Quiet Times Search

• Solitary place - no bothered for a curtain amount of time
  
• Can walk and pray
• Can pray out loud

• Albums of pictures - when God poured out his love
• Printed memorabilia
• Special events - birthdays, weddings, graduations, baptisms

• My days are swifter that a weaver's shuttle - Job 7:6
• My days are swifter than a runner - Job 9:25
  
• Man born of woman is of few days - Job 14:1

• Not position
  
• Not recognition
• Not performance
• Not respect

• Physical blessings
• Family blessings
• Spiritual blessings

Jesus deeply valued his time alone with God

Jesus sought out quiet time
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" - Mark 6:31b
"Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" - Luke 5:16
Occasional devotions are OK but should never replace our private time with God

Jesus found a quite place
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father" - Matthew 6:6
If you have no quite place - your relationship will be shallow and limited

Jesus urged alertness
Jesus pleaded with them to be awake and alert in prayer - Mark 14:37-42
Be "clear minded and self-controller" so that we can pray - 1 Peter 4:7

How long? until a sense of peace and closeness with God

How much time in prayer and study? mix it up; our relationship should not become stale

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you" - John 15:4-8

Jesus often withdrew

• Jesus often withdrew - Luke 5:16
• Spent the night praying - Luke 6:12
• Jesus was praying in private - Luke 9:18
• Jesus... took Peter, John, and James .. to a mountain to pray - Luke 9:28
• Withdrew to mountain by himself - John 6:15

When was the last time you withdrew an entire night, day, or week?
We wonder why we are stale, unmotivated, joyless, and weary and have not grown
It takes awhile to detact from the world

A retreat can be unforgetable, life-changing time
You have to plan it to make it happen, Satan will try to stop you

Do you realize that nearly all of the people we read about in the Bible spent most of their time outside?

• Star-studded evening would tell how many descendants Abraham would have - Genesis 15:5
• Looking at God's creation - humbled Job's pride - Job 38:4-7

FInd park, trails, and open spaces.
Open your eyes, listen, breath the realivily clear air

When is the last time you:

• Took in a sunrise or sunset
• Watched the changing cloud formations
• Listen to the songs of the birds
• Strolled through the leaves of fall
• Listen to the snow fall as they gently fell to earth
• Took a good look at the flowers of spring
• Stopped to watch the a powerful thunderstorm
• Stood in awe of the sparkling  stars

Psalms 19:1-4; Psalms 65:8-13

Time outside with God is just what many of us need and nothing else will suffice

• Days of excitement are for young Christians
• Mature means being dead and lifeless
• See other older Christians not doing well and assume that is our fate

• Gospel of John - John 13-17
• As a young ministry intern, Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus
• As a mature Christians, David and the Psalms
• After failure, Isaiah 40-66
• Entering forties with cynicism and anger, Book of Ecclesiastes
• All the time, study of Jesus

• Pattern, not a formula - not meant to be recited, rebuked by Jesus
  
• May seem awkward at first - stick with it
  
• Be prepared to spend more time in prayer when you use this prayer - wider range of subjects
  
• The structure reveals the genius of God - Begin looking to God; then deal with ourselves; once again focus on God
  
• Notice the use of "us" - personal, but not self-centered

Loving God is a journey

Father draws us to himself - John 6:44

Father does not change - James 1:17
Hard to understand God when we are so inconsistent

It is OK for a journey to have highs and lows

Why love God?
Why not just obey him?
Why not just "gut out" our journey with God? Because we are commanded to

What touches you most about God?

• He never quits
• Always a refuge
• Always will take you back
• He will make sure you know where you are
• Champion of the truth and the underdog
• Tender with the weak and brokenhearted
• Hammer the arrogant and pround
• Never makes a mistake

Despite all the good qualities of God - our relationship with God still takes work

A mission of Satan is undermine my relationship with our Father

Must ask all the time: How are God and I doing?

Typical doing questions:

• Am I productive?
• Have a recently had a victory?
• How do people around me feel about me?
• How long has it been since I committed a particular sin?

Relationship questions:

• Do they feel loved?
• Are we connected?
• Have I been sensitive?
• Am I listening?
• Will this activity help our relationship?

 When we drift

1. Combative - Psalms 55:20-21
2. Uncaring / Apathy (Harding of our hearts) - Psalms 36:1-4; Esphesians

Presedes sin / sensual gratification

• "I deserve this"
• "I am tired"
• "I am missing out"
• "I know what I need"

3. Hopeless - Job 3:11-13

Hopelessness is godlessness
If deeply in love with God, whispering to me promise after promise
If walking with him closely, he is meeting my needs for strength and faith

An emotional response (along with fear) that succeed at undermining our love for God

A result of an uncard-for emotional wound

Matthew 18:15-17 - can resolve most issues
Sometimes we are just called on to forgive
Not forgiving is like allowing a physical cut become infected

Examples

• Esau wept bitteryly when he failed to receive the blessing - Genesis 27:34
• Israelites incrediblity harsh and treatment from the Eyptians - Exodus 1:14
• Naomi changed her name to Mara, meaning "bitterness" (losted husband and sons) - Ruth 1:21
• Hannah wept "in bitterness of soul" because of her infertility - 1 Samuel 1:10
• David's men because of the loss of their children - 1 Samuel 30:6
• Job while not understanding the discipline of God - Job 7:11
• Missing the grace of God cause bitter root - Hebrews 12:15
• Envy becomes bitterness - James 3:14

Bitterness will actively oppose any attempt to restore our love for God

Bitter or better - a channel of curses or blessings

Disciples need Jesus' example to overcome the pain of the cross

Jesus wants us to have his attitude toward suffering

• What form do we expect our Christian suffering to take?
• Are we looking for a Christianity that does not involve suffering?

Bible command us to get rid of all bitterness
Two ways to overcome bittereness:

• Forgive - Ephesians 4:32
• Trusting God is at work in all things for our good - Romans 8:28

• Holiness was a simple issue between you and I God; not "having to be open"?
• When your relationship with God was more private than public?

• If you start too fast, you can die
• The most important thing is finishing
• Cannot compare myself to anyone else or I will get thrown off
• I think about walking when I think no one is looking
• Envy people standing on the sidelines
• Finish line seems to literally pull me along

Here are some false 'Gods' we can create in our mind:

• He get "attitudes" when we misbehave
• He does not really forgive
• His power is limited to people's choices
• He has no reason to his plan
• He does not always answer prayer; too busy
• He thinks we ask for too much stuff
• He does not want to "over-bless"
• He will bless when you have earned it
• He looks are the results of our performance
• He barely tolerates our presence

All of these ideas are false, contridict the Bible, and are from Satan

If this is my "Father", I will have a turbulent relationship with "him"

Get Out of Here

Sometimes the first step in restoring our hearts is simply to get out of the house
Why go outside?

• Quiet - able to meditate
• Parents - able to get up before the kids do
• Nature is full of inpsiration
• Much more freedom outside

Turning back the clock

 Rewrite the sins and people I sin against; what I was forgiven of (not an exercise in guilt but gratefulness

Secret Scriptural Weapon

You have to work at understanding the cross
Insights of yesterday about the cross need to be consistently refreshed
God never spoke louder than he did on Calvary

Memorizing scriptures and writing them on index cards

Ephesians 3:20 - When each word is accented, the scripture can have new meanings

Best for Last

Create a treasure chest:

• Baptism photos
• Special note from friends
• Wedding Vows
• Memorabilia from children being born

Scrapbook of the heart of God - testament to God

When does seeking really start?

Romans 3:11 - there is no one that seeks God
John 6:44 - No one can come to me unless the Father draws him

Studying the Bible is simply allowing ourselves to be sought by God

If it was our own effort - baptism may seem like the end of the quest

We need to active learners

When we were young, we understood obligation  - "I gotta go to school"
After high school, we may go to college and narrow our focus of learning and become passive learners

• We listen to the voice of our experience as the final authority
• We learn mostly from our mistakes
• We learn when we are forced to out of control - crisis, illness, death

Treasures are for those who will continue to seek forever; not for those who want tips and tricks for being "effective"

If there were ever a moment to be a passive learner, it would be when you walk with Jesus

Luke 11:1-13 - where would we be if the disciples had not asked about praying to the Father? - not know how to address the Father

We need to take responsibilty to get deep and ask questions

1 Peter 2:18

• Our first response to others must having nothing to do with how they treat us; love is unconditional
• Our response to those who mistreat us must be based on the example of Jesus
• Our response when we are hurt is to think how to extend an opportunity of repentance and forgiveness
• The more we suffer with grace and mercy toward our offender, the more they are drawn to God

1 Peter 3:8-9

• Taking up our cross means we suffer at the hands of others without retaliation and with repect
• Offenders will be melted by our gentleness and hopefully
• Even if no repetance, they at least have an opportunity to repent

Taking the way of the cross accomplishes:

• Refines our character, making us more like Jesus
• Works on those who sin against us by bringing them to repentance
• The greater the hurt forgiven, the greater the impact of the one forgiven

• Deny self daily
• Repentance - when we don't respond to God's grace - God will find a way to help us to repent
  
  • Through kindness - Romans 2:4
  • Through discipline - Hebrews 12:5-11
• Persevering though suffering - James 1:2-4

Performance trap - termed as perfectionism (not measuring up = sin)

Guilt and imagined guilt come from performance based - must learn to understand God's grace
Guilt-ridden people are not joyful people, poor advertisements for God's kingdom

Good thing to do our best but when mixed with pride is a wrong turn
Ex. Parental pride = making children reach a goal that unattainable

Rejection (or fear of) - is the root of most of our insecurities
We either pull back or prove ourselves through performance
Much of our competitiveness come from this source

Performance-oriented tries to conceal insecurities with a superimage of self
Deep-down we want love and acceptance
Real love is unconditional

Unless we are open about our negative points we will never reallty feel loved

Paul opened up his life:

2 Corinthians 6:11-13

• Spoke freely
• Open wide his heart
• Not withholding affection

• Disappointed often? Selfish often!
• Frustrated at others often? Selfish often!
• Angry when others have things against you? Selfish once more!