions.<\/i><\/p>\n
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I have the mountains close at hand. There are plenty of places where I can head in just a short period of time to be alone with God. That may not be possible for you. However, I\u2019m sure you have a favorite place to be alone. A park. A beach. A meadow. Your back yard. It can be any place where nothing can disturb you. That\u2019s the important part.<\/p>\n
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If you do stay home, turn off your phones (land line and cell). Turn off all electronic equipment. The goal here is for there to be no distractions.<\/p>\n
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2. Take along your Bible, a notebook, a pen or pencil.<\/i><\/p>\n
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I can\u2019t express the importance of this step. In this alone time with God, the Bible is God\u2019s way of speaking to you.<\/p>\n
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On one of my little excursions with God, I sat at a beautiful overlook to a valley. I looked up the word \u201cmountain\u201d in my Bible\u2019s concordance. It led me to Micah 4. One section of that chapter is titled, \u201cThe Lord\u2019s Plan.\u201d That\u2019s when it really hit me that my life is not my own. He has a plan and when I allow Him to work through me, it\u2019s a perfect plan.<\/p>\n
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3. Stay awake and alert.<\/i><\/p>\n
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It may be difficult, but get a good night\u2019s rest the night before. You\u2019ll want to be fully alert. When our minds and bodies are rested, we know our ability to comprehend is much greater. It\u2019s no different with spending time with God. Our minds will stay focused and we\u2019ll be able to listen for all that God wants to teach us.<\/p>\n
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4. Try a variety of approaches.<\/i><\/p>\n
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In this special time with God, don\u2019t just do one thing. Read Scripture, pray, walk a bit, be quiet, write in your journal, sing, quote Scripture back to God, etc. There are plenty of prayer options on the internet, so you might want to check into some of those.<\/p>\n
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Depending on what I\u2019m focusing on, I\u2019ve used different tools for different focus days. Some I\u2019ve focused more on prayer and used a circle of prayer to help with that time. Some times I\u2019ve focused more on what God\u2019s Word has to say to me. That\u2019s the beauty of doing this on a regular basis. You\u2019ll find many ways to focus on God.<\/p>\n
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5. Pray aloud in a whisper or soft voice.<\/i><\/p>\n
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I find that if I pray silently my mind wanders. Even in my prayer time at home, I\u2019m much more productive if I speak audibly. So I do. It\u2019s no different on these focus days (another reason to be in a place away from others).<\/p>\n
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I know. People will think you\u2019re odd if you\u2019re talking to yourself, but you\u2019re not really talking to yourself and you really don\u2019t care what others think about you either. Right? So try it. You might be amazed at how much easier prayer time can be.<\/p>\n
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6. Make a worry list.<\/i><\/p>\n
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Now I\u2019m not a worrier. But I do have concerns. So this is a great time to put them on a list and then figure out later if there is something I can do to make it better. Remember, you\u2019re with God to be focused more on what He wants for your life. If He spurs your memory, be prepared to do something about it.<\/p>\n
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If you take the time to have a regular focus day, let me know. I\u2019d love to hear your ideas. What works for you? What hasn\u2019t worked in the past?<\/p>\n
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What I do know is that when I take the time to be alone with God for an extended period of time, He honors that time. I am refreshed. I am revived. I am ready.<\/p>\n
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\u201cCome, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.\u201d<\/em> (Micah 4:2 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n
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Donna<\/p>\n
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[i]<\/a> Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World<\/i>, Joanna Weaver, Waterbrook Press, 2002, page 230<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve worked closely with ministry folks for years. I\u2019ve been surprised by the different approaches to their personal relationship with Jesus. You know, how they spend time with God. One approach that I\u2019ve come to appreciate and love is a full day of focus. Realistically it can\u2019t happen every week, but they realized the importance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,296,15,17,18,14,21],"tags":[1731,1732,1733,1734,1730,890,631],"class_list":["post-2779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asking-god","category-experiencing-god","category-knowing-god","category-obeying-god","category-pleasing-god","category-seeking-god","category-trusting-god","tag-extra-time-with-god","tag-focus-day","tag-having-a-mary-heart-in-a-martha-world","tag-joanna-weaver","tag-lets-go-up-to-the-mountain","tag-micah-4","tag-micah-42"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2779"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2780,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2779\/revisions\/2780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/a>I\u2019ve been able to do a few of these focus days over the past few years. When I\u2019ve had a particularly difficult decision to make, I\u2019ve headed for the hills. Bible in hand, I spend hours praying and reading and waiting. Waiting for God to help me with my decision. It\u2019s worked every time.<\/p>\n