You’re not alone if you’ve ever wondered how to spend time with God.
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When you can’t see Him, or touch Him, or have a face to face conversation with Him in the ways you’re used to, knowing how to spend time with God can be difficult.
How do I spend time with God? As I have grown and matured in my own personal relationship with Him, I have found ways to spend time with God every day that really work for me in my life, and I would like to share my top five with you.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD
When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have a relationship with God. You also have an opportunity to grow that relationship. One of the best ways to grow any relationship is to spend time together, and this relationship is no different. Still, that doesn’t mean we automatically know and understand how to spend time with God.
My current small group just finished reading Jennie Allen’s book Find Your People, and in that book she shared about different levels of relationships. One of the most fascinating statistics was that in order to move someone in your life from acquaintance to close friend, it takes around 200 hours together. Wow, right? Now let me ask you, how much time are you putting in with God? Time with Him.
Time about God vs. Time with God
In 2017 my life changed. If you had asked me if I knew Jesus, my answer was a definite and absolute yes! I graduated with a second degree from Arizona Christian University studying the Bible in 2010, I worked for a large church full-time following that. I created an entire youth ministry, and I had been on a mission trip to South Africa. Read more of my story here.
I was listening to sermons every day, sang all the Gospel songs, and read all the books about God to keep me up on my education and understanding. This Christian lifestyle, I had down, or so I thought. Until one morning.
Still, something was missing. As I was reading my book one day it became clear to me at that very moment: Time about God is not the same as time with God. That very day I put down the book I was reading and picked up the Bible. I didn’t know exactly how to spend time with God, but I committed to trying, with the Bible, every day, and have continued to do just that.
This relationship is real. The moment you recognize that, you can understand ways to spend time with God in your everyday life.
HOW TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD
1. Talk to Him
As Christians, we often use the word prayer. Simply put, prayer is just communicating with God; it’s talking with Him. Talking to Him. Does He talk back? Well we will get to that, but don’t let that stop you from speaking to Him first. In every relationship you have, whether a spouse, a girlfriend, coworker, classmate, or sibling, you talk to them.
The hard thing about us being here on earth and God being, God; is that we cannot have a conversation with Him face to face like we would our friends. Yet the truth is that God is with you. He Himself is everywhere. Talk to Him.
Communication is one of the best answers I can give you when it comes to how to spend time with God. Know this as well: communication changes as a relationship changes. And, communication changes as maturity changes.
Case in point: The first time your baby looked up at you and finally said, “mama” or “dada” was your heart overjoyed? They did not have an extensive vocabulary, yet the moment that child spoke to you, the relationship was very clear and your heart was full.
You are a child of God. It’s not just a song by Chris Tomlin declaring that God is a good good father, God himself declares it in His Word. In Romans 8:15, Paul reminds the Believers in Rome, “…you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
Have a conversation with the Father. When you are wondering how to spend time with God, simply take the first step and talk to Him. Talk to Him as you would your father, the father you never had, the father you desired to have, or the father you lost. Just talk to God.
There are days I wake up and say, “Good morning, God! Today is a great day! Thank you for this fresh new day. Let’s go!”
There are times I am driving in the afternoon and say, “God, this has been a day! I’m hanging in there, but I need You right now because if one more person cuts me off…”
There are times I go outside for a walk, smile and say, “Wow God, you made all this.” At times I open up and say, “I feel so lonely. God, I know you have me single right now for a reason. I get that. I’m trusting you. I really am. But how much longer do I have to wait?”
And still there are times I just yell, “HELP!”
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As you recognize your relationship with God daily, you’ll probably realize you do talk to Him more often than you think. You just didn’t consider it before because you thought prayer had to be a certain way; on your knees with your hands looking like the prayer emoji.
If you need some guidance with how to talk to God, check out this podcast episode:
2. Let Him talk to you
When it comes to how to spend time with God, let Him talk to you. Do you know what one of the best ways to hear God speak to you is? Open the Bible and read His Word.
Maybe you’ve never thought of it this way, but 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is inspired by 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. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
Every single word is inspired by; literally breathed by God. When you read the Bible, God is speaking. Those are His Words. Open the Bible and let Him talk to you.
Let me clear a couple of things up for you. The Bible, first of all, is not a book of rules. It is not a book full of commands to follow if you decide to Believe. The Bible is God’s Word. It is love and grace and mercy.
It is evidence of who He is. It is hope in our daily situations. We are not the first ones going through the problems we face. God has been through this before, He has come out victorious every single time, and we have proof!
God doesn’t waste His words. Every if, and, and but are all inspired by Him. Every word you read is Him speaking. If you want to know how to spend time with God, open the Bible and let Him talk to you.
I share very openly about what happened to me in 2017, the year I committed to reading the Bible every single day. What has changed since then? Our relationship has changed. My relationship with God has changed.
And as our relationship changed, I changed. As our relationship grew, love grew. As our relationship grew, patience grew. As our relationship grew, my insecurities faded. As our relationship grew, our communication grew.
Reading the Bible every day went from a checkbox on a list to the number one way I choose to spend time with God. I not only let Him speak to me now but I crave His voice. I love to hear Him speak; through every word on every page.
Remember the 200-hour statistic to transition from acquaintance to close friend? I put in time with God, in His Word. I didn’t give up. I let Him speak.
If you don’t have a Bible, or prefer to read online, BibleGateway and Biblehub are the top two resources that I use.
This will take effort; all relationships do. But if you want to know how to spend time with God, let Him talk to you.
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3. Sing to Him
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If you prefer the word worship, go ahead and use the word worship. How do I spend time with God? I spend time with God in worship. There’s something about singing. There’s something about the lyrics of songs.
Psalm 91:1-2 says this: Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to Him.
One of the best ways I learned how to spend time with God was to learn to come to Him in worship. Come to God. Spend time with God. Sing to God.
Let me encourage you to consider this tip. If you want to spend time with the Lord in worship, go into your singing, into your worship with that intention. Set your focus on not just singing, but spending time with Him. He will meet you there.
4. Get in His environment
In any relationship you desire to grow, and in any relationship where you desire to spend time together, experiencing each other’s environment is one of the best ways to heighten your understanding of one another. There are certain characteristics of a person you can only find from spending time in their environment.
Have you ever walked into a new friend’s home only to be surprised by the artwork and find out they are the artist? Maybe you found their collection, nearing obsession, with chickens in their kitchen. When it comes to how to spend time with God, consider getting into His environment.
I love going for a hike or a walk outside. I really think part of why I love to be outside now is because I experience God differently when I’m out there. To be in this environment that He literally handcrafted and created, there’s something special about what it does to our relationship.
When I go for a hike to spend time with the Lord, I intentionally set my mind, and talk to Him beforehand that this is a hike for us to spend time together, in His environment.
The church is also His environment. And again, check your motive, check your heart, check your intention. Just because you’re spending time in church does not mean you’re growing in your relationship with God, it doesn’t even necessarily mean you’re spending time with Him.
I know because I’ve been there. Church was just a Sunday activity. Church was my job. Church was part of the checklist so that others knew I was Christian. Check your motive, check your heart.
If you want to know how to spend time with God, get into His environment.
5. Spend time with His children
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Jesus, Himself says in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” This is the truth. If you want to know how to spend time with God, spend time with His children. He is there.
You may already know how to spend time with God. You may already be doing all these things.
You may be praying, reading the Bible, worshiping, going to church, and even hosting a small group Bible Study at your house. Now comes the challenge. Now comes the self-examination. Are you doing these things and checking them off as if they are on a Christian to-do list in your life? Or are you intentionally spending time with God in these ways?
If you feel like you have been doing everything you can but are still feeling like you’re missing something and still wondering how to spend time with God, maybe all you need is a shift in your intention.
Try shifting your perspective and even the words you use. Try these phrases:
Instead of saying, “God, I’m coming to you to pray for…” try saying, “God, I just want to talk to you to spend time with You.”
Instead of saying, “God I’m opening my Bible, give me a Word for today,” try saying, “God, I’m here to spend time with You, in Your Word. I’m just gonna let you speak. I’m listening.”
Instead of saying, “God, I’m singing this song to you,” try saying, “God, I am coming into your presence to spend time with You in worship.”
Instead of saying, “God, I’m headed for this walk outside to clear my head, give me patience and understanding,” try saying, “God, I’m out for this walk right now, just to spend time with You in your environment.”
Instead of saying, “God, I’m hosting this Bible Study for You, please bless it,” try saying, “God, I’m getting together with the girls tonight, so that we can spend time with you.”
God, here I am, just to spend time with You.
When it comes to how to spend time with God, I hope your mind is swirling with ideas. As you recognize your relationship with Him as a real relationship, the ways to spend time with Him will be evident and even exciting. Don’t give up. Log the time with Him. I promise He is worth it.
READY TO GO DEEPER IN UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE? Join me inside my signature 30 day program to take you from questions and insecurity to confident pages full of purpose! BIBLE JOURNALING BOOTCAMP
FAQ
How do I make time for God?
The key to making time for God in your day is believing that you have a relationship with Him. When you treat your relationship with God as a real relationship, you will prioritize time with Him.
Now that you know how to spend time with God, you can intentionally shift your day to incorporate these ideas. In Episode 32 of the His Word My Walk podcast, I shared 3 keys to prioritizing your day. Prioritizing does not mean being first on the list and completing first, but it means of top importance. Listen to the episode here.
Where can you fit time with God into your day, in moments you already have? Maybe instead of sitting at your desk for lunch, you choose to go for a walk with Him in His environment. Maybe instead of scrolling social media on your phone as you wait in the school pick-up line you open the Bible and let Him speak to you. The key is your mindset shift.
Should I spend time with God in the morning?
I love this question. I believe we should give God our first; our first “good morning,” our first moments of our day. So to answer this question simply, yes you should spend time with God in the morning.
If the question is, “should I spend time reading the Bible in the morning,” then I have a different response. God knows you. He created you. If you are not a morning person, and everyone in your life knows it, God knows it too! Do not set yourself up to spend time with God at 5 AM.
Remember, priority doesn’t mean finishing first but of most importance. Many of the women I mentor prefer to spend time with God, in His Word, before they go to bed at night.
You may enjoy Episode 11: 3 Keys to spending intentional time with God.
How do I understand the Bible?
First, remember that opening the Bible is one of the ways how to spend time with God. So begin with that intention. Ask God to meet you there. Ask Him to speak to you through His Word.
For more tips on understanding and applying the Bible to your life today, check out these episodes of the His Word My Walk podcast:
READY TO GO DEEPER IN UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE? Join me inside my signature 30 day program to take you from questions and insecurity to confident pages full of purpose! BIBLE JOURNALING BOOTCAMP
