3 ways to have breakthrough in having consistent time with God
By Peter DeWitt
Set time aside to hear Him and you will hear from Him! Some of us need a break through in our time with God. In other words, if you honestly assessed how often you have meaningful time set aside with the Lord, you might say, “it's not that often.”
If so, here we go! Here are 3 tips to help you consistently set time aside to hear God.
Set time aside to hear Him and you will hear from Him! Some of us need a break through in our time with God. In other words, if you honestly assessed how often you have meaningful time set aside with the Lord, you might say, “it's not that often.”
If so, here we go! Here are 3 tips to help you consistently set time aside to hear God.
1. Stop feeling bad about it. You feeling bad about it doesn't help anything.
The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God, right?
"My wife and I have not been going on dates, but I know that if I just hate myself enough, and flagellate myself enough for not taking her on dates, I know I'm going to have an awesome date with my wife.” Could you imagine? “We've got to go on a date. I can't believe we've not been on a date.” Now, we're on a date … “Honey, are you having fun?”
That’s ridiculous but that's what we often do with God. He’s wooing us into this environment of being close to Him and being next to Him, and we don't let Him woo us, and instead, we demand it of ourselves and turn it into something that we dread. Isn’t that the dumbest thing? Just be free.
"My wife and I have not been going on dates, but I know that if I just hate myself enough, and flagellate myself enough for not taking her on dates, I know I'm going to have an awesome date with my wife.” Could you imagine? “We've got to go on a date. I can't believe we've not been on a date.” Now, we're on a date … “Honey, are you having fun?”
That’s ridiculous but that's what we often do with God. He’s wooing us into this environment of being close to Him and being next to Him, and we don't let Him woo us, and instead, we demand it of ourselves and turn it into something that we dread. Isn’t that the dumbest thing? Just be free.
2. Set a time and use a timer - and don't look at it until it goes off.
Once I met a really buff guy at a park, north of town, next to an ice cream shop. My family had just picked up ice cream, which wouldn't be a surprise to some of you at all, who make fun of us all the time for our dessert intake! So, we were at Handles (Megan's favorite ice cream place) and it's a little bit cheaper to buy a quart. We've got this quart of ice cream Megan and I are going to split. No, pint I think!
As we get to the playground, the boys are eating their ice cream, they're about to play, and I've got this bag with a pint of ice cream in it, and there's this really buff guy there. One of the things I've learned to do is if I meet someone who's really good with something, and I've got an interest, I'll just say, "What's one thing that you've learned that's caused you to be so successful about ___________?” I wanted to ask this guy like, "How are you in such good shape?"
But I had a little conundrum, I had a bag of ice cream. So, I'm thinking, "What am I going to do here?" Megan's like, "Do you want any ice cream?" "No, thanks.”
So I walk up to this guy, and I ask him that question without my ice cream. He says, "People ask me that all the time, and here's what I tell them … Find a gym, on your way home from work … you don't need to find the best gym, you don't need to find a certain type of gym, just find a gym that you have to pass in order to get home … and then go there every day on your way home from work for 30 minutes.”
He said they will then ask, "Well, what should I do there?" He's responds, "It doesn't matter. Do something." He said, "Now I spend two or three hours at the gym every day … People might think that I force that on myself but that’s not how it works. If I was starting, I'd go for 30 minutes, I'd probably start to enjoy that I was feeling a little bit better, and I'd start to think, ‘boy, it would be good if my cardiovascular got a little stronger.’ So, I'd maybe add 10 minutes of running.
Maybe before I was just walking and doing a little lifting, but I want to do a little stronger cardiovascular. So, I add 10 minutes of running. Now, I'm at the gym for 40 minutes … I like the results of that, and I realize I'd really like to work on my chest muscles. So, I add extra workouts that work my chest muscles, because I'm really interested in having more success there, and now I'm at the gym for an hour."
He gave me a brilliant insight in how to get started again in your spiritual workout. Paul told Timothy “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” (1 Tim. 4:8)
If you are not having regular time with God, don’t beat yourself up for it. Instead, here's what I want to encourage you to do… Set a time, and then set your timer on your phone. Perhaps it's 30 minutes, perhaps it's 45 minutes, perhaps it's an hour, I think you'd do great to
set an hour, if you can, but 30 minutes even is a great place to start. Set a 30 minute timer, put your phone down and don't look at it until the alarm goes off.
As we get to the playground, the boys are eating their ice cream, they're about to play, and I've got this bag with a pint of ice cream in it, and there's this really buff guy there. One of the things I've learned to do is if I meet someone who's really good with something, and I've got an interest, I'll just say, "What's one thing that you've learned that's caused you to be so successful about ___________?” I wanted to ask this guy like, "How are you in such good shape?"
But I had a little conundrum, I had a bag of ice cream. So, I'm thinking, "What am I going to do here?" Megan's like, "Do you want any ice cream?" "No, thanks.”
So I walk up to this guy, and I ask him that question without my ice cream. He says, "People ask me that all the time, and here's what I tell them … Find a gym, on your way home from work … you don't need to find the best gym, you don't need to find a certain type of gym, just find a gym that you have to pass in order to get home … and then go there every day on your way home from work for 30 minutes.”
He said they will then ask, "Well, what should I do there?" He's responds, "It doesn't matter. Do something." He said, "Now I spend two or three hours at the gym every day … People might think that I force that on myself but that’s not how it works. If I was starting, I'd go for 30 minutes, I'd probably start to enjoy that I was feeling a little bit better, and I'd start to think, ‘boy, it would be good if my cardiovascular got a little stronger.’ So, I'd maybe add 10 minutes of running.
Maybe before I was just walking and doing a little lifting, but I want to do a little stronger cardiovascular. So, I add 10 minutes of running. Now, I'm at the gym for 40 minutes … I like the results of that, and I realize I'd really like to work on my chest muscles. So, I add extra workouts that work my chest muscles, because I'm really interested in having more success there, and now I'm at the gym for an hour."
He gave me a brilliant insight in how to get started again in your spiritual workout. Paul told Timothy “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” (1 Tim. 4:8)
If you are not having regular time with God, don’t beat yourself up for it. Instead, here's what I want to encourage you to do… Set a time, and then set your timer on your phone. Perhaps it's 30 minutes, perhaps it's 45 minutes, perhaps it's an hour, I think you'd do great to
set an hour, if you can, but 30 minutes even is a great place to start. Set a 30 minute timer, put your phone down and don't look at it until the alarm goes off.
3. Then what do you do with God? Whatever you're hungry for!
Let Him serve you. If you're hungry to be in the Word, if you're hungry to pray, if you're hungry to be in this part of the Word versus that part of the Word, read what you are hungry for! Do you see what I'm saying? Pray what you are hungry for.
Do you know when you find God? When you seek Him with your whole heart. God says “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13) You will start to find God more in your time with him than ever before, if you seek Him out of the place of what you're truly hungry for.
Do you know when you find God? When you seek Him with your whole heart. God says “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13) You will start to find God more in your time with him than ever before, if you seek Him out of the place of what you're truly hungry for.
This is a day of breakthrough. If you're a person that for the last five years has been feeling like, “why don't I have a consistent time with God?”
Today's your day to stop feeling bad and to start having a breakthrough.
Mark Crawford teaches that follow through is the key to break through. If this registered in your heart, but then you don't set a time and you don't set a timer, you won't have breakthrough. That's all you have to do.
Remember, the guy in great shape said, "Go to the gym every day, and do what you're hungry for." So, you do have to go. That's all you have to do. I bless you in that.
Remember, the guy in great shape said, "Go to the gym every day, and do what you're hungry for." So, you do have to go. That's all you have to do. I bless you in that.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!
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