"Ditch the smart phone and/or computer games, Netflix, watching college or pro sports for a while. In fact, show God that you place a higher priority in getting to know His son than anything the telestial world can offer you."And then, just a few days ago, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn said:
"You've got to replace something for God.
If you're going to give time to God, that's time that you would have been doing something else. You have to sacrifice that time in front of the television. Or sacrifice that time doing that other thing so you can give it to God. Then it's worth something. You would not accept leftovers. He would not accept leftovers to build a Tent of Meeting.
You know, that is, if you wonder, what if God was that way with us, if He said, 'Well, you know, I don't have time for you now"? You're ready to worship Him and we take it for granted that He's going to be there. He doesn't have to be there. But He is there. We need to put Him the same way. We expect God to meet us at His whim, and yet, with our schedule, it revolves around us. That's not how He showed up in glory."
"One of the signs that your life is revolving around God is that you revolve your schedule around God, not the other way around. You give the best. What's a tithe -- the tithe it's not the last part, it's the first part. You give the best part of your time. The best part of your devotion. The best part of your attention. Full attention!"
"We are so plugged in to the world, that it's hard to be plugged in to God. We have to put things aside."
"God required the [ancient Israelites'] tabernacle to be exactly, everything in it's place. Everything! And the thing is, if you build carelessly, if the Israelites built it carelessly, God would never show up. If they made a recommendation, if they couldn't care less, so you wonder and say 'How come I don't feel the presence of God"? Well, how much are you putting into your prayer life?"
The Presence in the Tent - April 5, 2015
I have no doubt whatsoever that God is anxious for you to enjoy a greater communion with Him. Because He won't force Himself on you, He awaits your thoughts, your acts of devotion (which includes your time) that demonstrate to Him that He's a critically important -- if not THE most important -- aspect of your life.
I invite you to repent. Replace the menial, temporal, temporary, fleeting, brief, momentary, cursory, transient, ephemeral, passing, transitory focuses of your life to a focus on Him. Put Him to the test, and see if He will fill it with more life and more light than your previous path could ever have supplied.
"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." - Deuteronomy 6:5
