Just exactly "how" do I spend time with God?

In my last post, I described how daily time with God is a life or death matter.  If you haven't read that post yet take a minute and read it.  I also told about how I am a "need to know exactly how to do it" kind of person.  During my prayer time today, God led me to write this post about how to spend time with Him.  I love to spend time with God and will spend anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours at a time praying.  I have had people ask me, "How in the world do you pray for that long?  Don't you run out of things to say?"  That's a good question, and I think there are some people who are just wondering exactly "how" to spend time with God.
   First, I want to say that there is no exact way that is right or wrong, but there are some things that God has shown us in His word that are effective and pleasing to God.  Each one of us has our own individual relationship with God, therefore, each person will have their own unique way of spending time with God.  Just as we have different relationships with our spouses, we each have different ways of relating to our creator.
   The Bible does say, however, that we enter God's gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.  This is showing us the way into the throne room. 
    I usually begin by thanking God, then asking Him to show me any sin in my life and asking for forgiveness.  Then I thank Him some more.  I like to put on praise music and just spend some time telling Him how great He is, how much I love Him and how much He means to me.  For me, praise is a huge part of my prayer time.  Just listening to the songs, singing along with them at times and getting my focus on God is the main way I pray.
     Next, I usually lay down all my cares.  I give them to God.  Many times I write them in my prayer journal or just tell God about them.  I ask Him to just take these things and take care of them.  Then I don't worry about them anymore, because I trust Him to take care of them!
     In the last couple of years I have started a prayer journal.  I write out my prayer requests and cares.  It really helps me to release them.  My favorite thing about the prayer journal is that every time I come into God's presence, He speaks to me and I just write down what He is saying.  The words literally come from my innermost being (where God resides) and just pour out onto the paper.  These words mean so much to me.  They are my life instructions.  I often go back and reread them.  Many times God will have me share them with somebody who may need that word as well.  This is something we can all do!  God will speak to anyone who asks!
   Every prayer time is different, because my relationship with God is alive and real.  Sometimes, I will just sit in silence and allow His presence to surround me.  Sometimes, I praise Him the whole time.  More often, it's praise and then writing, more praise and petitioning Him.  I write down all the people that I am interceding for and ask God to work in their lives.
   Because I am baptized in the Holy Spirit I pray a lot in tongues.  This allows God to pray through me things that I would not know to pray on my own.  I hear from Him so much more clearly when I am praying in tongues.
    The book of Acts talks a lot about praying in tongues and how once people were saved they then sought after the baptism in the Holy Spirit.  Yes, at salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us but the Word of God shows that there is a second and subsequent experience to seek after.  When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit we receive power to witness, to speak in tongues, and even to understand the things of God more clearly.  When I got baptized in the Holy Spirit I was so surprised and amazed.  I felt God's presence so much more, I understood more, I had so much joy, the world seemed brighter, the grass greener etc.  I know it may sound corny but I am only telling the truth.  It's awesome for God to be able to pray through me in tongues, I always have a way to pray. It's very simple to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, it's only a matter of asking for it.
   Many times, I also read the Bible during my prayer time.  I love the revelation God gives me during these times.  So, you see, prayer is not just us talking to God, prayer is a conversation.  It's us talking but also, letting God talk and us listening.  And God will speak, if you want to hear from Him, He will speak to you!  It's so important, though, when seeking to hear from God, that we stay grounded in the Word of God.  We have to be reading the Word, hearing the Word, and meditating on the Word for us to hear accurately from God.  Otherwise, satan will just use our ignorance for an excuse and we will get flaky, thinking that God has said things to us that He really didn't and that are not even Biblical.

    Spend some time with God today!  You can start out by just putting on a praise song that really ministers to you and telling God how much you love Him.  It's not always easy to press in, to lay aside our cares, but it's always worth it!