2. Prayer
Confession
Fasting
Meditation
Simplicity
Worship
Submission
Study
Solitude
Service
Celebration

3. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up,
left the house
and went off to as solitary place,
where he prayed.
Mark 1:35 (NIV)

4. •The Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1
•After he had dismissed them, he went up
to a mountainside by himself to pray.
Matthew 14:23
•At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place.
The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, They tried to keep him from leaving them.
Luke 22:39 ff.

5. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth. .
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

6. into a period of silence and listen for the voice of God.
Solitude is choosing
to be apart from others
so that we can enter
into a period of silence
and listen for the voice of God.

7. •Solitude & Silence help us listen to our own heart (Luke 1:20).
Purposes of Solitude
•Solitude & Silence
help us listen to our own heart
(Luke 1:20).
•Solitude & Silence
help us listen to the heart of God
(1 Kings 19:11-13).
•Solitude redirects our focus from what we are doing
to who we are becoming
(Ex. 2:11-4:17).

8. •Silence can be an act of worship (Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 1:7; Rev. 8:1).
Purposes of Solitude
•Silence can be an act of worship
(Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 1:7; Rev. 8:1).
•Silence deepens our faith in God
(Ps. 62:1-2; Is. 30:15).
•Solitude & Silence give us an opportunity to rest
(Mark 6:31).

9. •Solitude & Silence prepare us to seek the will of God (Luke 6:12-13).
Purposes of Solitude
•Solitude & Silence prepare us to seek the will of God
(Luke 6:12-13).
•Silence trains us to control our tongue
(Pro. 17:27-28; James 1:26; 3).

10. Dangers of Solitude
•Solitude is not a place to get extra-biblical revelation.
•Solitude is not a place to get secret messages from God.
•Solitude is not simply a way to escape
from the pressures of life.

11. Directives for Solitude
•Spend time in solitude before significant ministry.
Gal. 1:17-18
•Develop the discipline of silence & solitude
gradually and purposefully.
Moments
Meditations
Mornings
Monuments

12. Directives for Solitude
•You must plan for solitude or it will never happen.
Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42
•Begin the day with God & end the day with God
Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42
•Find sacred space & use it regularly.
Luke 22:39 ff.

13. Intelligent silence is the mother of prayer, freedom from bondage, custodian of zeal, a guard on our thoughts, a watch on our enemies…a companion of stillness, the opponent of dogmatism, a growth of knowledge, a hand to shape contemplation, hidden progress, the secret journey upward.
John Climacus
The Ladder of Divine Ascent

14. alone can take any form you like, so long as you are deliberately away
Solitude doesn’t require much effort or time. And seclusion with God doesn’t have to be a super-spiritual setting, either. Sometimes it’s a motorcycle ride for me. Or a drive along the back roads in my pickup. Other times, a long and quiet walk all alone with my thoughts is best. For you, time
alone can take any form you like, so
long as you are deliberately away
from other people.
Chuck Swindoll