It’s essential to be alone with God in order to hear clearly from Him. For a texting/tweeting generation hooked on mobile phones and bombarded by round-the-clock media, this can be a tough concept to grasp. But until you do, you’ll get nowhere spiritually.

Are you serious about following Jesus? He ‘often withdrew… and prayed.’ (Luke 5:16 NIV) He ‘went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.’ (Matthew 14:23 NIV) How did Jacob the deceiver become ‘Israel, a prince with God’? (see Genesis 32:28). The Bible says he ‘was left alone, and a man (the Angel of the Lord) wrestled with him till daybreak.’ (Genesis 32:24 NIV)

The greatest spiritual victories come from the battles God calls you to fight when you’re alone with Him. He outlines and clarifies His plans for your life when there’s nobody else around. That’s because He wants you to be more influenced by Him than them. When God is grooming you for a special assignment, you’ll be required to spend time outside the company of others.

In Exodus God said, ‘Moses alone is to approach… the people may not come up with him.’ After Elijah spent the night alone in a cave, God told him, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain… for the Lord is about to pass by.’ (1 Kings 19:11 NIV) Daniel ‘was left alone, gazing at this great vision.’ (Daniel 10:8 NIV) Jeremiah wrote, ‘I sat alone because Your hand was on me.’ (Jeremiah 15:17 NIV)

Learn the difference between loneliness and solitude. When God sidelines you, glean all you can from the experience and move to the next level.