Is time with God something that comes naturally, or something that you often forget about?  I know for me sometimes it’s a struggle, Satan puts so many things in my life that seem important up to the point that the day has gone by, we’ve said grace before meals and prayed before bed…  But there was no quality time at all with our Creator!  The very One who created us.  Think of your little ones and how often they need and want you.  Our young children need and want a with us.  They were formed in our womb, and come out us and us to be near.  If only our relationship with Our Father mirrored that of our young children!  Dare I say it, but sometimes our relationship with God might mirror that of a teenager or adult  – who doesn’t feel that they need their earthly parents anymore, and might only speak to them every few days (or longer!).   We have to rekindle that for our Heavenly Father, the only One who provides our needs and many of our wants, who guides us, protects us, keeps us company when want it, blesses us, corrects us, and most importantly us.  God created us to have a relationship with us. with God

Is time with God something that comes naturally, or something that you often forget about?  I know for me sometimes it’s a struggle, Satan puts so many things in my life that seem important up to the point that the day has gone by, we’ve said grace before meals and prayed before bed…  But there was no quality time at all with our Creator!  The very One who created us.  Think of your little ones and how often they need and want you.  Our young children need and want a relationship with us.  They were formed in our womb, and come out needing us and wanting us to be near.  If only our relationship with Our Father mirrored that of our young children!  Dare I say it, but sometimes our relationship with God might mirror that of a teenager or adult  – who doesn’t feel that they need their earthly parents anymore, and might only speak to them every few days (or longer!).   We have to rekindle that need for our Heavenly Father, the only One who provides our needs and many of our wants, who guides us, protects us, keeps us company when we want it, blesses us, corrects us, and most importantly loves us.  God created us to have a relationship with us.

He wants to be the center of our lives, and He should be!  He wants us to run to him with all of our questions, fears and concerns (Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”) .  When we no longer feel the need for our Lord, we are experiencing spiritual decay!  Spiritual decay will lead to feeling separated from God, and more vulnerable to Satan.  1 Peter 5:6-8 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.…”

We can’t live vicariously though others’ relationships with God.  Going to church, listening to sermon podcasts and reading books on spirituality are not enough.  We need that time alone with God each and every day.   The Christian life is a supplied life, and a life that is continually transformed.  We get that supply from time with God, and transformation can come only from God himself, too.  As we dive into the Word, the Holy Spirit will convict us, inspire us, remind us, and enlightens us.  Every time we open the bible, God has our life support waiting for us, and the steps to the transformation into the vessel He created us to be are outlined.  But we can only get that when we spend time in the Word and prayer.

The more we spend time with something or someone, the more we often begin to transform into the image of that something or someone.  if you spend most of your time watching tv, chances are pretty good that the way you act, dress, and live will reflect that of what you watch.  We should be reflecting the light and love of Jesus Christ Himself, studying him and transforming ourselves to be just like Jesus.  The time we spend doing things should be spent also with Jesus.  In addition to time alone with God and His Word, we should center our lives on Him.  Turn every worry, fear, concern and uncertainty into prayer.  Turn every situation into worship.  Live with Him at the forefront of everything else.  Try as Satan will (and he WILL), make sure the things you spend your time doing are good and pure in God’s sight, and that those are things He would have you do.  Pray on it.  There are so many things we can do every day to fill our lives up – but what we need is to fill our lives up with God.  If we begin to feel as if something is missing, or you have an unsatisfied feeling – maybe even a nagging of some sort – that is likely God himself trying to quiet you and bring you to His attention.  Life can get so busy, be sure to include time in your day for the very One that gave you that busy life to live!  In addition, remember that our desires to be with the Lord are God himself!  It is not just your own thought, it is God giving you that feeling!  When you obey that desire to spend time with God, you are obeying God himself.

Had a rough day?  Pray.  Open your bible.  Quiet yourself and open your mind to hear God.  It is so easy for Satan to fill our minds at that point and create so much drama, and feelings of ‘having to’ do this or that, that we may forget to call on God!  Our strength to make it through a rough day will come from God.  He will supply all of our needs – remember,  the Christian life is a supplied life.  Supplied through God himself.  But you have to meet with God to get that supply – yourself.  After a rough day, spending time in the Word will leave you refreshed and inspired.

The first step to spending time with God Is to simply do it.  That is the hardest part.  Start with prayer, asking God to soften your heart and open your mind to the things He wants you to know.  Ask him to guide you, and talk to him about whatever is on your mind.  Be patient, and wait.  Open your bible, and just read.  When a particular verse stands out to you, stop.  Read it again, think about it.  This is God.  Write it down, read it again.  Ask God to show you the full meaning of the verse.  How can you apply it to your life?  What about to a situation you are currently in – is it an answer to prayer?

When you spend time with God, have a few things handy.  Either in a basket, on a shelf, or otherwise accessible.  A notepad, your bible, a pen, and perhaps a bible dictionary to help you understand scripture a bit better.  Many moms find it easiest to find their quiet time with God early in the morning or right before bed when the rest of the house is still asleep.   Write down scripture that has meaning to you and any notes you want to write down.  Spend time in worship, prayer and scripture.  There is no time limit – a few minutes is better than none.

As you start spending more time with God, you will be tempted to forgo it ‘just this once’ to do something that might seem more exciting, or seemingly more important.  Be careful, as ‘just this once’ can quickly turn into a habit.  Satan is excellent at deceiving and making you believe something is more important than God.  Stick to your plan of spending time with God and building that relationship with Him.  The more you do it, the more you come to depend on it, and the more important it becomes in your daily life   You will notice a difference in your days.  You will become more filled with joy, you will be able to handle daily stresses easier, you will  be able  fight against Satan easier. To simply know God is with you yesterday, today at this very moment, and very moment forevermore, and have a deeper relationship with Him because of the time you’ve spent with Him, will make you feel like a whole new person.

Remember that fire you felt when you first became saved – that unquenchable thirst you had for the Lord?  Yes, well, that comes back when you start spending more time with him.  If you’ve never felt a lack of that fire and that desire for more of God, you are very blessed and disciplined  to maintain such a great relationship with him.  If you haven’t yet accepted the Lord as your savior and have never experienced such a strong feeling – what are you waiting for?  If you’re like me, and have moments of your life where you let your guard down and Satan gets in the way with so many things to do and think about, and your time with God gets less and less, and you start to feel that nagging feeling that something is missing…  Remember that something is missing.  That is God trying to draw you near, away from the busyness of your day and back to Him.