in my last post i discussed the importance of spending daily time with God. perhaps you wonder what that should look like. or maybe you'd tell me you already tried it... and it was absolutely boring. or maybe you don't want to believe it's boring because that shames your religious ideals, but your experience (and inability to stick with it) testify to a different story.
so i must clarify.
when i say, "spend time with God" i do not mean, "think about God" or "read about God." when i spend time with my husband, he's in the room and we're communicating and connecting at a heart level. it should be no different with God. rather, it should be deeper.
but if you grew up in the church, you have most likely been taught to relate to God with your mind, not your heart... and certainly not your spirit. The problem is that God's mind is very different from ours (see Isaiah 55:8-9). Repeatedly the Bible speaks of a reformation in our minds:
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. " (Romans 12:2)
this verse demonstrates the problem with mind-driven "time with God." our minds (until they are renewed) are conformed to this world. that does not refer simply to immoral thoughts, but also to sins like unbelief or reliance on human reasoning. the second half of the verse says we will only know God's will when we have transcended our carnal way of thinking, our human unbelief and logic, through the renewing of our minds. clearly, if we hope to walk with God, this renewing is of utmost urgency.
in First Corinthians 2:16, Paul says that "...We have the mind of Christ." that is our goal. First Corinthians 2 is all about refusing to rely on human wisdom, but relying instead on the Spirit--both power and spiritual wisdom. that's what it means to have the mind of Christ. literally, it means being so connected to Heaven that we allow our thoughts and ways of thinking to be overcome by His. then we, like Jesus, begin to only say and do what we see and hear from the Father (see John 5:19).
so let's get practical. what does this mean for your time with God? i am not advocating no more Bible reading. the Bible is an essential tool in renewing our minds, and we need to read it every day. but we must do more than read, study, and think. we must welcome a spirit-to-spirit encounter with God.
Jesus said, "...And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
invite the Holy Spirit to manifest (reveal) Jesus to you. then wait. wait until you encounter God. you may not feel anything physically or receive a deep revelation, but you will know when you've encountered God because you will be changed. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." When we encounter Him, we are changed, and we become more like Him.
don't settle for less than a daily encounter. only in His presence is the fullness of joy (see Psalm 16:11). only in encountering Him do we find the love, the wisdom, the power needed for a victorious life.
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