Solitude

Obstacles on the Road to Solitude

“But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.” – Psalm 131:2 We talked yesterday about spending time alone with Jesus in an effort to seek healing and restoration for our hearts and souls. Today, I want to briefly share with you a few obstacles you may face on the journey to breakthrough in this area.  Once you have found a peaceful place and are sitting alone with no distractions, I warn you that it won’t be easy to go straight to communion with your Heavenly Father. Unfortunately, the devil is going to try and keep you from experiencing the blessing that comes in such moments. The first challenge you will potentially face is anxiety. As soon as you quiet your mind, you will be bombarded by thoughts of a million things you “should” or “could”

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Finding a Peaceful Place

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” – Luke 18:1-5 Yesterday, we talked about how pursuing Jesus in solitude is the only way to truly overcome loneliness. As strange as it sounds, by “leaning into the knife” and seeking the Lord in isolation, we can ultimately find the peace and contentment

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Pursuing Jesus in Solitude

“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 Yesterday we talked about how being yoked to Jesus can relieve us of the burdens we carry. We’ve also been discussing loneliness and how it’s a common problem in our world that can breed isolation, a hardened heart, and brokenness in relationships. So today, I want you to know this: While it’s beneficial to stay active, the solution to these problems is not to flood yourself with more people, more work, more events, or more commitments — it’s actually less. Just as Jesus set the example for us in finding solitude and silence, we should follow His lead and pursue these peaceful times for ourselves.  Our society is constantly on the move. We have more information, more resources, more devices, and

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You are not Alone

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” – Psalm 68:5,6 For the next few days, we are going to be talking about something that’s (unfortunately) more and more universal in our world — loneliness.  Isn’t it interesting that when we punish a child, we give them what’s called a “time out,” which involves being alone for a period of time, often with no toys or interaction? And when a prisoner is out of line, they are further punished by going to a place of solitary confinement. Here, they are completely alone and often in the dark for a number of days or weeks. It’s a known fact that loneliness is one of the worst things for the human spirit and feeling

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You are Rewarded in His Likeness

“The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good rewarded for theirs.” – Proverbs 14:14 What do you want in life? What would you say if we were sitting by a lake together, staring at the water and being contemplative, and I asked you that question? Do you think it’s money? Maybe. Do you think it’s glory? Maybe. Given enough time to think and contemplate, I believe you would say something along the lines of wanting to live a life that matters, wanting to belong, or wanting your friends and family to be healthy and happy. These things are your life and reward in the Kingdom of God, which is the wonderful news I want to share with you right now!  These gifts — purpose, health, peace, and passion — come as a result of the power that comes from exercising specific aspects of our walk with

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Rest with God

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” – Hebrews 4:9-11 It’s the weekend again, and I want to encourage you to Sabbath, or truly relax, as you establish new habits this year. There’s a reason God advised the Jews to set aside a specific day of the week to relax and unwind. Rest is a sacred thing, and I believe that God’s Spirit resides in times when we intentionally relax and slow down. He communicates to us, leads us, and blesses us with great interactions with Him in such moments. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that our world is strained, and it’s stressed like crazy! People are

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God Uses Silence

“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:11-13

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