God Speaks in Solitude..Craig Denison Ministries

 God Speaks in Solitude

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

You and I have been given the invaluable gift of communication with God. Last week we learned about the process of making the soil of our hearts soft and receptive to God. This week we’ll learn some different ways to receive the seed of his word. May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.

Scripture:“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Devotional:

Solitude—a time set apart where the rush, noise, and anxiety of the world fall mute on the ears and heart of a child of God completely lost in the peace and presence of the Creator. Solitude is a time to be with your heavenly Father, free from the distractions the world offers us at seemingly every moment. We are made for consistent time spent in solitude.

C.S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory, “We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.”Most of us have grown accustomed to what truly does amount to being “starved” for solitude. We never fully realize how great our need is to be alone with our Sustainer. Let’s take some time today to recognize our need for solitude and then learn how to best practice solitude on a daily basis.

You can know that you need solitude for one reason—Jesus needed it. All over the New Testament we see examples of Jesus going off on his own to pray. One example, Mark 1:35, tells us that Jesus, “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark . . . departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Jesus, who practiced perfect communion with his heavenly Father while here on earth still needed to spend time in solitude. Jesus, who loved parties, loved people, and was God and man simultaneously, needed time alone. If he needed it, you and I can be sure we need it. When God incarnate was up against his hardest task, the Crucifixion, he didn’t just toughen up and get through it. He spent time alone in the Garden of Gethsemane in conversation with his heavenly Father. He needed solitude to accomplish his purpose here on earth and so do you and I.

Solitude is life-giving. It’s necessary to the Christian spiritual life. Richard J. Foster said, “Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.”Solitude is one of the most important and life-giving spiritual disciplines. If you want to hear God, you must practice solitude. If you want fortitude in your life, a steadfastness that surpasses your circumstances, you must practice solitude. You are designed for time spent in the quiet, simply being with your heavenly Father.

So how can you best practice solitude? The first step is finding a place where you can spend time with God free from distractions. Find a place where you know you won’t be interrupted. If you live with others, find a time when they will not be around or awake. If you live alone, designate a place and time that you will spend in solitude free from any distractions. Second, give yourself an amount of time to spend with God just being in solitude. It could be ten minutes or an hour. Spend this time free from reading, free from worship or prayer unless solitude leads you to those things. Madeleine L’Engle said, “Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.”Solitude is a point of deep communion where words aren’t required in light of God’s glorious nearness.

Take some time today to practice the incredible discipline of solitude. Be patient with yourself. Be patient with God. Fill the emptiness of silence with the satisfaction of God’s presence. Your heavenly Father loves just simply spending time with you, enjoying deep communion with his crown of creation. You are his child. Climb into the comforting and sustaining arms of your heavenly Father today as you enter into a time of solitude.        

Guided Prayer:

1. Find a place free from distractions. Ask the Spirit to calm your heart and mind and help you to spend time in deep communion with God.

2. Spend a few minutes simply resting with God in solitude.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35

“Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.” Madeleine L’Engle

3. Write down how solitude made you feel. If you felt uncomfortable or frustrated, that’s alright! Solitude and silence is something most of us have never practiced. Have patience with yourself.

Solitude is a practice. The more you do it the better and more fulfilling it will become. Once you connect with God’s heart free of words and just look at him face to face, his gaze will become one of the most important parts of your life. Knowing experientially that your heavenly Father sees you and loves you is meant to be at the foundation of everything you do. Commit yourself to spend time in solitude with God and learn what it is to be a child simply enjoyed by the Father.

Extended Reading: Psalm 46

Blessed Are the Peacemakers..Lynette Kittle

 Blessed Are the Peacemakers

by Lynette Kittle

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”  - Matthew 5:9

When it comes to conflicts on Social Media or in the office, home, or family events, how are you at bringing peace to situations?

Do you jump in and take sides or do you look for ways to promote harmony?

As a kid, I remember sitting in the backseat of my parents’ car on a dark rainy night, lost in a questionable area in Chicago with my Mom and Dad upset at the situation, and at each other. After Dad called a man standing hidden in the dark street over to ask directions, my backseat praying for God’s turned me to action.

With little to no map reading experience of my own, I grabbed it and started giving my Dad directions to the church we were trying to find. Although I’m not really sure how much it helped, it did seem to turn the tide of the angry car atmosphere and de-escalate the situation.

In my family’s traveling nightmare, it diffused the anger and helped my parents to get on the right path to our destination. Like James 3:18 explains, “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Looking back I realize my Dad who lived in a small Ohio farming community and had an aversion to big cities, was probably fearful of being lost and vulnerable on the back streets of Chicago. He was most likely afraid for the safety of his family.

In fearful situations, God’s remedy for it His peace. As 2 Thessalonians 3:16 reveals, there is only one true source of it found in the Lord Himself, who is able to give you peace at all times in every way. And there is no situation that can keep His peace from you.

When you choose to step in as a mediator, you are following Christ’s example as the peacemaker between God and mankind. As 1Timothy 2:5 explains, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

Taking opportunities to be a peacemaker brings you benefits, too. 2 Corinthians 13:11 explains how “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourages one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Setting your goal to become a peacemaker, like Jesus, will bring God’s love and peace to your life. As Isaiah 26:3 explains, God will keep you in perfect peace when your mind keeps steadfast in trusting Him. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

How to Be Compassionate..Aaron D’Anthony Brown

 How to Be Compassionate

By Aaron D’Anthony Brown

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.” (Colossians 3:12-13)

The Meaning of Compassion
Compassion is one of those words we don’t hear all that much these days. Obvious when looking at how we treat those with differing views, especially those from the opposite political party. It’s also one of those words that has a deeper meaning than what immediately comes to mind.

The prefix com means ‘with’ or ‘together.’ Think of words like communicate or community. The noun passion means ‘suffering’ or ‘enduring.’ Think of the film Passion of the Christ. If we combine these two words, then that means compassionate in the etymological sense is defined as ‘with suffering’ or ‘suffering together.’

Through Jesus, we see a past, present, and future example of what constitutes perfect compassion. Through Him, we also recognize our current lack in the area and where we need to improve.

Compassion is not just one to restore civility to the dinner table or our conversations at work and online. Compassion is how we go about living our daily lives in a way that honors and emulates Christ. What a perfect lesson as we head into the Christmas holiday and the new year!

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Calling ourselves compassionate is easy, but living in a way that honestly embodies this concept is much more difficult. However, difficulty is one of the markers of Christian life, as is togetherness, as is suffering. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, including becoming more compassionate (Philippians 4:13). If that’s the change you want to start making today, here are a few suggestions.

Slow to Speak

“My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” (James 1:19)

One of the tell-tale signs of a modern-day conversation is how fast each person is to speak, and not just speak, but speak about themselves. Speaking does not have the same power to teach us as listening because, usually, we’re speaking about what we already know. On the other hand, when we choose to listen, we take in information, information we often do not already know.

The slower we can be to speak and the faster we can be to listen, the more we’ll ultimately learn. Furthermore, the greater compassion we’ll be able to share with others. People feel seen and acknowledged when you listen, not just when you speak to them. In fact, speaking to someone and not listening can have the opposite effect. As believers, we want people to be aware of and believe in their worth in Christ.

Listen Intently
While we should be slower to speak and quicker to listen, we shouldn’t aim to listen passively. We should listen intently with the aim of understanding the other person. People who listen just to respond are fostering dissension, not compassion. With greater understanding comes more fruitful discussions and deeper relationships. People feel a sense of belonging in the places where their voice is heard.

Ask Questions
One great way to show you’re listening and to gain understanding is to ask questions. Dig a bit deeper in conversations and show people just how much you really care.

Don’t Rush to Judge
The word judgment means to come to a conclusion. We all judge, despite how many times we claim just the opposite. Living as a Christian requires judgment, namely, discerning between good and evil, virtue and sin. There’s nothing inherently wrong with judging, but where we go astray is rushing to judge. If we hurry to label others, we miss opportunities to serve and be a source of compassion to those in need. Even when we think we have someone figured out, let’s make sure our conclusion has supporting evidence and is not just an assumption.

Be Present
If we are to suffer alongside someone, then we have to be with them in the present. Today, one of our constant temptations is to put off our in-person connections for something electronic like social media. Doing so limits our ability to bear one another’s burdens. Let’s admit the obvious, do we feel more connected when talking to someone online or face to face?

Be Honest
Lying for the sake of not wanting to offend is by no means compassionate nor a behavioral trait of Christ. Compassion requires honesty, especially if we’re hoping to serve someone in a way that brings about change in their lives.

Don’t Flee Conflict

Similar to fearing honesty, being overly non-confrontational is not Christ-like behavior either. While Jesus was not a man who walked town to town scolding everyone who came His way, Jesus was also not the pacifist that some portray Him to be. There’s definitely a balance to strike up between being confrontational and not, but what is important is that we don’t shy away from conflict. The reason we can appreciate the good in life is because we know the bad. The same applies to our relationships.

Further Reading:

• Ephesians 4:32
• Galatians 6:2
• Matthew 9:35-38
• 2 Peter 3:9
• Romans 12:2

A Prayer to Release Resentment..Laura Bailey

 A Prayer to Release Resentment

By Laura Bailey

"But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept." - Genesis 33:4 NLT

“Fairness is often my standard. Justice is God’s standard,” one of my favorite Bible teachers shared on a recent podcast. I stopped what I was doing, paused the recording, and replayed her last statement repeatedly.  There was no denying it; those words hit me right between the eyes. In an attempt to shut down any further feelings of conviction, choosing to ignore rather than investigate why this simple statement struck a nerve.

Has that ever happened to you?

• Your preacher said something in service that pierced your heart, but rather than go deeper into the source, you choose to shut your Bible and don’t open it back up until the following week. 
• A friend shared something she felt the Lord was drawing her attention. You immediately commiserate with her, but that would require you to make a chance, and well, you aren’t ready for that—so you work to forget the conversation.
• You see a Bible verse posted at your doctor’s office. You can’t help but think that the Lord was speaking to you through the poster, but you shake it off as just a coincidence.

Friend, I get it; I’ve been there. Shamefully, there have been times that I wave away the Spirit, knowing that He is working my heart to produce spiritual fruit, life-change, or elicit a confession. But, mercifully, there have been other times when I’ve leaned into the Spirit’s prompting, working to uncover the message He wanted me to hear.

Unable to re-focus my attention through busyness, I plopped down in my favorite chair and snuggled in to catch up on some shows. Before I could locate the remote, a friend from my accountability group sent a message about the day’s Bible reading. We were reading through the Bible together in our women’s ministry and set up accountability groups to help us process and discuss what we’ve learned. 

“Can y’all believe how Esau forgave Jacob and let go of all resentment towards him? Jacob didn’t deserve such a warm welcome, but that’s pretty cool that Esau let go of all resentment for the sake of the relationship.” 

You’ve got to be kidding me. Okay, Lord, I surrender. 

The thing is, I knew what the Lord wanted to draw my attention to; I just didn’t want to deal with my feelings of resentment. A few weeks prior, something happened between a friend and me. Only a few days after the incident, we’d reconciled, swapping “I’m sorry” and sharing forgiveness. Outwardly, it would appear I’d moved on, but inside, I was still annoyed. If I was honest, I felt it wasn’t fair that my friend didn’t have any consequences for her actions against me, yet I was still called to forgive and move on. 

As I reviewed the text in Genesis about the two brothers, one who tricked, manipulated, and deceived the other yet was wholeheartedly forgiven, the Holy Spirit began to work on my heart. While God disapproved of Jacob’s sin against Esau, it wasn’t Esau’s place to seek revenge–or justice. Esau was called to forgive; God is the one responsible for judgment. And why are we called to forgive even the most unjust or unfair acts against us?  Because we have been forgiven– we are sinners who openly rebelled and rejected our maker. We may never forget the sin against us, but we can forgive, trading resentment for reconciliation.

I am grateful that the Lord used a social media post and a sister in Christ to grab my attention and drive me to true reconciliation with my friend. That day, I released a heart full of resentment that weighed me down. May we be open to the prompting of the Spirit in our lives as He continues to make us more like Christ. 

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank you for being God of abundant grace. We have received the gift of redemption, not because we deserve it, but because we are merciful and desire to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4).  We ask that we freely forgive those who have wronged us. Help us to move towards reconciliation, leaving the “score-keeping” and “just desserts” to You who judges righteously. We pray that we can put on the mindset of Christ, humble ourselves, think of others’ needs over our own, and be willing to forgive with the hope of forgetting the offense. Help us restore and renew broken relationships, doing our best to live peacefully with everyone.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.