I learned that lesson the hard way during one summer vacation. I was 14, and I wanted to learn to water ski. But jetting across water on two big sticks is harder than it looks. Every time I wiped out, my skis turned into deadly projectiles, aiming for my head.

While most vacations aren’t quite that dangerous, spiritual vacations from God always spell disaster. Just ask King David. Read 2 Samuel 11, and you’ll find a guy who was supposed to be out fighting God’s battles. Instead he was relaxing at the palace, doing his own thing . . . while his soldiers were out fighting.

The story gets worse. David becomes a peeping tom, and the “man after [God’s] own heart” becomes a man after another man’s wife. Things were never the same for David after that. His spiritual vacation had big-time consequences. For the rest of his life, he had huge regrets. His own children even tried to kill him!

Like David, I’ve found myself on spiritual vacations. Looking back, it was easy to tell when they started: spending time with Jesus became negotiable.

See, if you don’t show up to read your Bible, it’s not a book you’re saying you don’t have time for. It’s Jesus. The devil knows that. That’s why he’ll do everything he can to keep you away from God’s Word, because he knows that your neglecting His Word keeps you from Jesus.

Answer one question for me and I’ll predict your future: Do you make spending time with Jesus the most important thing in your day? You’ve got time for everything else you love, right? When Jesus is first, you’ll say, “I’ll read my Bible now. I can email, check Facebook, and practice later.” The God who created over 100 billion galaxies in a day desires to talk to you! I hope you’re not answering Him with “I’m too busy texting my friends.”

Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is alive and powerful. . . . It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (NLT). Let God shine His floodlight on the dark corners of your heart. Crack open “life’s GPS system” and download the directions God’s got for you each day.

He’ll transform you, make your life one with huge impact . . . and make your dangerous vacations history.