Face Time
OVERVIEW. Hearing God is something that we can practice and grow in as we grow in relationship with Him. Listening for His voice, recognizing how He could be speaking, and holding words loosely while trusting Him are all skills to grow in. One of the greatest ways to grow in this is through posturing or attuning ourselves towards Jesus. A great way to do this is daily time before the Lord’s face so that we are changed, just as Moses was changed by meeting with God on the mountain top. An Antioch-specific way of talking about this daily time with God is Face Time -- as in making time face-to-face to be with Him.
PRACTICE.
A helpful recipe for this daily face-time is expressed with the acronym WPWP, which stands for worship, prayer, word, and prayer.
WORSHIP: We start with a posture of worship, proclaiming who He is. Take time to declare who God is, either through your experience with Him, through what Scripture says about God, or by listening to declarative worship songs.
Possible places to start: Psalm 47, 100, 103, 111, 148. Reign Above It All (Bethel), You Deserve It All (Jeremy Riddle), Worthy (Elevation), How Great Thou Art.
PRAYER: Take time to pray. This part is for more personal, reflective prayer. Perhaps you want to thank God for who He is in your life, the things He has done. Perhaps He brings to mind places you need to repent. Take time to repent and thank Him for His forgiveness. Perhaps there are things weighing on your mind. Ask for His perspective, counsel, help, etc.
WORD: Spend some time reading the Bible. Perhaps you are following a reading plan or Bible study, or maybe you are reading through particular books. Regardless of your approach, as you spend time reading the Bible, recognize how God is speaking to you and consider how this impacts your life today.
PRAYER: End with outward focused prayer. Pray for those in your family and community, those you work with, your city and leaders, or even interceding for a specific situation in your life, your city, or the world.
FURTHER PRACTICE. Set aside 30 minutes daily to meet with the Lord face to face. If you’re not sure how to fit it in your schedule, you can almost always wake up 30 minutes earlier. This may be an act of surrender or sacrifice, similar to fasting, to make the time to be with Jesus. Come eagerly expecting His daily presence and to hear Him speak, whether through the Bible, His still small voice, in creation, or through others throughout the day.
PRACTICE.
A helpful recipe for this daily face-time is expressed with the acronym WPWP, which stands for worship, prayer, word, and prayer.
WORSHIP: We start with a posture of worship, proclaiming who He is. Take time to declare who God is, either through your experience with Him, through what Scripture says about God, or by listening to declarative worship songs.
Possible places to start: Psalm 47, 100, 103, 111, 148. Reign Above It All (Bethel), You Deserve It All (Jeremy Riddle), Worthy (Elevation), How Great Thou Art.
PRAYER: Take time to pray. This part is for more personal, reflective prayer. Perhaps you want to thank God for who He is in your life, the things He has done. Perhaps He brings to mind places you need to repent. Take time to repent and thank Him for His forgiveness. Perhaps there are things weighing on your mind. Ask for His perspective, counsel, help, etc.
WORD: Spend some time reading the Bible. Perhaps you are following a reading plan or Bible study, or maybe you are reading through particular books. Regardless of your approach, as you spend time reading the Bible, recognize how God is speaking to you and consider how this impacts your life today.
PRAYER: End with outward focused prayer. Pray for those in your family and community, those you work with, your city and leaders, or even interceding for a specific situation in your life, your city, or the world.
FURTHER PRACTICE. Set aside 30 minutes daily to meet with the Lord face to face. If you’re not sure how to fit it in your schedule, you can almost always wake up 30 minutes earlier. This may be an act of surrender or sacrifice, similar to fasting, to make the time to be with Jesus. Come eagerly expecting His daily presence and to hear Him speak, whether through the Bible, His still small voice, in creation, or through others throughout the day.