Time with Zangetsu and God

A couple of Sundays ago, I was really challenged by something my pastor was sharing with us in his sermon.  His challenge/statement was that if we are neglecting our time with God in private, everything else we do publicly is just a show. Let that sink in for a moment.  Our tendency is to look for big spiritual hype in large crowds, where there is already a vibe on a group level to have this experience. It can almost at times become a show of comparing who had the deeper connection with God that day (Sundays usually).  However, we don't ask each other "How has been your personal time with God been?" The big reminder in this sermon was that we need to get back to those personal times with God, where we meet with Him without anyone knowing it.

It kinda struck me as I was listening that this was like Bleach (shocker, I know, I am connecting a sermon to something nerdy).  Bleach fans love the big battles that Ichigo fights (Mr. Urahara, Captain Zaraki, Byakuya Kuchiki, Sosuke Aizen, etc....), they are a big part of the build up in Ichigho's power. What struck me though was that if it weren't for Ichigo's training/lessons with Zangetsu, he wouldn't have been able to win these fights or progress onward. Also, what I find even more ironic is that these training sessions with Zangetsu were either in his own mind or were in a private space that very few people had access to. Now Ichigo is a very powerful character (one of the big four in anime), but he honestly wouldn't have gotten there without learning from Zangetsu.  Without taking the time to learn in private from Zangetsu, Ichigo would have been just a teenager with a lot of power and not able to use it.

Much like what I was saying earlier; we really can't expect to grow in our faith (walk with God) if we are not taking time with Him.  Jesus emphasized this in Matthew 6:5-6, "When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them.  I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." Jesus, himself modelled this several times where he went off on his own to talk to God.

Lately, I have been feeling like Ichigo, who often goes off into the fights with the right intentions (defending friends/family, pushing back against injustice, doing what is right). Yet, I need to remember that Ichigo needed those times with Zangetsu to really prepare for those battles and it can't only happen before the "boss fights".  I need to remember that I need to meet with my "Zangetsu" (God/Jesus/Holy Spirit) daily to grow so I can lean on His strength and know what do to when the boss fights come up.

Are you taking time to train each day with God, to listen to Him and be with Him, or are you just trying to push through boss fight after boss fight? What does this training look like for you? What does your secret space of training look like and what will it take for you to go there each day?


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