Does Your Daily Quiet Time Need A Makeover?

Note:  Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.  You can read my disclosure policy here.

On paper, I look like a fantastic Christian.I've been saved for nearly 30 years.  I grew up in a Christian home.  I went to a Christian college and earned a minor degree in Bible.  I'm married to an amazing Christian husband.  I even read my Bible every day for over 5 years.

But just because I look good on paper doesn't mean that my faith is strong or that I have life all figured out.  In fact, the very opposite is true.

Whenever I go through a crisis, I panic in fear instead of standing boldly in faith.  While I have a lot of Bible facts memorized, I really don't have the first clue about applying the truths of God's Word to my life.  And even though I read my Bible every day for so long, I never studied it or let it change me.  At times, I actually feel like a Christian fraud.

A month ago, Arabah Joy (a Christian blogger I highly respect and follow) announced the beta launch of her new course, Bible Study Methods:  7 Ways in 7 Days.  And I didn't immediately sign up for it.  I knew something was missing from my personal quiet time with the Lord, but I guess I figured that after having read my Bible so thoroughly and gone to school for a degree in it, there wasn't much a 7-day course could teach me.  I actually kind of forgot about the course until she emailed later in the week to remind us it was still available.

I'm still not sure why I decided to jump on it - maybe it was the low price; maybe I was desperate to improve my daily quiet time.  I'm definitely sure the Lord nudged me in the right direction, because that class was exactly what I needed.  It was the missing piece to the puzzle that I wasn't even aware I'd misplaced somewhere along the way.

I don't know whether I was never taught how to study God's Word or whether I had simply forgotten how to do so.  Either way, the end result was that I didn't know how to read my Bible in a way that would help me grow in my spiritual walk.  Arabah Joy's class was very simple and straight-forward, but I came away with a fresh zeal to really dig in to the Scriptures.  Even more exciting to me was that I was able to go through the class again with my spark plugs so that they can learn to study and apply verses to their own lives as well.

Does your daily quiet time need a makeover the way mine did?  I suspect that I'm not the only one who felt like there was more I should be doing but didn't know what that "more" was.

Or perhaps you're a student of the Scriptures and want to get your hands on any and all training material possible.  I know there are many who are absolutely hungry for the food of God's Word.

Whether you're a new believer or a long-time Christian like I am, I fully believe that this short course will be a huge blessing to your spiritual life.  Each day's lesson comes with a video to watch and worksheets to fill out so that you get the opportunity to really dig in to your Bible.

But Arabah Joy has also kept it manageable time-wise:  watching the videos and completing the assignments won't take you all morning long (unless you want it to).  As a mama of four busy little ones, I really appreciated the fact that I could keep up with a lesson per day.  That said, another great bonus is that this is a self-paced course.  If something unexpected happens, or if you want to take extra time on one of the lessons because it's just so good, you won't fall behind.  I ended up completing the course in about 10 days instead of 7, and that was perfectly okay!

Even more exciting:  If you purchase Bible Study Methods by March 26th, Arabah Joy will give you a bonus Ephesians study as a way of saying thank you!

On top of that, if you decide to purchase through my affiliate link, I will send you my own bonus as well:  my Family Bible Study printable pack, which has my best tips for involving your children in Bible study as well as a printable sermon notes-taking page for kids.  Just email me at julie(at)hallwayinitiative(dot)com, or fill out the "contact" page here, and I'll be sure to get you your freebie!

Even though I initially hesitated to take Bible Study Methods, I'm so thankful the Lord motivated me to invest in it.  This has been the most beneficial thing I've done for my spiritual growth in years.  If you're longing to get more out of your quiet time, want to deepen your relationship with the Lord, and have the budget for it, I'd highly encourage you to make this small investment in your walk with Christ.

I know you'll be glad you did!