"Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray." (Mark 1:35 NLT)
When was the last time you were alone with no distraction. Think about it. When was the last time you were somewhere where you couldn't be distracted by external factors? When was the last time you spent time with God in His presence? Solitude is the state or situation of being alone. For some this concept may be foreign. In our culture it's nearly impossible to be alone. There is something always in our presence to distract us. Many of us are so wrapped up in the busyness of life that we don't realize that our souls are suffering. All of us are busy. We're busy with careers, we're busy being students, we're busy trying to accomplish goals and to achieve dreams, parenting and all the other stuff that engulfs our lives. If we're honest, even with all the things that we accomplish, we still feel empty. Personally I've felt a void even when I've had some great successes. Even when I've done what I love to do, preaching and teaching others, I've felt a void after I was through. I've discovered that there's only one think that can fill that void and that is God Himself. My Soul is satisfied when I spend time with God. Culture has pushed us away from the practice of solitude. Our lives have become saturated with technology and information at our fingertips. Smart phones and Tablets provide for us great convenience, which I'm grateful to have to accomplish work. However, with that convenience comes immediate accesses to distraction. For the sake and health of your spiritual growth I encourage you to take regular times of solitude. Unplug from technology, get off of social media, go some place and get quiet. In these times of solitude allow God to speak with you. Allow Him to help you work through some of the struggles that life sometimes throws at us. We can agree that Jesus' s life was full. He dealt with difficult situations on a day to day basis. He also spent a lot of time serving with the people. I've often wondered how did He keep it all together. The Bible paints a picture for us a habit, Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, practiced on a consistent basis. "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 NIV) "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16 NIV) Just in these two verses we see that Jesus had a habit of getting away and being by Himself. If Jesus who is the creator of Heaven and Earth, took times of solitude, how much more should we. This week put into practice solitude. Make a plan and execute it. See what difference it makes in your life. God Bless and Choose Life. Comment below and let me know how it went.
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AuthorHusband, Father, Red-Letter Christian, Preacher of the Gospel. Archives
June 2021
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