God wants us to thrive in our time with Him. Why? We are part of the body of Christ. That means we are His hands and feet on the earth. We have souls to win; we have people to touch, to help, to heal.
If we are God’s, then we are also a target for the enemy who would like to hinder us from going forward—to keep us from thriving. Specifically, he targets our God Time.
Thriving for Effectiveness
To thrive means to grow or develop well or vigorously. We need to grow spiritually to be effective in the kingdom of God. We are like trees planted by rivers of water to bring forth fruit in our season (Psalm 1:3), and God wants us to thrive spiritually as well as any natural tree should.
He wants to pour His love on us and through us—a love that can’t be measured. Friends, He desires to empower us for His glory!
He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:3 NKJV
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RELATED: A Simple Plan to Establish Daily Devotions
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The Problem
No plant will thrive if it’s being choked by weeds. The weeds will suck up the nutrients and water in the soil that the plant needs to survive. A plant can survive among weeds, but it won’t thrive as the strong plant it is intended to be. Simply surviving is not thriving.
I learned this as a young Christian when I realized I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know how. To find out how I needed to meet with God. I was also eager for Him to reveal what He wanted me to do to help others. My new resolve bubbled up—to become and remain a strong follower of Jesus.
And don’t you know that whenever you resolve to seek God in earnest the devil shows up with lies? He hopes we will believe his lies because he doesn’t want us to spend time with God every day.
Developing a habit of having a daily time with God will bring us to a place of thriving. #DailyTime #LiveYielded Click To TweetHe must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 ESV
3 Lies about God Time We Can Trash Right Now
God Time Lie #1: I don’t need to do this.
First, let’s dispose of the lie that says, “I don’t need to do this.” Spiritually thriving isn’t only for your pastor. (No, he doesn’t just seek God therapeutically after tending rowdy sheep all day.) Moses as a leader had face time with God. (I would have stayed on that mountain away from those people, too.) Jesus as a human still needed to keep a strong spirit by finding an isolated place to pray (Mark 6:46).
God Time Lie #2: I don’t have time for this.
Second, let’s trash the lie that says, “I don’t have time for this.” Life is busy and brings interruptions. It’s frustrating, isn’t it? However, everybody has the same 24 hours; it’s how we schedule them that makes the difference. People don’t have time for something, they make time for something. We make time for what’s important to us. Is spending time with your Creator so His love will be poured onto You and overflow from your life to others important to you? THIS is why we are here!
We exist to spend time with God so His love can be poured on and through us. #DailyTime #LiveYielded Click To TweetGod Time Lie #3: I won’t keep up with it, so why bother?
Third, let’s get rid of the lie that says, “I’ll never keep up with it, so why bother?” Building habits take time. In the various research I’ve done, building a new habit can take a minimum of 21 days. In most cases, it takes much longer. We are all different and have different circumstances and temperaments. The good news is, we can build habits. Just be patient. If our end goal doesn’t look anywhere near where we are today, we don’t have to be discouraged. God is still increasing in our lives as we continue to open our hearts to Him.
These God Time lies can keep us from thriving. Let’s trash them right now!
What God time lies could you add to this list?
Lies keep us from spending time with God through daily devotions. #DailyTime #LiveYielded Click To TweetLike this post? Pin it for later! Your friends would probably like it, too! Use the icons below to share it with them. They’ll be glad you didn’t keep it all to yourself. 😉
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Kelly, I like how you point out we all have different temperaments and personalities … thinking that there’s some one-size-fits all approach to this just leads to unhelpful comparisons, doesn’t it? I think another lie has to do with waiting for the right time to start, whether it’s at the beginning of a new year or the start of a new study at church or something like that. There is no perfect time. I once began a read-through-the-Bible plan on Dec. 9, a few days after hearing a godly woman give a testimony about how important it had been in her life. If I had waited until the new year to start, I probably wouldn’t have done it at all!
Hi, Lois, great to see you! That’s a great one with waiting for the right time to start. Today is always good! Thanks for sharing that. 🙂
Kelly,
I love your points. I too had trouble and those excuses. But now I rise early, study God’s Word, pray and write. And I have kept it up since coming to Christ 16 years ago.
Blessings,
Janis
Hi, Janis! I think we all have the same excuses to overcome at one point or other, but once the habit is built there is less of a battle. Yours is a great example to follow. 🙂
Wow, these are certainly deceptions that could short-circuit our time with God. May He build within us a growing desire for time with Him that becomes a cherished part of our day instead of a duty that we try to “talk ourselves out of!”
When I read your comment, Michele, the thought came to me that the devil likes to play tricks on our mind. We can push him off knowing our heart is after the Lord. It is a good discipline to spend daily time with God, but once we get past duty we realize we truly do love Him.
Yes, getting past duty! What a great way to say that!
I’m right there with you on this one, Kelly. The importance of making time for God daily is so crucial to our growth and hope in a life that batters us constantly. Even though my life is way too busy at the moment, I truly strive to never let my time with God be missed. It’s like I can’t breathe in any given day without inhaling the Lord’s Spirit as I sit at His feet. I’m always so glad to meet another sweet sister in the Lord who feels the same way! You preach it, girlfriend!
Thank you, Beth! I love how you describe this: It’s like I can’t breathe in any given day without inhaling the Lord’s Spirit as I sit at His feet. Yes, that exactly. 🙂
Great choice of these particular lies and how they rob us of so much. Establishing a consistent God-time was challenging but the absolute best thing I ever persevered for!! It is critical to our spiritual health and intimacy with the Lord❤
Challenging, but worth it indeed! Thanks for stopping by, Gretchen!
Those lies certainly do wiggle their way into our heads without us even realizing it. Thanks for bringing awareness.
Here’s another God lie possibility. He’s told me this one a bunch:
“You don’t need God’s help with this. You can handle this on your own.”
Hmm, yep. If the devil can disconnect us from our Source then he’s done his job. Thanks for chiming in, Steve!
That third lie is so tricky! The enemy so wants to defeat us before we even get started. For good reason. I think it is important to assess your schedule in every new season and discover pockets of time you can spend with the Lord. It doesn’t have to be an hour a day or even the same hour of the day every day. It is so helpful to start small but sustainably. Then grow! Great post!
Great to see you here, Liz! I agree. We can readjust for each new season.
Kelly,
Lie #2 is the one that sometimes trips me up, but I know I can’t go a day without the Word. I’m just not good enough on my own 🙂
Stopping by from the #HeartEncouragment Linkup
~Sherry Stahl
xoxo
It’s got to be an intentional effort in this day and age, right? Thanks for stopping by, friend. 🙂
My pleasure!
Wonderful post. I don’t see these as lies as much as I see them as excuses. As children of God, we should WANT to seek time with him rather than making excuses not to spend time with him.
True, yet I think it can go either way. The devil lies, our flesh makes excuses. Either way we have a choice to make. We don’t always have that desire, but that’s where cultivating an appetite for God comes into the picture. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
I think we assume we won’t understand what we read, so why should we? Great points!
I hadn’t thought of that one, Sarah! Thanks for joining the conversation. 🙂
Good points, and all of which I’ve had at one point in time in the past. — Right now, I think the biggest tension for time with God-time is “I’m so tired.” — I like to do my quiet time in the mornings while I watch the sun rise, and I always love it once I’m doing it. But, man, even though I’m up early every day, I am not a morning person. But, He’s faithful to meet my tired, bed-head self there, and send me off with a word from Him for that day–my manna. 🙂 — Thanks for sharing with #ChasingCommunity today, Kelly. ((hug))
Yes, He is faithful to meet us wherever we are! (Btw, I didn’t used to be a morning person until I started going to bed earlier. I guess my body needed the extra sleep.) Thanks for being here, Brenda. 🙂
This topic is close to my heart, Kelly, because time with the Lord most/many days is what has kept me thriving 16 years in a mslm country. 🙂 But one lie I sometimes succomb to is this: “If I couldn’t have my quiet time today, my day will be ruined.” I have to remember that God can still rescue my day when I turn to Him continually.
I glad I don’t live where you do, Betsy. I’m sure you need to pull from your Source regularly. Blessings!
Great post Kelly! Satan is all too happy for us to believe these lies and keep us away from God.
So happy you were my neighbor today! #DancewithJesus
Welcome back, friend! Happy you were my neighbor, too. 😉
Oh, Kelly, I have heard these lies time and time again. As noted in some of the comments above, different lies have affected me at different times. Right now, I’m struggling with Lie #3, and I take such reassurance knowing that others have struggled to form the “God time” habit. It encourages me, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to try, try, try again. I look forward to reading the next installment in this series!
Welcome, Melissa! 🙂 Yes, try, try again. Your efforts are not in vain.
There are no words to express how deeply aware I am of my need for daily time with God. I don’t know what I would do apart from God. Grateful to have been neighbors today.
I understand completely. Thanks for joining the conversation, Joanne!
Kelly, these are great points. As the saying goes, you make time for whatever really matters to you. That being said, I’m getting up from the computer now to get some exercise! 🙂
Oh, man. I so need to do that. lol Good for you, Sarah!
Kelly, I think I tell myself, “I’ll do after I do…” If i’m not careful it gets squeezed into a tight time instead of having time to really enjoy my time with the Lord.
I have definitely been there, Deb! And I often want to rush through. Thanks for stopping by!
I think these are common deceptions. It is so important to be intentional about our time with God each day, otherwise it’s too easy to drift.
Exactly. Thanks, Lesley!
Practical and relevant truths, Kelly… we need to have friends who speak truth in grace like this. Because honestly we need to meet with God daily ( for me moment-by-moment. We need to be rooted and grounded in His Word, which means we need to read it ( Romans 10:17). And I have found that more than either of those, the time I set aside for Him is only rewarded with more time in the day for the possibility to serve Him well by loving others out of the love He pours into us as we rest at His feet.
One of the lies I had to let God deflate was that it didn’t matter cause I couldn’t ‘hear’ Him speaking to me anyway, and why pray when my prayers don’t seem to get past the ceiling. 🙂
They were both fallacies I chose to believe rather than rest in the knowledge that His faithfulness is continual and His voice is always whispering grace to my heart.
Great reminders, Kelly!
Blessings,
Dawn
Amen, Dawn! I pray daily for all my readers that we would be rooted and grounded in Him. Thanks for sharing your story. 🙂
Daily time with God has been THE one thing that has rescued me in the past few years. I’m so grateful for the Word. But you are so very right — our enemy delights in giving us those lies that keep us from the Word. Happy to be visiting today!
Describing that time as a rescue sounds like a fitting word. Thanks for stopping by, Lisa!