30 Nov Learning To Spend Time With God

Spending Time With God Overview

Pastor delivers a heartfelt message on developing intimate communion with God through quiet time and spiritual presence. Drawing from Romans 8:29-30 and Job 10:12, he explains how God predestines believers to be conformed to Christ’s image through spiritual disciplines and daily time in God’s presence. The sermon addresses common discomfort with quiet worship moments, explaining that God’s visitation preserves, guards, and watches over us like a shepherd. The Hebrew word ‘Shamar’ reveals how God’s presence creates a protective hedge around believers. The pastor emphasizes the difference between God’s omnipresence and His manifest presence, encouraging congregation members to invest time in intimate relationship with God. He shares practical insights about spiritual growth, including how fasting destroys doubt while feeding on God’s word builds faith. The message concludes with personal illustrations about moving beyond routine spiritual ‘fuel’ to savoring rich communion with the Father.

Spending Time With God Outline

• 0:00 – Introduction: Holy Spirit Movement and Quiet Time: Addressing discomfort with stillness and intimate expressions of God’s presence
• 3:00 – God’s Purpose: Conforming to Christ’s Image: Explaining predestination and spiritual growth through Romans 8:29-30
• 7:00 – The Hebrew Meaning of Divine Preservation: Exploring ‘Shamar’ and God’s protective visitation from Job 10:12
• 12:00 – God as Watchman Over Our Lives: Understanding divine protection and care through Psalm 127
• 16:00 – Manifest Presence vs Omnipresence: Distinguishing between God being everywhere and being actively present
• 20:00 – Overcoming Doubt Through Fasting: Practical spiritual discipline for destroying unbelief
• 24:00 – Moving Beyond Spiritual Routine: Transitioning from mundane spiritual habits to savoring God’s presence

Scripture References

Romans 8:29-30, Job 10:12, Psalm 127:1, Jeremiah 31:10, John 10, Psalm 46:10

Key Takeaways

• God’s predestination means every believer is destined to be conformed to Christ’s image through spiritual practices and intimate time with Him.
• The Hebrew word ‘Shamar’ reveals that God’s visitation creates a protective hedge, guarding and preserving our spirits with tender care.
• Discomfort with quiet worship often stems from minds maintaining too much control rather than allowing intimate expression with God.
• There’s a crucial difference between God’s omnipresence (being everywhere) and His manifest presence (actively revealed in our lives).
• Fasting regularly destroys doubts in our lives, while feeding on God’s word builds our faith for spiritual breakthrough.
• Daily quiet time with God isn’t religious ritual but relationship investment that allows His preservation and favor to flow.
• God watches over every breath we take with tender care, deeply invested in our well-being as a loving Father.

Spending Time With God Notes

This powerful sermon challenges believers to move beyond surface-level spirituality into deep, intimate communion with God. The pastor begins by addressing a common problem in modern worship: discomfort with quiet, reflective moments when the Holy Spirit moves. Many congregants become fidgety during these times because their minds maintain too much control, preventing intimate spiritual expression.The theological foundation rests in Romans 8:29-30, where Paul explains God’s predestination plan. Rather than controlling every aspect of life, God predestines that everyone who comes to Him will be conformed to Christ’s image. This transformation happens through spiritual disciplines and practices that Christians have engaged in for centuries, not as empty religious rituals but as relationship-building activities with eternal purpose.The heart of the message centers on Job 10:12, where Job declares that God’s visitation has preserved his spirit. The Hebrew word ‘Shamar’ means to hedge about, guard, and watch over with tender care. When God visits us during quiet time, He creates a protective barrier around our lives, functioning as a shepherd guarding his sheep. This divine preservation enables us to fully partake of the life and favor God has granted us.Psalm 127:1 reinforces this truth, declaring that unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards waste their time. In our current era of internet schemes and spiritual attacks, human vigilance alone proves insufficient. We need God’s supernatural protection that comes through spending time in His presence.The pastor distinguishes between God’s omnipresence and His manifest presence. While God exists everywhere, believers need His active, revealed presence in their lives. This manifest presence provides assurance of His care and enables us to experience His promises practically rather than keeping them at arm’s length.Practical spiritual disciplines include regular fasting, which destroys doubt and unbelief. When Jesus’ disciples couldn’t cast out an epileptic demon, He explained that such unbelief only comes out through prayer and fasting. Faith grows by hearing God’s word, but doubt dies through denying our flesh.The sermon concludes with a personal illustration about moving beyond routine spiritual ‘nutrition’ to savoring rich communion with God. Just as the pastor discovered culinary variety in the Navy after growing up on simple meat and potatoes, believers can transition from mundane spiritual habits to experiencing the full richness of God’s presence and provision.

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