The Connection: Your Walk With God Moment

     As young people in the 21st century, we often don't understand why it's really important to have a relationship with God. Why can't we wait till we're adults with jobs and degrees? Two possible explanations are the following:

1. Tomorrow is not promised to us. (Job 1:21)
2. Jesus could come any day, and we have to be ready. (Matt. 24:36-39)

     Okay, those are some good reasons; but could someone explain to me why our parents think five o'clock in the morning is a beautiful time to commune with God? I mean, let's think about this: God is never on vacation, and He never takes naps. Can we not commune with Him at a more godly hour of the day (an hour when perhaps we are more conscious)? Sure we can; have fun debating that with your parents! We can commune with God at anytime (and we should according to 1Thessalonians 5:17), but it is best to start our day with God. In doing this, we can have a better understanding of what God wants us to do for Him that day, and we can also have a peace and an assurance that He is with us and is guiding our actions. When we start our day with Him, we can ask Him to take our life and use it for His purpose.

     However, I have to admit: it is difficult to get up every morning -- with hardly any sunlight peeking through my window -- and praise God. The problem is that if I do not do it then, I never get around to doing it. I guess that in the end that is a good thing because we are told to "seek... FIRST the kingdom of God..." (Matt. 6:33).

     The real question behind the concept of "personal devotion" is this: how do we do it? Do we have to be old school or can we be ourselves? What falls into the category of irreverence? The cool thing about God is that He is always up-to-date with society. That means that if you listen to an audio Bible while reading along, He is okay with that. If you use a computer journal to record what you do in your personal time with God, that is okay. If you tweet or Facebook something that you take out of what you learned, I am fairly certain that God has no issues with that. 

     However, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes, and He has guiding principles that also do not change. In essence, God is the He does not necessarily care how you commune with Him (so long as it does not go against His principles); He just wants to spend time with you, like any friend would. And, as you spend time with Him, you will begin to recognize His likes and dislikes; you will also hear Him telling you what kinds of things He would like you do to versus those things He does not want you to do. Here are some suggestions for your WWGM or "Walk With God Moment" :

• Make sure you pray. Prayer could never be more important; communication is the key to every relationship!
• Don't forget to hear what God has to say, too! Read a portion of the Bible everyday, either online or straight from the Book.
• Music is an awesome way to praise God. You can sing songs from a songbook or from memory, you can listen to songs from YouTube or Tangle, or you can write your own songs!
• An easy way to keep track of your walk with God is to have a WWGM Journal. You can use any kind of notebook, binder or portfolio or you can make a journal on your computer by making a file or using a journal program of sorts.

     Just as a side explanation, I refer to this as a "Walk With God Moment" because your walk with God is continuous; it is for this life and for the life to come. The special moment that you set aside for God each day is the time during which your entire focus is on Him and nothing else. As I said earlier, you should speak with God continuously throughout the day, inquiring of Him to see what He would have you to do. In doing God's will and following His path for your life, you are walking with Him. It's your walk with God, so let God tell you how it should be. Do not let others dictate how your relationship with God should be. That means that while you respectfully accept any advise or criticism given to you by others, you do not immediately implement it; you prayerfully ask God what you should do.

I hope and pray that you will enjoy your walk with God and will make it a part of your daily life.