Practicing Early Time With God
By Teacher Demetria Zinga
Christ Life International Fellowship Church
http://www.christlifemi.info
“Spending time with God is something every Christian woman should set aside time for.”
Perhaps this is a fairly common statement that we’ve heard all too often. We all know this to be true, and yet it still seems to be a most incredible struggle to obtain that blessed time with God each and every day of our lives.
So, how do we wear all the hats and still have time to be still and quiet in God’s presence?
How do we make the time to sit quietly before our Savior when our toddlers are stampeding through our living rooms with permanent markers only inches away from our furniture and walls?
When do we find the time to say a prayer long enough to our Savior before we are interrupted with “MOM! She hit me!”, or “Honey, I can’t find my keys!”
True, we all wear different hats—some of us are mothers, some of us are married, many of us work from home or have full time jobs outside of the home…but, one thing we all have in common is our need for the peace of God in our lives. We all need the Lord!
With that said, let’s talk for a minute about some practical things we can do each day to allow the Lord first place in our lives. We are not only discussing our time in general with God each day, but the fact that we can also give God the first of each day.
“Impossible!” you might exclaim…but it’s true. We can do this! I am a living witness that despite the busy-ness of each morning, it is quite possible for me to give God the very first few minutes of my day.
Try the following steps for 21 days and see if you’ll notice a difference in your outlook on life. Also note any changes in your relationship with God. You’ll most definitely feel more aware of how close the Lord really is to you, especially during many of your stressful times!
In addition, take note of your relationships to your family and friends, and to people around you. As you spend time, and early time with the Lord, you will find your relationships with others changing as your heart changes. Your heart will change because you start to become more like Christ as you draw closer to Him in fellowship each and every morning when you first awake.
Here’s how to make early time with God happen:
1.) Upon awaking each morning, thank God for a brand new day. Believe it or not, this very small act of gratitude takes you a long way during your stress throughout the day.
2.) Look out your window. Appreciate the nature. Thank God for what you see. Observe the weather. Whether it is raining or sunny, thank God for the weather. If it’s raining, don’t complain, but thank God for the rain. Thank Him for the sun. Thank Him for the birds in the air and the trees. Thank God for His handiwork.
3.) If your children and husband are still asleep, that means you still have time to spend with God! So get started! Open your bible and read some scripture, then MEDITATE on it. Think about what it means to you. Consider how you might apply the scriptures to your life that day.
4.) Journal your thoughts and prayers to the Lord. Haven’t invested in a journal yet? Get yourself one—it doesn’t have to be the cutest and most expensive journal. You could even buy an inexpensive notebook…but do keep one on hand for your prayer times. Keeping a journal will help you monitor your growth in your relationship with Christ throughout the years.
5.) If you are still the only one up for the morning, now you can take the time to retreat to a place in your house where you won’t awaken anyone, and talk out loud to the Lord. Talking out loud does several things for you. Haven’t you noticed that when we simply keep our thoughts inward and never verbalize them, many times they don’t feel real to us? But once we verbalize our thoughts, they become tangible. It’s the same with our prayers to our Savior. When we can, we should try talking out loud to Him as we would anyone else. It helps us to realize the tangibility of our Lord, and that He is as real as talking to our friends and family, and actually hears us. Talking out loud also cements our prayers and thoughts in reality. As our voice echoes our resounding prayers and conversations with God, we are able to hear these prayers with our own ears, and are confirmed with our hearts the truth and reality of our relationship with God, because after all, we were just talking to Him!
Do you see how spending time with God first thing upon awaking each morning is not only possible but quite do-able, even for those of us with the most hectic schedules?
We can do this!
The benefits of spending time with our Savior each morning are awesome.
We’ll begin to notice our hearts become more pliable to His word.
We’ll start to notice a difference in our feelings toward others and our relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.
We’ll find the peace of God transcending our thoughts and minds.
We’ll begin to notice how strong and steadfast we are as we stand firm in our faith.
As God becomes our rock and our fortress, we’ll find ourselves unmoved by the chaos and stressors of life.
Let’s aim to strive for early time with our Savior. Once you begin to implement this discipline, your life is sure to change!
