STRUGGLING TO FIND TIME FOR DEVOTIONS & SPIRITUAL PRACTICES AMIDST A BUSY SCHEDULE.

We've swung on the pendulum regarding this topic. Years ago, no one dared to admit that they struggled to make time for God. People were met with strict rebuke and even condemnation- it created a lot of shame and quite frankly, no solution to the problem. Now, we swung to the other side. We have absolutely NO conviction around our priorities. We treat God as something to “squeeze” into a busy day. The day that God has given us, the careers that He’s given us, the family that He’s blessed us with- we cannot seem to find a moment for the epicenter of our lives. 

Let’s address the elephant in the room: most of us have the time, but we do not have the appetite. If you went 3 days without eating food, chances are the idea of food would be all consuming for you. You’d constantly think about the next meal and the next opportunity to recharge your body. A body without food loses power. In the same way, a prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian. We have to acknowledge our heart issue first, and then we should praise God that He can help us draw nearer!

Carve out the time. When I was 19 years old, I worked my first job in retail. During lunch breaks, I would walk into the stockroom and my boss (who'd later become a spiritual mentor to me) would have a sandwich in one hand and using her other hand to read the bible. Maybe it starts with 15 minutes a day and you increase it by 5 minutes every month. Perhaps you have an accountability partner who will pray with you on your lunch breaks. 

Beware: There are some common pitfalls from the enemy. 1) Is to make us wallow in shame because we lose consistency in our intimacy with the Lord. Because of that, we draw further from God’s presence instead of pushing back in. We are trying to grow in spiritual DISCIPLINE AND MATURITY. We are still wrestling flesh and we have to push through. 2) We live in a fallen world, and it will try and trick you into believing you're doing too much. The idea that you'd spend DAILY time in consecration with Lord or submerse yourself in Godly content is foreign and a direct assault to Satan.

Hebrews 11: 6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." He promises to reward your dedication and seeking!

*This is part one, but I’ll give practical tips to help with devotional time soon. See ya!