Taste and See Experiment

SESSION 6 – (A 31-Day Experiment)

• Taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8)
• Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)
• But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33)

This experiment is designed to build a habit into your life that will greatly enhance and develop your walk with God. As a Christian, you need to seek God first every day of your life. By this you will:

• Develop a close personal relationship with God.
• Train your mind to think thoughts about God and His ways.
• Allow God to teach you about Himself and yourself.
• Allow God to lead you through each day of your life.
• Discipline yourself to grow consistently into the full maturity God has for you.

The best investment you could ever make with the most profitable returns will be the time you take every day to be alone and communicate with your God. This time each day will not only give you a heavenly outlook on each day, but on your entire life and those people and circumstances around you.

You must work at having a consistent time alone with God each day. It will not just happen by accident. You must set the priority and let everything else revolve around that time with God. Satan can paralyze a Christian by making some “good” excuses for not communicating with your God. Decide today, right now, to build this habit into your life and protect it, for herein lies the secret to your own daily walk with God.

A GUIDE FOR THE JOURNEY:

Use the following guide to help you get the most out of the passage for the day.

1. Write in a notebook: “DAY _____ DATE ________ PASSAGE __________________”

2. Read the passage for the day.

3. Pray as you meditate on what the passage says.

4. In one sentence, write out the main thought of the passage.

5. Write out in 50 words or less how the passage applies to you.

6. Pray during the day, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that you will apply God’s principles to your life.

DAY AND READING:

HOW TO HAVE A QUIET TIME WITH GOD:

Make your time with God a personal priority: select a time that fits with your schedule. Morning hours are preferable to get the day started out right. But others have their time with God later in the day.

Make preparation the night before: set the alarm earlier, having your quiet time first thing or after a shower; select a place where you may spend the entire time; gather any materials you will use and put them there so you will not waste time in the morning. This time will eventually become a part of your routine.

Develop a plan of Bible reading a prayer: use the 31-Day Experiment as a guide for other Bible readings; pray using all the elements of prayer:

• Adoration of God,
• Confession of sin,
• Thanksgiving for what God has done and
• Supplication (asking for things)
  • For others, which is intercession, and
  • For yourself, which is petition.

The letters spell ACTS so you will remember.

Be persistent until you are consistent: aim for consistency rather than length of time. A few minutes each day is better than long periods of time every few days! Expect interruptions. If you miss a day, start over the very next morning!

Focus on the Person you are meeting rather than the habit of the quiet time: you fellowship time is as important to Him as it is to you! He created you with a capacity for fellowship and He saved you to restore that fellowship.

A GUIDE TO MEDITATION ON SCRIPTURE:

Pray for wisdom and surrender to the Holy Spirit so that you make the word come alive in your heart.

1. Perimeter the verse: read what comes before and after the verse on which you are meditating.
2. Paraphrase the verse: summarize and put it into your own words.
3. Pulverize the verse:
   • Emphasize each word by exclamation.
   • Pick two or three words that represent God’s message.
   • Ask about the words – who? what? when? where? why? how?
4. Personalize the verse: Put yourself and God directly into the verse on which you are meditating.
5. Pray the verse back to God: sighting adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.
6. Parallel the verse: locate any verses that are on the same theme as the one on which you are meditating.
7. Problems in the verse: of doctrine, reproof, correction and training in righteousness which need to be addressed.
8. Possibilities of helping others through the verse: through prayer, word or deed.

A GUIDE TO CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS:

Do you feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling? Are you aware of your sins? God wants us to confess where we have failed and seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin (John 16:8-11):

• Ask God to search your heart and soul (Psalm 139:23-24).
• Don’t try to convict yourself of sin, this leads to morbid introspection.

Agree with God about the seriousness of your sin: This is what confession really means.

• Don’t excuse your behavior but accept that of which God convicts you (1 John 1:8-10).
• Walk in the light of His holiness (1 John 1:7) and don’t compare yourself to other people.

Acknowledge Christ as your only Advocate (1 John 2:1-2):

• Express your sorrow and repentance (Psalm 51).
• Don’t base your request on works of righteousness (Titus 3:5).
• Turn your sins over to Christ and don’t consider them again (Hebrews 10:19 and 10:22).

Walk in the light of other Christians (1 John 1:7):

• Be honest with yourself and others about your sin. Confess your sin to understanding Christians (James 5:16), but only in the context of mutual prayer and support.
• Confess only to those who can help you bear your burden in the spirit of humility (Galatians 6:1).
• Confess only what is necessary and only to those who were directly affected by your sin.
• Renounce your sin and make restitution if you feel it is necessary and possible (Luke 19:8).
• This is in no way to be considered penance for your sin and in no way pays for your sin, but it does help restore what was taken from the person and may become a witness to that person.

Walk in the light of Christ: (1 John 1:7) When you fall again, confess it and ask God to forgive you.

• Never give up in your struggle to be free from an offense because Satan will try to convince you that God will not forgive you if you mess up even one more time.
• Repentance is necessary to receive forgiveness, but sometimes you will sin again in spite of good intentions.
• Be careful not to sin now, knowing that you can receive forgiveness later (Hebrews 10:26).
• Christ can overcome any sin, even the ones from which you feel that you can’t be freed.
• Sin in your life does not change your relationship to Christ, but it does create a barrier to fellowship with the Lord.