You Need Your S.P.A.C.E.

             A few years ago, a dear friend of mine challenged me to do something that has literally transformed my spiritual life.  He asked me to seek God earnestly and diligently for 40 days in solitude (early in the morning) and then write down everything and anything God revealed to me each day.  He also promised to do the same (with me), and we would in turn hold each other accountable until the end of the 40 days.
            Just to insure our commitment, we both waged our beloved iPods (to be given to the other) if either one of us failed to follow through. 

            I’m proud (and relieved to say), neither one of us had to give up our iPods, but more importantly, it’s now going on three years AFTER the initial 40 days.  In fact, some of the blog posts I’ve shared with you have come out of my “quiet time” moments with God.  Also, as result, my son and I now seek God together as a result of this little challenge my friend issued; I can’t thank him enough for approaching me about doing it.

            However, initially, I didn’t feel that way.  Yes, I’ve sought God before through Bible reading, devotional reading, church attendance, praise and worship, and prayer.  But my friend proposed a slightly different approach.  He wanted us each to pick Bible verses at random (wherever God led us), and without the aid of Biblical commentary, allow God and the Holy Spirit to speak to us directly without hindrance or outside influence.  We then would record in a journal whatever God revealed to us in our hearts.

            I know this sounds “super spiritual,” but it’s really not.  In fact, as much as I like to write, this initially sounded like a monumental task for me.  I had many questions: What if I didn’t hear anything from God; what if I didn’t understand what I read; what if I couldn’t express my thoughts in words; how much or how little should I write; where would I start?

            My accountability partner, who was much more experienced than I, then suggested a simple formula that has now made hearing from God in my “quiet time” one of the easiest things to do.  In fact, I have to STOP myself from writing too much at times.  I now have enough journal entries to publish my own person devotional.  Wow!  In fact, I plan to have my journal entries published before my son graduates from high school so I can give it to him as a graduation gift when he goes off to college.

            So what’s the formula?  It’s simply this: S.P.A.C.E. 

            Before you open your Bible, write at the top of the page the word “SPACE.”  It’s an acronym that stands for:

• S – SIN
• P – PROMISE
• A – ATTITUDE
• C – COMMAND
• E – EXAMPLE

That’s it.  I’ll explain what it means shortly.

Below that acronym, write down the following question: 

“God, what are you saying to me about me today?”

Then simply open your Bible to the scripture (chapter) of your choice, and simply start reading.  As you read, keep thinking about the SPACE acronym:

S = “Does this scripture/passage reveal any sin in my life that I need to confess?

P = “Is there a promise in this scripture/passage I need to claim as my own?

A = “Does this scripture/passage expose an attitude I need to change or modify?

C = “Does this scripture/passage focus on a particular command (from God) I need to obey?

E = “Is there an example in this scripture/passage I need to follow/model (or even avoid)?

            Trust me, if you do this quietly, without interruptions and distractions, I can almost promise you, you won’t get to finish reading the chapter before God speaks to your heart.  If  that happens, I would advise you to stop reading, write down your thought immediately (in one sentence), then resume reading again.  You can always go back and expound on the thought later.

            When you’re finish reading, and you review your thoughts (which I call lessons), pick the one (or two) that stood out the most, and simply write about it (i.e., how you felt, what you thought, what you learned, what you need to do, etc.).  That’s it.

            Again, I can’t begin to tell you how powerful this little exercise has been and what it’s meant to my spiritual growth.  But it just goes to show you, if you just commit just a little time to God, He’ll always make a little S.P.A.C.E. for you.  Just give him room to work through you.  Until next time, stay strong, and stay in His grip!