Here are three thoughts to help you get started:
1. PRIORITY
Make God a priority in your heart, and He will become a priority in your time. Make Him a priority in your time, and He will become a priority in your heart. Most of us struggle with priority because our hearts are “idol making factories” (Calvin). We will bow down to anything and everything else. The solution? Ask for the Father’s love (He will lead us home to His heart), the Savior’s intervention (He will rescue us), and the Spirit’s intercession (He will pray for us with groans that words cannot express). If your actions are not ordered by the Spirit, ask the Spirit to root out lesser loves and plant new seeds of faith. If you are not passionately in love with Jesus, ask Jesus in His kindness to kindle this love. If God is not foremost in your life, ask God to make Himself top priority.
2. QUIET
Sit down. In a quiet place. Free of distractions. Free of phones. This day in age, quiet is hard to come by. Our world is filled with noise, stress, and static. Plan an appointment, and ask God to help you keep it. If you have to go sit in your parked car or hire a sitter to get away from your work or your kids – do it. Find the space for Jesus by any means necessary. Skip a workout, pass up the TV show, wake up earlier (and go to bed earlier), cancel the lunch with the friend. In my opinion, EVERYTHING ELSE should come after Christ. Jesus first. Then all the things.
3. SCRIPTURE
Start in the Scripture. Let Him speak to you first (through His Word) before you speak to Him. Surrender anxious thoughts, consuming emotions and troubling circumstances, then open your Bible. Read until you are moved to worship. Systematic study should be the guide for your adoration, supplication, and confession. So, have a plan – any good plan will do. Pick a single passage for a week or a month. Pick a book of the Bible for a season or a semester. Or read through the Old Testament, the New, or the entire Bible for a year or two. Use a reading plan, or a study guide, or a sermon series. However you go about God’s Word, be methodical and consistent.
IN SUMMARY:
Priority. Quiet. Scripture. Easy as 1-2-3, right? Don’t I wish! Put on the full armor of God, and ask for God’s protection. He is doing battle in the heavenly realms to get you before His throne, and Satan HATES it! Satan hates God, and, most of all, HE HATES YOU! The enemy will do anything to keep you from the source of eternal life, infinite truth, and abundant blessing. He has waged a war full of lies to keep you from the power of the Almighty God. The evil one will numb, medicate, dull, distract, overwhelm and overcome you through intrusive thoughts, unchecked emotions, and unfavorable circumstances. Anything to separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ! Time alone with God is not another item on your to-do list – it’s an all-out WAR! Make time! Find a spot! Open your Bible! Fight the good fight! Run the race!