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In the Presence of
a King Did you hear about the golfer that so impressed a wealthy king
that the king insisted on giving him a
gift and asked what he wanted. He asked for a golf club, thinking he
would give him a diamond studded or gold plated golf club. To his
amazement, the kind gave him a deed to a golf club with all eighteen
holes and club house.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today
about "What to Ask a King For."
Now, this famous golfer had one observation to make after this
overwhelming response to his request. He said, "In the presence of a
great king, you do not ask for small gifts!" How right he is.
Listen to our word for today from the Word of God - it's about the
King who made all the other kings! Jeremiah 33:2-3 - "This is what
the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and
established it - the Lord is His name." Those are our King's awesome
credentials. Now, based on who He is, God says, "Call to Me and I
will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do
not know."
I'm reminded of a companion promise in the New Testament. Ephesians
3:20 identifies our Lord as "Him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work
within us." Now I hate to say it, but in light of the kind of King
we have and the kind of promises He's made to us, most of our
prayers are pretty lame. We come into the Throne Room from which the
universe is governed with our little "Dear God" ditties - "Dear God,
thank You for this day ... thank You for our many blessings ...
forgive us of our many sins ... help us with our many problems ...
and bless the missionaries, whoever they may be. Amen."
Our praying is often just so predictable, so routine - that's an
insult to the God who's invited us to come to Him for "no small
gifts." When's the last time you really believed God for some things
that are so big that only God could do them? Or have you been
praying you-sized prayers, man-sized prayers, earth-sized prayers?
We're guilty of really underpraying and undertrusting! When you
pray, take a little time to focus on the One whose awesome presence
you have just entered - the One who controls 100 billion galaxies!
Do you pray like that? Let yourself be overwhelmed ... not by your
problems, or your questions, but by the size of your Lord! Then pray
in ways that are worthy of the great God you're with!
The hymn writer had it right - "O what peace we often forfeit, O
what needless pain we bear - all because we do not carry everything
to God in prayer." Remember, when you pray, you are in the presence
of the King of all kings - don't ask for small gifts!
by Ron Hutchcraft
It's Worth the
Time
Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and
the judgments of his mouth; AND LASTLY, DON'T BE IN A HURRY- Be
prepared to spend a minimum of 20 minutes in deep concentrating
prayer seeking God's face and communing with Him. The longer you
spend with Jesus, the more fulfilling your experience will be
regardless of the answer to your prayer. Emergency prayers "on the
run" are fine and often necessary when we are at work or at school
or under some emergency situation, But God deserves our close and
prolonged attention and fellowship, and rewards our time with Him
with unspeakable joy and peace.
Remember Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any
man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me.
Notice the word "sup" used here. In the Greek, it meant "to take the
main or evening meal". This was a relaxed and complete main meal,
was not hurried or fast-food. Lots of fellowship was included, and
the same word is used in the sense of a "feast". Therefore, have a
slow and enjoyable feast with the Lord, don't hurry away, but be
prepared to stay awhile and enjoy the company of the Savior in your
time of prayer. And it came to pass in those days, that (Jesus) went
out into a mountain to pray,
And the Apostle Paul gives us one further instruction about prayer,
and that is to make prayer a continual part of your daily life. Talk
to God about everything all the time. And thereby prayer will become
a familiar activity in your experience, and not something
out-of-the-ordinary. This will make it easier to pray at times of
stress and difficulty.
1 Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable
unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to
faint;
"Pray for all men...who will have all
men to be saved" 1 Timothy 2:1,4
When I was saved, 66 years ago, my mother and father were not
saved and NEVER went to church. I tried to share the gospel with
them and my father was hard and told me clearly to "keep my religion
to myself." To say it broke my heart is an understatement.
One thing I could do though was to pray for him and this I did with
tears and with fasting. Very often I cried myself to sleep praying
for my parents. About ten years later I had the joy of leading my
mother to Christ.
When I went with Jerry Falwell, he made me sit on the platform when
I was not out of town preaching. My wife sang in the choir. My
father began watching the first part of the church service just to
look for Celeste and me and would then turn the program off.
Unbeknown to me, much later, he began to watch the preaching.
I was invited to preach a revival for a pastor friend in
Jacksonville, my home town where my father still lived. My mother
was now in heaven. The pastor was bi-vocational
and pastored a small church of less than one hundred.
My father picked me up at the airport on Saturday and took me to the
motel and than said to me, "Son I will see you in church tomorrow."
Believe me I was shocked beyond
imagination for he never went to church. He came back Sunday night!
Monday night he had a meeting but came again Tuesday and then
Wednesday and then Thursday night. A sixteen year old girl was saved
that night and came confessing Christ as her Savior. I turned the
service over to the pastor and he said, "I believe there is someone
else who ought to get saved tonight, let's sing one more verse of
invitation." Don't you ever criticize someone for singing one more
verse. We began to sing and my father stepped into the aisle and
began to come forward. I bounced off that platform, met my dad and
said, "Dad, do you want to accept Christ." He replied, "Son, I am
ready." I explained the gospel to him again and we knelt there, both
of us weeping our heats out, as he, at 85 years of age, prayed to
receive the Lord Jesus as his Savior. He went to be with the Lord
four years later and I had the joy of
preaching his funeral and over 30 people
prayed to receive the Lord Jesus at his funeral.
O dear people, don't say, I can't to anything but pray for my loved
ones. You can't do anything better than to pray for them. He told us
to "pray for all men" and that includes our loved ones. Don't quit.
Don't give up. Keep on praying. I prayed for 35 years for my father.
Believe me it was worth it. Pray daily for "all men," all the lost
of the world and you have a vital part in every person's salvation.
Doesn't that make sense?
"Pray for
the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee" Ps.
122:6
Out of obedience to the only living Lord God of glory, we ought
to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Of course, that does not mean
we "hate" the Arabs or anyone else. Just pray for the peace of
Jerusalem. Make sense?
It does not take a rocket scientist nor great Bible scholar to see
enough to make you realize the coming of the Lord Jesus draws nigh!
As I hear my dear pastor friends say, "Any minute now."
Sadly, I do not hear enough said about "They shall prosper that love
Israel." What ever you do please don't fall into the trap of
thinking prosper materially. I am fed up with the worldly,
materialist Christianity invading the church of the Lord Jesus.
"Having food and raiment, therewith be content." Bless God, every
Christian and every church I know needs desperately to prosper
spiritually.
Oh, how we need to see more people born of God and made new
creatures in Christ Jesus. Then every church needs to see a revival
of that first love for the Lord Jesus, for one another and for the
lost. Make sense?
Do you love Israel enough to pray for the peace of Jerusalem? This
should be on our daily prayer list not an annual urge to pray for
the peace of Jerusalem. Go a step further with Paul who said, "My
hearts desire and pray for Israel is that they might be saved" Rom
10:1. You will glad you did or wish you had one day! Make sense?
Just Push
When everything seems to go wrong, just push
When the job gets you down, just push
When people don't react the way you think they should, just push
When your money looks funny and the bills are due, just push
When you want to curse them out for whatever the reason, just push
When you ask the question, when is my ship coming in? (as I often do),
just push
When people just don't understand you, just push
Not to continue on and on...let me tell you what PUSH stands for.
P-ray
U-ntil
S-omething
H-appens
Things to Pray For
"To have an effective prayer life you must have a
prayer list." When the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, "Teach us to
pray" He gave them a prayer list! We call it the Lord's Prayer. In
reality it is a prayer list. It is a list of things we are to ask of
the Father "daily." We will get to more on it later. Right now I am
giving a list gleaned from all over the Bible that God told us to pray
for.
First we were told "first of all" to pray for "Kings and all in
authority" 1 Tim. 2:1. It amazes me how we seldom pray for these.
Secondly in that same passage we are told to "pray for all men," all 6
billion people. Who would have "all men to be saved." You have a part
in the salvation of every person who gets saved when you pray for
these every day. ASTOUNDING TO ME!
Thirdly we are told to "Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem" and as Paul prayed "for all Israel to be saved" Rom 10:1.
Israel are His people and just as you would be thrilled is
if someone
prayed regularly for your loved ones to be saved, so God must be
thrilled when you and I obey Him and pray for his people.
Fourthly Jesus said, "Pray the Lord the harvest to send forth
laborers" Mat 9:37. Today there is a great emphasis on the 10-40
window, that strip through the Arab countries across North Africa and
middle east and then right on through the Asian countries as the most
unevangelized groups of people. The laborers are certainly very few in
these countries. Why? Well, if the Scriptures mean anything, it is
because "we ask not." Do you pray this regularly? I have very seldom
heard this prayed for in church except during a missionary conference
and that won't cut it. You add this to your prayer list and it will
surely please God and for sure make a difference in the number of
laborers going into this most needed harvest field.
When I was a pastor and we caught this verse and began to pray for
laborers regularly, we saw over 30 young people go off to school to
study for Christian service. It works. It was electrifying to see God
call deacons and young people from our church to go into all the
world. It was awesome. It will thrill you beyond words to see God
answer this prayer that He told us to pray. Not only that but it will
enrich your prayer life beyond words.
Conditional Promises about Prayer
from Jesus John
15:7-8 KJV If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (8) Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples.
The key word to recognizing a conditional promise from God is the
presence of the word "if". "If" is a connecting word between two
ideas, and is used to indicate the circumstances that would have to
exist in order for an event to happen. For example, in simple terms,
"If you will do this, I ,God, will do that in response." The word
"if" is found over 1500 times in the Bible, and so there are
promises from God about many areas of the Christian life for us to
claim. It should also be mentioned that sometimes there is an
"implied if". This can be seen in the first verse given for
meditation.
Mark 11:25 (KJV) And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have
ought {anything} against any: that your Father also which is in
heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
In compressed terms, "forgive,...that your Father...may forgive your
trespasses."
Below are several promises about prayer which God has graciously
given to us. When you have needs, look for the promises that God has
given us. If they are given as conditional prayers, fulfill the
conditions, then claim the promise as part of your prayer. This
gives effective power to your prayers. But on the reverse side, if
your prayers are not being answered, and God does not appear to be
keeping His promise, make sure you are fulfilling your part of the
bargain, and when you do, you can have boldness to claim the promise
that God has already made.
Your Servant-Pastor's Prayer List
This prayer list, with a prayer for each of 31
days, is being shared as "A Servant-Pastor's Prayer" for every
servant of Jesus Christ when and where Christ has led a Pastor and
people into mutual service through the church Christ loved. Know
that you are always appreciated for your mutual prayer,
encouragement, and support, in your daily/regular prayers.
1. Servant Christ-likeness: Our first
prayer is that the true "image of the Servant~Christ" will be
reflected in the personal actions, attitudes, character, and
personality of Christ's Servants. Luke 9:23,24; John 13:15; Romans
8:29; Hebrews 12:2; I Peter 2:21
2. Servant Call: That each member of the church family will
hear a clear call from God that will never diminish in its
enthusiasm and freshness. (Called To Put Christ First!) II Thess.
1:11,12; II Tim. 2:24; I Peter 5:2,3; I Cor. 1:26-29; 9:14; Eph.
4:1-4; Rom. 10:14,15; II Peter 1:2-11 (v. 10).
3. Servant's Trust and Integrity: That the truth represented
will be backed up by the unanswerable argument of a holy,
transparent, private/secret life. Acts 6:3; II Tim. 1:9; I Peter
1:16; I Thess. 4:7; Eph. 4:23,24
4. Servant's Personal Prayer Life: That we will be able to
begin each day with the prayer: "LORD, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?"
and then be able to say at day's end: "IT IS FINISHED! ... TO GOD BE
THE GLORY!" Acts 9:6 & John 19:30; I Thessalonians 5:17,18;
5. Servant's Prayer Ministry: Pray that the Servant's
INTERCESSORY PRAYER MINISTRY will frequently need the Holy Spirit's
"groanings" (Romans 8:26,27 NLT) to be able to discern God's will
for His people and for His Church. (Cf. Christ's Model Prayer in
John 17:1-26) Acts 6:4; I Tim. 2:1-5.
6. Servant's Victory Over The Evil One: Pray that all
Servants at all times will trust Christ to resist the Devil's
temptations. Expect victory over Satan in the faith that "The Spirit
Who Lives In You Is Greater Than The Spirit Who Lives In The World."
I John 4:4 (Cf. Mt. 4:1-11: Christ, Our Model and His Prayers in Mt.
6:9-13 and in His John 17:15 prayer when He said: "I Am Not Asking
You To Take Them Out Of The World, But To Keep Them Safe From The
Evil One." NLT) I Corinthians 10:13; James 1:12,13.
7. Servant Human Relationship Balance: That Servants will
know how to walk the narrow line between time alone with God in
studying His Word and then time in relating to people. Pray that all
friendships will help God's Servants to see how the Word of God
applies to their daily life-styles and daily needs. Matt. 18:20;
Rom. 12:10; Gal. 6:2; I Thess. 4:9; I Peter 3:8; II Peter 1:5,7; I
John 1:3; 2:9, 3:14.
8 Servants as Models of Christ: Pray that all Servants will
be role models to follow Christ's own servant lifestyle. Pray that
all will be equally open to enjoy relationships with people of
humble means, gifts, and achievements as well as those who are
personally powerful, popular, and successful. James 2:1-9; Matthew
20:25-28; 23:8-12; Mark 9:35; 10:42-45; Romans 15:3; I Corinthians
9:22; Philippians 2:5-11; II Timothy 2:24-26
9. Servant "Agape" Compassion: "Dear
Friends, Let Us Continue To Love One Another, For Love Comes From
God. Anyone Who Loves Is Born Of God And Knows God. But Anyone Who
Does Not Love Does Not Know God, -- For God Is Love." NLT I John
4:7-8 See also: Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:35; Romans 13:9;
Philippians 1:9; II Timothy 1:7; Galatians 5:22; Hebrews 13:1; I
John 4:11, 20; II John 1:5; I Peter 4:8 [Ask about the PASTOR'S
"AGAPE" = "5 Ways to Say: `I LOVE YOU!'"]
10. Servant Communications: Pray that the Servant's
communications will be Holy Spirit inspired and controlled in all
relationships, beginning at home, at work, in the community, and in
the church -- making the Word of God apply to all life as it is
lived today. Psalm 19:14; I Corinthians 9:16; II Tim. 3:4:1-5: I
Peter 1:25 [Cf. Isaiah 40:8]
11. Servant Leadership: Pray that your Servant leadership
style and "Spiritual Gifts" will be clearly traceable to the work of
the Holy Spirit guiding into all truth. Mt. 20:26-28; Jn. 16:13-15;
Rom. 8:4,11,14,15; 12:3-8
12. Servant Motivation: Pray that God will always and at all
times have TOTAL CONTROL over His Servant's actions in the Church.
Pray that the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT will free God's Servants from
the temptation to use their own personal power [that is -- the power
of: position, educational achievement, spiritual gifts, personal
popularity, personal persuasion, doctrinal exactitude, moral
suasion, clever humor and wit, hard work, and/or personal charisma
in any form] to be controlling in anything that is done in the
Servant ministry of Christ's Church. Matthew 20:26-28; Romans
8:8,9,14-17; I Peter 5:1-4
13. A Servant Facing Temptation: That all Servants will be
diligent and faithful to live above all known SEXUAL SINS in a
lust-filled world culture with its current moral crisis. Deut. 5:18;
Rom. 13:14; I Cor. 10:13; Gal. 5:17; I Tim. II Tim. 2:2; James
1:13-15
14. A Servant's Clear Conscience: That all Servants will be
diligent and faithful to live above all known sin and to be quick to
make right any wrongs that will interfere with maintaining what Paul
says: "I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and
everyone else." (NLT Acts 24:16;) I Peter 3:15,16; Acts 23:1; I Tim.
1:18,19; I Cor. 8:10,12; II Cor. 1:12; Heb. 9:14; 10:22; 5:13,14.
15. Servant Humility Like Christ's: Pray that the Servant
will achieve Christ's Philippians 2:7 humility: "He made Himself
nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in
human form." NLT Servants need to be a faithful reflection of
biblical humility -- especially when tempted with the "idolatry" of
making themselves a "god" to be in charge or in control of the local
Church. Matt. 5:16; Romans 12:3; Galatians 2:20; I Cor. 9:27; 10:31;
I Peter 5:6; II Cor. 3:4-6
16. Servant's Family Life: Pray that the Servant's personal
and family lifestyles and relationships will model Romans 8:28 lived
out in the Churches they minister to and serve Christ's family. I
Tim. 3:12,13; 5:8; I Jn. 3:11; Eph. 6:1-4; Prov. 22:6; 29:15,17.
17. Servants as Christ's Counselors,
Encouragers, and Comforters: That Servants will be there
for those who are in the valley of depression, despair, and/or
death. That they will know how to be clearly led of the Spirit in
applying the truths of God's Word. Romans 8:14; Heb. 4:12,13; II
Tim. 3:14-17; II Cor. 1:2-6; Gal. 2:1,2
18. Servants Called To "Suffer For Christ":
Pray that the Servants of Christ will have God's grace
and wisdom in dealing with the inevitable unjust "sufferings for
Christ's sake" that Christ warned would be a part of following Him
and honoring Him. Matthew 5:10-12; Luke 9:23,24; Romans 8:17, 18,
36; Philippians 1:29; II Timothy 1:7-14; 3:10-12; I Peter 1:6-9;
2:21; 3:15-17; James 1:5
19. Servant Idealism and Realism:
Pray that Christ's Servants will daily
have God's wisdom in upholding the high biblical "ideals" and
"standards" and yet be patient in relating to the "real world."
James 1:5; I Corinthians 9:22; II Timothy 4:1-5.
20. Servant Fortitude: Pray
that the Servants of Christ will possess the kind of courage of
their convictions that says: "If God Is For Us, Who Can Ever Be
Against Us?" NLT Romans 8:31; I Corinthians 15:58; II Timothy 1:1-3;
4:5
21. Servant Success Over Satan:
Pray that the Servant will be so successful at pointing to Jesus
Christ by life and lip that people they serve will know that it is
"because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who
lives in the world." I John 4:4; John 3:30; Romans 8:37-39;
Colossians 1:18; I John 4:4
22. Servants in The Roles as Teachers:
...of children, as teacher-examples of youth, as teacher-disciplers
of youth adults, as teacher-mentors of middle adults, and as
encouragers of senior adults! II Timothy 2:2, 2:24,25;
Hebrews 10:24,25
23. Servants as Evangelists: That
Christ's Servants will always be aware of the need to introduce
family, friends, and neighbors to Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and
Master --- always urgent about the sharing of the "Good News" of
Jesus Christ with all who need to hear it and who need to benefit by
it. Mt. 4:19; 28:19,20; Rom 1:16; I Tim. 2:1-6; II Tim. 4:5.
The Power of a Timid Prayer
By Max Lucado If you struggle with prayer,
I've got just the guy for you.
The father's prayer isn't much, but the answer is and the result
reminds us: The power is not in the prayer; it's in the one who
hears it.
He prayed out of desperation. His son, his only son, was
demon-possessed. Not only was he a deaf mute and an epileptic, he
was also possessed by an evil spirit. Ever since the boy was young,
the demon had thrown him into fires and water.
The father had to remain on call, on alert twenty-four hours
a day. He was desperate and tired, and his prayer reflects both.
"If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help
us."
Listen to that prayer. Does it sound courageous? Confident? Strong?
Hardly.
If his prayer sounds like yours, then don't be discouraged, for
that's where prayer begins.
It begins as a yearning. An honest appeal. No pretense. No boasting.
No posturing. Just prayer. Feeble prayer, but prayer nonetheless.
We are tempted to wait to pray until we know how to pray.
Good thing this man didn't make the same mistake. He wasn't much of
a pray-er. And his wasn't much of a prayer. He even admits it! "I do
believe," he implored. "Help me to believe more" (see Mark 9:24).
This prayer isn't destined for a worship manual. No Psalm will
result from his utterance. His was simple-no incantation or chant.
But Jesus responded. He responded, not to the eloquence of the man,
but to the pain of the man.
Changing Laws and Times through Prayer
and Fasting He
changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He
gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Dan 2:21
Last night , we were amazed as we x-rayed the names of people who
accomplished much, changed laws and times through their prayer life.
We saw Esther praying and fasting with her people to change a law
that would have exterminated all of the Jews in the Kingdom of King
Ahaseurus. They were just moments away from death, they changed a
law that was passed issuing a death warrant against them all.
We also looked at the life of Daniel. The law was passed, and he
personally decided that he will not observe that law, he will not
accept that law. He put his life on line for God. He that loveth his
life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall
keep it unto life eternal (John 12.25). For the very first time, a
man interacted with hungry lions and came out alive.
We also saw the three Hebrew children daring a potentate over his
decree to worship an idol. They dared him, and told him, even if God
will not save them, they will not bow down to any idol. And God did
not fail them. They change a decree across the spectrum of that
Kingdom.
Time shall fail us, what shall we say of Moses, Elijah, The Lord
Jesus Christ, David, and the many whose names are in the Hall of
Faith of Hebrew 11. One thing was common with these men, they
sacrificed their lives. They were men and women of prayer. They
changed laws, times, seasons, and the heart of Kings.
So many of us are afraid to fast during extended prayers for fear of
ulcer, gastric injuries, and such. Those who are always looking at
the shore will never plunge into the ocean.
Has a death warrant been issued against your life, family, loved
ones? Wear your coat of radical faith this season and deliver them,
and nullify every death warrant issued from whatever quarters. Is
the oil of your life and family remaining a little, get behind the
door with multiple containers, and you will have enough for you and
your family.
Author unknown
Five Factors for Quality Time
Christianity is not a legal relationship, it is a love relationship.
Ten thousand "don'ts" will never make you one iota more like the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Himself Who makes you like Him. But
you need to spend time with Him. I want to give you five factors for
spending some quiet time with Him each day.
The Proper Period
You must find the right time. Your quiet time should last at least
half an hour. But some time is better than no time, so if you can't
start at thirty minutes, begin with ten. It should be your very best
time. Don't give the Lord your leftovers. And don't try to find time
- make time, and make it a priority. Also find time early in the
day. Psalm 5:3 says, "... in the morning will I direct my prayer
unto Thee, and will look up." You don't take the trip and then read
the map, do you? Spend time alone with God to begin your day.
The Proper Preparation
A quiet time is fellowship with a holy God. There are a few things
you can do to be prepared for this time. First, be physically alert.
Find a time when the cobwebs are out of your mind and you can think
clearly. Second, be mentally aware. Be focused, and know He's there.
Emotion doesn't really have all that much to do with it. And third,
be morally pure and clean. Some people don't have a quiet time
because they feel uncomfortable looking God in the face with sin in
their lives.
The Proper Place
Find a place where you can focus. Jesus said enter into your closet
and pray (see Matthew 6:6). That simply means find a place of
isolation where you can shut the door on the world and open the
windows to heaven. Jesus sought out places where He could be alone,
and so should you.
The Proper Provisions
In order to have an effective quiet time, you need the right tools.
Here are some tools I use:
-
A readable Bible - Invest
in one with plenty of room to jot notes in the margins.
-
A prayer journal - Expect
God to give you something and write it down. Also use it to record
things you're praying about.
-
A notepad - Write down
your daily assignments.
The Proper Procedure
Finally, may I recommend some procedures to follow in your quiet
time? Get still and quiet. The Bible says in Psalm 46:10, "Be still,
and know that I am God." Focus your mind on Him. Calm down, relax,
and recognize His presence. Take a deep breath and focus your
thoughts on the Lord.
Get into the Word of God. It's better to start by reading the Bible
than it is to start in prayer. It is more important for you to hear
from God, even than for God to hear from you. God already knows all
about you, but you need to know a lot more about Him.
Read the Bible for quality and not quantity. It's good to have a
goal to read the Bible through in a year, or a similar goal; but
that's not the purpose of your quiet time. Also, devotional books
are wonderful. But again, this is not the place for them. This is
the time when you simply read the Bible with an open mind.
Meditate. As you focus on the Word of God and meditate, let it
permeate you. Ask:
-
Is there a command to obey?
-
Is there a promise to claim?
-
Is there a sin to avoid?
-
Is there a lesson to learn?
-
Is there a new truth to carry with me?
Record what God has given you. Write down what God
says to you and what He tells you to do. It doesn't have to be
flowery. You're not writing it for publication or to impress other
people.
Now you're ready to pray. When you pray, pour out your soul. Be
natural and honest with God. Tell Him how you feel. Pray out loud.
It keeps your mind on track and enables you to stay focused.
Begin to share out of your quiet time. God did not make us to be
reservoirs; He made us to be conduits. Tell others what is God is
showing you.
Finally, obey what God tells you. Your spiritual train is running on
two rails. One is revelation and the other is obedience. And if
either rail stops, your train stops. Learn to obey the Word of God.
I pray these simple suggestions will help you have a daily quiet
time in the presence of our loving, almighty, powerful God. |
