RETREATING WITH GOD

What would be the hardest thing for you to surrender to Jesus?

Is it your media consumption? MLB TV, NFL Sunday Ticket, Hallmark Channel, Netflix, HGTV, news channels, You Tube or any other favorite can steal your heart. Is there any time and energy left for Jesus and the Word?

How about your device? My iPhone reminds me each week how many hours I’ve staring at it. The number is always higher than I had expected.

Hobbies can be painful to surrender. Video games, too. We can go overboard with working out. And yes, we can’t forget about food. Let's have an honest discussion (with God) today in our audio devotional.

KEY PASSAGE:

Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

Do you remember a time when you knew you had to ask God for forgiveness, but you were hard-hearted?

That angry outburst towards your spouse or child. The moral misstep that you deeply regret. The lie that slipped out of your mouth.

You went about your business for days, waiting for the guilt to disappear. You covered your sinful tracks by sweeping dirt over them. Good works, fake joy, kind acts and whatever came to mind. You tried to remove the guilt, but the weight of your sin crushed your spirit.

Let's come together today and seek God about this in our audio devotional.

KEY PASSAGE:

Psalm 51:1-10 NIV

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

You and I are all set in life. Comfortable homes, nice cars and padded bank accounts.

“Hey, that’s not me!” you say. You  push back on me. You rent, your car needs repairs and you’re living paycheck to paycheck.

Still, if you live in North America, you’re in the top 1% of the world’s population when it comes to wealth.

Why do I bring this up? Because our comfort is a buffer to surrender. Let's explore that further today.

KEY PASSAGE:

Matthew 6:10-13 NIV

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from the evil one. 

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

When we pray, we release our concerns to God. We praise him for who he is. We confess sin. We thank him. We turn our hearts to him. Instead of our tasks becoming our focus, prayer is at the center. The thought of this is restful.

Rest is more than a physical thing. It’s spiritual, too.When you rest with God in prayer, worries and anxieties diminish. Being in the presence of God chases away those feelings. If they don’t fade away, then you need more time with God. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).

Join me today as we take a look at where prayer and rest intersect.

KEY PASSAGE:

Matthew 6:6-8 NIV

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

Can you imagine what our relationship with God would be like if we closed our mouths and listened? Not for 60 seconds. Or five minutes. How about 15 minutes of silence before God? It’s one of the most refreshing practices you can develop.

Wayne Cordeiro, a pastor in Hawaii, tells the story of how he burned out after 30 years in the pulpit. You might wonder how someone can burn out in Hawaii. Yes, it happens even there.

To get his life back, Wayne forced himself to be silent before God in a peaceful, quiet setting. For days. Even weeks. He went to a monastery! It wasn’t easy at first. He snuck out a couple times to use his cell phone. Eventually, Wayne did get his life back, but it took a long season of listening to God.

Join me today as we center in on listening to God.

KEY PASSAGE:

Psalm 130:5-7 (NIV)

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Genesis 2:2 ESV).

God must have been exhausted after creating the universe, because he took a whole day off. I know that’s an absurd thought, but we can’t ignore the fact that God did rest. And he did it for a reason.

More on that in today's audio devotional.

KEY PASSAGE:

Psalm 42:1-2, 8 (NIV)

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

By day the Lord directs his love,

at night his song is with me—

a prayer to the God of my life.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

How can joy be restored in our lives when we are going through a time of heart-wrenching loss?

When we lose someone close to us, indescribable emotions take over. Whether a loved one’s death comes slowly or suddenly, the finality of it all has a profound effect on us.

There’s no formula for restoring joy in our lives in a season of loss. This isn’t a math equation. The ebb and flow of life isn’t predictable. 

I do know that our Savior’s healing touch is an element in restoring joy. Allowing him into our loss and sorrow is critical. Can we move from sorrow to joy instantly? I don’t think so. It’s a journey. Let's look at that journey today in our audio devotional.

KEY PASSAGE:

Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

They say that laughter has a healing effect on the body. In fact, the Bible tells us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22 NIV). Laughter may even release some happy hormones.

In any case, laughter is indeed good for the soul.

When was the last time you had a real hearty laugh? What brought it on? The thought of that memory makes you smile, I’m sure.

I think we all need to set everything aside and laugh. Not just a snicker. But the kind of laugh you just remembered. One that’s out of control. Even embarrassing.

Why is it that Christ-followers are often the least happy people in the bunch? Let's face this head-on in our audio devotional today.

KEY PASSAGE:

Philippians 4:4-8 NIV

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

Isolation is one of the most painful conditions a person can be in. I heard a speaker tell the stories of the persecuted believers in one particular country. He reported that the imprisoned believers were beaten, ridiculed and tortured for their faith. However, it was not this treatment that caused them the most pain.

It was being kept in solitary confinement, apart from any other believers. That’s what really crushed their spirits. 

Isn’t it ironic that for many Christians in the free world, they choose isolation? Today, we'll see how much we need each other if we want to thrive in our walk with God.

KEY PASSAGE:

Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]  

We call it pride. God calls it sin. We all struggle with it. We see it in others yet we’re blind to it in ourselves. 

Jesus demonstrated the opposite quality, right up to his final breath on earth. Hanging on a cross, he pronounced about humanity (for whom he was dying), “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34 ESV)

We often misinterpret Jesus’ intention. These words weren’t only for those who were torturing and ridiculing him. They were for you and me.

Let's look at this more deeply in today's audio devotional.

KEY PASSAGE:

Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV)

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

RESOURCES:

Take the Free PERSONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT. It only takes 3 minutes. Download it at www.retreatingwithgod.org.

Visit FRESH FAITH 24/7, a place where you can retreat with God and get to know him more deeply: www.freshfaith247.com. 

Connect with Jon at [email protected]