“The wicked is snard by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.” Proverbs 12:13-14 (KJV)
“With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.” Proverbs 11:9 (KJV)
“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” James 1:26 (KJV)
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be SWIFT to HEAR, SLOW to SPEAK, SLOW to WRATH. For the wrath of a man worketh not the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20 (KJV)
Study Notes: In James 1:19-25, James condemns, dormant, unapplied knowledge. He calls for people to listen to a message of truth and then live consistent with that message, and he offers guidelines for what that might look like. The pressure that trials create may make believers quick to react in anger; James says act differently. These verses are a key for the letter because they point to a faith that results in changed behavior.
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27 (KJV)
James says one’s religion is worthless if it is without fruit. James 1:26
The following quote jumped out when I read it because I spend quit a lot of time in solitude and silence. Most days, when my husband goes to work, I turn off the TV and do my housework, read my Bible, and pray in Silence and Solitude.
The quote is a follows:
“Very few of us know the secret of bathing out souls in silence. It was a secret our Lord Jesus Christ knew very well.”
A W Tozer
Following is an excerpt from Jesus’ Solitude and Silence by Bill Gaultiere:
“The priority of Jesus’ solitude and silence is everywhere in the Gospels. It’s how He began His ministry. It’s how He made important decisions. It’s how He dealt with troubling emotions like grief. It’s how He dealt with the constant demands of His ministry and CARED FOR HIS SOUL. It’s how He taught his disciples. It’s how He prepared for important ministry events. It’s how He prepared for His death on the cross.
Sometimes silence shows our power more than anything else will.
Whatever can elicit a response from you is what has power over you. That’s why bullies teas and try to rile the other kids up. If they can get the other kids mad, sad, or even fighting, the bully feels powerful because he is forcing the other kids to do what he wants.
As Jesus showed us, silence is sometimes the greatest display of power. Jesus showed His power in many ways, and one of those ways was through His silence.”
Following are some scriptures showing some of the times Jesus chose Solitude and Silence:
Matthew 12:19; Isaiah 53:7; Acts 8:32; Matthew 15:23; Matthew 26:63; Matthew 27:12; Matthew 27:14; Mark 14:61; Mark 15:5; Luke 23:9; John 19:9; John 14:30; John 19:10; Mark 3:7; Luke 6:12-13; Mark 3:13; Matthew 13:1-3; Mark 4:1
May Jesus bless each one of you who read this blog, with a revelation of this POWERFUL TRUTH about Solitude and Silence!
In † His Service, Susan Osten
Sources: The KJV Study Bible, the study notes are adapted from the Layman’s Simplified Commentary Series & Jesus’ Solitude and Silence by Bill Gaultiere
