Immerse
As we immerse ourselves in God's presence and the scriptures, God shapes us to be more like him.
What is 'Immerse'
If we have chosen to follow Jesus we have chosen to walk with Him through our days, being aware of and transformed by His Presence with us.
This can be a challenge – finding time, knowing what to do that will grow and deepen our relationship with God and sticking to it. Immerse is more than having a 10 minute quiet time then getting on with the rest of life.
Immerse is living in a way so that our times of Pause remind us of truths of who God is and who I am so that through the Holy Spirit we are transformed which brings glory to God and shapes the world around us.
This can be a challenge – finding time, knowing what to do that will grow and deepen our relationship with God and sticking to it. Immerse is more than having a 10 minute quiet time then getting on with the rest of life.
Immerse is living in a way so that our times of Pause remind us of truths of who God is and who I am so that through the Holy Spirit we are transformed which brings glory to God and shapes the world around us.
Resources
To help people to pause and spend time with God, we have heaps of resources:
Pause
These resources can be helpful start when learning how to structure your time.
Hearing God
Hearing God? Yes! A relationship with God is a two-way street. This resource can help you know more and what this is like.
Distractions
It's easy to get distracted. Is that you? This resource gives some advice for dealing with the distractions we face when we try to slow down.
Pause
These resources can be helpful start when learning how to structure your time.
Hearing God
Hearing God? Yes! A relationship with God is a two-way street. This resource can help you know more and what this is like.
Distractions
It's easy to get distracted. Is that you? This resource gives some advice for dealing with the distractions we face when we try to slow down.
Together
We don’t do this alone. There are many others on this walk with us and we are better when we do it together.
We encourage you to connect with others. Find someone or a group of people to share the journey with. Don't know who to start with? Let us know! We can help you connect.
We encourage you to connect with others. Find someone or a group of people to share the journey with. Don't know who to start with? Let us know! We can help you connect.
Check out the awesome resources below!
Pause.
A ‘Pause’ is a moment where we stop and spend time with God.
We will each learn to Pause in ways that are helpful to us to stop and be aware of God’s presence, we are all different and our Pauses will be different.
Some very helpful elements to include in any Pause…
Stopping:
Sounds obvious but it is easy to slip into habits of Pausing on the run!! To Pause – Stop. There may be parts of your Pause that involve movement – great – but to start your time, first stop what you are doing. Trust God that the world will keep turning, that the very best thing you can do is stop.
Awareness:
Spend some time just knowing that you are in God’s presence and rest there. For you that might mean imagining God with you or you saying a verse and stilling your mind (“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Ps 37:7 or “Be still and know that I am God.” Ps 46:10). Distractions will come, just bring your thoughts back to awareness of God with you.
Silence:
Include moments of saying nothing, giving God a chance to bring something to your mind. Don’t rush the end of your times, allow God to speak to you.
The Bible:
Each day try and include a longer pause when you open God’s written word the Bible.
There are many different ways to do this.
Art. Breathing. Journalling. Study. Music. Thankfulness & much more
Check out this list of resources and activities:
Some very helpful elements to include in any Pause…
Stopping:
Sounds obvious but it is easy to slip into habits of Pausing on the run!! To Pause – Stop. There may be parts of your Pause that involve movement – great – but to start your time, first stop what you are doing. Trust God that the world will keep turning, that the very best thing you can do is stop.
Awareness:
Spend some time just knowing that you are in God’s presence and rest there. For you that might mean imagining God with you or you saying a verse and stilling your mind (“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Ps 37:7 or “Be still and know that I am God.” Ps 46:10). Distractions will come, just bring your thoughts back to awareness of God with you.
Silence:
Include moments of saying nothing, giving God a chance to bring something to your mind. Don’t rush the end of your times, allow God to speak to you.
The Bible:
Each day try and include a longer pause when you open God’s written word the Bible.
There are many different ways to do this.
Art. Breathing. Journalling. Study. Music. Thankfulness & much more
Check out this list of resources and activities:
Hearing God.
There will be times where you sense God speaking to you.
There will be times you sense God speaking to you, something resonates or strikes you in a deeper way.
You may hear God through:
Something you’ve read in the Bible.
A new, left-field thought or picture.
God’s still, small voice.
A verse or person coming to mind.
or Someone else speaking.
We would encourage you to give God the benefit of the doubt and believe it is Him, especially if it fits with the filters below. It may take a boldness to share it, a vulnerability even, and it could greatly bless someone else too.
Dallas Willard and Bill Hybels have both written books on hearing God and in these books they explain how they know it is God they are hearing from. Here is what they write…
Bill Hybels – The Power of a Whisper - The Five Filters
Ask God “Is this message truly from you?” (Is it consistent with His character and not condemning?)
Is it scriptural? (Would Jesus do that?)
Is it wise?
Is it in tune with our own character?
What do the people you most trust think about it?
Dallas Willard – Hearing God
God’s voice has a weight of authority, firm not pleading.
The spirit of God’s voice. “It is a spirit of exalted peacefulness and confidence, of joy, of sweet reasonableness and of good will. His voice is not the voice of a bully. It will not run over you and your will. It is in short, the spirit of Jesus.”
The content – will be consistent with the Biblical truths of God’s nature and kingdom.
Consistent with the principles of the Bible (not incidentals).
You may hear God through:
Something you’ve read in the Bible.
A new, left-field thought or picture.
God’s still, small voice.
A verse or person coming to mind.
or Someone else speaking.
We would encourage you to give God the benefit of the doubt and believe it is Him, especially if it fits with the filters below. It may take a boldness to share it, a vulnerability even, and it could greatly bless someone else too.
Dallas Willard and Bill Hybels have both written books on hearing God and in these books they explain how they know it is God they are hearing from. Here is what they write…
Bill Hybels – The Power of a Whisper - The Five Filters
Ask God “Is this message truly from you?” (Is it consistent with His character and not condemning?)
Is it scriptural? (Would Jesus do that?)
Is it wise?
Is it in tune with our own character?
What do the people you most trust think about it?
Dallas Willard – Hearing God
God’s voice has a weight of authority, firm not pleading.
The spirit of God’s voice. “It is a spirit of exalted peacefulness and confidence, of joy, of sweet reasonableness and of good will. His voice is not the voice of a bully. It will not run over you and your will. It is in short, the spirit of Jesus.”
The content – will be consistent with the Biblical truths of God’s nature and kingdom.
Consistent with the principles of the Bible (not incidentals).
Distractions.
When slowing down to be with God we will get distracted. Very distracted. Often.
Sometimes the thoughts that distract us are just everyday thoughts – things we need to do, shows we’ve watched, conversations we’ve had etc. Sometimes the thoughts that distract aren’t very pleasant thoughts.
Persist, persevere.
There are various ways you can deal with distractions once you notice them:
Find a word or phrase that brings you back, so on noticing you have drifted in thought repeat something several times (eg. ‘Jesus’ or ‘Be still’ or ‘Lord, you are closer to me than my own breathing, nearer than my hands and feet.’ - St Teresa of Avila).
If something presses either write it down and leave it (if it is a ‘to do’) or pray about it and invite God to speak to you about it.
Imagine the distractions and choose to watch them float or drift away.
Imagine the distractions like scum on water (not that they are bad necessarily), scoop them off the top and lay them aside.
Persist, persevere.
Persist, persevere.
There are various ways you can deal with distractions once you notice them:
Find a word or phrase that brings you back, so on noticing you have drifted in thought repeat something several times (eg. ‘Jesus’ or ‘Be still’ or ‘Lord, you are closer to me than my own breathing, nearer than my hands and feet.’ - St Teresa of Avila).
If something presses either write it down and leave it (if it is a ‘to do’) or pray about it and invite God to speak to you about it.
Imagine the distractions and choose to watch them float or drift away.
Imagine the distractions like scum on water (not that they are bad necessarily), scoop them off the top and lay them aside.
Persist, persevere.