Time With God – Part 1

Part 1 of 2

We have 60 minutes in every Hour, 24 Hours to every day, 7 days to a week, 28-31 days to a month, and 12 months to a year. Out of all this time that we have been given, how much of it are we spending with the Lord?  And during that time that we are with God, are we being Thankful for the Blessings, the answered Prayers, the relationship that we have with Him? Do you find yourself eager with anticipation to be spending Time With God? Do you sit and pause with no distractions and just give the Lord all of our undivided attention? 

The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God” — Psalm 46:10

Are you being still? Are you devoting Time with Him? Do you know How Great is Our God, or are you just living life absent from Him, having no relationship with Him?

Many of us are planners, do you plan the time and place of your Time With God? Is there a time where we know, “It’s time to sit, talk and pray to My Heavenly Father?  

How often do we cry out to the Lord when we are miserable, sad, hurting or just in desperate need of Him? When we just cannot take the pain and sorrows any longer, and are ready to just give up? In those moments, we find ourselves with no shame to drop down on our knees and pray, crying out to God, in hope that He will hear us.

What about the good days? The times when everything is going great, and things are going our way, according to our plans? Those days in which we always seem to overlook at the Blessings from God. Early mornings when we wake up, the afternoons, when we are at work, at school, having lunch, or out shopping? Enjoying life with no burdens, no worries, and no fears, forgetting that God has given those moments to us.

Psalm 5:3 — Good News Translation
You hear my voice in the morning; at sunrise I offer my prayer and wait for your answer.

What about the evenings? When we are at home, eating dinner, watching TV? Spending time with our children, our spouse, or just relaxing and reading a book, (Preferably reading the Good Book – The Bible). The moments when we find peace in our homes, in our lives, in our hearts.

Psalm 1:2 — New American Standard Bible
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

These to me are the more honorable, wholesome, and memorable moments that we out to be spending with God. The quiet times in wish we should be praying, worshiping, reading the Bible, talking to Him one on one and giving Him Thanks and Praise. Do you not believe that God deserves this time? I do, because there is always something to thank God for.

Matthew 6:6 — Amplified Bible
But when you pray, go into your most private room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

Do not make Time With God, about you and your need. Make Time With God, about Him, and about what He wants, and what He needs from us.

I admit, I am guilty of doing this, and this is why I write to you all today. Do not make the same mistake I have made and continue to make. The mistake of not spending enough time with the Lord.

I find it easy to go on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Band, Twitter, anything out their social media related, as soon as I wake up in the mornings. The first thing I do when I get up is grab my phone and go on Social Media, start looking at peoples post, and read their shares, blogs, tweets, and raves. Then, I will share, copy and paste some blogs that I have found interesting, funny, or encouraging. All this even before giving God a moment of my time.

Unfortunately, when it comes to picking up the Bible or even opening my Bible App and reading a book,  a chapter, or just a few verses, it becomes a struggle, and I get reluctant. Not finding the time or just not in the mood for it, I get distracted because it is not a priority. Yet God puts us first all the time, with everything; scripture even tells us to put God first.

Proverbs 16:3 — English Standard Version
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Maybe you do not know how to talk to God, or you are afraid or confused. It can be possible that you think you may sound foolish in your prayers, I really struggle with this one.
You have anxiety and insecurity issues, maybe you just do not know how to start a conversation with Him.

Allow me a second of your time to help you. We awake in the mornings, we are Blessed to open our eyes, to stretch, and breathe, breathe in the fresh air.
When you are awake, just simply and quickly say, “Thank you, Father, thank you for waking me up this morning.”
It is as simple as that, for at that very moment, you have put God first. You have given Him Thanks and Praise for the beginning of your day. It is that simple. When you put God first, at the start of your day, you will have a day to rejoice and feel uplifted. You will know that you put Him first and with that simple prayer, you have invited The Father into your day.

For you, the coffee drinkers, bear with me if you will. Think about when you wake up in the morning and you start that fresh brewing pot of coffee. The coffee that is needed to help wake you up and get the Mojo in you going, so that you don’t have to spend the rest of the day bitter and cranky (as I do when I do not have my coffee). Is there anything better than the aroma of fresh brewing coffee? No!
You can give the Lord, thanks, and Praise that you have woken up and have one of the 5 senses which is smell. Give God thanks that you can smell fresh brewed coffee.

The Father does not expect long hour prayers, He does not expect meaningful prayers with a purpose, He just wants your time. You can wake up in the morning and say, “Good Morning God, Thank you for this day.” No matter how long or short your Time With God may be, when you put God first before everything else, trust me, He notices, and He loves you for it.

Now, our day begins. We woke up, had our caffeine, and out we go. We get into our cars and either drive to school, work, or the gym, wherever it is we go every morning of everyday. By God and by His Grace, we are being protected to get to our destination safely and on time.
Do you ever arrive to wherever it is you go every morning, and before you shut off your car, you say, “Thank You, God for getting me here safe and on time?” I’m not talking about when the weather is bad and you are in panic driving mode, I am talking about every single day, good weather, bad weather, every day? Do you stop and pause and Thank the Lord for His provision and His Protection?

This is another way to talk to God. Just say, “Thank you, Father for getting me here safely.”

The little things that we take for granted and don’t expect to thank God for, yet He does them for us, everyday because of His Love for us. We take so much for granted and neglect our communication, our relationship, our loyalty to the Lord until the moment that we desperately need Him.

1 Chronicles 16:34 — Christian Standard Bible
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.

We breathe, we smell, (I don’t mean we smell in the sense that we have a bad odor), but in which we are able to smell and breathe-in scents and aromas.

We have sight and can see. See the beauty of life, the beautiful sky, the ocean, the trees, our children from birth to their growing years. If you have a spouse, you get to see your beautiful wife, your handsome husband. I know for me I love being able to see the smile on my wife’s face every morning when I get ready for work and every evening when I come home; and I thank God that she is with me after 33 years and I still get to wake up next to her every morning.

There is so much that we take for granted that we neglect to Thank God for every single day. It’s so easy and can be said in just 6 simple words.
“Thank You, God For This Day.” This is Time With God.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 — New International Version
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.