If someone tells you to “take 10,” they’re telling you to stop what you’re doing and take a 10- minute break.

Sometimes that break can’t come soon enough! We live in such a fast-paced world we can be in danger of wearing ourselves out if we don’t press the pause button from time to time.

That goes for our spiritual lives as well. We know in our heart of hearts that we need to take a “time out” to be with God every day. We know the benefits of doing so . . . and we know what happens when we fail to do so—we’re either revitalized or drained spiritually!

Here are just a few Bible verses that remind us why it’s important to take time out with God:

• “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” —Psalm 46:10
• “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” —James 4:8a
• “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” —Mark 1:35

There’s an old saying, “You deserve a break today!” If we are to live in light of these and many other Bible verses, we need a “spiritual break” each day! And a good start is by thinking of it this way: “Take 10” with God!

So how might you spend those ten precious minutes? Many people have found it beneficial to fo- cus on getting into the Bible and talking with God about what they read and about everyday life. With this in mind, you might consider starting this way:

3 minutes – Read the Bible. How can anyone keep on the right and best path, “on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).

3 minutes – Meditate on what you read. Consider three questions: What does it say? What does it mean? And what does it mean to me? How can anyone stay on the best, most blessed path? “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

4 minutes – Pray. A great way to pray is the “ACTS” Plan, giving a minute each to the following four topics: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Jesus Himself said, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

Here’s the thing. You start with 10 minutes a day, and before long it becomes a habit! Not only that, before long you find you’re able to stretch that 10 minutes into 15 . . . even a half hour or more! To be revitalized or drained spiritually—the choice is yours!

Here’s how the psalmist David put it: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).

When’s the best time for you to “Take 10” with God—in the morning, midday, or evening? Why not give it a try and see how the Lord leads?

You deserve a break today—and you’ll be glad you did!