Start the Day

The morning watch is essential. You must not face the day until you have faced god, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His.

You cannot expect to be victorious if the day begins only in your own strength. Face the work of every day with the influence of a few thoughtful, quiet moments with your heart and God. DO not meet other people, even those of your own home, until you have first met the great Guest and honored Companion of your life--Jesus Christ.

Meet Him alone. Meet Him regularly. Meet Him with His open Book of counsel before you; and face the regular and irregular duties of each day with the influence of His personality definitely controlling your every act.
~Streams in the Desert
This was the beginning of today's devotions with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. She gives steps as to how to get started having a quiet time alone with the Lord.
1. Make it a consistent practice. "It is much easier to breathe life back into a dead routine than to get life where there was no routine at all." This is not only something we need but something God desires. God wants to spend time with you!
2. In the morning.
I met God in the morning
When my day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the presence lingered,
All day long, He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O'er a very troubled sea.

Other lives were blown and battered,
Other lives were sore distressed,
But the winds that seem to drive them
Bring us peace and rest.
Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings,
With the presence left behind.

So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way:
You must seek Him in the morning,
If you want Him through the day.
~Ralph Spaulding Cushman
3. A solitary place. Get away from all distractions to have an uninterrupted time with the Lord.