It doesn’t matter if you are a 7-year-old heading to your first summer camp or a senior adult – camps, retreats, conferences, and events can leave a lasting spiritual impact in your life.
Retreats come in all shapes and sizes. There are week-long camps, weekend retreats, one-day events, and conferences. While they vary in nature they all have one thing in common – they allow the attendees to step away from their normal day-to-day routines and focus on Jesus.
God has used my time at camps to wake me up spiritually and provided a place to grow spiritually. I became a Christian, committed my life to ministry, and even met my wife while I was at various retreats.
While you may not meet your future wife at a retreat, here are some other reasons that you should consider joining the next retreat that your church offers (or sending your student).
5 Ways Retreats Can Draw You Closer To Jesus
Retreats remove you from your day-to-day habits.
Have you been in a rut? We all get to points where we need a break from the demands of life. High school relationships may have you stressed to the max. Your kids schedules can wear on your stamina. Retreats, camps, conferences, and events are just that – a retreat! Taking a retreat will allow you to catch your breath, both physically and spiritually.
Retreats allow you to refocus on Jesus.
Our minds can be cluttered with deadlines, activities, relationships, and commitments. Retreats are the perfect place to give your brain a chance to reset and refocus on Jesus. The priorities of your day can interfere with your worship of Jesus. Retreats are designed to remove the distractions and sins that bog you down so that you can worship Jesus.
Retreats remove you from negative influences.
Most of the people who surround you in school or at work are negative influences. A spiritual retreat gives you an avenue to remove yourself, even for a weekend, from the negative relationships, horrible advice, and complainers that push your spirit down.
Retreats cause us to anticipate the power of God.
Going on a retreat with your church means that you have cleared your calendars, turned in your forms, paid the registration fees, and packed up your bags for the event. A retreat allows your mind to anticipate a move of God in your own life. It is something that you can look forward to with a longing to meet with Jesus.
Retreats lead you to a fresh movement of God’s Spirit.
A retreat will not only remove you from negative influences — it will draw you into God’s Word. Whether it is the guest speaker, worship set, or small group time, you will start to experience God like never before. His Spirit moves in incredible ways when we humble ourselves and turn our gaze onto Him.
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