New Week's Resolution | January 28, 2024 | Solitude

Do you find yourself prioritizing the things in your life over time with God? It’s tempting to be overwhelmed by all of the inputs of information in your life and want to rely on your own strength and resources.  Jesus often sought time alone in the wilderness throughout his ministry to pray and encounter God. Prioritizing solitude through Jesus’s example leads to clarity through hard decisions and strength from enjoying God’s presence. God wants you not to escape from the suffering in your life, but to take the time to intentionally invite him into it. How can you get away, be silent, and pray to practice solitude this next week?

KEY VERSES

  • Luke 3:21-23: 21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” 23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.Joseph was the son of Heli.

  • Luke 4:1-2: 1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.

  • Mark 1:35: 35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.

  • Mark 6:45-46: 45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

  • Luke 5:16: 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

  • Luke 22:39-46: 39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” 41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. 45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

  • Isaiah 30:15-18: 15 This is what the Sovereign Lord,the Holy One of Israel, says:“Only in returning to meand resting in me will you be saved.In quietness and confidence is your strength.But you would have none of it. 16 You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’But the only swiftness you are going to seeis the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! 17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.Five of them will make all of you flee.You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hillor a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.” 18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to himso he can show you his love and compassion.For the Lord is a faithful God.Blessed are those who wait for his help.

  • Lamentations 3:22-26: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness;his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;therefore, I will hope in him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietlyfor salvation from the Lord.

  • Psalms 139:23-24: 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you,and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

HEARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above and dive in deeper to this week’s message.

Recap

+ Reconnect

To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

  • What are you thankful for?
  • What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
  • What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?

+ Recap

  • Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
  • Did you live out your response from last week?
  • Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?

Discovering What God Is Saying

+ Read and Retell the Bible Story

  • One person reads the story out loud to the group.
  • Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.

+ Read and Look

  • Read the passage again (different version if possible)
  • What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?

+ Read and Look Again

  • Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
  • What does this passage say about people in general?

Doing What God Is Saying

+ Consider

  • What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
  • How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
  • Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.

Sharing what God is saying

+ Praying Together

  • Take prayer requests
  • Pray together

+ Share

  • Who in your life needs to hear this story?
  • Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?

GIVING

Everything that happens at Canyon Ridge is because of your generous gifts. When you give to God through Canyon Ridge, you're helping reach thousands with the Gospel each week and making a difference for the people of Las Vegas and around the world!

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