Every little time with God builds strength and trust in Him
Hi friend! Welcome back to a new blog post.
To all of you faithful readers, I apologize for the break. A lot has been happening in my personal life and if 2020 taught me anything, its that sometimes its okay to step away, refocus, lean closer to Christ and then come away recharged. The time off has been much needed to just draw closer to Christ as I seek His direction for this blog-site/ my personal life. In light of all of this and staying authentic, let me share with you some things I've been learning during my little break.
If you know me personally, then you know that even with my introversion and shyness, I love to stay busy. This is something I probably picked up from my parents (especially my mom) when I was growing up. A lot of times, I find myself adding things to my already fully scheduled day/week/month. Please don't get me wrong as there's nothing wrong with staying busy. However, when its at a point that is detrimental to your health and the relationships God has blessed you with, then I'd say its time to step back and re-evaluate your priorities.
Jesus [the greatest teacher to have ever lived], taught us a lot about time alone with His Father/time to recharge. Matthew 14:23 states: "And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.." [ESV]
If you read the entire chapter of Matthew 14, you will realize that Jesus had just completed a very busy day. In the first part of this chapter, John was beheaded and the news of death was told to Jesus. The news bothered Him so bad that in verse 13, we are told that Christ "withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.
However, people quickly learned about His location and they decided to follow Him. In fact, it was for this very crowd that He performed the miracle of feeding 5,000. After all of this, He dismissed the crowds and then went to pray... alone... He valued His time alone with God.
Unfortunately, so much of our schedules are packed to the max. We rush here and there and barely have quality time with God / time to recharge. I wish I can say the entire month I've been away from the blog has been just time with God, but that would not be the truth. In fact, it felt like the more things I removed from the schedule the more my scheduled would get full. I had to make conscious decisions to allot ample time for prayer and fasting with God.
Friend, summer break is here and our schedules are probably only going to get busier. Let me offer three things I've been motivated to do here recently.
1. Schedule a particular time to be alone with God/recharge.
Its easy to think about doing something, but until you actually set a goal and make it a priority, distractions will most likely come in all shapes or forms. For me, scheduling means having a set time to get up earlier in the day so I can have extra time to have quality time with God. And then in the evenings, I try to find that alone time to re-charge as well. However, you can find your own time and place that works better.
2. Find a couple accountability partners.
Good, trustworthy friends are hard to come by, but if they're present in your life, they can be of great help. We all need godly people that are not afraid to gently wound us with the truth if need be. Prayerfully, look for a couple people that are willing to ask you about your spiritual life and goals. These people should be able to point out areas that you need to work on if need be.
3. Look for small victories.
A lot of times, I tend to focus on bigger victories and ignore the small ones. Unfortunately, the braggadocios culture doesn't help as most of the time only the big things are celebrated. But know that small victories add up to a big win. Don't wait to have 1 hour with God, start small and work your way up. Every little time with God builds strength and trust in Him.
Conclusion
As we move into summer, this can be a great time to set time aside to draw closer to Christ and just recharge. Starting this week, what are some things that you need to prioritize better? Look around you and pray for God's leading to an accountability partner and celebrate the days you are successful with your spiritual goals.
Stay Blessed
❤
Image Credit: Wix
Comments