What Is It Time For?

On occasions, Father speaks a word so powerful, that only over time do we see the depth of the significance of the truth He has revealed. This is one such message I feel compelled to share with you.

I want to talk about a gift of God that is often not stewarded well. The reason for this is because many do not see this gift as a gift from God. I am talking about God’s gift of time.

Psalms 90:12 (NIV) Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

The most important thing is not to know how many days we have been alive, but rather, to live each day with a sense of divine commission and holy calling. This daily approach to life will release the Spirit of wisdom to lead us in accordance with Father’s will.

We need God’s view of time. It is more than the ticking of seconds on a clock or the turning of the pages of a calendar. Time itself is a supernatural creation of God.

Genesis 1:14-19 (NIV) And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark (distinguish) sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Yes, the creation of time is supernatural, but what makes it even more astounding is the reality that God created the ingredients needed to determine time – the sun and the moon – only on the fourth day! God had three days before He created the essentials to have the first day! Time itself is one of God’s greatest creations, and as such, it is an incredible gift to us.

God’s Gift Of Time

No one owns time but God. Everything that God gives us is to be stewarded by us, not owned by us. Therefore, statements like “my time” and “your time”, “spare time” and “free time” are not accurate statements. This is important to know because it is what will stir us to use God’s gift wisely.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Because time is a gift from God to be stewarded by us, and because there is time for everything that God authors, we need to know what it is time for moment by moment. Many people ask the question, “What time is it?” This is fine, but the more important question is, “What is it time for?”

The only One who can answer this accurately is God. He conceived us in His mind, breathed His Spirit into our bodies, and He wrote every day ordained for us in His Book before one of them came to pass. He has prepared some good works in advance for us to do.

But I have discovered something that compels me to be transparent with you. Sometimes we don’t ask God what He wants us to do in case He asks us to do something that we don’t want to do! Often our struggle is not that we are doing something wrong, but that we are doing something different than what God has authored for that particular moment.

Galatians 5:25 (NIV) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

God’s leading is not just about direction; it is also about timing. When we do things is important to God. We must guard against lagging behind God, but equally, we must be careful not to rush ahead of God. It is time to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.

Guarding Against Distractions

In order to use God’s gift of time wisely, we must guard against distractions. A distraction starts simply as doing something different than something else. While many distractions in and of themselves are harmless, in the life of a believer, they can become the very thing that removes (dis) the power of the Holy Spirit that has been provided for movement (traction) – distraction. When this occurs, we would do well to pause and ask Father, “What is it time for?” Realignment to kingdom purposes may be the very thing that is needed in these moments.

Many Christians are being distracted by good things. Martha showed us this when she became distracted by all that had to be done as a result of inviting Jesus into her home. Therefore, it’s not always about asking what is right or wrong, as much as it is about asking, “What now God?”

Here’s a few questions I want to leave you with today:

Is it time to serve God or to sit with God?
Is it time to speak or to be silent?
Is it time to go or to stay?

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV) Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Let’s be on time with what God has authored for each moment.