What would happen if you spent an entire day alone with God?

Awesome things happen at spiritual retreats! I have personally experienced them! I have led or helped to lead more than 35 Encounter Retreats at Crossroads Church, and I have done dozens of my own personal spiritual retreats alone with God.

So I KNOW that when God’s children set aside significant amounts of time to be with Him, and we open our hearts completely to Him, He absolutely blesses our socks off, far more than we can ever imagine!

At my own personal spiritual retreats, I have experienced all of the blessings below and more:

•  Healing from past hurts
•  Deep confirmation of God’s love
•  Refreshment and strength for present struggles
•  Vision and confidence for future possibilities
•  Guidance for divine calling or purpose
•  Deliverance from habitual sins and addictions
•  Physical healing
•  Direction for important decisions and life changes
•  God’s perspective on what’s important
•  Deep joy, peace, and faith that only God can provide

Jesus modeled the importance of personal spiritual retreats.  He retreated before calling His disciples (Luke 6:12), during days of intense ministry (Mark 1:35), after the death of His friend John the Baptist (Matthew 14:13), and on the night before His crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-46). But Jesus didn’t limit His retreats to times of crisis!

Luke 5:16 says, “AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.” Jesus FREQUENTLY and REGULARLY retreated for significant amounts of time alone with His Father!

Would you like to take your relationship with God to the next level? Would you like to grow in your confidence of His love? Would you like to hear from Him about a specific challenge or decision you are facing? Would you like to discover your life purpose or divine calling?

Extended time with God is the only way to achieve these goals, because only God can accomplish them! So here are some tips for how to do it!

Preparation:

• Before your retreat, ask some people to pray for you.

Ask a family member and a same-gender friend to pray for you while you are on retreat, for support and accountability.

•  Find a pleasant, distraction-free environment.

Do your retreat alone, away from home. Spend the night at a hotel, cabin, or Christian retreat center, arriving early afternoon, and checking out late morning. (Yes, it’s worth the cost!) Or spend an entire day at a park or a friend’s back-forty!

Remove distractions. Avoid media. Don’t take your computer. Don’t check email or Facebook or Twitter! You can check your phone periodically if you’re worried about missing emergencies at home. Your main purpose is to focus on God.

•  Take your own simple meals, or fast.

While you’re on retreat, don’t waste time preparing food or going out for food.

Eat simply. Take some healthy yogurt, fruit, granola mix, nutrition bars, etc. Drink water.

Consider fasting, unless medically prohibited, but drink plenty of water. Jesus said that some things might happen only through prayer and fasting! (Mark 9:29) Fasting is a spiritual amplifier!

• Take a Bible and a simple notebook.

Take a Bible that has a topical index, so that you can look up verses about anything God brings to your mind.

Take a notebook to record what you sense from God! No, you probably will not hear him with your ears, but you will hear Him with your heart!

Tips for What to Do:

•  Be

It’s hard to stop DOING and just BE! But the best DOING comes from truly BEING with Jesus!

Our Lord says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Doing that takes time! You might take the first couple of hours of your retreat just to unplug and relax! Take a nap if you need it!

If you need a change of pace, get up and walk around.

There is no right or wrong way to retreat. It’s not about the plan, it’s about the Person! Expect Him to be there, but don’t be invested in any particular outcome. None of my retreats went totally like I thought they would, but what God did in His own perfect wisdom was even better!

•  Praise and thank

Praise God for who He is, and thank Him for your specific blessings.

•  Confess

Make things right with God. Confess any known sins: wrong things you’ve done, right things you haven’t done, wrong attitudes, etc. And then ask Him to show you any sins that have slipped off your radar screen.

If you’ve confessed your sins, God has forgiven you! But if you keep feeling guilty, don’t stay stuck! Make an appointment today with a Christian counselor!

•  Feed

Feed on God’s Word! Ask God which Bible passages He wants you to read.

If no particular Scriptures come to mind, consider some of these:
Encouragement: James 1:5, Ephesians 3:20, Philippians 4:13, Philippians 4:19
Trusting and resting in God: Isaiah 30:15
The anguish of guilt, and the joy of forgiveness: Psalm 51, Psalm 32
God’s magnificence in creation: chapters 1-2 of Genesis
Your created uniqueness: Psalm 139:1-18
God’s promise for future fulfillment: Psalm 40:1-10

•  Dialogue

Dialogue is back-and-forth! Speaking-and-listening!

Tell God why you’re doing this retreat. Ask Him for clear impressions and guidance. Then LISTEN, talk some more, listen some more, etc., back-and-forth. God’s voice is often a thought, feeling, or desire that keeps coming up as you pray.

If you’re not sure what to focus on with God, consider evaluating how well you are fulfilling God’s purposes in different areas of your life (i.e. family, work, church, calling, fun/recreation, etc.), and then ask for God’s guidance for changes.

These are just suggestions. There’s no magic formula! Let it flow! God will guide you!

•  Track

Keep track of what you sense God saying to you! Write down your impressions of His love, encouragement, guidance, direction, conviction, prompts to change, etc.

If writing helps you to process or to focus your prayers, do it! Or if you process by talking out loud, or by moving around, do it!

•  Use your imagination! BE YOURSELF uniquely with God!

Click here for another blog with some additional suggestions about how to do a personal spiritual retreat that fits your own unique identity! This blog is entitled “Chocolate Brains!”

Follow-up:

•  Debrief

After your retreat, celebrate what happened, and review your notes.

Tell the people who prayed for you what happened, share what you believe God wants you to do, invite their honest feedback, and pray together. It’s important to have a same-gender friend to help you debrief, so that you can be completely honest about everything.

•  Act

After your retreat, boldly and confidently take the next steps you sense God prompting you to take! Ask your prayer partners to help hold you accountable!

•  Meet

After the retreat, meet daily with God. Read a chapter or two of the Bible each day, ask God what He wants you to think or feel or do about what you read, then do it! Keep a written record so you can track all that God does!

Your Next Steps:

• How would a personal spiritual retreat help YOU?
• When and where will you retreat?
• Who will pray for you while you retreat?
• For accountability, tell someone now about your retreat plans, and then do it!

Go for it!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:20-21