I totally agree that more knowledge about God increases love for him because I also discovered that I began to feel closer to him through knowlege of his word, realizing his immense mercy and kindness to us.
It’s unfortunate that I (along with other Christians) was drilled about spending time in God’s word and in prayer because, as you said, it does induce guilt and the momentum dries up very quickly. I would end up avoiding prayer and bible reading altogether because it felt more like a chore than a genuine desire to do them.
If I may make a suggestion to everyone? If you enjoy journal or diary writing maybe the ACTS approach might be a consideration. I’ve found it’s an opportunity for me to communicate with God without feeling all flustered about figuring out what I want to say. Written out on paper it’s: Adoration- expressing words of praise to God (inspiration for this can be found by reading a Psalm), Confession- repentace of sin, Thankfulness-thanking God for…you fill in the blanks, and Supplication- expressing our needs to God.
The great thing about the aforementioned approach is that there really is NO PRESSURE! You could write one line per subject, a paragraph, or just do a couple of the four abbreviations. I admit I don’t do it everyday, but when I do it’s great because it make communicating with God less daunting because it’s like I’m writing to a friend online:)
THANKS PASTOR PETER KARL for writing honestly about this subject and for sharing your views and experiences. It’s very refreshing and inspiring.

Peter Karl, Isn’t the Love of Jesus something wonderful? I agree with the last paragraph of your article: that to pray without ceasing is to continually be in fellowship with Jesus; that Jesus should permeate everything we do 24/7. But I think we should encourage each other to spend daily time enjoying God’s personal, intimate love. I, myself, have noticed a loss in the level of peace in my life if I have not taken the disciplined time of spending personal time with Jesus and digging into His Word. Laying that daily foundation of communion with Jesus is vital to me. Secondly, I have never found my personal devotion time to have the same dynamic as my fellowship with the saints. Both are vital but not equal. Granted, sometimes fellowship with the saints is more inspirational than time I have spent alone in worship. And I agree that keeping an ‘appointment’ with God daily can be a meaningless, vain attempt at worship; unless, as you and Paul say, one has gained the knowledge and understanding of how personal and intimate the Father’s love is for each of us. Who wouldn’t benefit from basking in His love intimately on a daily basis? Would it not enrich the rest of our Christian walk on a daily basis? Spending intimate, personal time with Jesus every day has helped me guard my heart. I find I can better share His love after I’ve taken the time to receive His love and revel in it fresh, each day. I recommend it. I think it does work.

i think i know what you are saying because i have felt thesame way too. Prayer remains one of the most important spiritual discipline that builds up our spirit man, and after many 20 years of being a christian i have come to understand that i might not tell people to pray for i try to encourage them by showing the benefits of prayer. I am one of those people who would make every opportunity a prayer meeting, i love to pray, i do not do that much now because of your own experience too, it was more for people to hear me more than God. Now that i am more matured married and with kids, prayer has become indespensible, i talk more with the Lord and have my dialogue with Him and we just talk. It is a different feeling i still turn every opportunity into a prayer meeting but now it is exclusive of others except the Lord makes provision for a corporate prayer then i submit. The bottom line is we need to be prayerful see results and encourage others to do thesame because of the benefits. Prayer changes things and it works. Another trend i see in the church today is that we are putting more emphasis on common sense approach than recieving from God and acting, and by this i mean not putting Proverbs 3:5,6 to use as we make plans, church events to win the lost are now more of things we are doing,when in fact if we commit to the Lord and He shows up we might not have put up the best concert or show but simply because he is lifted up He draws men to himself, our effort or God’s is dependent how much prayer is invested in the planning. i end here and hope to read other responses. Thanks and God bless.

I had to chuckle a bit, because i can remember and relate to what you are talking about. I remember my mom grilling me…‘did you spend time with God today?...read your bible? etc…’ And then..yes, guilt AND condemnation followed!-it was not pretty. I am so thankful that I am free from that!

I have made it a point that if I truly believe in the Gospel, and everything that Jesus talked about, that it applies to everything-even when i don’t ‘feel it’. God’s love isn’t subject to how we feel at a certain time, but it is constant and unchanging no matter what the circumstance!

I believe that also relates to the christian life. I have to confess that at times i would be all ‘holy and in the glory cloud’ when it came time for church, but i would change when i was around others. You know, Paul said that he was a different person to different people in order to win them, but i was just fake! I mean, i thought God’s love was conditional and that I had to earn it through works.

I remember when my husband and i were going through some tight times. I would make a budget and we had only ‘X’ amount of dollars. Our budget worked for a while-then gas prices went up! That’s when we had to believe that God would provide for us! I would pray everytime i went to the gas station, and everytime it was soo neat! I would stop it at how much i had budgeted and when I came to drive away i would look at the meter and it was FULL!!! Sometimes the gas in the van was almost gone and we still had a week to go till my hubby got paid. Those were the scariest, because i had to drive one of my girls to preschool! I would drive and just trust that we would make it. We did! Most of the needle would go up a quarter tank, but one time it went up a whole 1/2 a tank!! Those ‘little’ miracles would happen and alot of time they happened and I didn’t even have to pray! It TOTALLY shook up my thinking about prayer and miracles. But i believe that verse where it says,‘I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their seed begging for bread.’ (I think that’s it.)

The world is watching us and seeing how we react to everything. If we aren’t honest with ourselves about certain things such as poor finances or ill health, they just think that we are out to lunch! We can be honest and say, ‘I’m not feeling that great today, BUT this is what the Word says� Or ‘I’m feeling REALLY stressed about our finances, BUT I know that GOD is able to do FAR ABOVE anything thing that we could ask or think
So personally I think asking people how much time they spend with God is a non- issue. You can SEE the fruit of it in their actions, word and how they relate with others. You might not see it all at once, but overtime if we are patient, we will see glimpses of the people that we were CREATED to be before the Fall. (sorry it took so long to come to the conclusion, but I hope that you enjoyed everything in betweenhee hee)

In response to this essay I can agree and disagree. I can see the point that forced or manipulated time with God nomatter how wonderful it may seem is fruitless if it becomes mundain and of little use to a Christians growth. I think the point is to let the Holy Spirit instill in you the perfect date to soak in His presence attuning your inner man to the yearning of the Spirits dirrection. Like yielding your spirit to Him ,He will move on your spirit to take time out. You don’t clock it, just be obedient to the tug on your spirit. People might argue don’t go by feelings make it a practice and you’ll learn to enter into His presence as He is always there to hear you when you call. Its a heart issue and as you learn to hear His voice you’ll get hungrey to feast with Him noone will have to tell you to do it you’ll want to, it will wet your appetite. I think you are more peaceful and more focused when you have spent time with the Lord and have more clarity as to His will or preparation for wittnessing ect. Its important though that you don’t make it like a punch card I’ve done my two bits thats it. Let God wake you up or impress on you the time. It may be 5 minutes or 5 seconds but its not to be compared as if you’re more holy because you spend 5 hours and I don’t. It only depends on your availablity and obedience to what God has called you to do. There is no pressure involved and if someone trys to lay guilt on you like you should or you’re not going to be at your full potential reject that as mans widom. What is your inner conviction saying. Only God knows you best so there is therefore now no condemnation including finger pointing and manipulation. However if you know that this time you put aside is a santuary to you a place of solitude before your schedule fills up then God has showen you this is for you. For me to copy it without conviction from the Holy Sprit would not produce what it produces in you. Our time with God is individual and for us to prescribe a set pattern is to become relegious and a burden on someone else. Its up to the individual to set their goals according to their heart.

Thank you all for your comments on this topic, I’ve enjoyed most of what I read. I know intellectually that I am a recipient of God’s love, because of the evidence in my life that points it out very clearly. My challenge which has been all my cognitive life, is how to recieve love, like Wendy mentioned in the last line of her comments. Any feedback would be appreciated. God Bless

Well I must first of all say that I get very sad by reading the starting article ‘don’t tell people to spend time with God…’ Especially since we all the way through the Bible both old testament and new testament are told to seek God, and to draw close to him. Jesus did so and Paul did so. So why shouldn’t we as preachers of the same gospel do so???
Of course if a preacher don’t LIVE IT before he preaches it, then there are big trouble going on. And so Peter it’s good you don’t preach that anymore, if you don’t spend time with God yourself. But then change the topic of your article to: ‘I don’t preach to people that they should pray anymore, because I don’t live it myself.
Of course I agree with that if all you do is to try to push revival to come, by giving people condemnation for not praying enough. Then that of course is unhealthy. And it will never work. But I thank God that there are preachers out there, that in fact have STRONG relationships with God. That are strong in prayer and that really know Him and the truth in the word. And that preaches it and encourages believers to come higher in the life of prayer. I believe that this is in line with the Bible.
I am sad when it seems like preachers have to change the message to fit their lifestyle. Then it is better to really humble ourselves and say that we preached something we didn’t live. But still lift up what the word of God says. And to still point out the way as Jesus and Paul did.
Jesus was disciplined in His relationship with God. Of course it was a relationship of love, and this love lead to a relationship of obedience. And I can assure you that if Jesus would listen to his feelings of the body, He would never get up early in the mornings to pray. He would never run away from the crowd in orther to seek His father. And Jesus taught the disciples to PRAY alone with the father, to SPEND MORE TIME WITH GOD!
LETS NOT PREACH CONDEMNATION TO PEOPLE. AND LETA^LS NOT GO TO THE OTHER DITCH AND CHANGE THE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE! BUT LET US CAREFULLY TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN LIFES WITH GOD. LET US BE EAGER TO FOLLOW JESUS AND BE A TRUE DISCIPLE OF HIM. AND FIRST AT THAT POINT WE ARE READY TO BE LEADERS, THAT CAN SAY LIKE PAUL: ‘FOLLOW ME, AS I FOLLOW CHRIST!
P.S. The word of God still says: ‘...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.’ (But maybe this verse, and MANY others don’t fit the message anymore?)

Amazing Grace! God is the one who gives people a desire to spend much time with Him. He will call people to spend time with Him. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. Our whole lives should be lived for God, not just an hour in the prayer closet. When it happens by God’s grace, an hour spent alone with God in a room with the door shut can truly be called a ‘sweet hour of prayer’ (as the song says).
Re: Dag’s comment above…I don’t think Peter Karl is saying ‘Don’t Spend Time With God’. A healthy church is one that has God’s Grace working in people’s lives. It is Jesus Christ who is ‘all-important’ to those who love Him. Is the lovely Lord Jesus drawing you to seek Him or are you doing it from your own willpower or legalism? There is a HUGE difference and the results of time spent with God will be shown when we are gracious to others and show people what Jesus is really like in our every day lives.
What do you say when you talk to God? Do you tell Him you love Him? Do you listen to Him tell you How much he loves you? Love will never fail. People who love each other look forward to spending much time alone together!
You can receive instruction to pray without feeling condemned as a Christian. Jesus prays. We follow Him. Let’s rest in Christ! He loves us.
The word ‘PRAY’ may seem like a dry command to some Christians, something they don’t look forward to doing as much as eating ice cream or watching the Leafs lose on Saturday night. If you know Jesus, though, the word pray may be seen as the most lovely thing: a time to hear him speak to you. Like Andre Crouch used to sing, I must agree: ‘Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus’! Dump dead religion and Get into a good relationship with God. Then praying for hours won’t feel like a chore, it will be a pleasure!

Dear Peter,
I like your article and know where you are coming from.Just like to add something for further clarification.Jesus told Martha ,‘One thing is needed,and Mary has chosen that good part,which will not be taken away from her.‘Lk 10:42.Because Mary had chosen to sit at Jesus feet to hear from Him she ended up at the right time at the right place, anointing Jesus for burial when the other women came to anoint Him but He was already resurrected.
From a grace perspective your article is very enlightening.Except that many times as Chritians we have our priorities all mix up and so put ministry or work before out time alone with Jesus and His Word and our family.
Have a great New Year!
Agape,
Jeffrey

Thank you for sharing this!  It is very helpful…my life is so busy that it is impossible to concentrate for an hour…and I do communicate with God all day long.  Although it’s very satisfying to spend quality time alone with God, I can’t find time to do that every day.  I think that we’ve been making a mistake, thinking we all have to spend long periods EVERY DAY alone with God.  Everyone is different.  Some people thrive on long conversations, but some of us need things in small bites on a regular basis—just like eating. But now that I’ve read through some of the other comments, I wonder if I’m wrong and I feel a small amount of guilt. (I’ve grown enough not to feel a large amount!)  I really do believe, though, that you CAN’T force love to grow (just as, in fact, you can harm plants by over-watering them).  I believe that each individual must grow/eat/love God at his or her own pace—it’s between him/her and God. :)

Wow! You are so right, Peter. I never looked at it this way. It is so amazing the insight you have in so many areas of the Bible.
Keep your thoughts coming Peter.
We need you to help us fight through all of this “Religion”

Interesting is also to note that God´s anointing ABIDES in us. As charismatics we have - ruled by our feelings - that the anointing comes and goes. The anointing is always in us since Christ himself has said that He will never leave of forsake us.
It´s time to take Him for His words and start living the 24 hour a day Jesus life!

So true.  We commune with God at differnt times of the day.

Hi,
God reveals Himself primarily through the pages of the Scripture. Let what you learnt about God from your passage of meditation be turned into praise.

True… Communicating with god in present scientific age becomes possible through path of spirituality… that directly led to God Almighty. One never reached god via path of religion… path of rituals! Communication with god became possible when one reached stage of enlightenment (termed kaivalya in Hinduism)!

As per sacred Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism… moment one reached stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi… one could commune with God Almighty on one-to-one basis every second of life! An enlightened one… one whose soul atman had gained absolute purity finally entered kingdom of god (termed Vaikuntha in Hinduism)... a point of no return!

No No No! I thank the people for telling me to spend time with God!  I didn’t know what power God had and how much he really loved me until I started to spend quality time with him ALONE! 
How many of us run around all day thinking we are close to God and yet have no change in our lives?  How many of us feel powerless in prayer and worship?  How many of us allow ourselves to be swamped with work and tasks or distracted by entertainment choices, just to feel lonely and frustrated at the end of the day? 
Jesus says ：“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.“  Matthew 11:28
Satan doesn’t want us to spend time with God. 
When Jesus was persecuted, He prayed alone many times a day.  Even Jesus needs the Father.  How much more do we need Him?

We feel guilty when we don’t go to Him because the Holy Spirit convicts us but we refuse to obey.  The guilt does not come from the person who reminds you to spend time with God.  For spending time with God is a God and Wonderful thing.  Why would one refuse to go to Him?  It’s very simple.  Because we do not want to submit our time to Him.  We want to rule.  We want to go our way and do things our way.

Know this, spending time with God is increasing our annointing and being healed and comforted.  It is good for no one else but us.  It never is a chore.  We need to learn to let go and go to Him.  When we do drop the work in our hands to sit at Jesus feet, many hardships we face will just melt away.  It’s never a chore! It’s a peace time, a time to receive love and encouragement, and a time to really be in His presence. 
Yes, being with God 24 hours is great.  But it’s truly falsehood to say because God is with me 24 hours a day, it means I shouldn’t take out an hour to focus solely on Him.  Why wouldn’t I want to?

The question is:  why do I refuse to go to God and spend time with Him even when people remind me?  Why do I feel guilty?  And even when I feel guilty I still refuse to go?  Why is that when I finally go I still feel like it’s a chore?
Is this a mystery?  Isn’t this plain and simple?  It’s a warfare of the flesh( sin nature )and the Spirit.  The Spirit woes you but you really rather be your own god listening to yourself, doing your own thing.  Our problem is that we don’t realize this is unrepentence.  We don’t realize this is a choice we have to take responsibility for. 

No, pastors should not stop telling people to spend time with God.  They should Repent,spend more time with God themselves and encourage others to do so as well. 
There are a number of preachers who now are steering people away from God ever so slightly at a time.  They preach things that seem right, but is not.  They don’t obey the Holy Spirit and tells others don’t have to.  This is very dangerous.

If you are not spending time with God, than what is the point of God’s coming to us and saving us?  The ultimate reason for everything is your reunion with God who opens His heart to you and devotes His love to you.  Open your heart to Him and spend time as Mary does. 

Everything in this world will pass and is nothing compared to the love of God, and His presence with us.  Get to know Him and find Him and give your day to Him.  He will lift you up.  Give Him your pride and sins, and He will give you peace and new life. 
Every attack of the enemy shall be broken.  Every lie of the accuser shall unfold and rendered powerless.  Praise God!

I’m eighteen. I’ve been dealing with a sense of great apathy toward Christianity. I accepted christ when I was so young and it’s always just been there, and lately especially I have neglected Christ, feeling no remorse. But this has shown me that I have the wrong mindset. I don’t need to spend specific time with God, I need to dedicate every minute of every day to him. My desire is to go into missions, how can I do that without passion? How can I have passion without desire? Obviously I can’t. Thank you for showing me another way of looking at it, hopefully this can inspire me in the long term as well as this very moment.