(pic credit: Worshipers ©2020 by Dick Robinson. Used with permission from estate of Dick Robinson and family)

The Lock-Down Quarantine Worshiper II

[]Off-Line Stuff

The first chunk is not dependent on having the modern wifi/internet/digital devices and access.

I suspect these well-known ‘Spiritual Disciplines’ mirror the same ‘prisoner of Christ’ muscles St Paul would list out for his ‘quarantine’… see previous AdoreTheLord ‘Quarantine Lessons’…

 “I, Paul, am the slave/servant of Jesus” (Phil 1:1) and “I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus… the prisoner of the Lord” 

       (Eph 3:1, Eph 4:1, Philemon v1).

Daily ‘alone-time with Jesus’. Fifteen minutes, no matter what. They tend to go longer, but start out with 15.

Start your time with ‘Thank You’… praises. Even thru the day.

Wake up, say ‘Thank You’, and commit to making today a day where ‘the Lord will be continually before me’. Gratitude is the attitude.

Severely limit the input of TV/Internet news and ‘social media’ to 30 minutes a day… or less! When the bad news starts to leak through, shift affections to our good, good Father. Open a Psalm and let that re-center the heart.

Pastor Bill Johnson says that if you’re not feeding on God’s Word and Presence in this season, but letting the media set the tone of your heart, then your struggles are probably self-inflicted!

The Scriptures… the Word…

It’s good to have have three levels of reading the Word: [1] a daily reading pattern, [2] a ‘take a break’ pattern (instead of death-scrolling social media), and [3] a ‘break open in emergency’ bad-news plan.

[1]Good Daily Reading Plan [essential food groups]

*Reading thru an Old Testament book

*Reading thru a New Testament epistle

*Reading thru a Gospel

*Reading thru the Psalms

Stop by each of these food groups, scoop up on the plate and consume daily. Here’s a hint: it’s quality, not quantity. If you are in one of the Gospels, and you only read 5 words that Jesus spoke, but the Spirit breaks out on you to ponder deeply, that’s a good day!

[2] The ‘encouragement break’ pattern can be grabbing the Scriptures and dive into a Psalm… (a ‘digital hint’… having a Bible App, or a browser window opened to a free Bible site like BibleGateway.com, and a Scripture all ready to go, frequently ‘calls to me’ and draws me to read God’s encouraging Word instead of jumping to a news or opinion site that drags me down)

[3] The ‘emergency first-aide kit’… always have a Psalm or portion of encouraging Scripture marked out for that season. COVID-19 saw many diving into Psalm 91 thruout each day…

<>Important hint on reading Scripture: There are three ‘intentions’ for reading or studying the Scriptures: one is to be in preparation for preaching or teaching, a second is to be searching out an answer for a problem or some-one else, and the third is to be reading, meditating, memorizing and ‘chewing’ for your own nourishment. Prep and problem-search can never fill your need for the Scriptures in feeding and watering who you are!

A ‘prayer and we-need-breakthrough’ list on the ‘fridge. Pick one thing and walk around, conversing with the Lord about that.

Write it down. All of it. Scratch it somewhere. Do color-pencil word-art of Scriptures ‘of the week’. Jot down Scriptures the Ghost highlighted thru the day. ‘Journal’ in some notebook what the Lord says or does, especially the answered prayers or ‘rev from Heav’ moments. Post-It notes still work.

During the hard days, review the drawings and journal entries and Post-Its… especially when enemy Slewfoot comes and says lies and half-truths to try and trip you up.

If the Lord speaks to you with guidance, direction, comfort or wisdom, write it/draw it/scribble it/PostIt Note it… write the address of the Scripture… these are ‘personal prophesies’ to help hold on in hard and trying times…

Choose a Scripture-of-the-week verse, and do a little memorization. Pick easy ones to start with, like:

         Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  

                  Psalm 119:105 NKJV

One helpful way to memorize a Bible passage is to employ a different part of your brain by singing the passage to a simple tune, or doing it as a ‘rap’… or grab an existing song that incorporates a Scripture…

       (like the Psalm 119-based ‘Thy Word’ by Amy Grant)

Worship. Just DO it. Even 30 seconds of it. You… just you! Repeatedly, throughout the day. Stop… Close your eyes… Lift your hands… even when you pause from pruning the hedges. Sing it out, even if it makes the neighbor’s dog howl. Dance a holy jig when small little blessings fall!

Ephesians 5: 15-20

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Sing, sing, sing. Sing your favorite worship song, worship chorus, kid’s Bible camp song… do it whenever you can… it’s just you and the Lord, and He loves to hear His kids!

If you have an instrument, play it to the Lord. Play it in public places like your porch or back-yard.

If there are people living with you… spouse, other children, whomever… have a 15-minute time together every day. Read a Scripture verse or two. Bow your heads and say ‘thank you, Lord’ for at least one thing. If the kids are little, pull out some paper and crayons and have them do a picture that reminds them of what God did for them today.

Once again, for those at a loss of ‘where to start’, open up the Psalms and read a paragraph. Start at Psalm 1 and go from there.

Take Communion. Take it alone. Take it together. A torn-off bit of bread, a small portion of grape juice, or some grape-flavored liquid. Take it daily. You can read out-loud the key Scripture to help center your heart for Communion (1 Cor 11:23-29). Call out that the broken body of Jesus paid for every need I have, and by His blood I am free (Isaiah 53:5).

[]Reasonable Service is Worship

Worshiper, these old-school ‘Spiritual Disciplines’ blend together to create opportunity to walk in that well-known Romans 12 verse;

 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

TAKE-AWAY:

Humanity is not even half-way through the COVID-19 play-through… mid-2021 at least.

Some of us will be in some form of quarantine for awhile.

Fortunately, no masks are allowed between us and our Heavenly Father, and distancing is not allowed in His Presence…

Part III will be the on-line, digital stuff.

written by crisbaj

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All Scripture references from New International Version unless otherwise indicated.

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The LORD be with you, my friends!