All Day/Night: My mind is cluttered and constantly racing
Solomon (the wisest man ever) calls it “Anxious Striving”
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 “So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”
In other words, we are focus is on the wrong things.
Example:
Luke 10:38-42 “38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.(Mary was focused on what was important) 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about.(The enemy tries to distract/take our focus off of Jesus. Mary recognized the importance of spending time with Jesus) Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
We need to slow down and stay focused on what’s most important.
When our minds wont’ stop and we lose focus…STOP AND PRAY
The HABIT OF SOLITUDE
As we continue, let’s take a minute to think about Jesus life and Imagine everything he had to think about:
3 years of ministry:
Choose His disciples
Spend time with them
Teach them the values of the Kingdom of God
Heal sick/raise the dead/feed the hungry
Model love, grace, mercy and forgiveness
Deal with religious leaders
Persecuted/crucified
Raise from the dead
There is no bigger assignment/focus than to DO GOD’S WILL
Jeremiah 29:11”For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
For I know the plans…
Romans 5:3-5 “3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
Jesus would consistently and intentionally spend time with God alone
There is no such thing as intimacy without intentionality
Examples:
Marriage
Parenting
Relationships with others
Relationship with God
Time = Relationship,
Relationship = Trust
Trust = influence
If we want to know God in a real and tangible/intimate way then we need to intentionally create time to spend with HIM.
Over and over again we see Jesus withdrawing from the crowds/demands and expectations to slow down and be alone with HIS FATHER so he could HEAR HIS VOICE
Mark 1:35-37 “35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. 36 Later Simon and the others went out to find him. 37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
Romans 15:13 “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
And over and over again we see Jesus model consistently and intentionally slowing down and creating space to be poured into by HIS FATHER
A few examples include:
Before starting His ministry - Luke 4:1-2, 14-15
Before making important decisions - Luke 6:12-13
After a long, hard day of work - Matthew 14:23
After ministering to a lot of people - Luke 5:15-16
After losing a close friend - Matthew 14:10-13
You can’t pour out if you don’t fill up
GOD LOVES YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU DO/ACCOMPLISH
Matthew 3:16 “16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
At this point in his ministry, Jesus hadn’t performed any miracles, healed, taught.
God loved him for who HE WAS, not what he did.
Jesus didn’t pour out…He filled up, slowed down, spend time with the Father to hear HIS VOICE
Luke 4:1 “4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…”
So how do we practice the Habit of Solitude/Slowing Down?
Matthew 6:6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”
Practical Steps to Creating Alone Time With God
Be intentional and consistent. Schedule a time
Find a quiet place where it is just you and God. No distractions
Tell God what is on your heart
When we spend alone time with God, He fills us up and we become better parents, spouses, friends, co-workers…
Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God!”