What Does It Mean to Have Time Alone with God?..Craig Denison Ministries

 What Does It Mean to Have Time Alone with God?

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview: 

This week we’ll spend time breaking down the individual components of First15 by sharing God's desire for each of them. The majority of First15 is dedicated to encountering God and learning about his character, but every now and then we will cover some teaching and tools that will help in pursuing God to greater depths. This week we will get back to the basics and learn some spiritual disciplines that will help us encounter him in deeper, more transformative ways.

Scripture:“You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.'”  Psalm 27:8

Devotional:

We all have a hunger to know why we're here. We all possess an insatiable desire for love, passion, and purpose. Maybe you've had a relationship with God for years. Maybe you’re still trying to figure out if God even exists or if he is knowable. Wherever you are in your journey with God, know this—God longs to satisfy your hunger. He knows everything about you. He’s counted every hair on your head and thinks about you more than the grains of sand (Psalm 139:18). And he loves you more than you could ever comprehend. So great is his steadfast love for you that he has a perfect plan for every one of your days. He longs to transform your thoughts, emotions. and actions with his loving kindness that your life may be filled with passion, purpose, satisfaction, and the wonderful peace of his presence.

We all require transformation. We all need the freedom and healing that comes from relationship with our Creator. And we serve a God of miraculous transformation. Scripture says, “God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive – a living soul!” (Genesis 2:7 MSG). Psalm 139:13 states that God knit you together in your mother's womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made for relationship with your heavenly Father (Psalm 139:14). Your heavenly Father longs to bring about miraculous transformation every day of your life so that you would be increasingly marked by the powerful work of his presence.

So how does God desire to bring about transformation? What are his perfect plans for filling your days with passion, purpose, and love? God’s main avenue for transformation is through spending time alone with him every day. No matter where you are in your relationship with God, time spent in the presence of your Creator receiving a tangible revelation of his steadfast love will be the catalyst to living a life transformed. Just as a candle must be ignited with a flame to burn, so you must continuously encounter the fire of God’s love to live a transformed, joy-filled life. He is the only constant source that you have.  You will only find lasting satisfaction through his nearness. Nothing else will supply all you need to live the life you truly desire.

That's what First15 is all about. First15 was created to give you a practical resource to meet God every day. No matter how busy you are, you can set aside fifteen minutes to connect with your Creator and Sustainer. God longs to meet with you. He waits patiently to spend time with you. Think of that! The Creator of the universe, of all things wonderful and good, is patiently waiting right now to spend time with you!

The choice of how you will spend this year is entirely up to you. I pray that you would be filled with the longing and strength to spend time with your heavenly Father. I pray that this resource is helpful in connecting you to the Father that your longings would be fully satisfied in meeting with him. God is a limitless ocean of grace and help. And all that’s necessary to receive from him is some time, open hands and an open heart. God calls you his beloved and longs for you to know to greater depths “the breadth and length and height and depth” of his great love for you (Ephesians 3:18).

Spend some time in guided prayer receiving the love of God. Answer the call to seek his face as David did in Psalm 27 saying, “Your face Lord do I seek.”

Guided Prayer:

1. Take some time to ask God how he feels about you.God still speaks today. Jesus is still alive and at work through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit loves to speak to us. He loves to reveal God's heart. God is not silent. Simply make space to listen. Don't be frustrated if it’s difficult at first. Listening to God can take time. You are on a path to a deeper relationship with him. Just as it takes time to truly get to know someone, it will take time for you to get to know the Holy Spirit. But it is time spent investing in eternity.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”  John 10:27

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18

2. Write down how you feel in God’s presence.What senses did you get about his heart? Writing down what God says helps in stewarding what he is so faithful to reveal. You may wish to keep a journal close by to record what God is showing you so you can read back, be reminded and implement what he has spoken.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the desire, self-control, and faithfulness to spend time each day in his presence developing your relationship with God.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

The best way to consistently encounter the transformative love of God is to set aside time early each morning that you’ll never miss. Creating a habit can often be difficult. But there is no greater pursuit than a deeper relationship with God. The time you spend with God is of eternal value. Pick a time you can consistently meet with him. Before you go to sleep ask God to give you grace and desire to wake up and encounter him. The more you do it the easier it will become. And as you grow in the knowledge of God and his goodness, time spent with him will become your favorite time of the day. May your day be marked by his transcendent peace and tangible nearness.

Extended Reading: Psalm 139

An Attitude of Gratitude for This Year and the Next..Aaron D’Anthony Brown

 An Attitude of Gratitude for This Year and the Next

By Aaron D’Anthony Brown

“Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

As Scripture reveals, God’s will for His children is to give thanks in all circumstances. Speaking honestly, it all sounds like a lot, especially as we recall not-too-distant events. A pandemic, food shortages, supply shortages, high gas prices, broken families, political divisions, sexually indoctrinated children, corrupt governments, war, and so much more. There are plenty of reasons to think life will get better next year, and they very well might, but does this mean we wait until next year to be happy, or do we start today?

After all, God says to be grateful in all circumstances. This is the same sort of question we can apply to our new year's resolutions. We look out at the horizon, pick a date, and say this is when we still start doing such and such a thing—getting ripped, eating less, and building better habits.

Why do we wait? We claim not to be ready, prepared, or equipped to make changes just yet. But why do we really wait? A lack of motivation. We do want change. That much is true. But we want things to stay the same. That is also true. And the latter is what we want more. So why wait until the new year to be grateful?

Notice that God doesn’t tell us to be grateful for all the bad circumstances that happen to us, but rather to be grateful in all circumstances. Not doing things God’s way results in us inevitably looking out to each new year with hopeful anticipation, as though the grass is greener on the other side. That could be the case, but maybe not. Some years bring in more bad things than others, but every year brings a reason for joy; every year brings a reason for sorrow. We need an attitude of gratitude year-round, not just heading into the new year.

Intersecting Faith and Life:

Talking about an attitude of gratitude is much easier than developing one. No wonder we have to remind our children at every turn to say, “Thank you!” From that age onward, we have no issue wanting or even taking from others, but being grateful and content are easily lost on us. But rarely are good things acquired without effort. Once we do cultivate a stronger sense of gratitude, we’ll watch as our perspective on life changes for the better. Here are five steps you can take now to cultivate an attitude of gratitude for this year and the next.

Take Note of Your Obvious Blessings

Some of God’s blessings jump out at us without needing to reflect much. An answered prayer, a loved one being healed, getting a job promotion. These blessings seem obvious in the moment, but very often, when bad things come our way, we begin to forget. If we want to help ourselves recall what God has done, we should take note of His works, either in a journal, on notecards, or in a book of prayers. The more effort we put into remembering, the less we will forget.

Take Note of Your Not So Obvious Blessings

Some of God’s blessings are not as obvious and require us to think more about them, though we may still experience a ‘duh’ moment when we do. For example, our ability to drive to work in the morning or work from home, or having two feet to stand on, or having toothpaste for our teeth. The not-so-obvious blessings are the ones we often take for granted because we experience them every day. 

They are limitless in number, and yet, if we’re honest, would recognize that we won’t have these blessings forever. One day we may not be able to drive to work or work from home. We may not have two feet or have teeth to brush. Let’s be sure to thank God for what we have while we have them.  These, too, should be journaled and remembered, especially in those tough seasons.

Search for Contentment
Paul taught us a very important lesson about contentment through his life, one full of blessings yet rife with sorrows (Philippians 4:11-13). His attitude is one we should emulate in our own lives. We won’t always experience life’s comfort, nor will we also dwell in life’s pitfalls. Sometimes we will have, and sometimes we will not. But no matter what, we always have God with us. That’s reason enough to be grateful.

Study Scripture
On the subject of gratitude, Scripture benefits us in at least two ways: giving us text that highlights the importance of the concept and giving us stories that showcase the effects of gratitude. Grateful people give. They offer thanksgiving, and instead of building up fences, they build bridges to connect with others and share in their surplus.

Pray
Sometimes we, unfortunately, mature from childhood into adulthood without maturing our sense of gratitude. By then, there won't be as many people, if anyone, willing to remind us to say thank you when we should. Developing some good habits on our own is helpful, but having an outside influence is great too. That’s why if you’re aiming to be more grateful this year, not just the next, then praying is a good way to go about growing. Talk to God. Tell Him why you want to become a more grateful person.

Hopefully, among your reasons, like healthier living and being more generous, you also recognize that gratitude is a sure way to honor God. Gratitude shows that you acknowledge and appreciate what He has done rather than taking His work for granted.

Pray for Him to help you see ways to grow your gratitude and even give you people who will help you develop this trait. Building an attitude of gratitude requires time, energy, and so much effort, but when we do, the result changes our lives and shapes us into people who are Christ-like. Let’s all offer praise as we venture from this year into the next.

Further Reading:

• John 16:33
• James 1:17
• Psalm 118:24
• Psalm 136:1
• Colossians 3:17
• Philippians 4:11-13

5 Ways to Engage More Deeply With God’s Word This Year..Britnee Bradshaw

 5 Ways to Engage More Deeply With God’s Word This Year

By Britnee Bradshaw

Today's Bible Verse: “Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 7:2-3

The wonderful thing about God’s word is that it is so powerful in changing everything about our lives! It aligns us more closely with the heart of God because He and His word are one!

I’ve created a list of 5 ways we can engage more deeply with God’s word this year so that our lives can look, feel, and be more like Christ’s. I hope this lists helps you in your personal pursuit of God’s word and that you are encouraged to engage with it more deeply this year than ever before!

1. Prioritize Quiet Time

We can’t sustain a Christian lifestyle on the scraps of a Sunday sermon, or a bible study. Being quiet before the Lord every day deepens our relationship with Him, and in turn, it strengthens our ear to hear Him speak to us. Engaging the Word of God is no good if we don’t prioritize engaging the actual person of God, and doing so on a daily basis.

2. Choose a Scripture a Day to Meditate On

After we’ve had our quiet time with the Lord, it’s very easy to go on about our day without truly meditating on what we’ve studied. To meditate means to think deeply or carefully on, or to rehearse, something for a period of time. The more we surround ourselves with God’s Word, the more it will become embedded in our hearts and the more deeply we will engage it.

3. Talk About the Word in Your Day to Day

This is probably one of my favorite ways to engage the Word of God. Incorporating it into the rhythms of our lives is, essentially, what makes us more like Christ! I love weaving Scripture into my normal routine like cooking dinner, or watching TV. There is no part of our lives that there isn’t a scripture for! We don’t have to be super deep about this either. It can be as simple as asking ourselves, “Am I cooking food that is going to help build my temple (body) and strengthen it, or is this meal going to hurt it or tear it down?” It is so easy to live by the word when we actually apply it to the regularities of our lives.

4. Flip Moments of Frustration or Anger Into Teachable Moments

Our emotions are given to us by God. And most of the time, not all, but most, we are justified in feeling the emotions we feel. What matters is how we interact with those emotions! So, when we feel frustrated or angry, we can take the emotion itself as a sign that we need to bring God’s word into the situation. This is part of being on guard, which Scripture reminds us about, but it also serves as a way to engage Scripture in the hard moments. The hard moments are some of the best times to use Scripture because it strengthens our ability to not submit to our emotions, but to submit to Christ’s lordship over our lives!

5. Invite the Holy Spirit Into Your Prayer

Prayer is our direct communication to our Heavenly Father. It’s through and by prayer that we understand who we are and what God wants us to do. It’s also through prayer that we build a beautiful relationship with Him. Sometimes, our prayers can be convoluted with our own desires for ourselves vs God’s desires for us. There’s nothing wrong with us asking for things in prayer! However, that shouldn’t be the reason we pray. We pray to know God’s will and understand what he desires, so that we can walk in that. One thing that I’ve been working to implement in my prayer life is asking the Holy Spirit to come and be an active participant. To speak to Him, and then to still my heart and mind and allow Him to speak back to me. The Holy Spirit knows all the secrets of Heaven and he reveals all things to us as he is led by the Father (1 Cor 2:10-12). He (the Holy Spirit) knows the mind of God and will help us to pray effectual prayers!

How are you engaging more deeply with God’s Word this year?

A Prayer for Your Goals in the New Year..Molly Law

 A Prayer for Your Goals in the New Year

By Molly Law 

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” - Psalm 139:16

The year is over and done with, and the new year, as it always does, has begun in earnest. Every year, as New Year’s Day draws closer, we all want to imagine that a prosperous and optimistic future awaits us. So much so that we alienate ourselves from all the bad that we experienced during the past year and look forward to a new beginning. 

But let us not forget the good we also experienced in the past year and continue to seek the Lord’s guiding presence in the new year. For we know that God has been with us in 2022, just as He has been from the beginning, and will be there until the end. Immanuel, God with us, is a promise that endures.

When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we received His constant joy and hope in His enduring promise. We can feel His presence through the gospel and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There are so many in this world who will enter 2023 without hope and without peace that can only come through Christ.

When that hope is not found in Christ, people seek to find a way to fill the void in their hearts with what they envision this new year will do for them. The most popular New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight. 

People tell themselves that if they lose ‘x’ number of pounds, then their lives will be better: they will get that promotion, they will go on dates, and they will become the person they were always meant to be.

This is a lie from the world — from the enemy — but the truth the Lord wants us all to know is that you, right now, are the person that God created you to be. Just as you are: not 10 pounds smaller, not “healthier,” not anything that an influencer told you on Instagram. 

Many diet books and influencers (some even Christian influencers) send mixed messages: “you’re beautiful the way you are right now,” “healthy is beautiful,” “so do this and lose weight” (subtext: “to change who you are despite what I originally said”).

Please know that you are beautiful, wonderfully made, and exactly who God created you to be. No additions, no caveats, and no subtexts to that message. Full stop. The New Year is a passage of time that does not have to signify a radical change, and it will not fulfill the hope that many place in its inanimate hands. 

So, before we focus on our appearances, goals, and vision boards for the New Year, let us remember our true calling to be fishers of men (Mark 1:17) and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) by loving others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:29).

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, 
I pray for everyone this New Year. I pray that the hope for a better future will not be placed in an inanimate object that has no conscious thought or care for the ones putting all their hope and faith into it. My God, I pray that they will find you, to place their joy, fear, hope, and faith in you and in you alone. I pray for the lost, the hurt, and the jaded. I pray for the pain and rejection that the world inflicted on them. 

Lord, may we gain compassion and understanding from you so that we may shine your love and light in a darkened world as we leave the old behind and embrace the new with you, our Alpha and Omega, our Prince of Peace, Lord of lords, and King of kings. Help us to not only remember the hardships of the past year, but also the wonderful memories. I pray that we not only embrace the good in the New Year but lean on you when hard times eventually come. 

Thank you, Prince of Peace, for drawing close to us with your comforting presence, guiding us in this fallen and messy world. We love and trust you with all of our hearts, our Savior and King.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.