Three weeks ago I wrote about the Secret to a Successful Spiritual Life – the importance of having consistent time with God. The problem most people face, though, is actually making time with God a regular part of their lives. Most of us recognize that spending personal time with God is important, but we struggle with making it happen in any consistent fashion.
Here are 7 steps to help you have a consistent time with God:
- Set a time. Make it a time that is best for you. Find a time when you are alert and can get alone with God.
- Have a plan. Your plan should include when you will do it (see step 1), what you will do and where you will do it. I will be posting once or twice a month on things you can do in your personal time with God. So stay tuned! Concerning the location: make sure to pick a place free from distractions so you can focus on God.
- Make it enjoyable. Don’t make your time with God a painful experience. Read the Bible each day, but stop when it becomes a chore. Pray, but don’t pray because you are supposed to, pray so you can communicate with God.
- Start simple. Many people set too high of goals when they start spending time with God. They go from not spending any time to trying to spend an hour with God. Set a comfortable and reasonable goal. Even 5 minutes is better then not at all. Next week I will be posting on how to spend 5 minutes with God.
- Be personal. This is not about doing your duty. It is about building a personal relationship with your Creator! It is a wonderful privilege. Seek to know God and be known.
- Be forgiving. So, you missed a day. (OK, to be honest it was a week.) Don’t turn this into a reason to quit. Satan would love to use your failure against you. God is not out to punish you for missing your time with him. He is patiently waiting for you to come back to Him. Forgive yourself – God already has.
- Be creative. Look for ways to make your time with God interesting. It doesn’t have to always be the same. Keep following my posts and I will be showing you many different activities you can do while spending time with God.
Question: What have you found to be helpful in having a consistent time with God? Please leave a comment.
by Jerry Wyrick, President of Worship Arts Conservatory