TIME WITH JESUS: HOUR A DAY
Why Hour a Day?
Jesus tells us: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5
At Oakhouse, we are passionate about being connected with Jesus- our Creator and source of Life! Our hope is for each person to be invested in a personal relationship with God.
The call to this hopeful end is partly through invested daily time.
There isn’t anything magical about sixty minutes -it’s simply a tool. If you’ve never set aside time to consistently invest in your relationship with the Lord, then the call is that you start with any amount.
This isn’t about checking a box on a list of ‘things a Christian does’. This is about a vital, thriving, personal relationship with the one who loves you FIRST, BEST, and MOST!
What Do I Do?
There are so many ways to spend time with the LORD. You can pour your heart out in prayer. Sing worship songs because He is worthy. Read a passage of Scripture slowly and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Ask God what He wants to say to you and then sit in silence. Take a walk and ask God to reveal things He wants you to notice. Study the Word diligently- memorizing portions and reading them aloud.
Here are some resources to help you as you consider daily time with Jesus.
PRAY
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Prayer is essential to our relationship with Jesus. It is an avenue for God to address your heart, soul, and mind, He desires to hear from us and to speak to us. Often, we associate prayer with a certain posture or certain words. This page will provide different methods and ideas of prayer for you to consider. Some of the methods will require you to be active and others will ask you to actively listen, yet be physically still. Ultimately, our desire is that God would tangibly interact through your prayer time with clarity, purpose, and identity.
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The Examen is a method of reviewing your day in the presence of God. It’s actually an attitude more than a method, a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in your everyday life. You can download the card now.
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Have you ever said something and then thought to yourself, “I can’t believe that came out of my mouth”? Think about saying the words – I love you. It’s one thing to think it, but very different to speak it. Praying out loud will not allow God to hear you better or pay closer attention, but it might make you pay a little more attention to what you say. Spend a week praying out loud and pay attention to what YOU hear.
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Prayer is one of our main forms of communication with God. It’s a conversation between a child and a loving Father. It is meant to be unique, organic, and completely relational. Sometimes our prayers become stale and lack any sense of real, deep communication. Prayer methods give us guard rails to help focus our prayers and provide them with new life. The ACTS model provides this structure.
Adoration – to begin your prayer, spend some time “adoring” God. Let him know how much you love him and the reasons why.
Confession – this is straight forward; acknowledge your sin and humbly ask forgiveness.
Thanksgiving – consider your love for God and His grace in forgiving you. Praise Him for all He is and all He does.
Supplication – now is the time to ask for what you need. Too often we begin our prayers with supplication and have not postured our heart to truly ask for things on God’s heart.
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There is something very different about writing out your prayers versus just speaking them. Occasionally, our spoken words fall from our mouths almost without thinking of what we are saying. However, writing or typing your prayer requires additional consideration; in some ways written prayers may seem more real, more thoughtful, more relational. Take a week or maybe a month to write out at least one prayer a day. Notice how it changes your prayer life – are you more honest on paper or are you more reserved? Maybe, try writing your prayers in the form of sonnet or song like David did throughout the Psalms.
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Can kids bring Heaven to earth? Absolutely! Based on the bestselling book When Heaven Invades Earth, you’ll learn that you can bring Heaven to earth by using the talents and gifts that God gave only to you. As God’s child, you can live an exciting life of miracles and blessings beyond your imagination. As you discover who you really are through the love of Jesus, your greatest adventure will end in heaven on earth! You are on a royal mission to find the Kingdom of God. Those keys–faith and prayer–will transform your heart, mind, and spirit by unlocking the riches of Heaven and shaking up your world! Recommended for ages 8 to 12.
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There is no junior Holy Spirit! You have a supernatural assignment in God’s Kingdom! Set the standard for a new normal!
“…the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you…” Romans 8:11
READ
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“How should I read the Bible?” This question has been asked countless times, and many people go on to explain that they can’t seem to get started or quickly lose interest in reading Scripture due to a lack of a solid plan and/or confidence in understanding. Many people describe some version of “Bible Roulette” in which they thumb along the edge of the pages, arbitrarily stop somewhere, open the page, close their eyes, and point to a verse and begin reading. It’s not that the Holy Spirit cannot speak to our hearts this way, but this is not the most accurate or sustainable method to read God’s love letter to us. To this end, we will provide several resources for you to choose from in order to help stay on track and provide guidance in reading. If you currently have a reading plan that works for you, please continue to use it. The resources provided are starting points, and they are meant to give a framework for those needing one.
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BibleProject is a nonprofit ed-tech organization and animation studio that produces 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, blogs, classes, and educational Bible resources to help make the biblical story accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Many people have misunderstood the Bible as a collection of inspirational quotes or a divine instruction manual dropped from heaven. Most of us gravitate toward sections we enjoy while avoiding parts that are confusing or even disturbing. These Bible resources help people experience the Bible in a way that is approachable, engaging, and transformative.
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Reading the Bible is not like reading any other book. The Bible is REALLY old, written by MANY authors over HUNDREDS of years in MULTIPLE genres and languages. Our approach to this beautiful, ancient, holy document requires thoughtfulness and prayer. We need solid scholarship and most importantly God’s Holy Spirit to help us properly interpret and apply what we read. “How to Read…” is one of the best first steps to engaging Scripture well.
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Lectio Divina, literally meaning “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of praying the scriptures. Try to listen to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart,” as if you are in conversation with God, and God is suggesting the topics for discussion. The method of Lectio Divina includes moments of reading, reflecting on, responding to, and resting in the Word of God with the aim of nourishing and deepening one’s relationship with God.
Read a small passage numerous times (try at least 3) and pay attention to words, verses or ideas that stand out to you each time. Spend some time waiting for God to speak between each reading to confirm or change what you think he may be directing you toward. You should try this multiple days with the same passage and ask God what he has for you.
Some suggested passages: Genesis 12:1-9, Genesis 18:1-14, Psalm 23, Psalm 27, Psalm 42, Psalm 46, Psalm 63, Psalm 84, Psalm 91, Psalm 131, Isaiah 30:15-21, Matthew 11:25-30, Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 6:30-44, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 5:1-11, Luke 6:12-20, John 3:1-8, John 4:4-26, John 5:1-15, John 6:1-15, John 10:4-15, John 12:1-8, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-10; 12:1-3
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The One Year Bible for Kids features 365 great passages from the Bible that bring God’s Word to life for children ages 8 to 12. Presented in the easy-to-understand New Living Translation, this special daily-reading Bible will give children a taste of the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. The One Year Bible for Kids will help children develop good Bible-reading habits that can last a lifetime!
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The Bible in One Year app is an audio and/or follow along journey through the bible in about 22 minutes a day. It's a combination of Old and New Testaments each day along with wonderful commentary from Pastors Nikki and Pippa Gumble. Learn more here.
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In a very accessible and understandable way, this book covers everything from who wrote the bible, unfamiliar words and titles, to a general walk through of the Old and New Testaments. A great starting place, reminder or deeper look into the composition and content of the Bible. Item description. You can buy it on Amazon.
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This book is an unparalleled resource for fueling your devotional prayer life. Great for anyone wanting fresh momentum in their quiet time with Jesus. It defuses common struggles, equips, and inspires fervency for Jesus. 52 short chapters.
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The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God
In an age when Jesus has become either a “nice idea” or a poster boy for the issue du jour, Willard argues compellingly for the relevance of God to every aspect of our daily life. He captures the central insights of Christ’s teachings in a fresh way that invites in the seekers and searchers of today. Willard, a theologian and professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, challenges the 21st-century church away from the millennium of “sin management” to an apprenticeship in the gospel. He comes down equally hard on Sunday-only Christians and left- or right-wing Pharisees who use Christianity to advance political agendas rather than spiritual ones. The Divine Conspiracy unleashes a simple, creative, and deeply spiritual energy toward renewal of the church.
The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus's Essential Teachings On Discipleship
This book calls believers to restore what should be the heart of Christianity—being active disciples of Jesus Christ. In the school of life, we are apprentices of the Teacher whose brilliance encourages us to rise above traditional church understanding and embrace the true meaning of discipleship—an active, concrete, 24/7 life with Jesus.
SING
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We see throughout scripture that worship through music is meant to honor and edify both God and His people. As you lean into spending an hour a day with Jesus, take time to find your own rhythm of worship with Him. Worship with your voice, out loud, giving God your attention and adoration, recognizing that He is worthy of worship in EVERY circumstance. This might be new, challenging or different than what you’ve ever done before and that’s completely ok. You will find a few different playlists created here that are meant to give you a starting place to encourage your unique time of worship with Him.
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God is worthy of praise every day. This playlist is a starting place for you to spend time singing out loud to the Lord on your own. Let us not limit our worship through music to a Sunday gathering.
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Worshiping through music doesn’t always require we use our voice. This playlist is created as a means to worship God through listening. Let it sing over you. Let it remind you of who God is and the majesty of His name!
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Read His word and see how those that came before us worshiped. Be inspired and encouraged that worship is lasting and impacting the Lord’s heart.
Exodus 15:1
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.
2 Chronicles 5:13
The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud,
Psalm 71:23
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered.
Psalm 95:1
Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Colossians 3:16
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Ephesians 5:19
speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord…
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Younger Kids:
Rend Co. Kids
Hillsong Kids Jr.
Orange Kids Music
Older Kids:
Elevation Church Kids
Bethel Music Kids
Youth:
Vertical Worship
Brandon Lake
Hillsong Young & Free
SEU Worship
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ADDITIONAL TOOLS
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bible project app - This is a full cabinet of amazing resources. Videos, podcasts, translations...it's creative, accessible, and theologically sound. Download it now for Apple or Andoid.
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If you're someone who likes goals/plans/strategy, then here are a few challenges you can try to increase your daily time with Jesus:
- add one minute a week to your time with the Lord starting at 1. After a year you'll be at 52 minutes a day!
- add 5 minutes a day to your time with the Lord each month. After a year you'll be at one hour a day!
- spend 5 minutes with the Lord in the morning, five minutes at lunchtime and 5 minutes before you go to bed. Increase each of these by five minutes every three months. After a year your 20, 20, 20 will be an hour a day.
- each day spend 20 minutes in worship through music, 20 minutes in prayer, and 20 minutes reading and studying the bible.
- don't do work or look at a screen of any kind until you have prayed, worshiped or read the bible when you wake up each day.
- commit to reading the bible from cover to cover, no matter how long it takes!