Articles
Practicing
Early Time With Godby Demetria
Zinga
Printable Version
“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 our
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 VERY possible for me and anyone else to give God the
very first few minutes of each 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 I do it:
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 be 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.) And 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 tangible-ness 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!
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Demetria Zinga is the editor and publisher of Christian Ladies
Connect Online Magazine and Christian Ladies’ Talk Radio, found at
www.christianladies.net , and is a freelance writer, web
designer, technology specialist, and musician. She resides in
Alabama with her wonderful husband and energetic preschooler. Please
visit
www.demetriazinga.com to find out more about her.
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