In this post, I am talking to you about obstacles that make it hard for us as Christians to spend time with Jesus and grow spiritually.
How do you feel when you open your bible to spend time with the Holy Spirit? (not rhetorical)
Some people are excited to be in the Word, but I know everyone does not share the same sentiment. Even after building the habit over time, I’m not always excited. And yes, I said habit. My relationship with Jesus is not just a habit, but I have to make spending time with Him a habit.
I’m not always going to be excited, nor do I expect to be excited every time. Does that mean that we don’t love God or that we don’t desire Him?
No.
Love is not purely feelings but action. With those whom we love, we love them, but we may not always get excited about hanging out with them.
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not boast. Love endures all things.
You get it, but what’s my point? Even when I don’t feel like spending time with God, I do it anyway.
We don’t love God well, but to the best of our ability, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we love Him imperfectly because we are born and shaped in sin, not an excuse but an understanding of our fallen human nature.
The Enemy Within
Because there is still sin within us, it wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5:7). The flesh does not like spiritual things and does not obey God (Romans 8:7-8). In other words, whenever I engage in spiritual disciplines,I sometimes feel a resistance like a child throwing a tantrum, or boredom, or frustration. That is sin seeking dominion and fighting against the Spirit.
However, I do not simply say “well, since my flesh is not up for it, I shouldn’t read my bible or pray today”. I would never spend time with God!
To that, Paul says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” (Romans 6:12)
You are to rule over sin, not obey it. Therefore, you can not wait until you are excited to spend time with God, but show up despite how you feel. Feelings come and go; they don’t stick around for too long, so don’t let something so fickle disrupt an eternal relationship.
Tips Know why you read the bible, acknowledge how you feel, but remind yourself why you read the bible, and then act.
It’s great to be in a community for “two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
I know, I know, I know! It’s easier said than done. I agree that this is a war that rages on the inside of every believer. But you must fight because God will ensure that you win these daily battles.
Here’s some advice:
Pray to God about your struggle. I suggest writing it because I don’t want you to forget. After all, it’s highly likely you will until you come back to it.
Pray without ceasing. Keep talking to Him about it, ask Him to help you overcome the feeling(s).
Ask yourself, “Why don’t I spend time with God?” Whatever perspective you have of bible study can be an obstacle for you.
Jesus is Not a Priority
In addition to sin, we view our lives from a “I am the captain of my ship” perspective instead of a surrendered point of view. This world encourages and empowers us to chase our dreams, to do whatever we want, because it’s our life. Remember, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20-21) Since we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, our plans, timelines, and desires are to be surrendered.
If your life is not about Jesus, you will make time for whatever satisfies your flesh. They may not be innately bad, but they are prioritized above the One who gave you life. Therefore, you will add activities to your schedule that make you feel important and improve your lifestyle. By the time you consider God, there is just not enough time, and He has to wait.
A surrendered perspective prioritizes time with God over everything else. If there is something that threatens your time with Him, you question and pray over it. Eventually, remove it from your schedule if needed.
No, change doesn’t happen overnight. No, it’s not easy, but we start the conversation with God and ourselves, “How can I begin to shift my perspective and rearrange my schedule?”
“What’s on my schedule that I can remove to make more time for Him?”
Where does the desire to chase a life apart from Jesus come from?
Distractions Distractions Distractions
There are so many distractions that I get distracted from my distractions until I’m down the rabbit hole and in a world of distractions. The main culprits are usually TV and social media, which are designed to keep you watching. As soon as an episode ends, another starts. By the time you look at the clock, hours have gone by. Sometimes we are watching TV and using social media at the same time.
Not only do they take up time that you could be spending with Jesus, but they also take up space in your mind. They can alter how you interact with the world around you. Therefore, when you’re studying the word, you may struggle to focus because your mind is looking to be entertained instead of engaging in scripture. Studying then becomes boring, difficult, and something to check off the list.
The expectation is that you would “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), being transformed into the image of Jesus, bearing fruit of righteousness. You are in the world, not of the world.
However, we often conform to the world wanting the things and lifestyle shown on TV and social media. The desire for the world grows while the spirit is malnourished, going through the motions, eventually drifting away.
Tip
Remain mindful of what is occupying your time and why you choose it over spending time with Jesus.
Consider
Is there a Christian community that can:
help you study the bible
Keep you accountable
Mindless actions lead to drifting and a hard heart toward Jesus.
To Conclude
For me, I wasn’t always aware of the flesh at work within me. I just assumed that whenever it was time to do bible study with others, it was bad timing. And Jesus was not always a priority for me, I was more focused on building a career for myself than His purpose for my life. I was obsessed with watching K-dramas and anime instead of living a surrendered life.
Spending time with God, in His word, may be difficult at first, but as you grow, the challenges you wrestled with in the beginning are no longer impossible to overcome. Yes, there are obstacles like sin, our mindset, and the activities we give our time and attention to, but once the Holy Spirit is leading you, your relationship with God becomes more intimate. We are all being sanctified, growing in Jesus together.
Feelings come and go, and although they are fickle, they can be intense, shifting us from doing what we intended to do. So when you don’t feel like studying the bible, hold on to these 5 reasons to empower you from shifting.
