Spending Time with God Teaching Series: Session 1

Hi, I am Associate Pastor Terrelle George of I Am for Christ Ministries and the Great Commission Pledge. On behalf of our Pastor, Lloyd C. Glover, we welcome you to our teaching series, “Spending Time with God.”

This three-part series begins with an essential question: Are you spending time with God? We must understand the importance of putting God first in everything we do. Here are the descriptions of each session.

Session 1: Are You Spending Time with God? Explore the significance of dedicating time to God in our daily lives.

Session 2: Falling in Love with God Discover the joy and purpose of falling in love with God (Jesus), the greatest experience one can have.

Session 3: Communicating with God Learn about the authority and privilege of having a two-way communication with our Father God.

Before we dive deeper into this important message from God, I am asking you again: Are you spending time with God? Let’s begin by putting God FIRST! Do you love spending time with God? Let’s pray together as we approach our Heavenly Father.

“Father God, we love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, according to Your word in Mark 12:30. Forgive us for any sins we have committed knowingly or unknowingly against You. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace and mercy. Thank You, Father, for granting us a brand-new day of mercies. We invite you in to give us a revelation of this word. We touch and agree with the words of this prayer, declaring it done in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.”

I will pause for a moment. I invite you to take this time to spend personal moments with God, praying for your immediate needs and seeking a greater revelation of His word today. You can also press pause if you need more time. Amen.

Spending time with God by putting Him first in your life is a principle often emphasized in the Christian faith. Here are some steps you can take to help prioritize God your relationship with God:

• Daily Prayer: Start and end your day with prayer. This helps to keep you connected with God and sets the tone for your day.
• Read Scripture: Make time to read and meditate on the Bible. This helps you understand God’s will and draws you closer to Him.
• Worship Regularly: Attend church services or other worship gatherings. Community or church worship can reinforce your faith and remind you of God’s presence in your life.
• Serve Others: Look for ways to serve others in your church and community. Acts of kindness and service reflect God’s love and help you focus on His priorities.
• Seek God’s Guidance: Make a habit of seeking God’s guidance in all your decisions. This can be through prayer, reading scripture, or seeking advice from trusted members of your church and friends that you share your faith with.
• Practice Gratitude: Regularly reflect on and give thanks for God’s blessings in your life. Gratitude can help you stay focused on God and what He has done for you.
• Live Out Your Faith: Demonstrate your commitment to God through your actions and choices. Let your behavior reflect your beliefs and values. Other people observe your actions. Don’t give them a reason to questioned your faith.

Cultivate a Good Spiritual Relationship with other believers:

• Surround yourself with others who share your faith and can support and encourage you in your spiritual journey. Implementing these steps can help you put God at the center of your life and ensure that your actions and decisions are guided by your faith. 
• Prioritize God in Your Schedule: Dedicate specific times of your day for prayer, reading scripture, and worship. Making this a non-negotiable part of your routine helps reinforce its importance.
• Reflect and Adjust: Regularly assess your life and make adjustments to ensure God remains your top priority. Reflect on how you spend your time and resources and make changes as needed to align with putting God first.

Implementing these steps can help you put God at the center of your life and ensure that your actions and decisions are guided by your faith

I attached six short videos below that you have the option to review. You can review one or all six videos on why it is so important to spend time with God. There is something powerful and unique to learn from all six videos.  Click on the play button to review your choice of videos.  Once you have reviewed your choice of videos, After you finish reviewing your choice of videos.  I added an additional video , “Your Presence”. This is a beautiful video that will allow you to soak in the presence of the Lord. I ask when you have time. Go to your secret place and have a seat at our Fathers table. You will enjoy this moment spending time in His presence.  This will increase your love for God.

Afterward, please proceed to the next lesson on Why is Spending Time with God So Important?

Why is Spending Time with God so Important?

Spending time with God is deeply important for our spiritual well-being. Let me explain why:

We can Tap into God’s Wisdom:

When we seek God, we tap into His infinite wisdom. Spending time with Him exposes us to insights beyond our own understanding. Others will notice the impact on us, just as they did with the disciples of Jesus (Acts 4:13).

We can Seek His Guidance:

In our private time with God, we can enquire of Him. We can seek His guidance, direction, and answers to our questions. It’s a space where we can hear His voice clearly.

We can Refocus our attention on Him:

Amid life’s distractions, spending time with God helps us refocus. We intentionally create space to connect with Him, away from the noise of the world.

We can Renewed Strength:

Isaiah 40:31 assures us that those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. Our secret place becomes a source of spiritual rejuvenation.

We Can grow Spiritually:

God’s presence shapes our character. Just as Joshua remained in the Tabernacle, our consistent fellowship with God leads to spiritual growth.

We can find Comfort and Direction:

Through prayer and meditation, we find comfort, direction, and strength. Our understanding of God’s character deepens, fostering trust in Him.

Remember, Jesus Himself prioritized spending time alone with God despite His busy schedule (Luke 4:42; 5:15-16; 6:12; Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:45-46). Let’s follow His example and cultivate this discipline.

I have a couple of questions for you. Do you love God? Why is it so important for us as Christians to understand the benefits of spending time with God and the need of having a good relationship with Him? You say that you love God, but do you really spend time with Him. By the way, how is your relationship with our heavenly Father? Would you rate your relationship with our Father at a 1, 5 or a 10? and do you want a better relationship with our Father?

Here is a scene from a fictional Christian movie. The following scene could easily be a true scene playing out every day in the lives of many believers of Christ.  I want you to play along with me. Congratulations, you just got the starring role in this movie playing the part as the son or daughter in this Christian family. Your family is pretty wealthy and own multiple businesses. A week after graduation, you asked your father for help to get you started in life.  In other words, you wanted part of your inheritance now, so that you could party, be your own boss and live on your own and away from your father’s businesses and rules for a while.

At first, your father was hesitant in giving you what you asked for because he wanted you to stay and help with the family businesses. Nevertheless, he gave you a large sum of money to get you started in life. Armed with part of your inheritance, you moved out the next day to live in a nearby party town away from your family.

Why is it Necessary to Maintain a Good Relationship with Your Father?

Three years later the movie picks back up with you thinking about how fast the times has gone by. You also realized that the only time that your character has called, visited or spend any quality time with your family, mainly speaking of your father, is on occasional holidays or when family come visiting from out of town. Now it appears life has been getting a little tough lately. You also realized that you blew all your inheritance because of your riotous living.

Yesterday, you received an unwelcome eviction notice placed on your door indicating that you are two months behind in your rent. You must pay the two months’ rent within 3 days or you will become homeless. Now you have an emergency and an urgent need for help.

You know in your heart and spirit that your father is the only person in the world that can provide you with the money and the help needed to prevent your eviction. However, you realize that you haven’t spent much time with him. You also realize that your relationship with your father since graduation hasn’t been that great either.

Father’s Unconditional Love

Now it is time to swallow your pride and ask your father for help again. You go see your father and ask for help. Your father pauses for a few minutes, remembering the last situation that he helped you out with. He thinks to himself should I or shouldn’t I? Being a good father, because he loves you unconditionally, he says yes and gives you what you asked for. The most hurtful part of scene in this movie is right after your character receives the help from your father.

Sadly, your character quickly departs the room, rejoices out the door, never looking back, nor do you even say good bye or thank your father for what He has just done for you.

This scene ends with a heavenly angel shouting in disbelief “Stay tune for the next scene. You know he will be back soon with another need from the father!”

What if the Scene had a Different Outcome?

Every time that we ask our father for something, regardless how great or small it is, our expectation is that he is going to say yes and meet or exceed our request. But what if he says no this time? Could his refusal be based on one of the following?

(1) Because he knows from experience that this is the only time that you call or visit him personally, is when you need something, right away.

(2) Your father is tired of being used by you.

(3) He wants you to spend more time to solve your own issue(s) before he is willing to step in to help.

(4) Because he has limited resources and simply don’t have the abilities to share or help you with your circumstances.

(5) He becomes irritated, uses choice words and tells you to leave right now because you both know that you really don’t have a good father-son or father-daughter relationship at this time.

(6) and lastly, could it be a result of not spending quality time with your father

How would this rejection make you feel now? Could this be the catalyst that makes you realize the importance of spending time and having a good relationship with your father?

Are You Guilty of not Spending Time with God until you need something?

How would you feel if you were the father in this movie and your child treated you this way? The same thing happens much too often to your heavenly Father. Just like so many Christians, any one of us could easily be the character in this story. How many of us are guilty of only calling upon our Father God when we need something special from Him right away.  This makes us no different from the character in this movie? We know by faith and believe in our heart that God is the only Person in this universe that can meet or exceed our most urgent prayer request.

Please try to understand the point that I am trying to make. We can agree to the fact that you are not God, but how would you feel, if you were God? The truth is that our relationship with God is only as good as the results of our private time that we spend with Him. God loves you and He wants to have a good Father-son or a good Father-daughter relationship with you. Not just when you need something, but 24 seven.  Read (Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 29:11. 1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:16 and 1 John 4:19).

Conclusion: Parable about the Prodigal Son

Are you guilty of this too? Meaning, do you only pray to God when all else fails or when all hell breaks out in your life? Don’t panic. You still have time to get it together, get it right and to improve your relationship with your father and with Father God too. Do you remember the parable about the Prodigal son? Please read (Luke 15:11-32). The parable is a wonderful reminder of the many benefits of being a son or daughter from the father’s house. Life is full of mistakes and we all make them too. A loving Father will always love you, forgive you and will most certainly welcome you back regardless of your situation. (Hebrews 13:5) says I will never leave you; never will I forsake you.

It is so important that we spend time with your earthly father and with your heavenly Father as well. It will make your relationship better. Beside that it will make it easier for you in the future to ask for something and to receive it too. (Matthew 7:7). Amen

This concludes the first session of this three part training about Spending Time with God Series. Our sessions are listed below. It is your choice to go to either session 2 or 3. It also depends on what session you started first.

Spending Time with God Teaching Series

Session 1: Are You Spending Time with God? Discusses the importance of having a good relationship and spending time with God.

Session 2: Falling in Love with God. Falling in love with God (Jesus) is the greatest thing I ever did. This session Discusses the purpose of falling in love with God.

Session 3: Communicating with God.  This session points out the importance of understanding that you have the authority to have a two-way communication with Father God.

We would like to provide you with a Certificate of Excellence for spending time with us. Just send us an email at iamfcpresident@iamforchrist.org.  Let us know that you completed and you fully understand the lesson. We will email you your certificate within a couple of days.  

*We appreciate sharing this meal with you from our Father’s Table. Please proceed to either session below. Thank you in advance.  it is our prayer that this session was a blessing to you. Amen

What is Next for You?

Spending Time with God Teaching Series

Communicating with God

Session 3

Lloyd C. Glover
Pastor, I AM for Christ Ministries