And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. John 8:32


Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Are Quiet Times the Answer To Getting Close to God?


If you ask any group, "How do you get close to God?" you usually get the same answer: spend time with Him.

It’s a good answer, but I don’t think it works.
At least not by itself.

Think of it this way: what if you were in a relationship, either married or dating, and you got bored with your partner?

You didn’t want to give him up—because you liked having a steady relationship—but you didn’t want a boring life either. What would you do?

Let’s say you decide to spice up your life a bit—nothing serious, just a little harmless fun.

So you go out dancing. You flirt with your co-workers. You have some good conversations.
Life is looking up.

But then one day the inevitable happens: you meet a guy you really like. He’s fun. He’s exciting, and he’s interested in you.

So you start a relationship with him.

As you become more and more enthralled with this new guy, you become less and less enamored of your husband or boyfriend.

But you’re still not ready to give him up.

So you ease your conscience. You schedule fifteen minutes a day with him to visit, usually right after breakfast. Yes, it’s a little boring. Yes, it’s a duty. But at least it keeps the relationship going.

So here’s the question: is fifteen minutes a day the answer to your lack of intimacy with your husband or boyfriend? Or is the problem deeper than that?

We can ask the same question of our relationship with God: is fifteen minutes a day the answer to our lack of intimacy with Him, or does the problem go deeper than that?

It’s easy to see in a real-life example that the girl is being unfair to her partner. It’s not so easy to see in our relationship with God because we’ve grown accustomed to the sins and idols in our lives that separate us from Him.

One of the beauties of our relationship with God, though, is that He’s willing to work with us in getting rid of those idols and sins.

And here’s the interesting thing: one of the best ways to get close to God is to work with Him in removing the sins and idols of our lives.

For those of you who have followed my blogs, you know my track record for posts is not great. I go full steam for a few weeks and then peter out when I start teaching local Bible studies and run out of time.

I’ve been thinking of an idea lately, though, that I’m hoping will work. I’d like to try teaching a class online when my current Bible studies are over which should be in a few weeks.

So if you’ve been reading these sporadic blogs and you’re interested in a class on how to work together with God to remove the sins and the idols in your life, keep checking back. I’d love to have you join the class.

Note: If you have this site saved as truthjournaling.com, I’m going to go back to emotionaleatingfreedom.blogspot.com for awhile so you may need to change that to be able to find the blog again.

9 comments:

Heidi Bylsma said...

I look forward to seeing how God leads you, Barb!

Cindy J said...

Great blog! I just found it and have learned a lot. Would love a bible study!

Unknown said...

Thanks, you guys! I'm a little nervous about my ability to follow through on this but actually looking forward to it as well!

Anonymous said...

Would love a bible study as well. I just got your book in the mail yesterday - can't beleive just how much it is helping already.. Thank you for using His Word and TRUTH. When I was reading "intuitive eating" - I wanted to apply so much of it, but, there was the missing component of His hands in the journey. Thank you Barb! Will keep you updated.

Unknown said...

Excited for you, CJ - I continue to be amazed and thankful for how God works in my own life and the lives of others through the truth of His Word. It's painful to go through the growth process - but so worth it in the end.

Anonymous said...

Excited about a Bible study! I have followed your blog off and on, and look forward to following more regularly. Need to get book, too.

Unknown said...

Anon - it will be good to have you. I'm actually thinking of doing the study on habits - starting good habits and stopping bad habits, then let people decide what habit they want to work on (eating being one of the habits). I'm looking forward to it!

Unknown said...

Hi! Missed hearing from you. I love this post a LOT. Lot. LOT!

Unknown said...

Thanks, Sunshinemama!