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The PART PLAN
Get a looseleaf notebook, paper, and eight section dividers.
Write one of the following words on each divider tab: Praise, Admit,
Requests, Thanks, Passages, Listening, Awareness, and Notes.
You don’t have to write something in each section every day. Adjust
the plan to your own devotional needs.
My PART
- P-Praise. Copy a psalm or write a praise poem of your
own on one page of the Praise section. Date your entry. The next day, skip
a space and write a new love letter to God. Praise expresses your feelings
toward God because of who He is, not for what He does for you.
- A-Admit. On a page of the Admit section, write out
a confession of your sins. Look back of the past 24 hours and ask God to
show you where you have failed Him. Be specific in your confession. Then,
open your heart to receive His cleansing and forgiveness.
- R-Requests. Draw a vertical line one inch from the
left-hand side of your page. This column will be used to date your requests.
Draw a vertical line one inch from the right-hand side of the page. This
column will be used to date the answer received. In the middle column,
list your requests. Don’t hesitate to list your wants as well as your
needs. Also include your intercessory prayer for others.
- T-Thanks. Put in today’s date and write a thank-you
note to God. Express your sincere appreciation for blessings sent your
way, gifts given, trials permitted, and prayers answered.
God’s PLAN
- P-Passages. Here you record powerful passages of Scripture
that speak to you. When you find a verse that touches your heart, stop
to look it up in other versions and in the SDA Bible Commentary. Write
down your thoughts about this verse, including a paraphrase if you wish.
If you limit yourself to one text per page, you can later file these according
to the Bible book or topic; after several years, you’ll have your
own commentary.
- L-Listening. Take time to listen for God’s voice.
Sit quietly for a few minutes and wait for the Holy Spirit to speak. Ask
Him to reveal His thoughts and plans for your life. Write down impressions
that come to you. Test your impressions against Scripture.
- A-Awareness. Become aware of lessons God wants to teach
you in nature. Spend some time contemplating a part of God’s creation;
write down the object lessons you see. Try to find something beautiful
or interesting in nature to record each day. If you sense a lesson for
life, write it down; if not, just thank God for the beauty He made for
you to enjoy.
- N-Notes. Here you will include the notes you made of
sermons or seminars. Take your notebook with you to church, retreats, and
camp meetings. Date the page and make note of the speaker. Outline the
main points and jot down Scripture references. Taking notes will increase
your ability to concentrate as well as clarify the message the Holy Spirit
has for you in each presentation.
Other sections you may want to include are: to-do list, goals, calendar,
books I have read, ideas for articles I want to write, stories I have told
(sermons I have preached), and dates to remember (birthdays, anniversaries,
etc.).
Source:
Becky Tirabassi.
Releasing God’s Power. Oliver-Nelson, Nashville,
1990.
Why Pray?