Do you ever have those weeks where you feel all over the place? You find yourself caught up in all the tasks of the day or week and your time with God ends up on the back burner (me this past week). Although my past week was dedicated to preparing for the events at my church (Easter week), I felt like I did not spend any time with God. Of course, I read and prayed but I just felt, meh. Like everything else was getting in the way or I was falling into laziness or using my responsibilities as an excuse.
Then, this Sunday, I found myself already planning the events of next month’s church program. Spiritually, I felt out of the loop. You know when your spirit man is telling you it’s time to recharge and get into the presence of God. I had too. I could not keep going without communicating with God.
< it is not possible to be away from God>
So, I went back to him. I needed some time alone with God again because I was dying (figuratively ofc).
I am certain, that I am not the only one who has faced this moment in my walk with God where the question became “how do I get back to where I was?” If that is your question now, then allow me to share some advice.
1. You are Not Perfect.
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” -Hebrews 4:16
Why is it that we always think that coming before God means that we must be perfect. It is that stigma that plagues people and keeps us away from the presence of God. Lil satan boy loves to use this against anyone who desires to get close to God. Remember, the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy our relationship with God. If you desire to get closer to God, start by getting rid of the idea that you must reach a certain point in perfection before praying to God or reading your word. Jesus stated in John 15 that he chose, you did not choose him. You feel 10 lbs lighter yet? God chose you and me while we were in sin. The dynamic in the relationship has not changed. God still wants to hear from you.
2. Remove All Distractions.
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” -Matthew 6:6
One of our biggest enemies when it comes to spending time with God is our ever so convenient and beloved phones. We rely on them so much that they become joint to us by the hips. You ever think about the times you wanna pray to God and read your bible, but a new notification pops up on Instagram or you remember to look up that person or scroll the explore page? I promise you; this happens to me all the time. It gets to a point where you get fed up with postponing your alone time with God for the pleasure of a few more scrolls on social media. In the New Testament, you will see Jesus deliberately removing himself from distractions by traveling away from the people, the noise and getting into a quiet and secluded place. God will not come and physically move you to pray, it is up to you to go away in private and seek the Lord.
3. Seek The Lord with Your Whole Heart.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14
Seeking the Lord and hearing from the Lord requires us to do one major thing, turning completely away from sin. A lot of times, we struggle to commit in prayer and spending time with God because we are still tied up in the grip of sin. Sin keeps us away from spending time with God. Sin keeps us away from the presence of God. So, consider your life and what sins still have a hold on you (sexual immorality, bitterness, greed,etc). Have these sins drawn you away from the presence of the Lord and made it difficult for you to even consider going before him because you do not feel worthy? Been there done that. Psalm 24:16 states that although a righteous man falls seven times, he gets back up again. I encourage you through the word of God to get back up again and seek the Lord with all your heart.
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