WHAT IF I said that if you do something for five minutes a day, you can be smarter, have more friends, or for us introverts, have less friends?

 

PRACTICES OF JESUS

  • We follow Jesus by trying to be more like Him – not just from what he taught, but from what he modeled with his own life.
  • The trellis supports the vine, not to make the vine straight, but to make the vine produce better fruit. The goal is not imitation, it is growth through healthy practices.
  • A discipline is any activity I can do by direct effort that will eventually enable me to do that which, currently, I cannot do by direct effort.
  • A spiritual discipline is different in that not only are you exercising your own capacity to do the right thing (willpower), but you are also opening yourself up to a power far beyond your own; that of the Holy Spirit.

 

Matthew 3:16-17
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

Matthew 4:1-3
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  And the tempter came…

 

JESUS’ RHYTHM OF PRAYER DESPITE PRESSURES

 

Mark 1:35-38
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. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

 

  • The quiet place wasn’t a one-time thing, it was an ongoing part of his life rhythm.
  • Jesus “often withdrew.” He frequently got away. He made a point to sneak off to pray on a regular basis. It was a common habit in his life.
  • In seasons of busyness, we need more time in the quiet place, not less.

 

SILENCE AND SOLITUDE

  • Silence – external and internal

 

How do we quiet External Noise?

  • Turn off your phone, power down the stereo.
  • Lie on your couch, walk to the park.
  • Book a night at a cabin close by or maybe even a monastery.

 

How do we turn off Internal Noise?

  • Meditate on something – scripture, a quiet place that you remember, a mantra that means a lot to you. Focusing on one thing helps you drown out the other things.
  • Focus on your breathing. Do box breaths. Breath in for four second, hold for four seconds, out for four seconds, hold for four seconds, repeat.
  • Solitude – when we are alone, with God, and with our own soul.
  • Solitude is engagement; isolation is escape.
  • Solitude is safety; isolation is danger.
  • Solitude is how you open yourself up to God; isolation is painting a target on your back for the tempter.

 

“Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.” – Richard Foster

 

“Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life…. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.” – Henri Nouwen

 

How do we practice solitude and silence?

  1. Set aside the time and place.
  2. Decide what you will focus on.
  3. Set a timer.

 

 

Questions:

  1. What did you hear from the Holy Spirit?
  2. What will you do because of it?
  3. How can we pray for you?

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