I recently did a survey that told me that over 85% of Christians were not satisfied with their quiet time with God, yet 97% said it was essential to their Christian walk. What do you think was at the top of the list?
Distractions!
Our society has become so busyness oriented that it really feels foreign to just “be still.” Even if our bodies our still, our minds are racing and many of us have no idea how to turn these voices off inside our head.
Aside from that, many Christians also suffer from stinking thinking and need to renew their minds and root our toxic emotions.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” If you are experiencing stress, battling with worry or negative thoughts, or feeling disconnected from God on a heart-to-heart level, dwelling in God’s presence and meditating on his Word can heal your life and transform your relationship with the Messiah.
How Can We Move Past Distractions?
So the question remains, how can we move past the distractions and create a quiet time with God that creates more peace, joy, power, and intimacy in our lives. Below I’d like to give you some ideas to explore to help you develop a quiet time with God that you look forward to each and every day and that will help reduce the distractions that keep us from spending that much needed time with God regularly.
#1- Schedule a Date with God
If it’s not on the calendar, it’s so easy to overlook setting aside time to spend with the Lord. Try creating an appointment with God that you prioritize just like your other activities and then put it in your day planner. The Bible says that “blessed are those who don’t see God but still believe.” Even though it might be easy to neglect God because we can’t fellowship with Him face to face, by scheduling Him into our day, we avoid crowding Him out with those urgencies that always seem more important than tending to our spiritual development and relationship with God.
#2 – Create a Date with God Menu
Make of list of the different things you can do during your date with God. Some of these might include: guided meditation, reading the Bible, prayer, journaling, reading an inspirational book or devotional, praise and worship, or even a little bit of exercise or prayer walking. The ideas are endless. In my book, A Date with God, I share many empowering, fun, and creative ways to make your time with God one of the most important appointments in your day.
#3- Mix It Up
So even though you have a nice menu, mix it up a bit. Who said you have to do the same things everyday. You might decide to do a guided meditation several times a week, pray on Wednesdays, journal on Thursdays, etc. This is a great strategy if you don’t have much time to devote. Also, it’s okay to do NOTHING during your quiet time and just sit in God’s presence in the silence or with soft music in the background. The key is just spending some time with God so that HE can lift you up and restore you. A Date with God is where we can reset and get restored. It benefits us more than it benefits God.
# 4 – Create a Transition or Ritual to Get Started
One of the hardest parts of establishing a consistent quiet time with God is our inability to quickly transition from a natural or physical form of thinking to a more spiritual one. Why do you think church services between with up to an hour of praise and worship. They know that have to bath us in God’s glory to settle us down and prepare our hearts to receive. Transitions can help for our quiet time at home as well. For example, before entering into your quiet time, put on some worship music or start with a guided Christian meditation. You can even precede these with a hot cup of tea or lighting several candles. These can help to calm your restless mind, still your body, and prepare you for your time with God. I often find that without some sort of transition, it’s difficult for me to relax enough to just “be” with God and not have this feeling that I want to rush through it. However, once I have quieted my mind and body with a meditation or even a worship song, it’s so much easier for me to transition to my quiet time and enjoy it. Creating a ritual leading up to your quiet time will make it that more rewarding.
Want to get some more ideas on creating a Date with God? Check out my Date with God Devotional Program that includes a book and journal.
If you desire an even more structured quiet time with detailed instructions that include 12-weeks of lessons, guided meditations, and diving deeper activities, you may enjoy my Help Me God Change My Life. Program. Check it out!
See More Survey Results Below:
