Do you cheat yourself and cut back on your time with God just because your daily schedule is bursting at the seams? Are you spending an hour or more at the gym, surfing the web, watching Netflix, but you struggle giving your relationship with God the same time?
Your relationship with God is the most valuable relationship you will ever have. Yeah, that’s right, more important than your spouse, sweetheart, kids, bestie and even Fido. So you must push through barriers that may slow, stagnate or even sabotage your precious relationship with God. A devoted relationship with God and a strong faith walk enriches all the other relationships in your life.
Truth be told, you are Jesus’ bride, the body of Christ, the church, the glorious men, women and children who belong to Christ. So this is a Love relationship going on and no matter what your day looks like, you gotta give God (your Love) some attention, affection and adoration.
Here are some Christian lifestyle hacks that can help you achieve a deeper and intimate relationship with God and most definitely help you mature your faith in him!
In John 15:4, Jesus says “remain in me, as I also remain in you “. John 1:1&14 states that Jesus is the word of God, made flesh. This revelation of who Christ is and your position in him, should give you more enlightenment that God’s word should be in you, at all times. One of our greatest strategies for building our faith in God is to read/hear, absorb and believe the word of God. Romans 10:17 says “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Faith Builder Hack #1.
If you have not already done so, downloading a bible app to your cell can make daily reading of the Bible more feasible. Try playing it out loud during your morning routine. I like using a wireless Bluetooth speaker so I can even hear it over the shower. The battlefield as a Christian starts right in your mind. So if you have the word of God to listen to while you complete those mundane tasks, you can cut down on thoughts that probably should not be there anyway. You can also use this opportunity to memorize verses, hear entire chapters and books, thereby giving yourself a fuller perspective and understanding of God’s word.** Remember faith comes by hearing and hearing of God’s word.
There are times during our wonder filled day that you have to listen to a whole lot of stuff you do not care to hear. The work place, gym, school and many other places you have to be throughout your day. I’ll admit, sometimes you just need peace and quiet. However, during your commute to wherever your life plays out each day, you have a grand opportunity to control what you hear and worship God.
Faith Builder Hack #2
If you find yourself frustrated because you are sitting in traffic bumper to bumper, kids won’t settle down or your precious silence has turned into the complain blame game, in your head. Turn on your local Christian radio station. I love K-love and many of my local Christian radio stations. If you don’t know any songs right off, no worries, just listen to the lyrics. The beautiful thing about Christian radio is that the music there is a mix of worship, rejoice and praise to God. So whether you know the song or not the lyrics are feeding your spirit man. Kudos to you for getting some quality time with God (your Love).
The word of God tells us to think on things that are worthy to be praised (Philippians 4:8). It also tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). There are times when praying is difficult, I get that. But it in those times, know that God is right there with you. He said he would never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). God also said in 1Corinthians10:13, “the temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” So it is in those moments, in life, that you have to set your mind set on what Philippians 4:8 says and be diligent to discern that even in the midst of trials there is hope for you.
Faith Builder Hack #3
No, it is not a Jedi mind trick. It is simply beginning to mentally list every possible thing that you can be thankful for. Start simple by being thankful for your eyesight to read this, hands and feet, shelter and so on. There is always something to be thankful for but if you feel as if you do not have anything to grateful for, cry out to God and ask him to show you what you can be thankful for. He will answer you; just make sure that you are listening expectantly!
All 3 of these Christian Lifestyle hacks I have incorporated into my life and they have not only proven to solidify my relationship with God but my faith walk, as well.
