9 Tips to Keep Your Time with God from Disruptions

Do you spend time with God? Does life ever disrupt it?

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I’m at a place in my life where I relish the times with my Lord in the mornings. I’m a writer, speaker, and teacher and desperately need to stay connected with Him and His Word. But if I’m not careful busyness, trials, and even vacations will disrupt those precious times.

I recently came back from an unexpected vacation. My sister-in-law wasn’t able to use her timeshare week in Gatlinburg. She offered it to me—for free. Being a hiker I jumped at the opportunity. The only thing was—I only had a week to prepare! But I did it.

My hiking buddy, Darlene, and I had a blast. We hiked every day!

However, due to the whirlwind of tasks and the excitement of hiking in one of my favorite locations, it was hard to be still and concentrate on God and His Word. My routine of an early morning quiet time with God was everything but still, quiet, or daily. My heart was distracted with the next hiking trail and the beautiful sights we would see.

It’s not that I didn’t keep God in the forefront of my mind while hiking. Darlene and I always pray on the trail, praise God for His amazing creation, and speak to people about God as opportunities arise. But I simply couldn’t quiet my heart to read God’s Word consistently each day.  

I know that God understands and forgives me. But the thing is—I missed those times with just me and the Lord—without all those things vying for my attention. I missed just relaxing with my Savior and savoring His presence. And you know what? I think He did too.

As much as I enjoy hiking and getting away, nothing satisfies me like Jesus. My relationship with God is the most important thing to me. And it grieves me that I sometime allow things—good and bad—to interfere with that.

Perhaps you can relate. So how can you and I prevent, or at least minimize the frequency of these interruptions? Here are…

9 Tips to Keep Your Time with God from Disruptions

1. Ask God to quiet your heart and help you focus on Him and His Word. God can help even triple A personalities like me to settle down and fix their eyes on Jesus. 

2. Develop a regular, daily time of Bible reading, meditation, and prayer. If your Quiet Time isn’t consistent, it’ll be very hard not to let life interfere with your relationship with God. Start small—like 10-15 minutes/day, then commit and follow through.

3. Read slow and think about what you are reading, of how it applies to your life.

4. Have realistic expectations. Don’t expect your time with God to always be the same. Routines change, and so do our interactions with people and God. Relationships are dynamic. Our time with God is about developing intimacy, not keeping a set of rules. These times will not always be amazing, nor will we always feel the same level of connection with God. Consistency is more important in the long run.

5. Stop beating yourself up when you fail—it doesn’t help. Instead, confess, repent and accept God’s forgiveness. Don’t let guilt keep you from experiencing intimacy with God.

6. Respond when the Holy Spirit draws you; reminds you that He wants to commune with you.

7. Evaluate those times when you have let disruptions happen so you’ll know how to minimize them the next time your routine changes.

8. Be aware of Satan’s schemes. He doesn’t want you to be intimate with your Maker.

9. Continue to do the things that nurture and promote intimacy; there’s no coasting in your relationship with God—or anyone for that matter.

My friend, I need to be reminded of these truths. Perhaps you do too.

The more important God is to us, the greater our motivation will be to stay close and connected to our Savior despite life’s ever-changing nature.

A love relationship takes time, effort, and a commitment on both ends to develop. 
God does His part. Will you do yours?
It will be worth it!

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(Mat 6:33)

Relevant Resources
Our Knowable God: Learning to Relate to Our Invisible Lord
front cover of blue sky and clouds over green grassy field and sun shining through middle letter of GodRead an excerpt: Chapter 3 Spending Time Together

 
A Place of Quiet Rest
by Nancy Leigh DeMoss


Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV. ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.