How to spend time with God?
So you give your life to Christ and have no idea how to build a relationship with him.. I hear this all the time. I believe it's something that every new believer struggles with.. "where do I start?"
Before we go into spending time with God, lets start with knowing the foundation of our relationship with Him. The definition of marriage applies to the body of believers known as the church. The church are considered those who genuinely have recognized Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and have received eternal life. Christ is the bridegroom who has chosen the church to be His bride so that "he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."(Ephesians 5:25-27)
Lets further break down how a marriage represents the Kingdom of God. God has called you to be His wife meaning He is jealous for you and loves you like a husband cherishes his wife. “For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord.” (Psalm 45:11).
In every marriage, if there is no communication- there is no relationship. Imagine if you were the one doing all the talking in your relationship or marriage, and your significant other made no attempt to invest in you. It would feel like a one sided relationship. As a matter of fact, that's how most of our relationships are with our Heavenly Father. We are always praying to him and petitioning for our needs, but are we giving Him the chance to minister to our heart? If you are reading this and it is speaking to you, I encourage you today to get in your quiet time with God and let Him speak to you- He desires to pour into all His children.
How to spend time with God?
1. Set a time that works for you and stay committed to it. I am a personal trainer so the way I see it is if I make appointments for my clients everyday, then I have to set an appointment for God also. I have my daily appointment with Him every morning and I never cancel on Him. Choose a time you know you can commit to and don't let anyone or anything come in between it.
2. Choose a distraction free environment. Even Jesus would go to the mountains, apart from everyone, to spend time with His Father. Find a quiet place where you know you could really get in His presence without any distraction or noise. Sometimes I go to a park and just walk with God and talk with Him. There are days when I have date nights with God and I dedicate a whole night to just spending quality time with Him. Get creative!
3. Set the atmosphere for His presence to flow. Before you come to God with your petitions, put on some worship music and adore Him. I always begin by inviting His Holy Spirit to enter the room. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and sometimes He will just show up or sometimes He waits for us to invite Him. Open up your heart to Him and just tell Him how much you love Him. Tell him the things you love and adore about Him. Approach His Throne with a thanksgiving heart. After you worship Him, begin to tell Him the things you are thankful for. Then, pour your heart to Him. Pray in tongues, pray for yourself and pray for others.
4. Stay quiet and wait patiently for him to speak. Every time I hear him speak to me, I like always to write it down in my journal. Sometimes I'll use my journal to pour my heart to Him, but every time I hear him speak or give me directions- I always like to write it down to remember it. It's crazy when I look back at my older journal entries and am able to see all the things God has told me that has come to past.
5. Study His word. If you are new in your walk with God- I always suggest starting with the first four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) so you really get to know and understand the person of Jesus Christ and everything he did when he was on Earth. I like to use writing utensils to highlights verses or words that speak to me. Don't be afraid to really dissect the Bible and write all over it. I like to write my own cross references if I'm reading a verse and I remember seeing the same word in another passage. I also like to write any other relevant notes that help me mediate on the word more. If you are confused about a certain context, use commentaries or other translations to help you better understand the meaning of the text.
Spending time with God is amazing and you always grow closer to Him every time. There are days where He just wants to hear you speak or there are days when He just wants to pour into you. Make time for your Father- You can start off with 15 minutes a Day. Before you know it you’ll be spending an hour with Him, maybe even more. He will teach you how to worship Him and how to read His Word.
Prayer for today:
Father in Jesus name, I come to your throne of Grace with a thanksgiving heart for all that you are. Thank you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do. I ask that you would open up my heart and my spirit this morning to be one with your Holy Spirit. Make me sensitive to your presence. Fill me with revelation and wisdom as I read your word. Take me into a deeper understand of who you are. I declare your scriptures would come alive within me and minister to my heart. Speak to me today. Let your word change me and transform me from the inside out so that I could be more like you.
In Jesus name, Amen.