I thought I knew what being busy meant. That is until I had the crazy idea of going to grad school. Knowing how to make time for God was a real problem.
I needed to find some solutions fast if I was going to keep my spiritual life afloat while on the journey of professional growth.
Because, what is the point of earthly success if we miss out on eternity. So if your concern is the same as mine, I have compiled this list of ideas on how we can spend time with God every day (even if there isn’t even time to look at yourself in the mirror).
WHY WE SHOULD MAKE TIME FOR GOD
If you were preparing for a 10 hour road trip, would you start the journey with your gas gauge pointing towards E? I’m guessing your answer is absolutely not.
You would ensure that you’re all filled up. Well, you know, when you go about your daily life without having spent time with God you are really running on empty. I have the feeling your car wouldn’t get very far in this condition.
What of your actual life? This is apparently not a modern problem because the Bible has some things to say about this.
What does the bible say about making room for god?
Jesus and Martha
Remember the story of the sisters Mary and Martha? Jesus went to visit them. They were good friends so He was a regular visitor. Martha was so busy with all the things that come with hosting guests that she completely missed the most important thing.
She didn’t even realize that she was missing out so much so that she became annoyed with her sister for not being busy too. Jesus had to step in to redirect Martha’s priorities:
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10: 41-42)
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
In Matthew 22:1-14 as well as Luke 14: 15 – 24, there is a parable about a wedding feast. Interestingly, it was those who were specially invited that were too busy to attend. One just bought a field and wanted to go plant. Another wanted to try out his new oxen. And yet another just got married and wanted to go enjoy married life.
These characters represent those who already know God and so they have a special invitation to dine with Jesus but they are too busy to take up the offer. So others who were not too busy benefited instead.
The feast represents all the wonderful things that await us in eternity. Giving up time with God now has eternal implications. Jesus’ final words after this parable was:
For many are invited, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)
Jesus’s Promises
In his sermon on the mount, Jesus dealt with the matter of worrying about day to day needs. It is these worries that might keep you going and going and going non-stop because you try so hard to ensure you are able to feed and clothe yourself and keep a roof over your head. Jesus says:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6: 33-34)
Paul’s Suggestion
Sometimes the busyness comes from feeling like there is not enough time to do everything that needs to get done. And in this economy it feels like it cannot be helped. As a result, anxiety drives you to do more and more things. Paul told one congregation during his time:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 4: 6-7)
God’s Invitation
Did you know that God desperately wants to spend time with you too?
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20)
Nowadays, making time for God is a massive battle but you must never forget that your devotional time with God is more about you than it is about God. Why? Because you are the one who gets to benefit.
Make time for god bible verse
Does a young woman forget her jewelry? Does a bride hide her wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me. Jeremiah 2:32
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1-2
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8
If the Lord does not build the house, it is useless for the builders to work on it. If the Lord does not protect a city, it is useless for the guard to stay alert. Psalm 127:1
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
how QUALITY TIME WITH GOD benefits you
There is so much to gain from spending quality time with God, far too much to talk about here. But let’s look at just a few.
Preparation for daily spiritual warfare
You are at war. Constantly. Ephesians 6 tells us that you wrestle against forces that you cannot see and that the only way to prepare is to armor up with the Word of God. The only way to get the tools you need for daily spiritual warfare is through time with God.
The enemy of your soul never ever stops coming at you. You have to be deliberate about making sure you are always ready. When Jesus was attacked just after his 40 days of fasting He had no time to flip through the scrolls of the Torah to find weapons to fight back. Instead he had the Word hidden in his heart. He could quickly respond to the enemy with Scripture.
Making time for God changes you
You should always be maturing and growing in every aspect of our lives. Spiritual growth is the one area that can boost growth in every other aspect of life because it is your core beliefs and principles that drive all major decisions in your life. As you spend time with God and learn about who He is and what He wants for you, you become more like Jesus.
There is no way you will stay the same when you spend time in the presence of God. Slowly, you mature and develop the fruits of the spirit. Over time, so much change takes place that you can look back at where God has brought you from.
As you change, God’s will for your life becomes clearer to you and you are able to follow Him with more assurance knowing that you are in God’s will and purpose.
You gain more peace and mental stability
I have found that the more time I spend in prayer, the less likely I am to get flustered and frustrated during the day. There is a peace and clarity of mind that I have no matter the chaos around me. When you make time for God He is able to keep you in perfect peace because your mind is kept on him (Isaiah 26:3). This kind of peace shines out and it draws others in to you, giving you an opportunity to testify about your faith and abiding trust in God.
You are making an eternal investment
Every minute that you make to spend time with God is time spent storing up treasures in heaven. It would be sad if you claimed Jesus all your life only for Him to tell you that He never knew you, because you were way too busy to invest in your relationship with Him.
You may not be able to remember every single meal you have ever had throughout your life but you cannot deny that each time you ate that food had a role in keeping you alive and giving you energy to take on each day.
It’s the same with your time with God. You may not remember everything you read in the Bible but each spiritual meal is an investment in our spiritual health that keeps you going until eternity roles in.
how does god want us to spend our time?
This a great question to ask when it begins to feel like there is not enough time for anything on your schedule. If you constantly feel like you’re hardly meeting deadlines. Maybe it’s time to slow down and really think about how you can carve out some personal time with God so you can get some of the benefits I talked about earlier, even if all the hats you wear are piled high till they are falling off.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE TIME FOR GOD WITH A BUSY SCHEDULE?
Finding God in our busy lives is becoming harder and harder. One problem gives way to another. One crisis gives way to another crisis. There always seems to be too much to do and too little time to do it in. And there always seems to be stuff popping up on your schedule, eating away at your time in unproductive ways.
You are probably spent. Tired from the treadmill that is your life. All is not lost. There are some creative and practical ways to give your time to God so that you can build and maintain the spiritual fortitude you need to live an empowered Christian life.
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Take a catalogue of how you use your time.
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Create a plan that works for you
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Spend time with God as soon as you wake up
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Weave it into you entire day and into everything you do
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Make use of weekends
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Make time for God at the end of the day
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Don’t go it alone
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Make quality time with God a habit
Let’s flesh out these ideas.
1. make time for God by Taking a catalogue of how you use your time.
All too often when we say we have no time for certain activities, there is a guarantee that we are prioritizing things that really should not occupy so much time. There are also some things we start doing and then before we know it, hours and hours go by without us realizing it. How much time do you spend:
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On social media (Facebook, Twitter etc)
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Scrolling through Pinterest
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Watching TV
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Binge watching Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime etc
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Playing games on your phone
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Texting/talking to friends
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Getting dressed
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Driving around
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Surfing Amazon and other online shopping platforms
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Browsing Google
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Really take stock of some of these activities and how much time is spent on them. Decide where you can reallocate some of that time for some well needed time with God.
I do not take it for granted that there is time in your schedule to do the things listed above. As a graduate student and wife, I can tell you that there are days and weeks when there is hardly time to cook, do laundry and take care of myself much less to even watch a movie or even be concerned with what’s happening in the news. It seems crazy not to have time for self-care. That is when you have to stop going with the flow. Stop and create a plan for your spiritual self-care.
2. make time for god by Creating a plan that works for you
There are few things in life that work well without a plan. Making time for God isn’t one of them. See, when you are busy you have to prioritize and be intentional with those priorities. A part of this process is to create and write down a plan. Make no mistake. The enemy has a plan for each of your days. What’s your plan to meet him on the battlefield?
When you are creating a plan for making time with God consider three things: When is it going to happen? What is the duration of the quiet time session? What will you be doing during that time?
If you are already struggling to make the time, there is no need to over complicate the plan. Answer these three questions to start.
When is it going to happen?
This is a tough one. Scheduling time with God when there is no space on your schedule seems almost ridiculous. But we have already discussed the fact that some activities needlessly occupy too much time and that cutting down on the time spent doing those things can free up space in your schedule to have meaningful quiet time with God.
Other options are dependent on many factors that are pretty personal. Like, when are you most alert? Can you wake up earlier? When are you least distracted?
Some people say that the end of the day is the worst time because then you are giving God the leftovers. I’m sure this isn’t true for everyone. So, if the end of the day works for you, then plan for that.
Just one word of caution: if you plan for it and it never seems to happen, then you may need to revisit that. The aim is to actually have some success with the plan.
Getting up earlier in the morning might be another option. This again may not work for everyone. Enlisting the help of a friend to help you get out of the sack might be helpful. Or you can ask God to wake you up.
He is faithful in supporting any goals that will help you deepen your relationship with him. I’ve come across really interesting stories of God waking people up to meet with Him.
Also, consider how often your meeting with God is going to happen too. Is it going to be multiple times a day or once daily or five times a week or twice a week? Experiment with a plan and see how it works.
What is the duration of your time with God?
Chances are, since time is an issue this is a sticky one. There was a time in my life when I could spend an hour very easily, reading my Bible and praying without being distracted. Now, I’m lucky if I can get through a single Bible verse without thinking about the next thing I need to get down.
Here is what you should consider. It makes no sense to spend 30 minutes fighting distractions when you could have 5 powerful minutes of focused time. It’s not about how much time you spend but more about how effective that time will be in boosting your spiritual growth.
You can spend an hour with God everyday, just not all at once. You can break it up into segments and do different things in each segment. One segment can be for prayer only, another for memorizing a scripture, another for journaling on that Scripture.
This is how you can talk to God throughout your entire day. By breaking up your time with God into bite-sized segments. The point is, focus on the quality of your time with God over how much time you spend.
What will you be doing during your time with God?
The perfect way to waste time is to have no plan for using time. Ensuring that you have a plan for what you will do when spending time with God can help to maximize the time. Here are a few ideas.
Develop a little routine. I tend to pray to start, sing a worship song or hymn, engage with the word through either a devotional or the Bible and then pray to close. Sometimes, if there’s time, I may journal. Work out something that works for you. Experiment and see.
Decide on a Bible study technique or a Bible study method you want to use during your time with God. There are also many Bible study techniques and Bible study methods that you can use to help you dig deeper into the Word of God. These are not the same so you can have tons of variety in your time with God.
No need to choose one and stick with it. Change them up to keep things creative, fresh, and exciting. As a busy person, my favorite is verse study. Pulling apart one verse each day, particularly from a Psalm, is so much fun. I always walk away feeling refreshed, empowered, and encouraged.
Choose and use a good devotional. There are many devotionals that focus on various topics. Select one that resonates with your current spiritual needs.
Find a good Bible study guide or Bible reading plan. Again, ensure that the topic matches your current spiritual needs and really helps you to understand the topic from a truly Biblical perspective. Also, choose Bible studies with small study portions. Remember that the aim is quality of time.
Gather some Bible study and prayer resources for your time with God and keep them handy. There are tons of apps, online Bible study commentaries, study Bibles, YouTube channels and printables that can help in making this time really meaningful.
Use a small journal. Write your prayers and thoughts as you engage in Bible study and devotional reading. This helps to keep you engaged and present during the time you spend with God. These are good ways to control a distracted mind. They don’t need to be long either. Paragraphs of 3 – 5 sentences are good enough.
Be creative in your worship. Bible journaling is really popular right now. This is an option. I’m not really a fan of it but I do enjoy coloring. Combine this while listening to worship music or a short sermon or a portion of the Bible can give you a full spiritual meal.
How about your verse of the day? If you receive one of these daily, you can choose to read around it, write it out in a journal, memorize it, record your reflections on it, map it, etc. There are tons of options. Don’t just read it and move on. Do something else with it.
3. make time for god by Spending Time With God As Soon As You Wake Up.
The typical morning routine for someone too busy for God is to jump out of bed, get into some clothes, and out the door. Maybe cup in hand but very likely no breakfast. It takes a whole lot of discipline and a strong awareness of priorities to apply the brakes in the mornings.
From the moment you open your eyes, start your day with God. Did you know that the way you spend the first 15 – 20 minutes after you wake up determines your state of mind for the rest of the day? Now since busyness is our problem, morning devotions are the first to suffer. How can you creatively do this when you are sometimes struggling to wake up.
Have a good night time routine. You may want to consider changing some things in your night time routine that will help you to wake up with more energy and alertness.
Pray as soon as you open your eyes. A good verse to pray is Psalm 143:8. Praying scripture is a powerful thing to do especially when you are struggling or finding it hard to concentrate. If you fear falling asleep, put on a worship song, listen to the words and sing along or pray through it.
A great way to stay awake is to write your prayers. If you not sure what to pray, absolutely use online prayers about getting close to God and write them out in your prayer journal. They are just as powerful.
Or, roll out of bed and get on your knees. Or, roll out of bed and do some stretching while you pray. Or, do a prayer walk around your house or apartment or outside (if it’s not too cold). I sometimes take a walk outside in my pajamas and robe in the early morning hours.
Put a Bible or devotional in your bathroom. Take 5 minutes to meditate before you get into the shower or while you are answering nature’s call. It’s fine if you’re in the nude. God is the last person you can hide from. Just do what it takes to get in touch with Heaven before you take on your day.
Pray while you shower. (Let’s face it. People living in really cold places have less to worry in regards to this but that’s not what we’re discussing here, so not everyone does this every morning). But taking those minutes that you use to shower to talk to God about your day can be really really helpful in starting on a good note.
4. make time for god by Weaving it into your entire day and into everything you do
When you have no time for God, this tip will probably be the most beneficial. These strategies have been the most effective way for me to spend time with God when my schedule is overloaded. Getting Jesus into every single thing I do is the best way to grow spiritually and maintain a good balance in my day. Here are some things to try.
Make use of travel time. My commute to work is about 45 – 60 minutes, one-way. Could be more, depending on traffic and weather conditions. That means each day I spend about 90 – 120 minutes on the road which gives me a grand approximate total of 10 hours per week!
What do I do with this time? I listen to the audio Bible, podcasts, sermons, and audiobooks. I sing aloud, pray aloud, and praise aloud. There are also a few radio stations that I enjoy too. I turned my car into a worship space. And that time has become sacred to me. My point? Capitalize on your travel time, even if it’s only 10 minutes. Here is one of the Bible promises videos I listen to as I drive.
Include inspirational material into your workout session. Whether walking on the treadmill or going for a run, tune in to something uplifting. There are a number of good YouTube channels that have Biblical inspiration. This is also a good time to listen to the Bible, a sermon, a podcast or a book.
I have a friend who tuned into a sermon while watching her workout videos. This is what helped her through her divorce. If you prefer music for your workout session, put together a selection of good gospel songs that you can use. Worship and workout can go together so well!
Combine self-care and worship. Yes self-care is getting alot of flack in Christian circles but I happen to believe that self-care is not selfish. When you have long days. Stressful days. And when these days are many, burnout is sure to come knocking. Before that happens, combine your time with God with self-care activities.
For example, coloring has been touted as great relaxation activity. If you delved into some Bible verse coloring pages, you can work on your mental health while meditating on Scripture.
Make everything something to talk to God about. This is how you can talk to God throughout the entire day. Make everything a prayer prompt. This is the perfect way to pray without ceasing. Talk to God all day about every little thing. What you should wear, eat, say and where you should drive, how you are feeling in the moment about something.
Pretend you are a kid with an imaginary friend, except your friend is very real but unseen. You will be surprised at how much more your heart and ears will be more attuned to hearing God’s voice.
Be selective with your entertainment. Romans 6:13 says
“Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”
Entertainment is an area in which it is so easy to slack off but God wants to be the influencer of the time you use to relax and unwind. Entertainment may not be possible during the week but weekends are good for it.
I like to watch movies but I have become very deliberate about what I watch. I prefer to take in true story movies that are uplifting, motivational, inspiring and tell the stories of people of faith. Bible stories are good too. They often send me back to my Bible to compare facts and think about the events as they happened in the original context.
If you love a good laugh, there are Christian stand-up comedians too. Try out some printable Bible games for date nights and long Sabbath days. There are tons of free printable ones online or Amazon has great ones. Planning for wholesome entertainment can be a creative way of making time with God when you are on a crunch. Let the enemy know there is just absolutely no room for him.
Surround yourself with Bible verses and biblical material. Make it easy to engage with spiritual materials by putting up Bible verse wall art, using a planner with Bible verses, choosing calendars that have Bible verses, and using Bible verses as your screensaver on your phone or computer desktop.
Put up Bible verses where you spend a little time. Over your kitchen sink, on the dashboard of your car, next to or on your bathroom mirror, over your home office desk, on the refrigerator door, on the table mat, and the coasters too. Change these regularly and use them as prayer prompts or memory verses.
You can also carry around scripture cards and read or memorize them between breaks. While at home put a devotional or small bible in your bathroom. Whenever nature calls, use the opportunity to connect with God.
Make use of lunch time. I have to admit sometimes I barely get time for lunch. I swallow my food so fast that I forget the taste of it before it hits my stomach. On occasion, there is time to slow down and chew.
I use the time to tune in to something uplifting. An audio portion of scripture, a YouTube video with Bible verses, instrumental music of hymns or praise songs. Just something to prepare me for the next part of my day.
And speaking of food, I cook in bulk each week. There is no time to stop each day to prepare a decent meal that will keep me healthy and save money while I dash from place to place. It could take me 2 to 4 hours to prepare everything for the whole week.
While I’m in the kitchen cooking up a storm I’m certainly going to take advantage of that time. I tune into a sermon, movie, podcast, audio Bible, and some good gospel music. Anything that will water and uplift my soul.
Use a devotional or Bible study app while waiting. Do you find yourself waiting in line somewhere or waiting on the phone for customer care? Whip out some meditation material and engage. I have found that God has the uncanny ability to speak to us powerfully right in those moments to either answer a prayer, offer well-needed encouragement, or change the course of the day.
5. make time for god by using up your weekends
Oh weekends. The time we spend the entire week looking forward to yet somehow we end the weekends feeling more exhausted than when it started. Weekends are good to get in some quality time to spend with God, without the hurry and hustle and bustle of the week.
Go to church. If we are honest, church is the first thing to get booted from our weekend schedule. We get too busy for even church during the very time designed for us to slow down.
How many times did you wake up on church mornings and think up every reason in the book to be absent from church that day. Yet during the rest of the week, we don’t usually find reasons to be absent from our jobs and school.
Now I’m not saying that there aren’t times when we are so tired that sleep would come so easy while sitting in church. It would make more sense to stay home and rest because there would be no benefit to being in church. But, we do need to rethink our church attendance habits if we become more absent than present.
Going to church regularly is a good way to spend time with God because you are literally in a different setting. But then there is the challenge of staying focused while in church.
One of the things I’ve done to stay engaged in services is to take sermon notes. My brain is prevented from solving problems that I know will be in the upcoming week.
Celebrate the sabbath. God never intended for us to be busy all seven days of the week. From the beginning of time he set an example of setting apart one day of the week for rest, worship, and the celebration of the blessing of life.
I look forward to this time every week because I have God’s permission to forget about the cares of the week and focus on Him and my family. Take a day off. A day of rest is important for our long term health, creativity, and productivity.
There are tons of things that you can do during this 24 hour period to make worship and family time a delightful, restful, and spiritual experience. If you dedicate this time to God, you are sure to reap the benefits.
Plan a session of deep Bible study for the weekend. During the week some people can only read a small passage from the Bible and pray but no time to explore what they have read. This is devotional time. Bible study requires even more time. The weekends are a good time to dig in deeper.
Now, this kind of Bible study can be intimidating if you have never done it before but no need to fear. There are so many different bible study techniques and bible study methods that you can try.
Even if you have kids, you can plan a weekend activity that will keep them occupied for an hour and you can use this time to do deep Bible study. This will be a time you cherish.
6. make time for god at the End your day
Have a short devotion in the evening. So you jumped out of bed this morning, and many mornings before that, jumped into your clothes, grabbed your cup of hot beverage and off to start your day before you were late. You sped through the day without a pause because, well, it was super busy.
When the dust has settled on the day, you can take some time to spend with God. It does not need to be long because if you are tired it will not be beneficial. A ten minute devotional session can put your tired mind at ease. There are many evening devotionals that you can read and meditate on. Make it short and spicy.
Fall asleep to Biblical sleep meditation. Some people need complete quietness to fall asleep. If you are not like that, you can tune in to some Bible verses as you drift off to sleep.
It is not recommended that you listen to things throughout the night (because your brain needs to rest) so whatever you choose should be short enough to help you fall asleep but will stop on it’s own.
I really like this one. The soothing voice, powerful Bible verses and prayers help me forget about the troubles of the day, put my mind at ease and help me connect with God as I drift off into sleep.
7. make time for god by not going it alone
Finding time to pray and commune with God need not be a struggle you face on your own. A good way to ensure you spend time with God is to include others.
Get an accountability partner. Ask a friend, roommate, someone from your church or your spouse to become your prayer partner or Bible study partner. Sharing this time with someone not only helps with bonding and growing that relationship but in times of struggle, that someone will be there to motivate and encourage you.
Because in real life, we don’t always feel like reading our Bibles and praying. If you have kids, set up a routine for family worship time.
Once you set that routine, your kids will begin to ask for it and that will be a great reminder to slow down and make that time to spend with God. So find yourself someone who is willing to help you keep your date with God so you can spend time with Him.
Become a member of a small group ministry or a Bible study group. Some of these are happening online nowadays. Many churches have these meetings and focus on various Bible study topics or other subjects from a Biblical perspective.
My church’s small groups focus on all kinds of things like how to manage money, parenting, art and craft, and cooking, all from a biblical perspective.
You will become a part of a community of people who want to grow spiritually and will encourage you to make time for these activities so you slow down in the midst of a busy schedule. These times can be wonderful self-care opportunities too.
Create and nurture godly friendships. The good thing about having godly friends is that they will call you out when you are slipping spiritually. Since I was an undergraduate student I have prayed to God for friends who are more spiritually grounded than I am.
You need these people to keep tabs on you. They will ask you where you are struggling and provide support where you need it. They will ask you about your intentions towards attending church this weekend and that might change your mind about not going.
They will most definitely help to keep you accountable. These friends can become your prayer partners to ensure that you are getting in your quiet time with God.
8. make QUALITY time with God a habit
Contrary to popular belief, it takes more than 21 days to make a habit. Research has found that it actually takes an average of two months to do so. Developing a spiritual habit like making time with God is not exempt from this reality. These next tips may be helpful.
Get over the 21 day goal idea. Stop expecting that you are going to wake up after 21 days and have a sudden, overwhelming desire to spend time in prayer. It will take more time. Be patient with yourself and know that missing a day is not the ultimate betrayal of your goal.
Start small. This will help you to experience success early in the process. A small goal may be reading one portion of the Psalms daily or doing a daily Bible reading plan. You can then move to study each verse of the Psalm or the reading plan in depth.
This point is worth repeating: don’t focus on how much time you spend with God. Instead, focus on how much you get out of that time. You don’t want to get discouraged as you try to build this habit.
Implement a cue to help you. My cue when I get into my car, for example, is putting on my seatbelt. Then I remember it’s time to find my sermon or load my Bible CD. Cues help you to remember to do the thing you need to do to get your Biblical or prayer inspiration going. You can set an alarm on your phone or ask someone to call you. Whatever works.
Track your habit and develop a reward system for yourself. There are tons of habit trackers that you can use. If you use any of the Bible reading plans on Bible apps, some of them have automatic trackers that could make this process that much easier for a busy person.
While Jesus promises us a reward for faithfulness at the end of this life, we can reward ourselves for little wins. Decide how you want to celebrate achieving your goal of making time for God.
Decide on motivation strategies. The reality is that as sinful human beings we don’t naturally crave God. It is even harder when trying to develop a spiritual habit. Opposition from the enemy is tripled. How will you motivate yourself when the going gets tough?
Motivational strategies can range from letting someone know you’re struggling to switching on some of your favorite praise and worship songs, to pouring out your heart to God in prayer, to listening to your favorite Biblically inspired motivational speaker. Have a plan in place that will be your default for encouraging yourself when you’re having a rough day.
make time for god quotes
Before I wrap this up I wanted to share some words of wisdom to go away with. Here we go:
We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results. – R.A. Torrey
My own soul’s conviction is that prayer is the grandest power in the entire universe, that it has a more omnipotent force than electricity, attraction, gravitation, or any other of those other secret forces which men have called by name, but which they do not understand. – Charles Spurgeon
Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. – Corrie ten Boom
We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all. – Oswald Chambers
We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength. – Charles Stanley
Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done. – C.S. Lewis
If God doesn’t want something for me, I shouldn’t want it either. Spending time in meditative prayer, getting to know God, helps align my desires with God’s. – Phillips Brooks
MAKING TIME FOR GOD WHEN YOU ARE BUSY IS TOTALLY WORTH IT
It is so easy to become too busy for God. But, it is not in our best interest to sacrifice quality time with God in pursuit of fixing or advancing other areas of our lives. Making time for God is one way of living a balanced Christian life. God wants us to have abundant lives but not at the expense of our relationship with Him. Well, if you think about it, there is really no abundant life without God. Just an empty one. So, go ahead. Create that awesome plan to make time for God with a busy schedule. Which of these tips do you think you would use? Which tips have you tried?
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