{"id":47895,"date":"2021-08-26T14:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T18:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=47895"},"modified":"2021-09-08T10:35:36","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T14:35:36","slug":"time-alone-with-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/time-alone-with-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Time Alone With God: The Proven Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Why is it important to spend time alone with God? What are the key benefits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Silent communion with God gives you a chance to clear your mind, consider what&#8217;s really important in your life, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/practicing-gratitude\/\">practice gratitude<\/a>. With busy schedules and crammed calendars, it&#8217;s easy to forget the importance of time alone with God, but it should remain a priority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some good reasons you should prioritize time alone with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spending Time Alone With God<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The truth that explodes distractions is that God specifically built us for silent communion with Him. <\/strong>As in the example of Paul regaining his sight after the light of Christ had blinded him and then spending an extended time fasting in silence and solitude, stillness with God enables you to see reality as it truly is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Scriptural Support <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find scriptural support for both the importance of stillness and your ability to practice it in various passages, including James 4:8 (\u201cDraw near to God\u2026\u201d), Galatians 5 (flesh vs. spirit), Psalm 46:10 (\u201cBe still and know that I am God\u201d), Psalm 8:10 (\u201cBetter one day in your courts\u2026\u201d), and Matthew 11:30 (\u201cCome to me&#8230;and I will give you rest\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only way you can consistently bear Paul\u2019s \u201cfruit of the spirit\u201d (joy, kindness, peace, patience, self-control, and so on) instead of manifesting it only intermittently because of toxic thought spirals is to consistently \u201cwalk in the Spirit\u201d (Galatians 5:25). And the only way you can do this is by embracing and practicing stillness with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Scientific Support <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s also scientific support for time alone with God. Neurological and psychological studies have discovered many benefits that come from quiet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/eckhart-tolle-meditation-mindfulness\/\">meditation<\/a> and focused attention. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Increased relaxation brainwaves and decreased <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/low-mood-and-anxiety\/\">anxiety and depression<\/a><\/li><li>A younger, better-preserved brain<\/li><li>Better focus, with fewer wandering thoughts<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The neurological and psychological benefits for a Christian manifest as a shift in perspective toward God\u2019s point of view. You can see these in the paired items below. Notice that they\u2019re all mutually exclusive. You can\u2019t focus on both sides at once, so shifting to one automatically rules out the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Faith over fear<\/li><li>Truth over doubt<\/li><li>Trust over the need to control<\/li><li>Gratitude over comparison with others<\/li><li>Natural focus on God instead of multiple worldly anxieties<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The way you defeat your enemy of distraction is by learning to prioritize time alone with God deliberately. <\/strong>Remember the master interrupting thought: \u201cI have a choice.\u201d You can <em>choose<\/em> to value time alone with God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is it important to spend time alone with God? What are the key benefits? Silent communion with God gives you a chance to clear your mind, consider what&#8217;s really important in your life, and practice gratitude. With busy schedules and crammed calendars, it&#8217;s easy to forget the importance of time alone with God, but it should remain a priority. Here are some good reasons you should prioritize time alone with God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":22841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6],"tags":[480],"class_list":["post-47895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-spiritual","tag-get-out-of-your-head","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Time Alone With God: The Proven Benefits - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why should you prioritize time alone with God? 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