You want to spend time with God, but it’s hard. You only have so many hours in the day and multiple things competing for your attention. It seems as though spending time with God is the last thing on your to-do list.
I hear you. And that’s why I want to share with you not only why you should spend time with God, but also some easy ways that you can include a quiet time with Jesus in your daily routine.
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Why Do We Spend Time With God?
There are many ways to answer this question, especially when we consider the tri-fold nature of God. So, let’s look at why we should spend time with God by considering who God is in His various roles.
Spending time with God, our Heavenly Father
God is the Supreme Being who created the universe. He is all-present, all-powerful, and all-knowing, yet He considers Himself our father. We are invited to call Him Abba. This word, Abba, in the Greek, goes beyond the simple meaning of father as we know it–it also conveys a sense of warm emotion and feeling. We don’t just call Him “Father” because we can; we call Him Father because He loves us from the depths of His heart.
Read: Who Is God? Bible Study
Now, if you wanted to have a good relationship with your father, what would you do? How would you rearrange your schedule to spend time with him?
I’m guessing you would choose to spend time in His presence. And maybe this is hard for you to do because your father holds a lot of clout and is busy building dynasties and changing lives. But what if He wants you to come to Him? What if He tells you that no matter what He’s doing or who He’s speaking with He will put everything on hold the minute you show up?
Would you make it a priority to spend time with Him?
Spending time with God, the Son
Jesus is the Son of God. He’s our Advocate–the one who pleads with the Father on our behalf. He died on the cross for our sins and paid the penalty we should have. In a sense, He’s our big brother–someone who shields us from the penalties of sin and guilt.
He has much to teach us about how we can live in this spiritual world without sin. He wants to teach us how to pray, how to resist the devil, and how to live the way God wants us to.
We spend time with Him so we can learn from Him. We spend time with Jesus because He’s our Savior who redeemed us.
Spending Time With God, the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is our comforter. He is a teacher and a guide. He’s the one who reminds us about the things we’ve studied in God’s Word when we need them. He’s the one who prays on our behalf when we don’t know what to say.
We spend time with God, the Holy Spirit to deepen our connection with Him.
My friend, I get it, these are reasons you’ve probably told yourself over and over again. Please understand that I’m not a judge, I’m the choir member sitting right beside you on the bench.
How Do You Spend Quality Time With God?
I think we have to first decide what we mean by quality time. There are lots of ways people spend time with God. I once heard a gentleman pray a very formal prayer. It was eloquent and beautiful and nothing like how my prayers sounded.
For a while, I wondered if my prayers were pleasing to God because they didn’t sound that way. I had to accept the fact that God knows who I am. He knows my character and everything about me.
I had to decide that my way of going to God had to be enough for me because God accepted my offering. I asked Him to let me know if I offended Him and should be approaching Him in a more formal way.
You’ll have to decide what spending quality time with God means to you. You can’t allow other people’s devotional time to intimidate you until you neglect to spend time with God.
There are, however, a few things you can do to make the time you spend with God more effective.
1. Remove distractions.
When you make a decision to spend time with God, you issue a challenge to the enemy. He doesn’t want you spending time with God and will do everything in his power to prevent you from worshipping God.
You will have to defend this time with God by removing distractions so you can focus on Him. One of our biggest distractions, when we sit down to spend time with God, is our phone. I would suggest leaving your phone in another room.
Yes, you may have a Bible app on your phone, but unless that’s your only option, I would suggest leaving it behind so you’re not tempted to scroll through social media instead of spending quality time with God.
2. Have a designated place for Bible study.
Is it possible to have a designated space for your Bible study? Even if it’s just a chair around your kitchen table, it helps if you go to the same place whenever you want to spend time with God. This trains your brain to settle when you are in that place so you can focus on quiet time with God.
Read: Bible Study Tips for Beginners
3. Keep all your supplies together.
Store all of your Bible study supplies in a central location. This helps you to be able to find everything when you need them so you don’t waste precious minutes searching for the things you need for your quiet time with Jesus.
4. Get creative.
Maybe your life is busy and you don’t have the ability to implement any of the tips we’ve suggested so far. It’s time to get creative with your devotion time. Think of ways to fit a few minutes to spend time with God. Maybe you have to schedule fifteen, or even, five-minute segments into your day so you can spend some time with God.
5. Use a plan.
Sometimes our devotion time doesn’t go as planned because we have no idea what we’re going to do before we sit down. To prevent this from happening, have a plan. Use a Bible reading plan or a Bible study so that when you sit down to study the Bible you know exactly what passage you’re going to read, study, or meditate on.
Creative Ways to Spend Time With God
Life can get busy. And sometimes it seems as if we’re too busy for God. That’s why it’s important for us to find new and creative ways to have devotion. Here are some suggestions for improving your quiet time with God.
1. Use an adult coloring book.
A lot of people are using Bible journaling as a way to get creative in their time with God. But maybe you’re not artistic, or you don’t have the time to devote to creating beautiful, Pinterest-worthy spreads, you don’t have to create the layouts for yourself. Use a coloring book that has Bible verses as part of your devotional time. Alternatively, you can download printable pages for use in your quiet time with God.
As you color the pages, meditate on the featured verse. Allow God to speak to your spirit and teach you what He wants you to learn about His character or what He expects from you.
2. Listen to an audio Bible.
Audio Bibles are awesome! Listening to the Bible–especially a dramatized version–causes the Word to come alive for you. When my son was younger, we listened to the Bible during our breakfast time. This allowed us to hear the Word before we got too busy and also gave us an easy way to read the Bible as a family.
3. Spend time with God when you go on a walk.
There’s something about spending time with God while you’re in nature that makes you feel so much closer to Him. The next time you go on a walk, look at it as an opportunity for worship. Take time to inhale the air and thank Him for it. Look at the various things and learn to appreciate God in nature.
4. Worship during your chores.
Pray while you wash dishes or do laundry. Spending time with God is about building a relationship. This can be done even as you go about the habits of your daily life. Talk with God while you prepare meals. Invite Him along when you go grocery shopping. Worship when you are on your commute. Praise when you are stuck in traffic.
5. Disciple your children.
My son will tell you that I can use anything as a teachable moment. I always try to include a lesson from the Bible in each teachable moment. Sometimes, this reminds me of an attribute of God and I can’t help worshipping or giving Him praise because of who He is.
Are you looking for creative ways to spend time with God? Here are 8 ideas you can try today. #hebrews12endurance #spendtimewithGod Click To Tweet
6. Listen to sermons.
Listening to men and women of God speak the Word is a great way to spend time with God. I find that a helpful way to always have sermons to watch is to create a YouTube playlist of sermons that intrigue me. As you listen to more sermons on YouTube, the algorithm will suggest more and more. Simply add these to your playlist for the next time you want to listen to a good sermon.
7. Listen to Christian podcasts.
Podcasts are a new favorite of mine. There’s something about listening to others share their faith that gets me in the mood for worship. Start exploring this medium; you can start with these 9 podcasts for Christian women.
8. Block time to spend with God.
When something is important we make time for it, right? Block some time on your calendar as your quiet time with Jesus. And then honor it. Treat it as an appointment and show up for your appointment. I promise you, God will always show up on time to meet with you.
Bible Verses About Spending Time With God
The Bible has much to say about spending time with God. It talks about the importance of quiet time with God. It also provides tips and benefits of making time for God.
Reasons to Spend Time With God
There are many reasons to spend time with God alone but here are a few reasons from Scripture.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105 ESV).
God’s Word gives us guidance. When we spend time in the Word, we begin to understand what God requires of us and learn what we are to do to please Him.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV).
There are 31, 102 verses in the Bible. That’s a lot of words! But the beautiful thing is there are no wasted words. Even the passages that are beyond our comprehension at the moment have a purpose. It was either put there to teach us something, to correct us when we go wrong, or to show us how to grow in godliness.
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15 NLT).
We have work to do! We are called to be a part of the family of God, but we’re also expected to share what we have been learning with others. We are supposed to preach, teach, and make disciples (Mathew 28:19-20). The only way we can do this is when we know what the Bible says and understand it so we can share it with others.
Benefits of Spending Time With God
As created beings, we have a lot to learn by spending time with our Creator. These Bible verses speak of some of the benefits of spending time with God.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:2-3 NIV).
As Christians, we have much to learn. We start out as spiritual babes but we shouldn’t stay that way. We should learn and we grow in Christ. We learn to disciple others and teach them about our faith.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11 ESV).
Spending time with God in Bible study allows us not to sin against Him. As we study God’s Word, we learn what is expected and what not to do. We learn to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 19:2).
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17 ESV).
God’s Word sanctifies us. As we spend time with God, His Word gets into soul and begins to change us from the inside. He purifies us through His Word and sets us apart for holy use.
Read: 5 Amazing Benefits of Reading the Bible
Tips for Spending Time With God
The Bible also offers suggestions about how you can spend time with God.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35 ESV).
Jesus, while He was on earth, would get up very early in the morning to pray. It may not be possible for you to get up early and pray, but maybe you can spend some time in the evening when your day is a bit more settled to spend time with God.
But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray (Luke 5:16 ESV).
Jesus also found it necessary to go to places where He could be alone with God. How do you spend time with God alone? Do you have a special place to pray? Do you have somewhere that you go when you want to be alone with Him?
Spend Time With God for Spiritual Growth
If you want your faith to increase, you have to make it a priority to spend time with God. This may require some creativity and planning on your part. But I truly believe that spending time with God is important for your spiritual growth. You won’t regret the time you spend walking with God.
How many of these tips have you tried to enhance your quiet time with God? What are your tricks for spending time with God?
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HALILUJAH, so happy I read this post because this has being a struggle fr me, am I spending enough time wth the LORD, Am I PRAYING enough, reading the WORD enough. I do have devotions n that’s where I feel close to GOD, I listen to worship songs n to sermons but also I try to write my PRAYERS. But girl I still struggle my pass is so dark it’s always right there, mind control n me not totally believing that I’m forgiven by FATHER GOD is also a struggle. I tell myself that I’m forgive but then the pass comes creeping up; I’ve not really spoken to anyone about my struggles because I’m ashamed. I’ve done fasting, prayed n still I struggle, I read books, listen to sermons on deliverance but those only goes surface deep. I need help to get to the root once n fr all. Me spending time wth the LORD isn’t consistance, I do it very day but feel like it’s not enough to get me to the PEARLY GATE , to get me in the right standing wth my GOD, to get me to belive that I am forgiven, my slate is being wipe clean n that GOD has accepted me as clean of my pass.
Karlene, I know exactly how you feel. When we look at all the things we’ve done–and continue to do we wonder how we can be saved. I read this quote once (I forget who said it, but it helps me remain focused when the enemy tries to bring up my past). The quote, as I remember it is, “When I look at my sins I think, how can I be saved, but when I look at Jesus I think, how can I be lost.” Focus on Jesus, He’s the one who saves. Thanks for reading the post ?.
When facing a hard decision regarding your future and you spend time with God how do know the answers to your dilemma? I have made so decisions without seeking God first and the come has been a disaster. I have found God again and talk to him all the time now. How do I know what decision is best to follow.
Dawn
I think it has to do with a couple of things: 1) the amount of peace you feel with the decision you’ve made and 2) how your decision aligns with God’s Word. If your decision goes contrary to the character of God or asks you to do something He wouldn’t want you to do, He’s probably not in that decision. On the other hand, if your decision causes you to lean more on God or has you acting in ways He encourages and supports…go with that. Whatever you do, don’t stop praying.