Matthew 14: 22-23; 22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

As stewards of God’s graces, we have been given a tremendous responsibility. Realizing that as humans we are going to make mistakes, we must prepare ourselves every day through prayer, bible study and personal reflection. We must be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One of the ways that we can open ourselves to the Holy Spirit is through a prayer practice called lectio divina. The ancient discipline consists of reading a brief scripture passage slowly four times. The first time you read it to hear the passage and get the sense of the story or the words of counsel. Second, to listen for a word or phrase that speaks to you, comforts you or challenges you. The third time, listen for a word or phrase and your feelings of resistance, hope, encouragement that you haven’t heard before. And for the final reading, listen and empty yourself so that God can work that promise or transformation in you. You can then journal about the passage, writing about how it impacts your life, where you need improvement, etc. And we all need to be involved in a corporate Bible Study or Sunday School class. This prevents us from misinterpreting the scriptures and helps us get different perspectives. So make sure that you pray and study the Bible every day and attend a Bible Study and Sunday School every week, it is a vital requirement for your spiritual life.