One of the most common concerns I hear from fellow followers of Christ is how difficult it is to make time. I know this struggle very well as time does not always worked out in my favor when it comes to setting time aside to linger. Some days I get to sit at his feet for what feels like forever and other days not so much. More often than not, I have felt guilty and disappointed in myself for waking up late or getting caught up in “the scroll” causing me to miss precious time in His presence. Mornings when I find myself rushing off into the day lead me to feeling unprepared and unsettled as I remain fully aware that I could have avoided those feelings had I only met with God.

It’s easy to fall into a slump and not know where to begin to access a deeper connection with God again when this happens more than we would like. When I finally would get to spend time in the word, I began to realize that I was being led by guilt rather than a true desire to pursue Him . I understood that as a Christian reading my bible is a “must-do”, so I’d sit there with my eyes glancing at the pages, but had no knowledge about what I was reading and how it applied to my life.

But I wasn’t satisfied with that experience at all. I wanted a deeper desire and understanding of God’s word. I didn’t want my time with Him to be led by Obligation but rather the Opportunity to go deeper and become more intimate.

So one day I prayed and simply asked for help in developing a deeper desire for His word. Isn’t it beautiful that we can go to God about anything including our relationship with Him?

Not long after that prayer, I started to realize that I was beginning to cultivate just that, a deeper desire for His word. It didn’t happen overnight, there were a few things that He used to help me along the way and I am going to share them with you. Here are 5 Ways to Make Time with God Irresistible:

1. Accept Accountability– When I first started to get serious about going deeper with God, I reached out to a few friends and asked them to help me be accountable for reading my word. We used an app called Marco Polo and I would hop on there in the morning and simply read a chapter from a book of the Bible to them. The catch was that we were not going to use our time to dissect what we read, our goal was to develop consistency with our time in our word. I did that for months with several different friends and it was a beautiful way to build the discipline needed. Things are more fun with friends and that includes spending time in the Word.
2. Choose to be Present over Perfect– Early on, I had to realize that my time spent with God and in the word of God would be unique to me. What I did in one season didn’t necessarily carry over to the next. For example, when I first started to cultivate this deeper desire I used a devotional to guide me into my time. This worked for a while, however in a different season the devotional didn’t work, it felt out of place and I found myself instead writing in my journal. Now I turn on light worship music and journal. It’s changed and that’s okay. Learning that there was no perfect formula to getting in my word was life changing. I simply needed to be willing to be present and remove the pressure of perfection.
3. Take Small Bites- We have all been there! Where we wanted so badly to hit a bible reading goal, that we read words that didn’t take root. God is so much more concerned about quality than quantity. The bible says that “the word of God is sharper than any two end sword and splits through bone and marrow (Heb 4:12).” This tells us that the word will transform us both spiritually and naturally, which is why we shouldn’t race through reading it. The work it is doing is deep and needs time to penetrate. Here is how I have learned to pace myself when reading the word of God. I start at the beginning of one book of the New Testament (let’s say Romans 1) and I ONLY read 3-6 verses that day. Then the next day I will do the next 3-6 verses. I determine what I feel God is highlighting to me and I underline those verses and write them down in a notebook. I do the same for the Old Testament except I read 1 chapter from the book I have chosen. Then I linger in what I have read while I journal or sit quietly. I can’t tell you how much this practice of small bites helps to create an appetite for the word. Have you ever read a really good book and right at the most intense moment, you are interrupted? When that happens, you can’t wait to get back to it. When I break up my reading this way, it builds such anticipation for what God will be saying next. I make myself stop even when I want to keep reading so that I can stay excited about what’s to come.
4. Read the Word Aloud– This has had THE greatest impact on my time with God. When I first started, I would sit in silence and read the word which was great but I wasn’t grasping it the way I wanted to nor was I seeing the transformation I knew the Word could bring into my world. One day, I decided to read it aloud and I began to feel such a shift in my time with God. I realized that in doing so, I was allowing more of my body to be engaged at the moment. A scripture in Romans that I grew up hearing was coming to life, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (​Romans 10:17,. As I read aloud the Word, words of life were being spoken from my mouth for my ears to hear which would increase my faith. This is something that I still do this day because I have found that reading it aloud the first time through allows for a deeper work to happen. It is as if the words spoken out of my mouth allow my mind to really grab hold of what those words mean and it gives God permission to invade my world.
5. Have a dedicated place to Meet with God– I have two places that I like to sit during my moments with God. This changes from time to time but currently it’s the white chair in my living room or the lawn chair in my front yard. Both of these places are so special because God has met me there every time. He can meet us anywhere, but there is something extra special about a place where I can anticipate meeting with the lover of my soul. It’s where I feel the prayers to my father, in my secret place, are heard and understood. Where I am reminded that I am seen by the creator of the heavens and the earth as he reveals His mysteries to me. When we both show up there, time seems to stop and I am reminded that I am loved.

When it comes to making time with God irresistible I want to encourage you to find what works best for your situation. There is no perfect formula, we are all growing in our faith and relationship with God. Choose some items off of my list or create your own. Just know that time with God is time you will never regret setting aside, so even if it’s three times a week, make it irresistible.