There is something greater than the Bible. There is something so much more sweet than our salvation. There is something more powerful than the Church. To tell you what this thing is, I am going to use the “Christian language” that we have created in modern church culture.

Quiet Time, devotion, Bible study, priority time, time alone with God, Bible reading, Jesus time, time with the King, prayer time, daily devotions…

These terms, while they might have hit the mark (or possibly may have missed it completely), are used in an attempt to describe the very linchpin of our faith. While the use of this terminology doesn’t necessarily mean the accomplishment of this great goal, they’re often used to imply it in a general way; that goal is intimacy with the Father. The linchpin of our faith is intimacy with the Father.

A linchpin is a very small and somewhat rigid clasp that is primarily used to keep a wheel from spinning off of the axle it is attached to. The wheel has the freedom to operate within its intended use without spinning out of control because of this small pin. The wheel is also able to turn while spinning without a fear of running out of control or coming off because of the linchpin. Needless to say, a wheel can only operate for a few seconds without major catastrophe if the linchpin is not in place. Turning, spinning, and navigating rough terrain cannot take place without a linchpin.

Did you have the Radio Flyer wagon growing up? I did. Imagine a wagon with a wheel that is missing this small linchpin. You load it up with all sort of treasures and then off you go on your journey down the street. “Frustration” will be the name of the game on this wagon journey. Every few feet, that wheel is going to come off. And the real comedy of errors isn’t just the wheel rolling off by itself, but rather the fact that you end up determined to take this journey despite the endless attempts to try to keep the wheel in place. This constant replacing of the wheel without the one absolutely vital component of inserting a small linchpin onto the wagon is the perfect example of trying to live a “Christian life” without intimacy with the Father.

Have you ever wondered why there seems to be huge crowds of people that seem to fall into the “fickle” category in their faith? They are missing the linchpin. There aren’t a lot of things when dealing with human beings that shock me. I know how despicable and fickle I am, so when someone comes to talk to me about something and they seem hesitant I usually say something like “God’s not scared of what you are going to say cause He already knows it”. That being said, I do find it somewhat shocking when an inspirational quote, a seemingly God-ordained circumstance, or some truth that someone else has learned and shared with us replaces our own intimacy with the Father. Have we really altered our lives so much that a meme with a clever spiritual statement seems a sufficient replacement for hearing the Creator of the Universe speak to us?

Those times in the morning (or whenever you give time to meet with Him), should not be times filled with your own agenda. Sure - I read God’s word, but that component is designed to be used as a conduit for my interaction with Him. Sure - I worship and sing, but that is usually in preparation of my heart to hear from His. Sure - I pray, but those times aren’t filled with me talking. Those times are filled with me listening because God is a talker! My prayer time is supposed to be a conversation with the only true Source of wisdom, but I’m always the only one talking? That simply doesn’t make sense. The more I hear from the Lord, the less and less I find myself asking or speaking.

Nothing else matters outside of me getting on my heart what He already has on His. Out of these times come the ministries of the church. Out of these times come my identity and calling. Out of these times come my growth. A stronger way to say it is this: a relationship, ministry, church, idea, business venture or anything else not originating out of that intimate time with the Father is based in the gospel of self.

If you are struggling with understanding this time and how it works, here is a great way to approach how to fix it:

Kill all the noise.

Of course that is what we all want to do, but what I am saying is different. Treat EVERYTHING as noise.

1. Start with a quiet place and time set aside to listen to the Father.

2. If just setting aside time and place doesn’t seem to work, sometimes we need to kill more. I often have to deal with the noise of self. I try to turn off my expectations and my own thoughts about this time. If even that doesn’t work I get a little more intense and I turn off the worship music.

3. I know how deceptive the enemy can be and sometimes he can use important, good things to prevent me from interacting with the most important One. There have been many days where I set aside my music, my prayer list, and yes even a few days where I put down my Bible in order to hear the Father’s heart. No, I am not saying that God would contradict what is in scripture but rather that I might, inadvertently, be reading His word instead of listening to what He is saying.

4. Expectations are what make or break this being a healthy routine so kill all expectations. There are many days when just walking through this process is all the Lord wants me to do. That’s ok. But there are also lots of days where my spirit is flooded with the overwhelming heartbeat of God.

5. Trust the test. When God speaks, your spirit is flooded, or you just sense something, we can often second guess ourselves. This is why in so many spots the Bible says to test the spirits. The best way I test things is by finding where there is peace. If God is in it, there is peace; neither the enemy nor myself can fabricate peace.

Let me close with this question. What is the lie that has prevented us from placing the linchpin on our wagon wheel? No matter what the answer is, God Himself is eager to sit down and talk it through with us.