Holy Moments

How I create connection to Christ

There are many reasons to believe that God is real and Christianity is the true religion. As a Christian apologist, I can provide all those good reasons to you, and have done so in many of my blogs. But head knowledge alone is usually not enough to carry you through hard times. I have heard the arguments that you can’t have a ‘feelings-based’ faith, either. Yet, I know that if I don’t occasionally “feel God,” then I am experiencing a disconnect from the Vine (Jesus), and my branch may whither. So, I hope to provide you with some practical advice on how to stay connected.

Simple quiet times set apart with God are holy moments we desperately need because all around me, I see many Christians drying up; maybe they are too busy or they don’t even know how to cultivate the life of the Spirit. But without practicing the presence of God, how can we say we even ‘know’ Him – by intellect alone? That’s not enough for me, at least. I need fellowship with Christ. And I start by recognizing I need to find the holy in the ordinary.

I don’t need to be sitting in the Crystal Cathedral or even watching a warm, glowing sunset, although those can be amazing holy moments, but everyday I find the holy in routine: at my home, my office, my kitchen or even driving somewhere. The holy doesn’t need fancy – it’s needs humility and desire. It’s the time I spend allowing my thoughts to dwell on the goodness of God, His majesty, His power, His wisdom, His faithfulness. As my mind dwells there, I let the worries of this world dissolve.

The Holy moment is in the present – the here and now. It’s not yesterday or tomorrow—it’s the immediate—today. 

Let your heart rest here.

One of my favorite names of God is Emmanuel—God ‘with’ us. He is with you, right now, in this moment. That is where you find Him; that is where your peace is cultivated. For just like a garden, you must cultivate the present; work the soil of your thought life where all things begin to grow. Plant seeds of contemplation, introspection and solitude. 

To find God in the midst of your ‘now,’ get alone. This way you can’t be as distracted. You can be alone in your car—turn off the radio. You can be alone in your room—unplug the media. Find moments, even if you have a big family, to be alone (the shower works, too).

When I’m alone, I release my fears, my shame or my petitions at His feet, in a pool of prayer, as the dirt of this world is wiped off me in the presence of my Savior. 

The dirt of this world is wrong thinking about who God is and who we are in Jesus Christ. Here is some right thinking: once we believe, we are grafted into the Body of Christ, becoming His children. You are His child and just like any good parent, He loves you! The heavenly father enjoys His children—He enjoys you. These are the kinds of thoughts that help transform your thinking to find the holy in the ordinary.

Just being with God in the Spirit helps to wash away the worries of the world that tug at you, distracting you from the holy moments. Remember, He is omnipresent—ever present—and you need to simply stop the hurry and focus your thoughts on this truth: Emmanuel, God WITH us… right now, in this breath, this thought, this ever-present presence.

It is a holy moment set apart from the world to recognize your Creator, the One who designed you, loves you, and has invited you to live forever with Him as part of His holy family in an ever lasting holy moment.

One definition of Holy means ‘set apart’. You need to set apart your thinking for Him. Fill your mind with “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8.) What you fill your mind with matters.

Be careful of filling your thoughts with the coarseness of this world. It can invade your mind in all sorts of ways, but mostly through media. What are you watching? What are you listening to? These are the areas that you can change if what you’re consuming isn’t filled with goodness, beauty and truth.

And never forget that human beings shouldn’t live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt. 4:4.) We all have Bibles. Are you reading yours? That is a must for right thinking.

Emmanuel means God is with us. You need to believe this truth. God is ever-present. He’s not far at all—He’s not some distant ‘watchmaker’ who makes the device and then walks away. God is in every move of the hand of time. He created time, after all, and can step inside and outside of it, as He wills. How do we know this? Because at the Big Bang, scientists now know that all space, time and matter had a beginning. So, whatever caused the bang (God), must live outside of time in order to begin it. Think on that for a moment…

How do you find the holy in the ordinary?

Take the holy moment, still your pace, reflect on God. Right here. Right now. Emmanuel.