Spending Time with God
So, I often talk about this relationship we should have with God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus. I talk about it as if it is a given for you guys, but I wonder how many REALLY know what this relationship with God is like or have experienced it to the fullest?
Well let’s first start with why we should have a relationship with God, an intimate one.
One of the reasons is that God will BLESS YOU!! Remember my verse that I love so much?? Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
How can we love God if we don’t even know him? God is not fooled by our pretend love. He isn’t impressed by us saying “Oh yeah, I love God....” But we really don’t... Yeah, God knows your heart, He knows it is deceitful and wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9)
Another reason to have a relationship with God... Jesus said so. It is the FIRST AND GREATEST COMMANDMENT. If we get it down, then the rest of the commandments follow! Deuteronomy 6:5 says You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Another reason why is because we need to be led by God! We need his leadership so we can make the right decisions and fulfill his purpose for our lives. John 10:27 is a verse that talks about how Jesus knows us “My sheep listen to my voice, I KNOW them, and they follow me.”
Matthew 7:21-23 is another one of those verses that shows how important a relationship with God is “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?‘ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never KNEW you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
One of the reasons that Jesus died was so that we could be washed clean of our sins and we could have RELATIONSHIP with God. We look like Jesus in God’s eyes. You see how close Jesus is to God! We have the ability to get that close to God!!! (I don’t know about you, but I want to hear how God’s heart beats... that’s how close I want to be!) All of the gifts you have, all of the awards you have received, all the friends you have, all the money you have, NONE OF THESE THINGS MATTER without a relationship with God. God is Love ( Refer to 1 Corinthians 13:1 to see what I am talking about.)
So now, we will get to HOW to have a relationship with God. One thing that really is important here is CONSISTENCY. It is so important to be consistent with God. It is important to really take time out in your day to spend with him, EVERY DAY. I sent out the post on idols before this one for good reason. If you say “Oh I’m too busy to spend time with God,” then you must really ask yourself where your priorities lie... Is God your number one priority? Or is it whatever is keeping you busy? That’s a real question. I will not put law on top of you by saying “YOU MUST SPEND TIME WITH GOD AT 8:26 AM EVERY DAY.” However, I will say that spending time with God every day is absolutely necessary. Think about it, you would talk to your boyfriend/girlfriend ALL DAY, EVERY DAY... So why not God? Pick a time when you are at your best. I know for me, I like to spend time with God in the morning to set the tone for the rest of the day. If this isn’t what you want to do, feel free to spend time before you go to bed or even in the afternoon. Just make sure you try to stick with your plan.
When you sit down for your “quiet time” with God, you can do anything, REALLY! There is freedom where Holy Spirit is! So if you feel like dancing with Jesus, its probably because Holy Spirit is leading you to do so. If you feel like journaling, being still, or just chilling while talking to God, have at it!! You have freedom to worship as you please and spend time with God as you please. God has a PERSONALITY. The closer you get to him, the more you will understand this. Here is a simple guideline of what you can do to have quiet time. FEEL FREE TO DEVIATE or switch it up. Do what you want! This is YOUR time with God. Make sure, however, that when you are spending time with God, you are focused. Don’t have any distractions around and make sure your mind stays on God.
1. Worship- this is any way you worship. You might dance, sing, or just bask in his presence. Worship simply means honoring God. He loves ALL of it! If you are new to this, put on some worship music. I personally recommend Jesus Culture or Hillsong (especially their new album! It is AMAZING! I am pretty sure Holy Spirit made them do it this way just for me ;) Aye, my Daddy loves me!) Just sit, listen, let the words rush over you and really meditate on the words and tell God how you feel about him. Worship and give your all.
2. Pray- We all know or have heard a prayer before. Just say what is on your heart. Really pour out to God here. Tell him how you feel, he longs to hear it from you and he longs to comfort you.
3. Listen- Most of the time we forget to do this part. We pray then we leave. We rarely wait for God to answer us after we have prayed. GOD TALKS! If you are in tune with him and his voice, you will easily hear him. He can speak through his word or directly into your mind. Easily! Whatever God says to you will not go against the Bible, ever. A lot of people take this time to read the word. If you have a set plan that you are going through, this is the perfect time to read it, or whatever God wants you to read. Listen to him and ask him for clarity. Have a conversation with him! He longs for it! (Whether you know it or not, you long for it too)
This is just a guideline for your quiet time... However, I don’t believe in just having quiet time and leaving it there. I believe it is so important to “take God with you”. You don’t just leave God in your room when you go about your day. God is still with you, he is always with you, and the more time you spend with him, the more aware you will be of him. He wants to talk to you as you are walking to your classes, he wants to comfort you when you are in traffic on the highway, he longs to hear you admire him for the beautiful day he blessed you with.GOD IS A PERSON, He is not mute and he is not dead!! We serve the living God! Trust me, God knows what he is doing. He will place a bushel of flowers on your way to your final exam to show you he is with you. He will whisper in your ear to go hug the homeless man who is on the street. He will allow his love to rush over you when you finally listen to him and trust him with a situation you are dealing with. He LOVES YOU and he longs to have a deeper relationship with all of us.
Love you mucho,
Lise
P.S. This was as much for me as it was for you guys. I am working on becoming more consistent with my time with God. :)
Need a devotional to read? I suggest the plans on Youversion bible app if you have an iphone or an android. I also suggest this websitehttp://220power.com/grow for a good daily plan for reading the bible. The “Run” one is a pretty good pace.
Some Jesus Culture albums that are really good are Come Away and Live from New York. Check out “Mighty Breath of God”, “Walk With Me”, and “Holy Spirit”
My Hillsong Album that I am in love with is called Zion. Listen to “Up In Arms”, A Million Suns, and “Stay and Wait”.
Listened to Hillsong the whole time I wrote this ;)
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