Intentional Solitude: Deepening Our Relationship with God

Time and time again, Jesus withdraws, retreats to the mountain, not as something that he saw as this optional thing, but rather it was essential to his life, to his ministry, and his overall relationship with his Father. Which begs the question for us, that if the Son of God needed time alone with the Father, how much more do we? [00:03:16] (28 seconds)  #EssentialRetreat

It's not a place that we go to just sit on a couch and veg out watching Netflix and eating popcorn. No, but it's an opportunity for us to engage with the Father, to be drawn closer to the God who has already come close to us, the God who is intimate. [00:04:01] (26 seconds)  #DivineEngagement

Paul is saying, I want to know Jesus at His core. I want the core of who Jesus is and the power and the transforming power of His resurrection to change me, to influence me, to impact me in a way that changes everything about my life. I want to not just know about God, but I want to experience Him in a deep and personal way. [00:06:26] (29 seconds)  #CoreTransformation

And yet, the reality is that while we want to retreat, while we want to know Him deeper and more personally, there's a lot of resistance on the road to get there. And you might even say that there are enemies trying to keep us from this thing that our soul needs the most. [00:07:22] (22 seconds)  #SpiritualResistance

Complacency, the quiet drift that convinces you you're fine where you are. Your hunger for God doles, and you kind of go into spiritual autopilot. You show up to church. you open up your Bible, you still pray, and yet the desire is kind of not quite as hot as it once was. You've kind of settled for just good enough, and you're missing out on so much more. [00:11:50] (32 seconds)  #HumblePursuit

Wherever you're at, you say, I'm going to open up my Bible, and I'm going to dive into His Word, even if I don't feel like it. I'm going to pray, even though it feels awkward, or maybe because I fall asleep, I'm still going to pray, and I'm going to expect God to show up, because that's who He is. He has promised to be present. He is the God who has come close to us. [00:13:14] (21 seconds)  #ComfortLimitsGrowth

Because He endured the desolation that we deserved, we are able, we are invited to retreat to His presence, to be restored, renewed, changed from the inside out. Because no longer are we marked by our sin, but we're marked and called His beloved child, fully loved, fully accepted, fully covered in His grace. And that changes things. [00:16:25] (34 seconds)  #PursueDeepKnowing

These are the blessings. These are the fruits of Mount Desolate, of intentionally and purposefully making the climb to withdrawing from the crowds and the noise to spend time with our Heavenly Father, the God who is intimate, the God who changes lives, the God who restores souls and makes our lives better. [00:19:17] (24 seconds)

Don't settle for knowing about God take a step toward knowing him in a more deeply personal way because that's what we're called to and that's what changes our lives. [00:22:09] (18 seconds)