DEVOTIONAL: Take time out for God

In the businessness of life, we sometimes find we are so occupied with life that we forget the most important part of our day and that is to take time out for God and be in His presence. The clothes need to be washed, the house needs to be cleaned, the supper needs to be cooked, so on and so on. God really dealt with me a while back about letting HIM be priority over everything else. I need that time to keep me grounded in my faith, to keep my heart at peace, to build a closer relationship with Him and to give God the amount of praise and thanks He deserves. The bible says in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God says to seek HIM first. Have you struggled with giving your time to God? Is the weight of all the responsibilities you have keeping you from time with God? It is so easy to do but we have to make it a priority just like we do drinking a cup of coffee each morning or checking our social media accounts. God wants our first, He wants to commune with us, He wants to have a relationship with us…..Not just on Sunday but everyday.

The bible says in James 4 that, IF we draw near to God, he will draw near to you. I want God to always be near so I want to give Him my time, prayers, thanks and the attention He deserves so that my walk with Him will be strengthened. How do we do that? How do we make time for God consistently? We make it a HABIT! Just like we do everything else in our lives it has to be intentional. We must make it an intentional effort that isn’t a ritual but contains spiritual efforts so that the habit becomes a part of our life, something we can’t live without, something we long for and a part of our lives that is more important than that first cup of coffee each morning. Desiring an intimate connection with God then becomes not a habit but a way of life that we long for each and everyday in our walk with Him. He becomes that drink of coffee we crave each day.

There are ways we can develop fresh habits that become a part of our spiritual walk with God. It is important to our faith to take time to commune with God each and everyday. We can do that in many ways. This is what I do to take time with God and strengthen my walk with Him each day. I hope this will help you develop a habit that becomes what you crave each day you wake:

• I have started getting up 30 minutes earlier each morning so I can be alone with God before my day starts and before anyone gets up. Go get your coffee, find a quiet place and rest in His presence.
• I have written down several prayers that I start with. It is heartfelt prayers that I pray each day to God. It includes prayers for my family, our country, prayers in my journal and other things that matter to me. And it includes thanking God. With a thankful heart, I praise Him for what He has done in our lives.
• Every time someone asks me to pray, I write it in my prayer journal. I pray over that prayer journal each day and ask God to answer each prayer. I write my own prayers in this journal as well.
• Then I just sit in His presence as I listen to a praise song. Music truly brings me to a place of worship with God as I enter into His presence. 
• Listen….Just sit in silence and let God speak to you. We have to take time to listen to God and let Him just speak to our hearts.
• Read a chapter in the bible daily. Psalms is a book in the bible that truly speaks to my heart and my life. I started reading a chapter in Psalms each day. Read Psalms 34….you will be glad you did. “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
• End your time with a prayer from your heart. 

Let go of the all the ways you think you should approach God but instead just pour out your heart and trust Him to be all you need and to be enough during each and every day. It doesn’t have to be ritual, just heart felt time with God. He desires our time! The impact of spending time with God consistently is greater than any other way you can spend your time. As you draw near to Him, He will make Himself more real to you in ways you never imagined. My relationship with God has gotten me through some of the hardest times of life. Without Him, I don’t know where I would be. Have a daily relationship with God who wants to know you intimately in your way, in a way that works for you but do it. Find that time daily and let God know He is a priority in your life and take time out for God!