3 Reasons to Spend Time With God
We often reach out to our friends or family for advice, correction, comfort, or even to fill some void. Most of those things are fine because community is super important. Having someone to reach out to is imperative in certain seasons. But, it's not the first place we should go. We should spend time with God first. Here are three reasons that I believe this:
1. To become fully equipped.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
Instead of waiting for your friends from church to point out where you’re slipping up, spend some time in the Word and let God do the teaching. I don’t know about you, and maybe it’s my pride, but I’d much rather God be the one correcting me and calling me out than my friends.
2. To get (find) what you truly want in life.
“Delight yourself in the lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” -Psalm 37:4 NIV
Let me clarify. This verse does not say you will get the things you think would be cool for your friends to see you have. It does not say you will get the hot girl/guy on Instagram that you follow. And it does not say you'll get the career you aren’t prepared for. More importantly, it doesn’t say when, so be patient. God knows your heart. He is the only one who knows what you truly need. By spending time with Him and in His word, this is a clear promise that you will receive it.
3. Because the cool kids are doing it. (AKA Jesus did it)
“Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.” - Mark 1:35 NIV
Even the Son of God, our Messiah and the savior of the whole universe – spent time praying to God. I only have a few people that I truly look up to, and Jesus is one of them. So, if He does it, it’s safe to say that I probably should too.If you are a new believer or even someone who has followed Jesus for some time, but you struggle with reading the Bible or praying to God, we've all been there. Here are two tips that can be practically applied to help:
The SOAP method changed my life. (Reading the Bible)
S - scripture (read scripture)O - observe (meditate on what you read)A - application (think about how this applies to you or how you can apply it to your life)P – prayer (ask God to sow what you’ve read into your heart, so you can begin to better become the disciple that you are called to be)
Practice makes perfect. (Strengthening your prayer life)
Talking to God or prayer can be weird at first. You might think that you seem crazy because you are talking to yourself. That’s where you have it wrong. Jesus hears everything you say to Him, and you are never alone. Much like any relationship, it gets strengthened with every encounter.
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Talk to God every chance you get. Every decision you make. Every time you wake up and every time you go to bed, pray about everything. In time, it will become a regular part of your life.Your relationship with God is more important than anything else. Make sure you invest in it! Spend time with God today!