Everyday Faith

Everything great in life, is built not in a day, but is built day by day. Whatever endeavour in life you pursue, to be truly great you need to move every day in a positive direction to achieve a worthwhile outcome.

 

The strength and depth of our faith is no different and so to increase our faith and relationship with God, we need to connect with Him every day. We are all different and we connect to God in different ways, so our time with God can be in whatever way we decide it to be. It doesn’t matter how we connect; it only matters that we connect.

 

If we have ever wanted to feel closer to God than what we are now, or increase our faith, James 4:8 shows us the way as it is written: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” This is so incredible to know, that when we move towards the All Mighty, he will move towards us. The only thing we have to do, is to move and we do that by investing time with him, daily.

 

STAGE & PHASE OF LIFE

Our stage or phase of life we are currently in, can have a big impact on when & how we connect. For instance, if any of you have small kids, you might need to be a bit more creative and deliberate in carving out time. The way we connect in our earlier years I have also found differs from the way I connect a couple years later, and I suspect it could change again. We should just be aware of the stage of life we’re in and find the most relevant way to connect to God, in and during that stage or phase.

 

Some of us might be in a great space right now and everything is just flowing smoothly. Others might be in a phase of life that is really challenging, especially if you are in a “grind”. For me the “grind” is a prolonged period in life when things are tough and heavy. Day after day, month after month, year after year, just relentless. During these times it’s easy to get physically, mentally and spiritually exhausted and one can quickly land up in a haze where it’s difficult to see clearly which way forward. This is where you really need your daily time with God and remember that even in our “grinds”, God is still working on a bigger purpose.

 

James 1: 2-5

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who give generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

 

MAKE IT A HABIT

Like many things good for you, it’s a great idea to make it a habit. We all need healthy habits for our body, mind, spirit & relationships. Healthy habits of eating right, doing exercise, telling those close to you that you love them, and spending time with God. For some it is difficult habit to create, others have this habit for years.

 

We all know that it takes a little while to establish a habit, but we don’t always get to that point where the habit is created, or we fall quickly out of the habit as soon as something else in our life changes. The trick is to be committed to it enough that it doesn’t matter what’s going on, you still create that time. I believe we can all ask God for tenacity in this regard to keep this habit strong and growing.

 

WAYS TO CONNECT

In my own life I have found 4 ways that help me to connect with God on a daily basis.

 

• Place; Find a place where you can connect with God, on the couch, in a reading corner or just some place quiet where you’re not distracted or interrupted. Take yourself away from the craziness that life sometimes is, it’s invigorating. I found then it helped a lot to have a specific time of day planned as well. Early morning, or around lunch time, or maybe later in the evenings? I love waking up early and always prefer to connect before the day gets going.
• Plan; know what you are going to read ahead of time so that you are prepared. Do you want to learn more about a character like David and all his adventures to becoming king, or Paul and all his journeys? Or what about learning more about a topic like faith, forgiveness, grace, obedience? Or perhaps you could just read book in the bible at a time. All is good as long as you know before the time what you are going to read.
• Pray; We need to speak to God and share with Him how we truly feel and hereby open our hearts to Him. But then we also need to be quiet and listen to God. Surfing and running in the mountains are the two best ways for me to speak to God and to listen. Find your best way to pray and listen.
• Reminders; I’ve also found that reminders of faith around me constantly increases my awareness of His presence. Something like my notebook that has a verse on, or a scripture on my wall, my wallet or a piece of jewellery. I look for things that I will often see as I go about my day.

 

TRY AGAIN

Many times, I’ve fallen short of connecting with God on a daily basis and sometimes I still find it tough especially if it was a busy night with kids waking up often. I am however encouraged every time to try again, and just keep at it, regardless of where in life I am at. Today I can do better and be better, again.

 

So be encouraged to create that time with God. Always draw closer to God and experience Him drawing closer to you.