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“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, so let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belonged to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baked on the coals and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” (I Kings 19:1-8)
I. You Need Daily Communication with God
As a child of God, you are not meant to go without daily communication with God.
You would not go for days, or weeks or only visit your spouse on special occasions, would you? You do not eat once a week or on special occasions, so why do we allow the enemy a foothold enticing us to put off our time with God with lies such as, “I’m too tired,” or “I just don’t have time.”
And the enemy is not only the devil; it is also our flesh.
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)
Your relationship with anyone, if not nurtured suffers and so it is with our relationship with God.
The bad thing about not spending time with God, your spirit is not fed to give you the strength, wisdom, and guidance you need from His Word to help in times of need and to ward off attacks from the devil. Do NOT give the devil a foothold because he will not just take that, he wants to take all of you away from God.
“And do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:27)
II. What You Receive from Time with God
Besides the quiet time you have in spending time with God. You receive so much from Him.
1. The peace that comes from being in His presence.
“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:27)
2. Strength—you receive spiritual strength to grow, and you grow closer to God. Spending time with anyone, you get to know them, and your relationship grows.
“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)
“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
3. Wisdom, Guidance, and Answers that you receive from the Word and God, through the Holy Spirit, speaking directly to your heart.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, without finding fault; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)
“In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him, all things were made, and without Him, nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)
4. Hope & Joy: By spending time with the Lord you are rejuvenated and filled with hope and joy that the issues may have will work out.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
5. Faith—Your faith also grows as you spend time with God, in His Word, and praying to Him daily.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
These are the main benefits you receive from time alone with God, but there is so much more. So, are you spending time with Him? Stop allowing your flesh to dictate, by the “I’m just too tired,” or “I do not have enough time,” things you allow to go through your mind. If your boss wanted you to come in early, you would do it, right? If someone was going to give you something grand or money, even if you did not have time, you would make time, right?
So, why is it that we allow our spiritual enemies to keep us from quality time with God?
Elijah was fed by an angel, and he had enough strength after that to go for forty days and forty nights! This represents the spiritual food you get from spending time in the Word and with God. So, spending time with God and reading the Word gives you the strength and the ammunition found in His Word to, along with the help of the Holy Spirit, to fight off the devil’s attacks. The Word gives you promises to stand on and His commands that benefit you when you follow them. It teaches you how to live right, it teaches you about His character, renews your mind with truth, and feeds your soul. Without it, you do not have the strength or the knowledge to know how or to even fight at all, against the devil’s attacks.
God loves you so much, that He sent His Son to go through an excruciatingly painful death, dying on the cross for us. Can’t we make time out of our day for Him?
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)