Managing Time God’s Way

 “What is your biggest challenge right now?  In this season?”

— a question recently asked on a survey of women touched by this ministry.

And the number one answer?

TIME MANAGEMENT

Although individual responses varied – time management, consistent time in God’s Word, time, having time to meet with God, balance, time, consistency, consistent in Bible study, etc. – they all pointed to the struggles many of us have with time, balance, and priorities.

How about you?

Try this quick check-up.

Use the scale provided to assign a number value to each of the partner statements listed below.  Assigning a 1 means the statement on the left represents your lifestyle.  Assign a 2, 3, or 4 if the statement on the left describes you “some of the time.”  A value of 5 or 6 means you fairly evenly switch back and forth between the two partner statements.  If you identify more closely with the statement on the right, assign a 7, 8, or 9 for “some of the time.”  A 10 would be assigned if the statement on the right is indicative of your lifestyle.

It is so important to be totally honest with yourself here.  God already knows.  We grow best as we are honest and truthful.  It is not enough to ask, “Which of these statements do I believe?”  We MUST ask, “In each case, what does my life show I believe?”

Example:

 God’s will be done.                                 ___       My will be done.

 In the routine and circumstances of a typical day, do your decisions and actions show “God’s will be done?”  If so, give that pair of statements a 1.  However, if your decisions and actions many times lead to “My will be done,” you might assign a value of 8 or 9 to the partner statements.

 Time Management Check-Up

 

   1      2  –   3   –   4      5   –   6      7  –  8  –  9     10

Lifestyle     S o m e   o f   t h e   t i m e         Back and Forth      S o m e   o f   t h e   t i m e    Lifestyle

 

God is good all the time.                               ___       Why did God let ______ happen to me?

God loves me lavishly.                                  ___       I feel lonely.  Nobody loves me.

Christ is all I need.                                        ___       I am critical. I need people/things to be happy.

God’s ways are best.                                     ___       My way is best.

God has an eternal purpose.                          ___       God should solve my problems and make my life easy.

Freedom, delight, fruitfulness                       ___       Frustration, stress, exhaustion

God’s “to do” list                                           ___       My “to do” list

Love, joy, peace                                             ___       Envy, anxiety, fear

Flexible                                                          ___       Rigid

Called                                                             ___       Driven

Surrendered                                                    ___       Controlling

Quiet spirit                                                     ___       Churning spirit

Balanced schedule                                         ___       Crazy busy

Holy Spirit dependent                                    ___       Self-reliant

Sufficient time for all God wants me to do    ___       Not enough time to do everything I’m supposed to do

Consistent time alone with God                     ___       No time to spend alone with God

 

What did the check-up reveal to you?

The total score really isn’t all that important.  However, much can be learned from this self-reflective exercise.

Do your responses indicate that you tend to live more in the realm of crazy busy dazed by feelings of stress and exhaustion?

Are you rigid and driven in your management of time operating daily by a set schedule from which you find it extremely difficult to deviate?

Most days, do you find yourself overwhelmed by all the things you NEED to do?  So busy, in fact, that you don’t have time to spend alone with God?

Look back at the partner statements in the check-up above.

The statements on left are God’s DESIGN for time management, balance, and priorities.  The statements on the right are the antithesis of God’s DESIGN – our upside down, out-of-whack view of time in a fallen world.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will dig into the Bible and look a bit more closely at God’s DESIGN for time management.

In the meantime, take one more look at your responses to the check-up.

• Confess needed areas to God.  Request His forgiveness and guidance.
• Invite God to show you what He wants you to learn about time management.
• Begin now to ask for and claim His promises of freedom, fruitfulness, joy, and peace in regard to your biblical management of time.
• Consider keeping a journal of what God is teaching you about His view of time and time management.

 

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.  Psalm 90:12

 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16