• You need to grow in your new faith in Christ, and to do this it is important for you to establish a quiet time--a time to get alone with God and His Word.
  
  
• The Bible is the revelation of God's mind to us. It's what He wants us to know and do. Not only did God give His Son--the Living Word--to save us, He gave His Book, the Written Word, to guide us.
  
  
• Some sections of the Bible are difficult to understand and some are not as exciting as others. Still, every section of God's Word has something to say to us, and that makes every passage very important.
  
  
• It doesn't matter when your quiet time is, but it is helpful if we set aside a specific time when we can be alone with God.

A six-step plan for what to do when you have your quiet time:

1. Start with prayer. Ask God to prepare you to meet with Him. If there is something in your life that you know displeases Him, confess it. Let Him forgive you so that nothing will hinder your communion together.
   
   
2. Read a specific passage of Scripture--perhaps a chapter or two. If you are not very familiar with the Bible, you may wish to start with the New Testament. Many people think that the Gospel of John is a good place to start. Perhaps you would enjoy reading one or two of the Psalms every day.
   
   
3. Meditate on it for a while after you have read a passage. Think about what you read, and ask yourself what it means. What does God want you to do? Remember, even though you may not understand all you read in the Bible, you can still obey what you do understand.
   
   
4. Write down questions about the passage as you read. It is good to write down the things you learn and the questions you have. Later you can search out the answers from someone who knows the subject or Bible commentaries.
   
   
5. Then read the passage again. Reading it the second time usually brings to light things you didn't notice the first time. This is a great way to learn on your own; for as you read, you'll have God's Holy Spirit as your teacher (John 14:26).
   
   
6. Finally, pray again. Thank God for sending His Son to die for you. Thank Him for giving you His Word (the Bible) because without it you would have no answers to life's big questions. Thank Him for teaching you from the passage you have just read.

Remember:

• Many new Christians start a quiet time each day with great enthusiasm, but they soon get too busy and somehow God gets squeezed out.
  
  
• Consistency is the key. The person who merely samples the Word of God never acquires much of a taste for it. You must come back to God's Word daily for Him to feed you, just as you come to a table daily to eat physical food.
  
  
• Once you start, don't quit!