From Chronos to Kairos: Walking Forward Into God’s Timing

August 19, 2025

We live most of our days by the clock. Wake up, get the kids ready, head to work, hit deadlines, rush home, collapse into bed. That’s chronos time—the steady tick of the second hand, the hours we measure, the deadlines we chase.

But what if the enemy’s real strategy isn’t just to tempt us into sin, but to keep us stuck in chronos, spinning our wheels, so that we never step into the kairos moments God has already prepared for us?

The Enemy’s Strategy in Chronos

Neil Anderson, in one of his Freedom in Christ devotionals, puts it this way: the enemy tries to slow us down in chronos so we never move forward to the kairos places where God is waiting to meet us.

He paints the picture like this:

Imagine yourself walking down a street toward Jesus. The houses lining that street are filled with voices—distractions, lies, temptations. They’re designed to stall you, to keep you lingering in places that don’t matter. But here’s the truth: if you keep walking, nothing in that street can stop you from reaching Jesus. The only real danger is that you stop.

When Chronos Meets Kairos

That resonates, doesn’t it? The swirl of busyness, the distractions that leave us too tired, too uncertain, or too discouraged to keep moving forward.

Chronos time wears us down. Kairos time—that’s where God breaks in with His perfect timing, His provision, His presence. That’s where eternity touches earth.

Jamie Winship, in his sermon Time Isn’t Running Out, makes the same contrast. He tells the story of losing everything in the 1987 market crash. He and his wife Donna were left with fifty-five dollars to their name.

Chronos said: You’re out of time, you’re out of money, you’re out of options.

But they chose to spend that last bit and trust God. What followed was not certainty, but provision. Rent paid. Tuition covered. Food on the table. Not because of their control over time, but because they stepped forward into God’s kairos.

“Kairos moments are divine intersections with human life, waiting to be walked into. Stopping forward progress prevents encountering them.” —Jamie Winship

Sound familiar? Anderson says the enemy wants us stalled. Winship says God invites us forward. Same truth, different lens.

Three Anchors for Kairos Living

Winship points to a simple but profound framework:

The Word of God
The Spirit of God
The People of God

When we stay grounded in Scripture, sensitive to the Spirit, and connected to the community of believers, we are far more likely to recognize when chronos gives way to kairos.

Think about how this plays out in everyday life:

Chronos says: You don’t have time to stop for that hurting friend.
Kairos whispers: Pause, pray, listen—you’ll see God move.
Chronos says: You’re falling behind, keep scrolling, keep hustling.
Kairos nudges: Set down the phone, open the Word, let Me speak.
Chronos demands certainty.
Kairos invites trust.

Keep Walking Forward

The truth is, you don’t have to manufacture kairos moments. God already has them waiting.

Our part is simply not to stop walking. As Anderson said, nothing in the “street” can keep you from Jesus unless you give up. And as Winship testified, God’s provision meets us not in our certainty, but in our surrender.

So today, as you glance at the clock and feel that old pull of chronos time, remember this: the Kingdom is not running out of time. God’s kairos is not late. Keep moving toward Him.

“It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…”
(Acts 1:7–8)

Don’t let the enemy stall you. Walk forward. God is waiting for you just ahead.

✨ Reflection & Application

Take a few minutes to pause with the Lord and reflect on these questions:

Where do I feel stuck in chronos right now?
– Is it busyness, distraction, or the pressure to have certainty?
What kairos moment might God be inviting me into today?
– A conversation? A prayer? A step of faith?
What lies of the enemy keep me from moving forward?
– (Examples: “You’re not enough,” “You don’t have time,” “You’ll fail if you try.”)
How can I step forward in trust, even without certainty?
– What would it look like to keep walking toward Jesus today, despite distractions?

Prayer:
Lord, help me not to get stuck in the ticking of the clock. Open my eyes to Your kairos moments, and give me courage to keep walking forward toward You. Quiet the enemy’s lies, and let me trust Your provision over my own certainty. Amen.