I woke up this morning and read a chapter in the book of Acts; it was sharing a story of how people had captured Peter and John (Jesus’s disciples) and were interrogating them. When Peter and John spoke in defense of what they were being accused of (Acts 4), the people marveled, because they knew both men were uneducated or inexperienced to speak so eloquently. And then they realized that these men had been with Jesus (light bulb moment).
This brief stint at my quiet time this morning brings me to an article that I want to share with you guys today, that has to do with spending time with God. As Christians, it is very important that we give God the first part of our day; seeking Him, and asking Him what it is He wants for us to accomplish that day. And also committing the day’s work to His hands. God is constantly on the go; He has fresh plans, fresh revelation knowledge and fresh ideas for everyone, every day. If only we can be intentional, and make out time for Him and do the needful, then we will become privy to what He has in store for us.
Image courtesy of Unsplash
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what that good and acceptable perfect will of God is.” Romans 12:2
It is also important to sit at the feet of Jesus each day because the world is drastically evolving (in good and bad ways). We need to keep the word of God at our forefront, so we don’t go with the tide that may lead us in the wrong direction. That is why this passage of scripture above says that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds—renewing because it is an ongoing process.
You can’t spend time with God once, or read the entire bible at once and feel like you gat this Christianity thing on lock-down, just as you can’t workout once and be fit for the rest of your life (note to self). I find out sometimes, after I read a chapter in the bible, clearly with lines drawn underneath my favorite quotes or sentences and I come back to revisit that same chapter, after a couple weeks or months, and it feels brand new to me.
It feels like I haven’t come across it before, and I say to myself “wow! So that is unacceptable? God doesn’t like that? or God wants me to live a fulfilled life?” then I start to make the necessary adjustments in my life, to fit what God wants for me.
This reminds me of the story of Mary and her sister Martha, that can be found in the bible. Jesus went to visit these sisters and Martha was busy setting up the place for Him, while Mary sat at His feet, gleaning from Him. When Martha became frustrated at her sister's behavior, she told Jesus to speak some sense into her, but Jesus responded;
"My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42
John Bevere, an amazing communicator of the Gospel of Jesus, once explained it this way—In a chemical plant facility they have gas sensors all around, since that kind of environment is prone to explosions. These sensors are calibrated frequently, so the sensors are not then insensitive to even the tiniest bit of a toxic gas in the air. The engineers/operators have to go in constantly to make sure the sensors are working right, so it can properly alert them when something toxic is present.
Now this illustration can also be applied to spending time with God, he argues. Because the world is constantly changing, we have to be in the word of God daily, to renew our minds. So our sensors are 100% alert, when something toxic is present in our lives, or wants to make its way to our lives. Then we can quickly put an end to the toxicity, before it destroys us, just as the engineers would act with immediate effect when they notice the presence of a toxic gas or chemical.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is destruction.” Proverbs 14:12
I did a quick research and found out that, these gas detectors are also calibrated because of wear and tear, which could come about as a result of the equipment being exposed to sensor poisoning from external contaminants, and this can affect how accurately the sensor will detect gas.
I do not intend to give you a lesson on chemical engineering (gosh that major was so tough in college), but I hope you can see the connection in the illustration. If you aren’t in the word of God daily, then you are prone to the poisoning of the mind, from external contaminants (which you are exposed to daily, from your interaction with social media; depending on who you follow, people who are not believers and the media), and slowly, this would then affect how accurately, your sensor (which is your spirit) can detect toxins (such as all kinds of sin, deception, deceit, lies, and so on).
If you are not constantly spending time with God, just as any relationship, your relationship with Him will fall apart. Then it will be very easy for you to drift into sin, and start questioning things that you once knew to be right. The more time you spend away from God, the further away you drift from Him, and the less sensitive you become to the things of this world that are unpleasing to Him. As believers, we need to be in God’s presence daily, we need His presence to surround us at all times.
In Exodus 33, Moses was in a back and forth communication with God. God wanted Moses to take the children of Israel somewhere, without Him going with them personally and Moses refused, arguing—“If you don't personally go with us, don't make us leave this place. How will anyone know that you look favorably on me, and on your people if you don't go with us? For your presence among us, sets us apart from everyone on the entire earth.” Exodus 33:15-16
What Moses was trying to let God understand here (if there is ever such a thing as that) reiterates what the people who captured Peter & John, in the book of Acts, realized when the disciples began to speak. The presence of Jesus had set these men apart, from all of them even if they were uneducated; they were still able to hold their own with the crème de la crème of the society at the time.
That is why we need to spend time with God—spending time with Him, gives us clarity, boldness, revelation, power, confidence, it makes us smarter than we can ever be on our own, and it gives us wisdom. In fact, God begins to reveal things to us which He would never have if we did not have that intimacy with Him. God is an open book (literally), if you are with Him, even if you may be going down the wrong path, He will steer you in the right direction. To those who do this thing called life, without Him, I honestly don’t know how they do it.
Image courtesy of Unsplash
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." 2 Timothy 3:16
I just want to encourage everyone today who has drifted away from God; it is never too late to come back and start again. Sometimes I do too, it is not every time I want to read my bible or pray or be in His presence (all of this is due to laziness). But just as anything in life that I want to flourish, I have to be intentional about it, because the only person that will end up getting hurt in the process is me.
How are you going to make time and room for God this week, if you are a believer? If you aren’t, are you interested in learning about God? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below! Remember to like, share & subscribe to never miss an update. Thanks for reading!