WHY SHOULD I HAVE A QUIET TIME?

Why Should I Have A Quiet Time?

This question revolves around three other questions:
    1. Does a Christian want to sin?
    2. Does a Christian have to sin?
    3. Why do we sin?

1. Does a Christian want to sin?
    Question:
    How do we know that the real Christian does not want to sin?
         (James 1:14-15)
              – We know the consequences of sin
                 (especially if there is no repentance).

    Question:
    What happens when we do sin?
         (Psalm 6:1-6)
             – There is conviction, guilt, and regret.

         (Psalm 22:1-2)
             – We feel the full impact of being separated from God.
             – We feel that He doesn’t hear our prayers.
             – Even if He does hear our prayers,
                we have little or no confidence that He will answer them.

         (Psalm 25:16-18)
              – We start to feel lonely (sometimes, even in a crowd).
              – We can get sick, and even experience anxiety attacks.
              – We can get depressed and start worrying about,
                 and imagining, all kinds of problems.

         (Psalm 38)
              – We experience extreme sorrow.
              – We feel isolated
                 (not only from God, but from friends as well).
              – We reach a new level of despair and wonder if God
                 will ever forgive us….again (we can even forget His
                 promises and the fact that He loves us).
              – Basically, our world starts to fall apart.

         (Psalm 26:1-4)
              – Shows the contrast of a non-Christian who sins.

         Conclusion:
              The true heart of a Christian does not want to sin.

    (Philippians 2:13)
         – God gives us the ability to make the right choices;
            choices that agree with His purposes.

    (2 Corinthians 5:9)
         – The true heart of a Christian is to please God.
         – “in the body”
            (could mean “in the midst of other Christians”)
         – “goal (ambition)” (means “strong desire”)

         – (Psalm 34:11-15)
            Instructions for those who want to please God:
                 – Avoid conversations that lead to evil actions.
                 – Don’t lie.
                 – Turn from evil (a conscious effort; ask for God’s help;
                     it may require asking God to take full control).
                 – Do good
                    (not a passive command, but one that requires action).
                 – Seek and pursue peace.
                         – Could mean to seek things that bring peace into
                            our lives and when we find them,
                            pursue them with diligence.
                        – Could mean to live peacefully with others.
                        – Could mean to seek things that will bring peace
                           in the lives of others (salvation for the lost).
                        – Could mean all of these.

2. Does a Christian have to sin?
     (Romans 6:5-7)
          – To be “freed from sin” means we have been given
             the ability (according to His Spirit) to choose not to sin.

     (1 Corinthians 10:13)
          – God is faithful. He promises to provide
             a way to escape giving in to temptation.
             Note:
                  Temptation is an opportunity for us to choose to
                   please God (as opposed to pleasing ourselves).

     (2 Peter 1:3)
          – God has given us everything we need
             to do good and resist sin.
          – He has given us everything we need for life itself.

          Question:
          What is our responsibility?
               – To surrender to Him.
               – To get to know Him better.
               – To develop a love relationship with Him.

          Note:
               The scriptures say that He called us.
               To me, this means that He
                has a purpose for every one of us.

     Conclusion:
          The Christian does not have to sin.

     (Psalm 51)
          – Shows the pain of sin and the desires
             of the true heart of a Christian.
             The true heart of a Christian:
                  – Wants God to be merciful when they fail.

                  – Knows that when they sin,
                     they sin against God, and God only.

                  – Knows that sin is, anything that would
                     be considered evil in God’s sight.

                  – Wants God to cleanse them
                     completely from ALL sin.

                  – Acknowledges God’s righteousness.

                  – Has a desire to be truthful.

                  – Wants God to give them wisdom.

                  – Is ashamed of their sin.

                  – Wants to be renewed into a person who pleases God.

                  – Does not want to lose a personal relationship with God.

                  – Does not want to quench the Holy Spirit (and His work).

                  – Has a desire to regain the joy he or she
                     experienced when they were first saved.

                  – Wants to be willing to do
                     whatever God asks of them.

                  – Has a desire to help others to find salvation.

                  – Wants to joyfully tell others
                     about God and His righteousness.

                  – Has a desire to praise God continually
                     (is excited about their relationship with God).

                  – Would offer burnt sacrifices if that is what God wanted;
                      since it is not what God wants, the true heart of
                      a Christian grieves over sin in their life (contrite heart),
                      and has humility (broken heart).
                      Note:
                           Humility results in pleasing God,
                           instead of pleasing ‘self’.

3. Why do we sin?
          – We sin because we don’t love God enough
             (it’s that simple, and that painful).

          – We may think we love God, but the real question is,
             “Do we love Him enough to obey Him?”

          Those are my comments, but what do the scriptures say?
          John 14:15, John 14:21, John 14:23, John 14:24
          Note:
               These scriptures seem to say that our obedience is in
               direct proportion to our love for God..or..our love
               for God is in direct proportion to our obedience to Him.

     So, what causes us to sin?
          – We don’t love God enough.
             Why don’t we love God enough?
                   – We don’t know God.

          – Why don’t we know God?
                  – We spend so little time with Him.

          – Why don’t we spend more time with God?
                  – We don’t see the need.

          – Why don’t we see the need
             to spend more time with God?
                  – Pride.
                    We say, “God, I don’t need you,
                                      I can handle things myself”.

     How do we reverse this process?
          – We start at the end and work backwards.
             Instead of pride (I don’t need God),
             we develop humility (God I need you).

          – When we are humble, we can see the need
             to spend more time with God.

          – When we see the need,
             we find ways to spend more time with Him.

          – When we spend more time with Him,
             we get to know Him more.

          – The more we get to know Him,
             we love and appreciate Him more.

          – The more we love Him,
             the more we obey Him.

Look at John 14:21 again.
Jesus says that when we obey His
commands, He will love us and show Himself to us.
Don’t just brush this off as a nice thought, but think
about how Jesus can (and does) show Himself to you.

Conclusion:
     A quiet time is more than a good idea,
      it is an absolute necessity for followers of Jesus Christ!