Solitude

1) Whitney defines solitude as “voluntarily and temporarily with drawing to privacy for spiritual purposes.”

2) Whitney includes the Spiritual Discipline of Silence as an important compliment.
A) “The Discipline of silence is the voluntary and temporary abstention from speaking so that certain spiritual goals might be sought…to read, write, pray, and so on.”
B) Silence may be outward with inner dialog or both outward and inward in order to hear Gods voice more clearly.
C) Silence and solitude are complimentary and usually practiced together
D) Out western culture is not conductive to the practice of silence and solitude

3) Jesus clearly practiced these important disciplines:
Matt. 4:1
Matt. 14:23
Mark 1:35
Luke 4:42

4) Why should we practice silence and solitude?
A) To hear the voice of God better
B) To express worship to God
C) To express faith in God
D) To seek the salvation of the Lord
E) To be physically and spiritually restore
F) To regain a spiritual perspective
G) To seek the will of God
H) To learn control of the tongue

5) How can we practice silence and solitude
A) Take “minute retreats” –Foster calls them “little solitudes”
B) Develop a daily time of being alone
C) Get away from the normal activities of life—a retreat
D) Locate special places to practice silence and solitude
E) Trade off daily responsibilities with family/co-workers to give time for these disciplines

6) “The fruit of solitude is increased sensitivity and compassion for others. There comes a new freedom to be with people. There is a new attentiveness to their needs, new responsiveness to their hurts.”
A) This is why solitude was so important to Jesus during His earthly ministry
B) This is why it should be to us—so we may become more like Christ!!!

The Blanket

I love to sit with a blanket on my legs and just read a book or watch a movie. The biggest problem that I have with blankets is that they never seem to cover me up. What I mean is that I’m 6’2“ and most blankets that you buy are made for someone well much shorter. When the weather turns much colder I try to use this blanket to cover my entire body, but no matter how much I pull, how much I strain, how hard I struggle I just can’t get that stupid little blanket to cover me up. It becomes frustrating after a period of time to know that no matter how hard I try I just can’t get covered.
The sad part is when I see people trying this with their spiritual blankets as well. Oh yes, we have spiritual blankets too. And with our own might we try our best to pull and stretch and struggle with that blanket. Our Heavenly Father is up there just dying (literally) to assist us in our daily lives. We live such a backward life. To gain everlasting live we have to give our live up. To gain our Spiritual lives we have to give up our physical. And to gain we must lose. For the Spiritual blanket to work we must let loose of our own control and let God do the work. We must remember that His grace is sufficient, and when we are weak He is strong. Romans 8 talks about us not being able to get outside of His love.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So yes, His spiritual blanket is more than big enough for me.