How To Spend Time With God And Stay Close To Him
This is a frequent question that I get on my Instagram stories. Many of you ask, how you can spend time with God and what you need to do to stay close to Him. I want to share some tips that I learned as a part of my walk with Christ and some wisdom my grandmother and mom instilled in me as I grew up.
Many of us feel like when we do something wrong, when we don’t go to church, listen to songs about God or don’t read the Bible enough, that God is mad at us and He doesn’t want to speak to us. We feel guilty and want to hide from God.
What do we ignore when we hide? We don’t read the Bible, we don’t speak to Him or thank Him for all the goodness in our lives, we commit intentional sin, we start hating God and the things of God. This makes our hearts bitter and separates us from the love of God. We often forget that God is waiting for us to speak to Him, longing for us to tell Him about our day and have a conversation with us. That’s why He created us in the first place. To have a relationship with His children. He doesn’t want us to go to Him only if we have a perfect record. He wants our raw, real experiences, emotions, and feelings to be shared with Him.
How do we get back into our relationship with God and stay consistent?
Don’t dwell in your sin.
Many times we keep remembering the wrongs that we’ve done, we feel guilty and feel like a useless person that even God can’t love. I’ve had days where I just lie in bed, recollecting the words I said that hurt my friend, or the fight I had with my parents or just sulking and procrastinating by simply wasting time. Those are thoughts that the devil puts in our minds to keep us from running to God and experiencing the love that He pours, which doesn’t condemn our sins. When it gets too much for you to handle, talk to a God-loving friend to help you through those tough times. Sometimes a little one-on-one therapy session really helps!
Remember through faith in Christ, we can be reconciled to God (Romans 5:10). We don’t have to cry and grumble to God for our sins to be forgiven. Just say you’re sorry for the wrong you’ve done, really mean it, and believe that your friend, Jesus, has forgiven you. As mentioned in the Bible, you are reunited with Christ because He gave His own life as a sacrifice for our sins. Not only will God forgive your sins, He’ll help you with what you need to do next. Whether it be reconciling with someone or getting out of the funk that you are in, He rejuvenates your spirit and gives you the boost to accomplish what you need to do next.Create an everyday routine.
Make it a point to start your day by telling God that you are grateful for the life He has given you, the people in your life to love you, helping you live a comfortable life, good health, good job, education, home, and so on. When you start your day with positivity, you’ll carry that same energy throughout your day in your work, relationships, and lifestyle. Segregate a special time and place to read the Bible and meditate on the word each day. This keeps that time special and intimate with God. Talk to Him as you travel to work or classes, as you do house chores, before you eat, go out and make a call. Pray together as a family. Observe nature on a walk and thank him for His creation. Worship Him with music as you blast it in the car or in your bedroom and sing praises to Him.
Talk to Him even when you think you don’t have time.
You may say, “what if I miss a day of reading the Bible or praying, will God be angry with me?” or “I barely have time to get my work done, how can I spend time with God?” God has promised that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:38–39). Talk to God like you’re talking to a friend or your close family member. God will listen and answer in special ways where you will be able to understand Him with such ease. It’ll be such a mystery that He’ll speak to you in unusual, exciting, and unexpected times but it’ll be at the right moment. It’ll be just the answer you’ve been looking for. Read Matthew 21:22.
Include God in your daily lifestyle.
Don’t include God as a part of your life only when you’re doing spiritual things. Be mindful of Him when you’re watching TV, cooking, driving, doing chores, getting ready and so on. Talk to a friend who loves Jesus and share your love for God with each other. As you include Him as a part of your everyday life, you can easily stay connected to Him.
God is never far from you, no matter what you do. The Holy Spirit is always with you to help you right when you call on Him (Jeremiah 33:3). Even when you don’t feel Him, He’s there working for you, praying for you, and fighting for you. Honor Him for all the goodness He has done in your life by spending time with Him each day and share with Him your thoughts, feelings, anxieties, happiness, and sorrows (Philippians 4:6). He’ll be with you and help you through them all. You’ll always be connected to Him and be knit with His spirit.