Laughlin Community Church -LCC
Tues 11/13/18
- Bible TriviaLoading...
- Come Now Is The Time To Worship *
- Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
- Doxology
- In The Garden*
- IntroductionMeWeToday we are talking about a spiritual discipline that we all need to practice and to understandChrist Jesus practiced this disciplineThis Exerciseon numerous occasions
Matthew 14:23 LEB 23 And after he sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. So when evening came, he was there alone.PrayAloneFor some that is a scary wordFor some that is a sought after wordBut in truth most of use avoid it if we canWe often think “I love being by myself” But have you ever really ever been alone?How did you feelYou might have felt OK for a spell but then…We Want Friends and we want FamilyWe desire connectionWe fight loneliness with loudnessMusicradiosTVPhones Everyone has a cell phoneInstant messengerT.S. Eliot“Where shall the world be found, where will the word resound? Not here, there is not enough silence”Sometimes we hide from Silence and Solitude because what frightens us the most is not others but ourselves. Something we are attached to. It is easy sometimes to deal with others, but yourself is a different matterLoneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment. - Richard FosterWhat is SolitudeBeing away from othershard to do sometimesWe have to form a place and a time when we are to be by ourselves with out other and let others know that this is your time and place so that they do not interfere.Solitude cannot be without silence.Cannot be by yourself if there is all this other stuff going on in your headTake a moment for silenceBothers usMakes us feel awkwardNot use to it in the culture we live inIf you are talking then you ain’t listeningWe tell our childrenWe need to tell ourselvesA head talking to God with out a heart listening to God is not SolitudeAt the same time just not talking is not solitudeWe need to learn when to speak and when not toEcclesiastes 3time for everything under the suntime to speak and a time to listenJamesTongue is a fireBe Quick to listen and slow to speakSolitude is not IsolationDo not fall into the lie that I am practicing solitude when really I am just isolating myself from others.We are made in Elohim's image and part of that is we are made for communityWhy should we practice the discipline of Solitude?Follow JesusExampleMatt. 4:1 - DesertMatt. 14.23 –Went by himselfMark 1.35 - solitary place to prayLuke 4.42 –Solitary placeHear God’s voice betterEver notice that when the TV is on it is harder to talk on the phone or even talk to a person in the roomthe sound distracts usHow much harder is it to talk to GodThomas Kempis (1441 Imitation of Christ) Monastery in Holland“In quiet and silence the faithful soul makes progress, the hidden meanings of the Scriptures become clear, and the eyes weep with devotion every night. Even as one learns to grow still, he draws closer to the Creator and farther from the hurly-burly of the world. As one divests himself of friends and acquaintances, he is visited by God and his holy angels.Express WorshipExpress faithSeek SalvationMe on the front steps of a ChurchTo be physically and spiritually RestoredI worked a YMCA campWe had no time by ourselves and no time for churcheven though it is Young Mans Christian AcademyIt tires you out fastRegain perspectiveSeek the will of GodLearn to Control the tongueFor some this is a major problemGossipAngerCursingSteps into SolitudeTake advantages of the little solitudesMoments before others are awake in the morningcar rideWhen you first wake up in the bedWe usually loose them take advantageDevelop a quite placeWe make playroomsFamily roomsWhy not a place to be aloneOutsideIn doorsIn garage (my Papa’s favorite)Try to take a day during the year to go with our wordsSet goals for silence and solitudetoday I will take 15 minutesTrade responsibilities with someone else in the family so that you can grab that time for longer periodsThe fruits that follow solitudeincreased sensitivity and compassion for othersFreedom to be with peopleAttentiveness to others needsIt helps us learn to love moreNext StepsSomething that most Americans struggle withSomething that I am really having to work atNecessary disciplinePray - Just As I Am *
- The Bond Of Love
Laughlin Community Church
702-989-1228
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