Category: The Life of Christ

The Beauty of Solitude: Time Alone In God’s Presence

On my first day of orientation as a Nursing Supervisor, I recall an unusual job training method conducted by Allison, the Regional Director, who informed me that for the next three days, I would spend time alone studying and learning the organization’s policies and nursing protocols.

When I entered the conference room, half of the table was covered with 4-inch binders bursting at the seams. From Monday to Wednesday, I studied for eight hours each day, absorbing all of the information my frontal lobe could manage.

On Thursday, Allison entered the conference room and stated, “I know that you do not understand why I instructed you to spend alone learning these policies and procedures, but in time, you will.”

Much to my surprise, I learned that although healthcare professionals must abide by the state’s licensure regulations for delivering care, regardless of their professional status, personal morals and values significantly impact a person’s judgment, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities.

It was disappointing to address the numerous policy violations during my tenure, which required staff remediation and additional training due to their knowledge deficits. The plan of correction included changes in the initial orientation and continuous education for the staff.

As I reflected on this past experience, I thought about Allison’s productive and effective training strategy of learning in solitude. From not spending time alone with God in personal worship, many believers have a knowledge deficit of God’s Righteous Character and how to live righteously because of the failure to study the Holy Scriptures.

Reflection: How are we managing our God-given gift of Time? “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, ESV).

Each new day, we stand at the Spiritual Crossroads: We must choose, will we put God first, or ourselves? Do we have a God-First mindset? Our initial morning thoughts reveal who our priority is: God or ourselves. If our default is reflecting on the busy day ahead, then sadly, we are number one.

Loving God requires the sacrificial gift of using our time to worship Him every day. We should not try to squeeze God into a busy schedule, but from the moment we awaken, our gratitude for another day of life is expressed by asking God to reveal His plans for the new day. Because God is God, He deserves the First Fruits of our gift of time in morning worship.

Evening worship is our opportunity to reflect on and to thank our Heavenly Father for the many blessings of provisions and protection from unseen spiritual warfare, physical harm, and the strength to complete our daily activities.

Which activities are covertly consuming our time? Are we spending more time at the gym than in worship? Or working countless hours of overtime in the pursuit of success and financial stability? Is Social Media, or watching the World News and Politics, our way of relaxing instead of praying? If we have a family, are the children’s schedules packed with numerous extracurricular activities that prevent daily family worship?

How do we put God first when we face countless distractions, crammed schedules, and overwhelming responsibilities? Managing our time not only requires the Big Chop, but we must also ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, so that nothing comes before our God-First commitment and our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Over 6,000 years ago, Jesus revealed The Perfect Time Management Plan: “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while’—for there were many [people who were continually] coming and going, and they could not even find time to eat.” (Mark 16:31, Amplified Bible).

“Following Christ’s Example: Jesus often withdrew for solitary prayer, demonstrating that even He needed this time for wisdom and strength, [from God, the Father] a vital example for His followers.”

“Solitude isn’t loneliness; it’s a purposeful withdrawal for spiritual connection, allowing one to enjoy God’s presence and power, transforming moments of being alone into encounters with the Divine.”

One of Satan’s greatest deceptions that many believers have embraced is that we do not have to study the Bible. In fact, a most recent study finds that only “11-15% of Christians study the Bible daily.” But to remain committed, faithful, and obedient to God requires that we study the Holy Scriptures for ourselves.

“My people perish because of the lack of knowledge.”(Hosea 4:6). The Bible is our Spiritual Roadmap: Staying on the Narrow Path of Righteousness Requires Divine Intervention and Human Effort.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals God’s Love, the attributes of His Righteous Character, Jesus’ earthly ministry, Promises, Prophecies, and teaches us how to live righteously. Before studying the Scriptures, we ask the Holy Spirit to give us spiritual wisdom, discernment, and clarity of God’s Word.

Isaiah 55:8-9: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'”

In faith, we ask for Divine Strength, and put forth the human effort to learn God’s Righteous Character, and obey His Commands, Precepts, and Principles. It is the Holy Scriptures that teach us how to prepare ourselves daily to receive our reward of Christ’s promise to take the righteous to Heaven when He comes again [Revelation 21-22].

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

In the quiet stillness of solitude, through prayer and studying the Holy Scriptures, Jesus gives us the Living Water and the Bread of Life necessary for our Spiritual Nourishment, and the Holy Spirit instructs us to do our part [obeying God], guiding us moment by moment as we strive to stay on the Narrow Path of Righteousness.

From dedicating time to be in the presence of God, we are changed into the likeness of Christ’s Beautiful Character, and as the Apostle Paul did, in the strength of Christ, we can also proclaim:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Lord God, we commit our time that You have gifted us with to worship You in Spirit and Truth. We thank You for Your faithfulness even when we are not, and for our unfaithfulness, we ask for forgiveness. We look forward to the day when Jesus will come again and take us to Heaven. Until then, we ask You to empower us with Your strength to persevere through this journey of life. In Jesus’ Loving and Powerful Name, we pray, Amen.

© 2025 STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions Ministry

The Life and Character of Christ

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword [of division between belief and unbelief].” (Matthew 10:34, Amplified Bible).

Today, while studying my Bible lesson, the author asked, “How well do you know the Life and Character of Christ?”

God, the Father, Required Faithful Obedience from Christ

“So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The One who sent Me is with Me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” (John 8:28-29).

Jesus’ life demonstrates that He always prayed for guidance and always obeyed God, the Father. Unless we have studied Genesis and the Four Gospels [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John], then we do not have the foundational knowledge necessary to intimately know who Christ is.

But memorizing the Life and Character of Christ only gives us theoretical knowledge; without loving Him, our hearts will remain empty.

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9, NIV).

Without a response, Matthew left a position of status with the Roman government, which provided great wealth, to follow Christ. From hearing others speak of Jesus’ Love and His Ministry of Healing, Matthew had already decided to follow Jesus if He extended the invitation.

Reflecting on why we accepted Christ as our personal Savior only has one answer: God is Love: “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). “Our capacity to love is a response to the love God has already shown us.”

Christ’s Love differs greatly from human love. For us to love is a lengthy process of learning who the person is. Yes, their morals, values, temperament, and goals reveal critical aspects of their character, but many have been disappointed when they learn the person is incapable of reciprocating love.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7). Christ created us with the spiritual gift of love, which connects our hearts to His Righteous Heart.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3, Amplified Bible).

Spiritual Love is far greater and deeper than human love. Without the Holy Spirit giving us spiritual wisdom, we cannot comprehend God’s Agape Love. Yet, without making Christ’s Love personal, we will never fully understand the height and depth of His Love, nor can we appreciate His Sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross.

Separating ourselves from family members and distractions is vital to appreciating and personalizing Jesus’ Sacrificial Offering. From studying the Book of John, Chapters 17-21, we realize that Christ’s Overwhelming Love for us gave Him the courage to fulfill the Plan of Redemption. What more can Jesus do for us?

To Be a Christian Is to Be Like Christ: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV).

To abide in Christ requires us to pray continuously and study the Bible daily. Foundational knowledge of our Creator, Jesus, God, the Son, begins with the study of the Creation Story in Genesis Chapters 1-3, and His earthly life in the Four Gospels [Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John].

Christ was a Prayer Warrior: “But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” (Luke 5:16). From studying the Life of Christ, we learn that Jesus often chose hours of solitude to spend time in worship with God, the Father.

To follow Christ, we must have a heart-to-heart relationship with Him, which requires that we know His Righteous Character.

How do we know if we are true followers of Christ? “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24).

“LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23, NIV). “Not my will God, but Your will be done in my life.” A daily prayer of surrender reveals our desire to obey God and to involve Him in every aspect of our lives.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear [Revere] the Lord and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7).

Satan has deceived us into believing this Command is optional. As Christ lived, we must also live. Loving God requires letting go of our plans and obeying and fulfilling His plans for our lives.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8, ESV)

The Life of Christ is our example of how to spend time in the Presence of God: Through worship, we learn God’s Perfect Plans for the given day. Daily morning and evening personal worship is when we receive spiritual nourishment, wisdom, and strength from the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live as overcomers.

Praying and studying the Scriptures gives us a deeper understanding of what it means to live righteously. Day by day, the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out, transforming our hearts and characters—Sanctification, the lifetime spiritual process of growth and transformation.

Christ is our Spiritual Role Model

From studying the Life and Character of Christ, when facing temptations, we choose to pray for strength and use our gift of self-control to say No to sin.

“Knowing the beauty of Christ’s Character is foundational to knowing what our daily walk with Christ should be.”

“This is why time in the Word, every day, is so important. This is why, we should also spend time dwelling on the Life, Character and Teachings of Jesus. By beholding, yes, we do become changed.”

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21).

Bible Study: The Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Lord God, we surrender ourselves to You. We thank You for Your love and the sacrificial gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life to save our souls. We love You, and because of our love, we have decided to follow Jesus with faithful obedience. Lord, we cannot do this in our own strength, so we ask for the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit on our lives. We look forward to the day that we will see Jesus, our Triumphant King, and receive our gift of the Crown of Eternal Life. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, we ask this prayer, Amen.

© 2025 STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions Ministry