Are You Scheduling Time For Jesus?

Has the title of this blog made you question if you are scheduling time for Jesus? Are spending enough time with the Lord? Or if you are “doing too much”? Are you putting more time into your business than you are into your faith.

Roadblocks To Hanging Out With Jesus

The beauty of being a Christian indie business owner or writer is the ability to focus on your passion. The very thing you were born to do can hinder your need to spend time with the one whom embedded you with this gift.

Family issues, deadlines, technical problems, determining the best print method, and learning how to make SEO work for you can all interfere with spending time with the Lord. Business responsibilities and personal activities have a tendency to overcrowd your prayer time and Bible study.

The question arises: how can I spend quality time with the Lord more consistently? Or how do I hang out with Jesus, uninterrupted without guilt?

Reasons for Spending Time With The Lord

• Ecclesiastes 2:26 reads, “For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy…” The way to receive wisdom, knowledge and joy is through spending time with the one who gives it… God our Heavenly Father.
• The Lord laid it out in the Beatitudes that Christians have 3 duties: giving, praying and fasting. In reading Matthew 6 you realize Jesus is saying the 3 duties are a normal part of a Christian’s life. When you look at it further, we find King Solomon writing in Ecclesiastics 4:12 that a cord, or rope, braided with three strands, “is not easily broken”. To bind giving, praying and fasting into your lifestyle helps answer the question, how can I make hanging out with Jesus a natural routine?
• George MacDonald, a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister, wrote in his Ebook of Wilfrid Cumbermede, “Certainly work is not always required of a man. There is such a thing as a sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected.”

Solution

The answer is “scheduling time.”

Scheduling time with the Lord until it becomes a routine will spark your enjoyment for doing it. God gives joy to “one who pleases” Him (Ecclesiastes 2:26).

The 7 Disciplines To Schedule

Schedule one or all seven disciplines to spend time with the Lord, alone, hanging out with Him. Pray as you read each one, asking the Lord where you should begin.

2. Quiet Time, daily, for one hour – “keeping centered” – spend unhurried time with the Lord, alone. It may include singing, praying, worshipping, Bible reading, journaling, or practicing the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude. Start with 15 minutes a day, until you can reach an hour. It was Jesus’ custom to pray and the same should be true for us.
3. Fast & Pray, weekly, for 4 hours – “loving others” – spend time with others or alone in prayer interceding for others. Pray for family members, friends, employees, the government, marriages, prayers of healing, or salvation for the lost. Fasting can be from solid food, social media, or the morning news. It can be 4 hours or 2 hours. Suggestions for scheduling this time might include having a portion for praying with family members, stopping all work and praying with your staff, setting a timer for every 30 minutes to stop and pray for a specific group of people, or praying using your prayer journal. Another suggestion is to schedule this as a day of gratitude, praise and worship.
4. Weekly Sabbath – “resting in Him” – take a 24-hour period each week and do what God did in Genesis. He took time to enjoy the fruits of His labor and so should we. If it’s possible, schedule nothing on this day. Chill! Working hard includes resting well. Enjoy hanging with family, friends and the Lord doing something enjoyable.
5. Monthly Sabbath – “getting away with Him” – a day off to hang out with Jesus, alone. It’s for prayer, song, reading, journaling, praise, pondering, getting things off your chest, and/or keeping your life in order. Think of it as a check-in with the Lord. Go away from your routine to a retreat, hotel, or cabin.
6. Business Meeting, quarterly, with God – “staying in order” – spending 3 consecutive days alone with the Lord. It’s time for casting your cares upon Him, seeking direction, guidance, and/or a time of being refreshed. Time to slow down, be still before the Lord, and listen. Look for the Lord to give you guidance, especially before sharing critical publishing news or meeting with others.
7. God-cation, One week a year– “loving self” – schedule alone time for 5 or 7 days in a retreat area, cabin, condo or private location where you can do more listening to God than talking. It’s time for:

• doing a whole or partial Fast (Check with Doctor first)
• confession
• being in the Lord’s presence to hear whatever He wants to share
• releasing your worries and embracing God’s goodness
• checking in with self and God

7. Fasting and Prayer, 21 or 40 Days – “yearning for Him” – this is something you can work up to or modify. It’s a time for being in the Presence of God, loving on Him, seeking direction for the New Year or quarter, or for something specific.

Next Steps For Christian Writers And Publishers

• Make a conscious effort today to spend time with the Lord.
• Seek God’s wisdom when applying these disciplines. Ask Him how you can incorporate these disciplines into your lifestyle in order to keep your relationship with Him vibrant and enjoyable.
• Once you schedule time on your calendar, let everything else (unless it’s an emergency that you can only handle) revolve around it.
• For further support, The Me Project Academy provides a free downloadable guide called The Personal Retreat Planner that contains more information on how to schedule your time during each activity. This will give you more support on what to do during these times. The Academy also includes Bible studies and steps for helping you reach your destiny.

Now that you know, it’s time to set yourself up, to hang out with Jesus. Shalom!

About The Author

Lyvita Brooks is a Bible teacher, author, and podcaster on a mission to help remove the clutter from your life, so you can see clearly who you are and whose you are, in order to Go & Do what God’s called you to do. For more support, get her unique newsletter.

Connect with Lyvita on various social media platforms here: https://lyvitabrooks.com/.