How to Spend Time With God

I often hear statements like this: “I don’t know what to read in the Bible” or “I want to spend time with God, but I just can’t find the time.”

I once heard a preacher say that there were three “D’s” to spending time in the Word and with God; discipline, desire and delight.

Reading the Word of God, the Holy Bible, is a critical part of our relationship with Him.

I can still remember, when I was a brand new believer, being encouraged by others to read my Bible, to “get in the Word.” Well, that was easier said than done. Being a baby Christian, I did not understand that the Bible is the Christian’s guide book, to help us to better know the character of God so that we can be more like Him.

I did not have a clue how to read my bible. Reading the Bible, at that time, felt awkward, foreign, strange, and uncomfortable. Yet, I knew I needed to get use to it if I wanted to get to know Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with Him as my best friend.

So I made the decision to be disciplined about reading my bible and spending time with God daily.

I understand there are many ways to go about this, and I am not saying my way is the best way, but I would like to share how I spend time in the Word. It may seem very easy or obvious to some of you, but I believe there’s a whole lot of you (like me years ago) that still need some guidance in this area.

Make sure you own a Bible that you understand.

There are so many different translations out there- make sure you have one that you enjoy and comprehend.

I will never forget the time my dear friend, a Christian woman, on a weekend retreat together, pulled out her bible and said to me “I don’t even understand half the things I read in this.” So I asked her what translation she was reading. She was reading the King James Translation, which is written in old English, and is a very difficult version to understand.

I encouraged her to get an easier translation, like the New Living Translation or the English Standard Version (my personal favorites).

I then shared with her how I read my bible. A few weeks later, she called me to say she had purchased a new bible and had been applying my technique of reading the bible and that it had completely changed her life. Praise God!

Here is what I shared with her, and what I want to share with you:

1. Be intentional about your time with God and carve out a time of day every day to spend reading your bible.

I personally prefer morning time as my time to spend with God. The earlier the better. I’ve found that in the morning, I have less distractions and can, therefore, have better concentration.

It’s also nice to start my day on the right foot. Whatever amount of time you have is great. Fifteen minutes is better than nothing.

The main point is to be intentional and to carve out some time daily.

2.  Find a good devotional

I have a few devotionals, (devotionals are books that contain daily Bible readings and teachings), that I absolutely love:

– My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

– Streams in the Desert by Mrs.Charles Cowman

– Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon

– Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

–Experiencing God day by day by Henry T.Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

Every morning I choose one of these devotionals and read what the message is for the day. These devotionals always have one or two scripture passages that the message supports.

I then go to that chapter in my bible and read that entire chapter, not just the one verse that was in the devotional.

3. Have a highlighter, black (or blue) pen, red pen and small ruler with you.

Before I start reading the passage of scripture, I say a simple prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide me and teach me what He wants me to learn that day.

I then, with a highlighter and/or pen in hand, begin reading the chapter.

When a verse in the chapter speaks to my heart or stands out to me, I highlight and/or underline  that verse. Sometimes, I can end up highlighting the entire chapter! So don’t limit yourself and don’t be afraid.

Make your Bible your friend, and get comfortable with writing in it.

4. Be still.

After I have read and highlighted the chapter, I sit and reflect on what the Lord may be trying to say to me for this day.

This step of my quiet time could possibly be the most important step because this is where my faith comes in to trust the Holy Spirit to minister to me.

The Holy Spirit often speaks to us in a quiet and gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12), which is why it’s so important that we take some time out- away from all distractions to be still and patient to hear from Him.

5. Journal.

Sometimes I don’t hear clearly from God.

It is these times that I must proceed by faith (Hebrews 11:6) and trust that He is with me always.

I do this through the next step of my quiet time- journaling. I believe journaling is extremely important.

Many times I don’t think I have gained anything from my reading time, but when I start journaling it all comes together.

I write down what I believe God is teaching me that day.

I also journal my gratitude to Him, thanking Him for who He is and what He is doing in my life.

I confess of my sins, and share my burdens with God in my writing too.

Then I take a red pen and re-write word-by-word the verses that jumped out to me when I was reading my bible.

6. Prayer time.

I end my quiet time with prayer.

It’s very similar to how I journal except that I pray for every single person in my immediate family. I then pray as the Spirit of God leads me to that day. Often I am tempted to skip praying because of time, but prayer is a key part of our walk with Christ.

This is how I spend my quiet time with God every day. Through this, I learn to walk in His ways, and I nurture my relationship with Him.

He guides me, encourages me, counsels me, corrects me, comforts me and reveals Himself to me through His Word.

Are you ready to take that first step towards growing your faith?

Make the choice to be disciplined enough to spend time daily with God. This will, over time , turn into a desire and eventually you will delight and look forward to your time with God.

Please leave me a comment below on how you spend your quiet time with God?

“I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure.” Psalm 119:162