Six tips for spending time with God

You know that feeling when you’re trying to steal a little time to devote to God, but your responsibilities won’t let you? And you fall asleep feeling guilty that you didn’t do enough for it every night. You struggle with remorse until you reach an impasse… What wins? Your pride, your fear, or your humility? In your pride, you say: “God will wait, but duty will not,” in fear you mumble to Our Father, “For what if…” and in humility, you say: “God, forgive me, for you are the Lord of time – here I am, I am listening.”
You are not alone in experiencing the struggle with time, but it is a little different. Our busy, duty-laden lives are not the only reason we don’t have time for God…

Why do we forget God?
We are used to giving out of our surplus. If we give something to people experiencing poverty, we provide not the most beautiful and precious things we have but what we no longer need. Piles of clothes that are no longer fashionable occupy the closet. Or the money we donate to people in need only at the end of the month because it has increased to us. So, we are used to giving God the leftovers of our time.

It is not an art to give in excess but to go out on a limb and trust God implicitly. To be frugal, to sacrifice a little of our comfort and give it to those who need it most. Those who love to sacrifice for others sacrifice most of their time for God. Don’t give him your leftovers – the time you have left before bedtime. If you never want to forget God again, start with Him when you wake up first thing in the morning.

Time with God is like a meal you must eat several times daily to fill you up. It is said that appetite grows with food, so why not speak to Him in the morning, at lunch, and at night before bed, but every time you have a moment – in the doctor’s waiting room, on the way to work, or while cooking? Make every opportunity to spend time with God your number one priority.

How can you spend time with God every day? Here are six tips
Start as soon as you wake up. Not all of us are early birds to get up, but what about sacrificing a few minutes of your sleep to God? Pray, give thanks, praise the Lord, or read a few scriptures. If you start talking to God, He will bless your day, fill you with the Holy Spirit, and multiply your time. Sacrifice your discomfort for the souls in purgatory or for your own sake.

Listen to God’s Word while you work.
Sitting down during the day and reading the Holy Scriptures or other spiritual literature is often challenging. However, audio versions can be downloaded to your cell phone and listened to anytime. You can download free Holy Scripture, Christian audiobooks, praise or sermons, and lectures by inspirational people. Listen to them on your way to and from work or home while doing chores that don’t need your full attention. Make the most of every moment and fill your mind with the Word – you will have a wonderful time with God, whom you will never forget.

Read the Holy Scriptures while you wait.
We try to make the most of every spare moment while waiting. It is unthinkable to wait and do nothing at all. We pass the time by surfing the internet on our mobiles or tablets and don’t even realize that we could have spent it more meaningfully. We must remember about good old tried and tested manual work or reading. How many people have you seen today doodling or reading a book in a doctor’s waiting room or while driving to work?

Shorten your wait by reading spiritual literature or Holy Scripture. Why is it important to read God’s Word daily? Reading the Holy Scriptures should guide how we live our lives so we can be saved. It is a source we can draw at any time – in a state of joy, sorrow, fear, or pain. Holy Scripture is a constant reassurance from God of His love for us.

Speak to God with your words.
How many of us wander our minds thinking about ourselves, our actions, our problems, or how others treat us? Our thoughts have great power. They make us proud as we constantly remind ourselves how wonderful we are. Who can praise you more than your ego? Or who can give you more credit for the fact that your neighbor or colleague hasn’t been fair to you than yourself?

Instead of looking at yourself and your neighbors, turn your attention to God, and you will not lose your value. You can only gain. How about talking to God in your own words? Just like with your best friend. Just speak; your God is the best listener. Don’t be afraid to ask him for help because he responds with deeds – undeserved gifts and infinite mercy.

Be receptive to the gifts of the Holy Spirit all day long.
Being close to God also means being receptive to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, from whom we have received in the Sacrament of Confirmation the gift of wisdom, discernment, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety, and the fear of God to walk in the Light in this world. God’s love and the Holy Spirit guide us through the obstacles in our path. If you do not feel the blowing of the Holy Spirit in your life, there is a mistake somewhere.

The problem is that we often need to remember to thank the Holy Spirit for help, not realizing that the Holy Spirit lives within us. The Holy Spirit can help you make small daily decisions by whispering. If you listen to Him and discern the “feelings” that the Holy Spirit is giving you, you will have fewer problems. How to listen to the Holy Spirit? In the Holy Scriptures, it says: “By their fruits, you will know them…” (cf. Mt 7:16). The fruit of the Holy Spirit is “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance” (Gal 5:22-23).

Would you be able to sleep? Start praying
No, this is not meant to sound funny. Even if someone says it’s good to start counting sheep to get to sleep quickly, sometimes it doesn’t work. What to do at that time? Have you found yourself yawning while praying? It’s strange, but it works. Can you think of a better and more beautiful way to fall asleep than with a prayer on your lips?

Now, we don’t mean that you should save evening prayer for the late hour of the night when you fall asleep to it. It is intended to be one way of devoting the last minutes of nothingness to God. After all, it is possible to fight insomnia by prayer.

When you give God your time, He will multiply and bless it with graces. God uses a mysterious equation: He does not divide the time you give Him but multiplies it so you will have time for many other duties.