Giving God My Best Time

In review of Psalm 25:14 it tells me that “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises” (TLB).

Today’s verse is Psalm 25:14. In it David tells us that the Lord is the friend of those who obey him and he affirms his covenant with them.

What I have been learning is that God offers me an intimate and lasting friendship with him as I revere and hold him in the highest honor. What other relationship could ever compare with having the Lord of all creation for a friend? My everlasting friendship with God will grow as I respect and honor him.

I’m also learning that, if I want to build a deep relationship with God, I have to slow down and be quiet.

Friendship with God is like any other friendship, I have to make time for it. If I don’t make time for my human friends, they’re not my friends. You make time for your friends. And if God is going to be my best friend, I’ve got to give my best time to him.

The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV).

This means that I need to continue to have a daily quiet time with God. In it I have to be still so that I can know him better.

Psalm 25:14 says, “Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises” (TLB).

Many people don’t know God. They haven’t experienced God’s love. They don’t know why he does what he does. Yet, the Bible says that friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him, in other words, those who slow down and spend time with him.

What would a friendship be if I never invested my time in it? Friendships need attention. I will never know God intimately if all I do is go to church services. I’ve got to read God’s Word and ask him, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” I don’t have to use any fancy phrases or words. Just talk to him authentically. And then listen!

The Bible says it like this in Matthew 6:5-6: “When you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production . . . Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (Matthew 6:5-6 The Message).

Today slow down, focus on God, and listen as he speaks to me about his grace.

Bottom Line:

In true Friendship with God he reveals his promises.

What this means to me:

When I take God seriously, reverence and obey him, he shares and affirms his promises to me.

In summary, the Lord is my friend when I take time to be with and listen to him. So I need to slow down and be quiet. I need to be still so that I can know him better. Just slow down, focus on him and listen as he speaks to me.

Father I realize that I have a lot of distractions and time commitments in my life. This often disrupts and water down’s my time in your Word and with you. As I think about what are the distractions that keep me from being still before you. I know that location (noise) and time commitments are some of the biggest hindrances. I could use your assistance to help me find a new place or use earphones w/soft music to help block noise. I can even position myself so I’m not distracted. I pray this morning Father for your guidance and wisdom in handling my tasks for today and planning for the future. Allow me to lead my team and interact rightly with others. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, amen.

Managing Stress Like Jesus: Listen to God

In review of Luke 5:15-16 it says, “News about Jesus spread even more. Many people came to hear him and to be healed . . . but Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (NCV).

Today’s passage comes from Luke 5:13-16. In it I read how Jesus reached out to the man who begged him to be healed of his advanced case of leprosy. The man had faith in Jesus to heal him, asked for Jesus to heal him if Jesus wanted. Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" Instantly the leprosy disappeared. Jesus instructed the man to not tell anyone what happened. But despite Jesus' instructions, the report of Jesus power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear Jesus preach and to be healed of their diseases. But with all this demand on his time and the good things he was doing, Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

The man with leprosy believed that Jesus could heal him. And Jesus did just that when he was asked. Jesus often reached out to touch the untouchable, and to heal a contagious man in order to restore him.

People were flocking to see and hear Jesus preach and to have their diseases healed, but with all of this, Jesus made sure he often withdrew to quiet, solitary places to pray. Many things in my life, especially my work, can clamor for my attention. I often run myself ragged trying to attend to them. Like Jesus, I should learn to take time to withdraw. To go off to a quiet and deserted place to pray and be with the Father. What I learn from Jesus is that strength comes from God, and I can only be strengthened by spending time with him.

Over the last few days, I’ve dug into four stress management principles from the life of Jesus:

Identification: Know who I am

Motivation: Know whose approval I’m living for

Vocation: Know my calling

Concentration: Focus on what matters most

A fifth principle is very important. It’s the Principle of Meditation. To reduce my stress, I need to listen to God.

Jesus did this over and over in the New Testament. For example, the Bible says, “News about Jesus spread even more. Many people came to hear him and to be healed . . . but Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:15-16 NCV).

Jesus, who literally had the weight of the world on his shoulders, spent time alone with God. As the pressures on Jesus increased, he got away to talk with God. Jesus had a habit of quiet times where he went away to reflect, to renew, and to recharge.

Noise is stress. That’s why I must create intentional times of quietness and solitude in my life.

If I always have noise in my life—the television is always on, the radio is always on, and the earbuds are always in my ear—I won’t have the spiritual and emotional resources to handle stress in my life.

So I should start my morning with good news. Don’t fill my mind with negativity right off the bat.

Spend time with God. Open my Bible. Find out what God wants to say to me.

To help lower the stress in life, I need to learn to keep a daily time with God where I listen to Him—and allow that set my mood for the day.

Bottom Line:

News about Jesus kept spreading. Large crowds came to listen to him teach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.

What this means to me:

The news about Jesus kept spreading, he had become extremely popular, and sought after. People came to hear him speak and to be healed. With all of this, Jesus handled this demand on his time by carving out and spending isolated time to be alone with the Father and to pray.

In summary, Jesus, with all kinds of demands on his time and with the good things he was doing, still took time to withdraw to a quiet place for prayer and time with God. Many things in my life, especially at work clamor for my attention. I run myself ragged trying to keep ahead of them and or attend to what is needed. Like Jesus, I too should learn to take time to withdraw. To go off to a quiet and deserted place to pray and to be with the Father. To reduce my stress, I need time to listen to God. I need to have time that is quiet, no noise.

People came to hear him speak and to be healed. Jesus handled this demand on his time by spending isolated time to be alone with the Father and to pray. I too find myself extremely busy and sought after for the role I play at work. But even this his busyness and the need, Jesus took time out to be with and listen to the Father. This should serve as an example for myself as well. I may need to withdraw at times and get some renewed energy and encouragement from time with the Father and in my own prayers. Today I pray Father that you help remind me to get away from time to time to be quiet and just listen to you. I also ask Father for your wisdom and guidance in how I handle what comes my way. Help me to lead others well. Help me to respond rightly to those I interact with. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, amen!

Making Time to Be Quiet

In review of Matthew 6:6 it says, “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (The Message).

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (NLT)

In Matthew 6:5-6 Jesus tells his disciples and myself about prayer. When I pray, I shouldn’t be  like a hypocrite who wants to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. Being seen is the only reward they will ever get. So, when I pray, I am to go away by myself, shut the door behind me, and pray to my Father in private. Then the Father, who sees everything, will reward me.

Jesus points out that some, especially the religious leaders of the time, wanted to be seen as "holy," and public prayer was one way to get attention. Jesus saw through their self-righteous acts, however, and taught that the essence of prayer is not public style but private communication with God. There is a place for public prayer, but to pray only when others will notice you and you’re trying to make yourself look good, indicates that the real audience is not God.

In these two verses Jesus was drawing attention to the motives behind actions. The point really wasn't a choice between public and private prayer but between heartfelt and hypocritical prayer. When I do pray in public, the focus needs to be on addressing God, not on how I’m coming across to others.

Jesus also indicates that it’s also important to be quiet and not distracted. Jesus even mentions find a secluded place where I won’t get distracted. What I’m learning is that God isn’t going to speak to me if my life is filled with a bunch of noise. I’ve got to get alone, and I’ve got to get quiet. This is called a quiet time.

Jesus says it like this in Matthew 6:6: “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (The Message).

The key to hearing God speak and getting his vision for your life is the notion that: God wants to meet with me.

I need to realize I’m not waiting on God; he’s waiting on me. God made me to have a relationship with him. He wants me to spend time with him on a daily basis. He wants me to schedule a date with him every day. God is waiting!

Getting alone in a quiet place is pretty difficult today. I don’t know if you realize how much noise there is in your life. You’ve always got the radio on in the car or you’ve got earbuds in or Bluetooth turned on. Every waiting room, grocery store, and elevator has music. There’s very little time or space in your life that’s absolutely quiet.

Bottom Line:

Don’t pray just to show off or make yourself look good. Be quiet and take to focus off yourself and direct it toward God. Sense the Grace he provides.

What this means to me:

When I pray, I should find a quiet place to pray, so that I won’t be tempted to just role-play or try to look good in front of others. Just be myself with my focus toward God and not myself or what others think. When I focus on him, I can sense the grace he provides.

I’m in a fairly routine habit of spending time getting into and studying God’s Word. I journal though these entries what I’m learning and my next steps. I do realize that I’m not in a really quiet environment when I do this (lately I’ve be spending my daily time at Panera - which is at least quieter and more comfortable than Starbucks,) but I do try to concentrate. My daily weekday time with God really helps to shape my perspective for the day. I’m reminded today that God is waiting on me to meet with him. I do need to incorporate more prayer into my time.

To Hear God, I Need To Get Near Him

In review of Proverbs 2:6 it says, “It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding.”

Bottom Line:

It is God who provides wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

What this means to me:

It is the Lord who provide me wisdom. His every word is a treasure of knowledge and understanding.

In order to get and trust God I need to hear him. But often it’s hard to hear from him.

What I’m learning is that it's difficult to hear God when my mind is filled with a thousand other distractions. In order for me to hear God, I’ve got to get near Him. I've got to get alone with God and be quiet.

The Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV). That means sit down and shut up. That's how I hear and get near to God. I need to sit alone and just be quiet with my Bible and say, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” Then read God’s Word, and begin to talk with him about what I’m ready and what's on my heart. I can follow this four step process for spending time in his word.

First Reading: Simply familiarize yourself with what God is saying here. Notice the circumstances, people, places, etc.

Second Reading: Notice what word, phrase, sentence or verse makes an "impression" upon you.

Third Reading: Spend a few moments in prayer thanking and praising God for His Holy Word. Then prayerfully interact with God about the text.

Fourth Reading: Ask God to show you how He wants you to live based on this. Is there something He would have you start doing, stop doing or continue doing?

And, God says he will give you the wisdom I need to recognize his voice and follow through on what he says: “It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 TEV).

Today I pray: “God, I want to listen to you, not the voices of doubt. I want to get close to you and get to know you better. I want to hear you, and I promise to then obey you. I want to be one of the people that you can use and bless in the next 10 years. I want those years to be a decade of destiny for myself, my family and those around me.”

Learning to Be Still So That I Can Hear From God

In review of Job 37:14 it says, “Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does.”

Bottom Line:

Pause and consider the wonder of God.

What this means to me:

I am to take the time to pause and carefully consider the many wonderful things God has done, and will continue to do.

One thing I’m learning is that I need to be quiet in order to hear God speak. To hear God’s vision, I’ll need to turn off the television. I can’t really listen to God and the TV (or anything else for that matter) at the same time!

One possible reason for not hearing God speak could be my lack of just being quiet with him. Something is always going on in my mind, so while God is trying to get through to me on the telephone of life, he gets a busy signal. It appears that I need to reserve time alone with God.

The Bible says in Job 37:14, “Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does” (GNT).

From his Word I learn that God wants to spend time with me. He wants me to “Pause, be quiet, get alone, and learn solitude so He can talk with me.” As an adult I know I get spiritual wiggles. It’s really hard to be still and be quiet.

Here’s something to consider:

Is getting God’s dream for my life worth a day of my life? The thought here was to take an entire day and do nothing but be alone with God. Talk to Him in prayer. Let God talk to me through his word. Relax. Think. Write down the thoughts he puts in my mind. Set some goals. Look through my schedule. Set my priorities. Spend the day saying, “God, where do you want me to go? What direction do you want my feet headed?”

What I’m learning is that God will speak to those who take the time to listen, not just for a day, but on a regular basis. I guess that is why they call this quiet time.

Even though I may think that I don’t have time for this, it’s important to do. It’s all about figuring out why I’m here on Earth. It’s imperative to make the time.

In retrospect, my weekday routine is to spend time in prayer quietly before leaving my house. I then spend additional time such as reading and documenting what I read while enjoying my first cup of coffee at Starbucks. Given this routine, I only spend a few minutes at the beginning of my prayer time just being quiet. I usually use the following verse as a springboard for my quiet time, “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Matthew 6:6 MSG)

But based upon what I’m studying this morning I realize that I’m not really spending much time actually being quiet and waiting on God to speak to me. I need to consider if there is something I can adjust in my weekday morning routine, or perhaps something to supplement it with on the weekends so that I can be still and quiet before him. I do have some time coming up tomorrow morning when my wife and daughter are getting together. Perhaps I’ll consider using this time to do a smaller version of just spending time with God.

Opening My Eyes to God’s Vision

In review of Psalm 119:18 it says, “Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law.”

Bottom Line:

Open my eyes to discover the wonderful truths that come in your Word.

What this means to me:

Allow me to open my mind to be able to see the wonderful truths that come from your Word.

God’s Word, the Bible, is filled with many examples of people getting God’s vision. People like, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Jonah, and Micah. Seeing God’s vision for own life is not a crazy thing. I’m learning that God will often use a mental picture to clarify the next step he wants me to take.

Traditionally I’m not a visual thinker. I tend to think more in words, rather than pictures. In order to get God’s vision I can:

First, ask God a specific question. In my quiet time, after I’ve read the Bible and prayed, and being quiet and waiting before God. I could ask, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” And then wait. “God, is there anything I need to know that I’m not thinking about?” And then wait.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking” (CEV). God wants me to ask him for advice, and he wants me to be specific. He’s waiting for me to ask!

Second, look into God’s Word to see what God might want to say to me. Psalm 119:18 says: “Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law” (TEV). I can use this verse as I pray as I open up God’s Word. Every answer to every problem I have can be found here. I just need to read, study, memorize, and meditate on it as I seek God’s vision for my life or even just for today.

Its often hard to be still. I’m use to so much stimulation, noise and distractions taking place. I need to just make time to be quiet and to calm my mind and thoughts so that I can hear Gods voice. Also, given the internet, fast food restaurants and microwave ovens, I’m so used to getting information and things quickly. This makes it more difficult to wait on anything. I used to getting immediate answers. It something doesn't happen quickly, I get impatient.

While I do spend time being quiet at home, it still seems rushed, as I want to get through some prayer time, eat breakfast and get on the road for my commute to work. I may just need to get up even earlier so that I can be quiet and listen to the Lord.

So far when it comes to vision from God, I get that he want’s me to be an example of a life that follows him. Then to share my experiences, counsel and mentor others.

Having a Regular Appointment With God

In review of Matthew 6:6 it says, “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”

Bottom Line:

When you pray, find a quiet and secluded place, pray to your father in private, then you Father who sees everything will bestow His grace upon you.

What this means to me:

When I pray, I am to find a quiet and secluded place and not try to role-play, but sit there being as simple and honest as I can, and then open my life and pray to God. Then I can hear God and not the noise of my life.  As a result, God who sees all, will be able to bestow his grace on me.

One things is certain, God will not try to speak above any noise I have going on in my life. I need to get alone and quiet (“quiet time.”) Jesus says it like this in Matthew 6:6: “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace”(MSG). I really like this translation of this verse as it gives me some specific things to keep in mind as I start my time with God. I need to get quiet. As I focus on Him, and open my conscience to his ever present presence, I can even feel the warmth of his grace surround me.

This quiet time alone with God each day, is key to hearing Him speak and to obtain what His vision is for my life. Also, I need to remember that God really wants to meet with me! So, this means, I’m not waiting on God; rather he’s waiting on me.

God made me to have a relationship with him. He wants me to spend time with him everyday. So I work on scheduling a date with him every day. God is the one who is waiting, it’s not me waiting on him. The great thing is that God is always available 24x7, there’s no waiting, no pre-scheduling time. It’s all up to me.

It can be really difficult to get alone in a quiet place today. There is some much noise constantly going on in life. Even in my house, my wife always has the TV on in the background whenever she is at home. Other than when we are sleeping, there’s very little time in when its absolutely quiet.

It is vitally important to find a time and place where it can be quiet.  For me, this is early in the morning, right after I get up and before my wife gets up.  I’ve also found that I can go to one of the rooms we have upstairs and close the door, (I’ve done this to complete certain homework assignments.)

So, in essence continuing to find time each day to be with Him should be a high priority.