Luke5:16- But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed
YOU NEED FREQUENT PERSONAL RETREATS
In 2017, I attended a ministers conference where one of the speakers told us where he failed as a minister. This preacher told us how busy he was preaching here and there, honouring invitations.
God drew his attention to something he had abandoned- personal retreats. From his story, I learnt It is possible to be popular with men but not with God.
He told us that in the early days of his ministry, he had a culture of spending minimum of three days in God's presence away from distractions and ministry engagements often but as the ministry grew, that became a thing of the past.
It is hard to hear ministers of his stature talk about their failures . It is common to hear most ministers talk as If they've been perfect at all times.
I respect those that warn the upcoming generations about their personal failures to avoid repetition of the same mistakes they made. Sometimes, it is better to learn from your mistakes and that of others than from vague success stories.
Looking at the life of Christ, though he is the saviour of the world, in his earthly days, he had a culture of withdrawing to lonely places to be alone with the father. Don't forget that he was in high demand in his days.
People were always looking for him so he could perform miracles for them and probably feed them. He didn't allow the demands of people on his anointing to override the demand of heaven for intimacy.
This is where I think some ministers miss it. They are billed to preach in major cities and towns, their faces are everywhere on billboards and posters but their intimacy with God has dwindled.
You may say, 'I'm not a preacher, how does this apply to me? If I may ask, are you a Christian? If you are truly a follower of Christ, you need to imitate him. If Christ( our master) had a culture of withdrawing from distractions for personal retreats, all CHRISTians should do same because we are meant to be imitators of Christ( 1Cor11:1).
That is how you can draw strength from heaven, receive insights from the word and receive revelations about God's plan for your life. Our generation is becoming too busy to spend quality time with God. 'Busyness' is a killer of intimacy with God. Don't be too busy to be with God.
CONFESSION: I am going deeper daily in my walk with God. I shun distractions and stay close to the father In Jesus name.
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