“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 ESV.
Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
I remember life before constant digital noise: no inbox pings, Twitter tweets or Instagram notifications. Because of the Covid-19 virus, our culture is pulled toward distractions like binging Netflix shows, scrolling through endless news feeds, checking every two minutes to see if we have a new notification.
I’m not against digital additions to our lives, and I am not sure if it will have a negative effect. I get enormous benefit from my iPhone, but I’ve also found it to be a constant distraction. Distraction isn’t new, but it’s in our pockets now. What do we do with distractions?
In Luke Chapter 4 Jesus is, “led around by the Spirit in the wilderness.” The Greek word here for wilderness is erémos, and the word is meant primarily to represent a place where there are no other people, kind of like our homes now.
The bible is filled with times where Jesus actually retreats to be with the Father on his own. These moments show us how Jesus lived, that He valued being with God and that He found God’s presence when He was away from other people.
“Solitude well practiced will break the power of busyness, haste, isolation, and loneliness. You will see that the world is not on your shoulders after all. You will find yourself, and God will find you in new ways.” Dallas Willard.
There is no science or formula to this, but below is a short guide to help you try it out.
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Pick A Time & Place.
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Remove Digital Distraction.
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Begin With Prayer.
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Abide/Stay There.
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Commit.
(Additional Scriptures: Psalm 145:18, Malachi 3:7, Zechariah 1:3, Hebrews 10:22, 2 Chronicles 15:2, Isaiah 55:6-7)
