Hey everyone! Today’s topic is spending time with God. This topic has been on my heart for the last few days. God has been challenging me to spend more time with him and to be more intentional. I hope this post will help you in spending more time with God.
When life is so busy we tend to forget about God and everything that He has to show, teach and tell us. We move through life juggling fifty different million tasks, ideas, conversations, and so much more. Right from the morning, when we open our phones we see notifications from messages unread, to the meetings we have that day, the unfinished assignment and the busy day ahead of us. We run through our day right into the night, and then we tend to lie in our beds scrolling through facebook, messages, instagram,netflix or whatever else.
Does this sound familiar??
I admit that I have fallen into this pattern numerous times. And if this sounds anything like you, then you also have to slow down and spend time with God.
I recently had this thought about our relationships with God. Imagine for a moment, that you are in a relationship with someone whom you love deeply. You cherish them, you want the best for them, and you try and do wonderful things throughout the day to make their lives a little better. Now, imagine if that person never thanked you throughout the day, never responded to you, and said, “hi I love you.” And at the end of the day, you were right there beside them waiting for them and instead they sit on their phones ignoring you. How would you feel?
I think often times we forget how much God want us to love Him back. He does so much for us, and we go throughout the day without giving Him much thought.
I challenge you to go through the day thanking God and talking to Him.I know sometimes it’s hard to find time to spend with God. Our schedules can get so busy we have a hard time even catching our breath. But the truth is we can find a few minutes to be alone with God, but we have to be intentional. Think of it as though your scheduling an appointment on your calendar to meet with a friend for lunch. I spend time when I am driving to work or anytime im in the car. I turn on worship music and sing my little heart out and pray to my Father. Thats where he meets me most of the time. But everyone is different when it comes to that.
Spending time with God can be fun! Don’t see it as checking that off of your list for the day. If that is what you are currently doing then pray and ask God to change your heart and give you the desire to spend time with Him. God desires “alone time” with us. He wants a personal relationship with each one of us.When you are spending alone time with God be yourself , Be real, Be vulnerable and open with him. He doesn’t want you to put on a mask to talk to him. Because he already knows how you are feeling or what is going on in your life. He wants you to lay at his feet and talk to him and cry out to Him. Talk to God how you would with your best friend, or that person you share those deep dark secrets, fears, and accomplishments with.
If you’re feeling a bit stuck with your time with God, try developing new habits. Whether you’re getting back to spiritual discipline, just starting out, or in the middle of a long run, here are some ideas you may want to try:
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Write a prayer/ letter to God that expresses your heartfelt desire to follow God in this season of your life.
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Read one Psalm each day.
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Use a journal. You can write your prayers to God. You can list concerns or what you’re grateful for. You can write the first thing that comes to mind when you consider what God is doing in your life. Try and do this daily. That way you can go back to see the prayers God has answered or how God has shown up in your life. This is one of my favorite things to do. I am on journal number 2 now!
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Stop and listen. Too often we feel we aren’t doing anything if we aren’t doing anything. That’s not true. Let God speak to you.Sit before God in silence, inviting Him to recalibrate your soul (see Psalm 46:10).
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Think more deeply about small bits. Let that one verse roll around in your mind for a few minutes instead of reading five more verses. Give God room to surprise you with insight. If you read only three verses in that sitting, that’s okay (see Psalm 119:47-48).
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Pray Scripture back to God. Pick a passage and pray the same one for a week at a time, allowing it to fully sink in. Also break down the scripture word by word.
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Get really honest with God. Let go of old ideas about how you “should” approach God. Pour out your heart to Him (see Psalm 62:8). Trust Him to be big enough to handle whatever you’re dealing with. Nothing is “too big for God”.
Each moment is another opportunity to reconnect with God, step away from the same old routine, and invite Him to do a new thing in our lives
As humans, one of the hardest things for us to do is be still. We live in a world of instant gratification, and that has taught us to become anxious when we have to wait. Why do you think you get frustrated when there is a long line at Starbucks, or when your movie is sold out and you have to wait for the next one. We like things our way and fast. God tells us to slow down. Be still. It is important to still yourself during your quiet time so that you can meditate on God’s word, his revelation, and his will for your life. Stillness also puts you into a position to listen. You can hear what the Lord is saying to you, and see how he is moving your heart. This may take a lot of practice. Pray that God will give you peace and help you to be still. Even in this moment. I want you to stop what you are doing and just be still for 1 minute. Say a prayer to the Lord.Slow your thoughts, go to a quiet place and then come back and finish reading this post. Don’t worry I’ll wait! Your 1 minute starts now.
I never use to prioritized any consistent time with the Lord. As a result, I became stagnant and complacent in my walk with him. I wasn’t learning more about him or being transformed into the person he wanted me to become. I was selfish. I went to church and I prayed thinking that was enough. I wasn’t making Christ the love of my life. Can you relate? We are the bride of Christ and as such HE should be the love our life. Instead, we place other people before him negating our relationship with him. The love that we have for him should go deeper than that of any other love in our lives. But, the only way to make him your first love is to spend time with him.
James 4:8 says “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” This is a promise from God that if we actively pursue him, he will pursue us. The end result is that we will have a closer relationship with God. Through studying his word and spending time with him, we can learn more about his character and his will for our lives. As we do this, our love for him will grow deeper.
We become more like God’s children as we spend time with Him (see Romans 8:29).
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
God, I thank you for each and every reader of this post. Give them a desire, a burning passion to spend time with you. Help them to see the fruits of this time in their personal growth and understanding of you. Help them to be still and listen to what you have to say. You are our everlasting father, our creator, our king. We love you so much. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Update: I am $20 away from reaching my first deadline! I couldn’t be more excited to see God provide for me! If you feel led to donate towards my mission trip I would be so so grateful. Just head to my blog homepage and click on the donate button. It is that easy!
Love,
Lindsey Brown
