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Triskal
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 198

Posted 9/15/2003 7:40 PM (GMT -6)

Hey all,

Been a while since I posted here. I have trouble consistantly staying on message boards for some reason. I had a couple of thoughts and questions and I felt lead to share them with you all.

For the last couple of months i've been having problems staying motivated in my walk with God. Due to the fact that I don't work very many hours and am only in school during the early morning--early starting college--I have a lot of time that I don't know what to do with. I have been really mad at myself because I know in my heart that I should dedicate that time to the Lord, yet I can NEVER motivate myself to do so.

The only time that I really dedicate 100% to God is late at night. For whatever reasons that is the only time I can actually bring myself to do so. This may sound rather bizarre, but it feels like I am thinking differently when night time comes. When the day comes to an end, I start to think more clearly and can actually bring myself to spend time with God. It's not like I am forcing myself to spend time with Him--I really do enjoy those times--, it's just that I can't get past that feeling that it is going to be boring or painful during other times of the day.

I have a serious addiction to entertainment. When I have free time, it seems like I am always defaulting to some form of entertainment. If I get the day off work, i'll for sure spend it either watching tv, playing games, or sitting at my computer. I very rarely remember to pray or read the Bible. In fact I very rarely read the Bible.

I don't mean to sound like a whiner. It's just that I have no clue what to do about this. Deep down in my heart I want spend more time with God, but I just can't bring my physical self to do that. I know i'm not alone in these feelings. Several of my friends tell me they struggle with this same problem. It's a problem of motivation, from what I can gather. Why is it that I have to fight so hard to get myself to do something that I really do enjoy doing? I absoloutely love my time with God. My spirit comes alive at night when I am deep in prayer and worship. Yet during the day it is like i'm a whole different person.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Does anyone struggle with this same problem?

What i'm really looking for is someone who can relate to this problem, and possibly share some advice from personal experience. Anyone out there?

In His Grip,
- Matt -

"In Him we live and move and have our being" - Acts 17:28

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

Laika
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 2433

Posted 9/16/2003 1:31 AM (GMT -6)

Triskal, try setting a goal, say reading the chapter of Matthew in a week. Then ask someone to hold you accountable for doing that. Then take notes of what you read and your thoughts and show them to that person. I think we drift because we don't have targets. As Dr Boyd says, "be intentional".

Be intentional with your entertainment as well. Don't just veg out in front of the TV and watch anything, decide ahead of time what you're going to watch and just watch that. Then turn it off.

And finally, get married and have kids, you'll never need to worry about "free time" anymore. Eyebrow

inside you the time moves and she don't fade
the ghost in you she don't fade

Triskal
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 198

Posted 9/16/2003 5:33 AM (GMT -6)

Laika,

Thank you for your suggestions. I agree that I do need to start getting more intentional about it. Believe me though, i've tried setting goals and targets before. I've gone pretty far with it, too. For a while I tried wearing a watch and setting an alarm on it to go off every five minutes to remind me to pray. That worked for a while, but eventually I would just disable the alarm and go do something else.

The problem for me is that I am just not disciplined enough to carry out any goals or targets. I will put them off like you'd never imagine. Seriously, I am the biggest procrastinator the world has ever seen. I don't think i've EVER done an assignment for school earlier then the day before it was due. The only time I can bring myself to study for a test is the night before. I even put off returning phone calls to the point that the person will call ME back and ask why I didn't call.

It's not that I don't want to do those things. For whatever reason, I envision myself in pain when I think about doing them. I can't get over that feeling whenever I have to do something difficult. What makes it even more bizarre is that when I actually can bring myself to do something, I really do enjoy doing it.

One thought that I did have is that I am too distracted. Last month I went on a trip up to a resort on a lake. When I was there I had no trouble bringing myself to spend time with God. In fact that's all I really ever did up there. Maybe it was because I had nothing to compete with for my time?

Just some thoughts. Thank you for your suggestions. I really do appreciate them. Smile

In His Grip,
- Matt -

"In Him we live and move and have our being" - Acts 17:28

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

Laika
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 2433

Posted 9/16/2003 5:52 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by Triskal
One thought that I did have is that I am too distracted. Last month I went on a trip up to a resort on a lake. When I was there I had no trouble bringing myself to spend time with God. In fact that's all I really ever did up there. Maybe it was because I had nothing to compete with for my time?

bingo, you hit on your own solution

try going for a walk and praying while you are walking

Ever read "The Cross and the Switchblade"? Dave Wilkerson's whole ministry started when he threw away his T.V.

inside you the time moves and she don't fade
the ghost in you she don't fade

Triskal
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 198

Posted 9/16/2003 6:07 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by Laika
Ever read "The Cross and the Switchblade"? Dave Wilkerson's whole ministry started when he threw away his T.V.

Yeah I read it a while back. Great book. I should probably try reading it again though. I'm sure I could learn something new.

I have tried things like going for a walk. But again, that's something that I would put off for days. The problem is not finding something to do, but actually bringing myself to do it.

In His Grip,
- Matt -

"In Him we live and move and have our being" - Acts 17:28

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

Laika
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 2433

Posted 9/16/2003 6:36 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by Triskal
I have tried things like going for a walk. But again, that's something that I would put off for days. The problem is not finding something to do, but actually bringing myself to do it.

Want me to just come over there occaisionally and kick you in the a**? Eyebrow

inside you the time moves and she don't fade
the ghost in you she don't fade

Triskal
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 198

Posted 9/16/2003 7:02 AM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by Laika

Want me to just come over there occaisionally and kick you in the a**?

LOL! Hey, that just might work! Smile

"In Him we live and move and have our being" - Acts 17:28

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

Tigress
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1252

Posted 9/17/2003 8:09 AM (GMT -6)

Triskal,
You know, I'm a lot like you are. Except I don't always enjoy doing the things I put off. It's good that you do enjoy them. I don't even always enjoy spending time with God. I hate to admit that but it's true. I think it's because I always get so emotional and that can really get old after a while because it's so draining.

I tend to regard doing stuff like that (spending time with God) as more of an obligation than something to look forward to. I know I shouldn't but that's the way it always feels. Maybe my perception of God still needs to be improved. As much as I know He loves me unconditionally, I think I still don't trust Him completely in that. I always think that I have to spend time with God or else I'm not really saved and that I'd be treading on thin ice in regards to my eternal destination. Yet, in my mind I know that Jesus has saved me once and for all, so I shouldn't feel like if I don't do something my salvation will be nullified. That alone should make me enthusiastic about spending time with Him. But for some reason, it's like pulling teeth just to get me to do it.

I'm sorry I don't have any good advice for you. I guess I just thought I should let you know that you're not alone in your struggles. I'm the same way.

Tigress

"Name a shrub after me. Preferably one that's prickly and difficult to eradicate."

-Captain Jack Aubrey
"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"

Triskal
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 198

Posted 9/17/2003 6:22 PM (GMT -6)

quote:
Originally posted by Tigress
I tend to regard doing stuff like that (spending time with God) as more of an obligation than something to look forward to.

I'm glad that i'm not alone in my struggle. Thank you for sharing that with me.

One thing that really helped me enjoy spending time with God was choosing a time of day to routinely praise and worship God. At first it felt like I was just going through the motions, but after a while God really began to show up and encourage me. Maybe it was because I had intentionally set aside a time of day to spend with Him.

What do you constitute as spending time with God? Do you mean like reading the Bible and praying? Because I always start out my time with Him in worship. And not just like singing along with Amazing Grace. I crank my stereo up to some really upbeat praise music and I let myself go. Either that or I put some praise tunes on my Mp3 player and dance and sing while i'm getting ready for bed. Worship really sets the mood for spending time with God; it makes it a lot more enjoyable. After I have spent some time in worship--usually like 15-20 minutes or so--I enter into a time of prayer. When i'm finished praying I will read whatever book i'm into at the time.

Now I know that I just started a topic about how I need motivation to spend more time with God. The keyword there is MORE. What I just described was my routine hour or so that I spend with Him before bed. I have no problem disciplining myself to spend time with him at night before bed, it's only during the day that I struggle.

Hope those suggestions help you, Tigress. Just remember that it's not ALWAYS going to be enjoyable. But if you have trouble with it never being enjoyable, then I would start thinking of ways to incorporate more fun styles of prayer and worship. Change things up a bit, get creative. There's no set way to spend time with God.

In His Grip
- Matt -

"In Him we live and move and have our being" - Acts 17:28

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

rossfadeinout
Registered Member

Date Joined Oct 2002
Total Posts : 428

Posted 9/19/2003 5:57 AM (GMT -6)

Hey all,

I still struggle, believe me. But there was a radical change that took place in my relationship with God in my junior year in college. Basically it had to do with my perception of who God was and what a relationship with him was all about. God used John Piper's book "Desiring God" and John Eldredge's book "Journey of Desire" to wake me up to the truth that Jesus message was GOOD NEWS (thats what gospel means, right) "I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it more abundantly!" I realized that I will never be TRULY satisfied unless I was in beautiful fellowship with God.

Doc had several sermons that really helped me to understand that being disciplined is NOT a boring thing, it is seeking true living. Here is the link to the sermons - www.whchurch.org/content/page_162.htm Check out "Born to be Wild" (2-3-02) "Remembering Paradise" (2-10-02) and "The Gazelle God Gaze" (2-17-02)

My two cents Big Smile

...

Ross

"Let us remember how common the folly is of going from one faulty extreme into the opposite." -Thomas Reid

Laplace
Registered Member

Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 138

Posted 9/19/2003 8:27 AM (GMT -6)

Triskal,

I'd like to make a humble suggestion which may help.

Rather than planning a seemingly insurmountable goal of devotional time and setting yourself up for discouragement, I recommend to reverse the process to develop that "hunger" for spiritual things.

First, and please take this within perspective, try and not view one part of the day as "spritual" with the rest "secular". By that I do not mean you ignore devotional time, but that you start to bring God into your daily activities, from showering to reading, having "conversational" prayers rather than formalized one. This should not replace the discipline aspects of a walk with God, certainly, but it may help with the feeling that you aren't growing or gaining if you aren't doing the "official" stuff of reading the Word and praying (the walking while praying as one person posted). In addition, maintaining this "God in everything" attitude towards life will help keep you from falling into sin as well as incite questions to bring to God later.

Secondly, although I endorse reading the Bible every day, I believe it turns into too much of a burden for many because they compare their devotions to one more mature in their walk. Spending an hour reading the Bible with the wrong mindset is worth much less than a few verses in the right one.

One pastor said there is a guarenteed way to stay in the Word every day. Read one verse a day. It's that simple (maybe a website or calander that has a verse a day). If you truly believe God's Word has power and can cut through the heart, then God will use that verse in your life. So rather than having the opposite effect of supressing your hunger for the Word, it often will increase it until you do get up to a stage you'd like. One practical thing I've done in the past to help me read is to listen to a dramatized version of the NIV on tape (NT at the time, think they did an OT now as well) and follow along in my Bible. The plus is you ARE reading the Bible, and it helps the text become more alive. It is a different aspect than meditating on the Scripture, but is a way nonetheless.

Finally, in terms of practicality, I found out through my college experience that when I gave up TV (mainly because I had school to take care of) I was shocked at how much more time I had and how much of a (almost useless) time sink it was. Just giving most of that up might help with those feelings of guilt. It's not exactly a spiritual tip, but more one which can help enrich your life.

I will say at a close Triskal that you have the most important ingredient of all regarding spending time with God: Desire. Most don't even have that. They just keep God in their back pocket until they are in trouble ("Where are your gods now? Let them save you."). Have you spoken to God about this troubling issue? That right there is prayer. Do you wish you could find a Word of encouragement in this predicament? Looking it up in a concordance for a Bible verse (or a familar Psalm) is your time in the Bible. And do you not "feel" anything from it or they are just words? Ask God what this is supposed to mean. Right there is your time of reflection? Easy, right? Good luck!

"I say we blast the meatbag, Master" -HK-47, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Tigress
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1252

Posted 9/19/2003 11:22 AM (GMT -6)

Continuing along the lines of what LaPlace said, a guy in one of my old Bible study groups said that in order to make God an integral part of his entire day, and to include Him on His every day life, he would begin a prayer in the morning, but never close it until he went to bed that night. So, his whole daily life would be essentially a continuous prayer to God. This not only helps him to feel much closer to Jesus, as if He were standing right there next to him, but it also would help him to not give in to temptation and sin so much. He'd be less likely to use swear words, say anything negative to or about others, and he'd be more encouraged to do his best at work.

Now I haven't tried this, because basically I'm afraid to. This would definitely impact my life. Yet, I know I should behave this way all the time anyway, because The Holy Spirit lives in my heart and so is constantly with me all the time just as if Jesus were standing right next to me. This habit of my friend's just helps him to really live life more abundantly, though. I really respect him for that, too. Maybe this is something you'd like to try.

Tigress

"Name a shrub after me. Preferably one that's prickly and difficult to eradicate."

-Captain Jack Aubrey
"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"

DLW
Registered Member

Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 2457

Posted 9/19/2003 12:06 PM (GMT -6)

It helps to set up a routine that guarantees you spend time on working toward your goals instead of other stuff like wasting time trading liners on discussion-boards.

dlw

Triskal
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 198

Posted 9/19/2003 8:31 PM (GMT -6)

Thank you all for your suggestions and encouragement. I am taking your advice to heart. There has been a lot of good discussion on this thread that has helped me get a pretty good grip on how to approach this situation. Thanks everyone. Please, keep posting if you have ideas, comments, suggestions. I have a feeling that lots of people here struggle with this same problem. Please feel free to share if you do. I don't want to be the only one here benefitting from this.

In His Grip,
- Matt -

"In Him we live and move and have our being" - Acts 17:28

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

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