PART 7 OF 8
Seeking God Through Daily Prayer
In chapter four I shared with you an encounter I had in my front room with the Lord while praying. I was recently divorced and felt that God knew that I needed some validation, comfort, and love. However, I believe that there was a second reason why He allowed the experience.
I had committed to pray with Him for one hour each morning and had forgotten about what Jesus said to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when He caught them sleeping and asked them, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour [1]?” He was about to die for them and they couldn’t even watch and pray with Him for one hour [2].
Access to God
When Christ died on the Cross [3], the Father tore the veil of the Tabernacle leading to the Holy of Holies, in two [4]. This gave us unfettered access to God. However, up until that point the only person allowed into the Holy of Holies was the high priest, and then only once a year. They tied a rope and bell on him in case he was not clean enough, either physically or spiritually, to go in. If he wasn’t, he died on the spot. If they did not hear the bell ring, they’d have to drag him out.
Christ’s death not only delivered us from the curse but God now had an open door policy; or should I say, He had an open veil policy to His throne room? It still takes the high priest to gain access but we have just such an advocate with the Father [5]. He takes us by the hand and leads us in. His name is Jesus.
Christ calls each and every one of us into deep intimacy and relationship with Him [6]. We are one with Him “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely [7].”
Communicating With God
God communicates with each of us in many ways: through prayer, the Bible, our circumstances, other people, and even His audible voice. Christ has said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me [8]. If I was to hear what God was saying, I would have to get closer to Him by moving to the other side of the gully as in my earlier story. In other words, back then, the reason I did not know the will of God for my life and whether the voice I heard was Gods or not, was because I was not relationally close enough to Him.
When we talk with God, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a formal prayer each and every time as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 might suggest when it says, Pray without ceasing. We can chat with God anywhere, anytime, no matter what the reason, whether we are in our house, car, church, sidewalk, field, or lake; it’s possible too casually talk with him all day long by involving Him in everything that we do, just like you would with any friend who was visiting. He is always there [9] to listen. This way, pray without ceasing becomes valid and true. (God is right again. . .Go figure.)
Prayer is a dialogue with God not a monologue to Him. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to interject something. Many times, I have left God standing there stuttering, “But. . .but I wanted to give you an answer and tell you that I love you. Oh well, I still love you Jim [10].”
I am wondering how many edifying and blessed moments I have lost because I prayed to God, said amen, and then went about my business. I did not give the Holy Spirit a chance at reciprocity. I am also wondering how many times I have neglected to thank Him for answered prayer and for what I had already received before asking Him for something else. Please forgive me Father.
Types of prayers
God gives us many opportunities to communicate with Him. There are prayers of salvation, petition, and supplication. There are personal prayers, conversational prayers, and prayers of fasting and worship. There are devotional prayers, formula prayers, and intercessory prayers. When we get into intercession, there will be prayers of birthing and travail as well. We do not lack any situation where we can’t converse with God and build that relationship.
Expounding on each and every type of prayer is beyond the scope of this book and is not a how-to writing but just an overview on prayer. It is my desire to share with you a couple types that may benefit your relationship with God. Daily prayer is an individual and subjective process, but mostly, it’s a heart process [11].
Formula Prayers
There is nothing wrong with prayer formulas but after a while, if we let them, they can become mechanical, meaningless, and just repetitive words. Like the Pharisees, they had their rewards [12]. Formula prayers are good for teaching aids for new converts just learning to pray. The Lord’s Prayer [13] is just such a prayer. Each stanza of the prayer is a topic for the believer to pray through.
In Luke 11:1 the disciples asked Jesus, “. . .Lord, teach us to pray. . .” Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer completely in Matthew 6:9-13. This prayer was just a guideline and not supposed to be a regimen of mechanical prayer by itself. It is edifying to self but there is no power in it.
Before Jesus came to Earth, the Israelites learned how to fellowship with God through the Tabernacle. Each of the tools, doors, altars, instruments, and the gate, had significance and were symbolic of the Lord. Even the colors, ropes, and poles were symbolic.
Fasting
In chapter one, an assailant pointed a gun at our victim and the man cried out to God. When we fast, our physiological body cries out to God in the same way. We are desperate for nourishment and our body aches but the Lord says “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst [14].”
The idea behind fasting is to get closer to God by shedding all earthly needs so that all we rely and focus on is God and for Him to sustain us. When I go to Him in prayer and fasting, the pain disappears and He refreshes me. After I connect with God, I am renewed and He magnifies His presence. I no longer need physical sustenance and I bask in the sustaining power of His love. From this position, things happen: healing, power, deliverance, revelation, and much more.
Word of God
The most effectual prayer we can pray is when we do so according to God’s will, as I intimated in chapter two. The best way to know of God’s will is to read His Word. The Bible is replete with verses on prayer with copious ways to pray them. We just need to emulate those who are doing the praying.
A reassuring verse regarding the power of His spoken Word is Isaiah 55 verse 11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. That sounds adamant enough for me.
The catch is, we not only need to pray the word of God, but we also have to take into consideration His will. Knowing God’s Word is tantamount to effectual prayer. An ever-present help to the Scriptures is a topical Bible. This will give you many topics with which to pray for any given subject covered in the Bible.
If you want to learn how to pray, get around someone with a prayer spirit but when you offer up your daily prayer to the Father, get by yourself [15] . . .and then give Him your heart [16]. God says there is no wrong way to pray [17]. Man on the other hand. . . [18]
_________________________________________________
[1] Matthew 26:40 - Verse
[2] Matthew 26:41
[3] Matthew 27:50
[4] Matthew 27:51
[5] 1 John 2:1
[6] John 17:10; John 17:21-23; John 4:23
[7] Revelation 22:17
[8] John 10:27
[9] Psalms 139:7-10
[10] I was just projecting a perception of how I felt God might have felt when I didn’t allow Him to respond back to me.
[11] 1 Samuel 16:7
[12] Matthew 6:2, 5, 16
[13] Matthew 6:9-13 The Lord’s complete teaching on prayer is contained in this verse. He gives a partial in Luke 11:2-4.
[14] John 6:35
[15] Matthew 6:5, 6
[16] 1 Samuel 16:7
[17] 1 Samuel 16:7
[18] And I refer to chapter eight’s anecdote and my own perceived inability.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
SEEKING GOD
PART 2 of 8
SEEKING GOD’S WILL: Hearing God
When I first sat down to write Seeking God’s Will, before I had even committed one word to paper, God gave me a vision. I was on this side of a large gully and a man was standing on the other side. I could faintly hear his mumbling echo, but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying.
I thought, Lord, what is this? What does this mean? I heard in my spirit, “If you want to hear what he is saying, you need to get closer to hear him. I had an a-ha moment. Since all truth is parallel [1], it’s the same in the spirit world. If I wanted to hear what God was saying, I needed to get closer to Him as well.
When we develop a close relationship with God, we will close that gap between us. I have heard many believers ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” If we will just seek God and endeavor to get close to Him through an intimate relationship, we will hear what He is saying and will understand what His will is for our lives. This is the intent of this series.
GOD'S SOVEREIGN WILL
“What is God’s will for my life?” This question seems to be straight forward and simple enough when we first ask, but it goes just a little deeper than that. First, we must distinguish the different aspects of God’s will, which most agree that there are three: sovereign [2], revealed [3], and perfect [4] will.
The sovereign will of God says that nothing happens outside of God’s purview. In other words, God’s sovereign will is the ultimate will of God and He ordains everything that has and will come to pass [5].
God has decided to hide much of His sovereign will from us until that thing comes to pass. Therefore, we need not speculate on God’s hidden and sovereign will [6] for it is a futile quest and journey. God does call us, however, to seek and obey the revealed will of God as it pertains to the Scriptures.
GOD'S REVEALED WILL
Scriptures abound that tell us what we should and shouldn’t do to live righteous lives and to be holy because God is holy. In fact, you can define the revealed will of God as just that, what we should and shouldn’t do.
God’s Word says not to lie [7], steal [8], or covet [9]. It also says to repent of our sins, to love our enemies, and to be holy because He is holy. God says that we should live in His grace [10], be obedient [11], to give graciously [12], pray unceasingly [13], make continual progress [14], and much, much more [15].
The Bible is replete with God’s revealed will for our lives. God gave us the Law in Exodus 20:3-17 and should be the backbone of our behavior. In Deuteronomy 30:19 He says, “. . .I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” The Bible says to trust in Him [16], acknowledge Him [17], seek Him [18], believe in Him [19], and many more assurances of His revealed will for our lives.
We could spend a lifetime learning and applying God’s Word as it pertains to His revealed will for our lives. That works for me and I am sure that it works for God. (However, please forgive me Lord, because I fail daily in this endeavor.)
GOD'S PERFECT WILL
Romans 12:2, the ideal explanation of what is the perfect will of God.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Everything that pleases God is His perfect will. God’s Word teaches us how to live righteous lives according to His will and to be holy because He is holy [20] but what it doesn’t teach (directly) is what the will of God is specifically for each one of us.
GOD'S WILL FOR INDIVIDUAL LIVES
It is my contention that you can find your God given purpose through your passions. With God as understood, whatever you are passionate or excited about, above all else, should be the will of God for your life. This is providing that you are living in the perfect will of God.
Psalms 37:4 tells us that God gave us those passions in the first place, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
Therefore, answer yourself this question, “I am passionate about insert passion here?” Again, with God as understood, does this passion get you up in the morning just thinking about it? Is this what you are excited about? If you couldn’t do this one thing, would it make you curl up and die inside?
TYPES OF PASSIONS
Does your passion involve any number of talents or skills? Could you use them to help the church, conduct services, or minister to people? Are you a musician, thespian, or have construction knowledge? Are you an author like me or maybe you’re an artist, nanny, driver, accountant, or have some other talent or skill that you could administer and serve the church or body. The church needs many and all services and skills that the body can provide from within.
Does your passion lay within one of the 18 spiritual gifts designations [21]? Or maybe you feel that God has sent you out on a special mission or given you revelatory words and you feel compelled to tell others? Do the souls of men burn inside of you or maybe you have a desire to shepherd or lead other people? When you learn something, is the first thing you want to do is teach or tell somebody else? Well, maybe God has called you to the five-fold ministry as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher.
I would exhort you to take a spiritual gifts class, to see in which area you are gifted. Every six months or so, as a follow up, you could take another class to see how you have grown in the Lord or to see in what area God is now leading you.
EDUCATION
Once you discover your passions, where they lie, and a direction in which you really want to serve God, another question you might want to ask yourself is, “Do I need training or do I need teaching in this area?” I know, for myself, I wanted to go to school to learn how to write right.
Writing is my passion and I write from the time I get up in the morning until the time I go to bed at night. I needed some teaching to perfect my craft or at least have the capacity to do my best and feel good about myself, that I was doing the best I could for God. Education is something that you might want to check into. Education is never wasted.
STILL SEEKING THE WILL OF GOD
We can seek His will by learning from His Word, how to live righteous lives, and by being a good example for others as we carry our own cross down the Via Dolorosa [22]. This is why it is so important to know the Word of God, to know the difference between pizza and what God is saying to us.
In everything we are to give thanks to the Lord [23]. When doing things for others we should do them like we are doing them for Christ [24]. Our sanctification is the will of God, which is the act of setting ourselves apart as being holy unto God and not prostitute ourselves with other gods/idols, which is anything that we put above God [25]. Much is common sense because God has written the moral Law on the hearts of men [26].
Seeking God’s perfect will for our lives should be our number one quest. Anything we can do to close the gap between us, as in my vision, the better off our walk with Him will be. It is a door to a higher level of knowing Him. Let’s go through that door now by Seeking God’s Hands.
____________________________________________________
[1] For every natural truth, there is an equal and corresponding spiritual truth.
[2] Hebrews 1:3; Lamentations 3:37; 1 Samuel 2:6; Amos: 3:6-13; Matthew 5:45; Psalms 115:3
[3] Exodus 20:3-17; Mark 3:35; Romans 8:27, 28, 14:23; Ephesians 5:3, 6:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:15, 16, 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:15, 16
[4] John 6:40; Romans 12:2; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Peter 1:15, 16
[5] Ephesians 1:11, John 1:3
[6] I speak especially as it pertains to eschatology in these end days. We should know the sign of the times but only as God reveals them to us through the Holy Spirit..
[7] Exodus 20:16; Romans 3:4; 1 John 1:6
[8] Exodus 20:15
[9] Exodus 20:17
[10] Ephesians 5:1-20
[11] Ephesians 6:5-8
[12] 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
[13] 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18
[14] 1 Peter 2:15
[15] Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21
[16] Proverbs 3:5
[17] Proverbs 3:6
[18] Matthew 6:33
[19] John 3:16
[20] 1 Peter 1:15, 16
[21] Words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of the spirits, tongues, and interpretations of tongues, administration, giving, leadership, mercy, service/helps, hospitality, exhortation, intercession, and missions
[22] We must bear our own Cross, Luke 14:27. The Via Dolorosa is the road in which Christ carried His Cross to Golgotha, or the hill where He they crucified Him.
[23] 1 Thessalonians 5:18
[24] Colossians 3:23
[25] 1 Thessalonians 4:3
[26] Acts 4:27, 28. Also, men is a generic term for mankind, meaning men AND women.
SEEKING GOD’S WILL: Hearing God
When I first sat down to write Seeking God’s Will, before I had even committed one word to paper, God gave me a vision. I was on this side of a large gully and a man was standing on the other side. I could faintly hear his mumbling echo, but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying.
I thought, Lord, what is this? What does this mean? I heard in my spirit, “If you want to hear what he is saying, you need to get closer to hear him. I had an a-ha moment. Since all truth is parallel [1], it’s the same in the spirit world. If I wanted to hear what God was saying, I needed to get closer to Him as well.
When we develop a close relationship with God, we will close that gap between us. I have heard many believers ask, “What is God’s will for my life?” If we will just seek God and endeavor to get close to Him through an intimate relationship, we will hear what He is saying and will understand what His will is for our lives. This is the intent of this series.
GOD'S SOVEREIGN WILL
“What is God’s will for my life?” This question seems to be straight forward and simple enough when we first ask, but it goes just a little deeper than that. First, we must distinguish the different aspects of God’s will, which most agree that there are three: sovereign [2], revealed [3], and perfect [4] will.
The sovereign will of God says that nothing happens outside of God’s purview. In other words, God’s sovereign will is the ultimate will of God and He ordains everything that has and will come to pass [5].
God has decided to hide much of His sovereign will from us until that thing comes to pass. Therefore, we need not speculate on God’s hidden and sovereign will [6] for it is a futile quest and journey. God does call us, however, to seek and obey the revealed will of God as it pertains to the Scriptures.
GOD'S REVEALED WILL
Scriptures abound that tell us what we should and shouldn’t do to live righteous lives and to be holy because God is holy. In fact, you can define the revealed will of God as just that, what we should and shouldn’t do.
God’s Word says not to lie [7], steal [8], or covet [9]. It also says to repent of our sins, to love our enemies, and to be holy because He is holy. God says that we should live in His grace [10], be obedient [11], to give graciously [12], pray unceasingly [13], make continual progress [14], and much, much more [15].
The Bible is replete with God’s revealed will for our lives. God gave us the Law in Exodus 20:3-17 and should be the backbone of our behavior. In Deuteronomy 30:19 He says, “. . .I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” The Bible says to trust in Him [16], acknowledge Him [17], seek Him [18], believe in Him [19], and many more assurances of His revealed will for our lives.
We could spend a lifetime learning and applying God’s Word as it pertains to His revealed will for our lives. That works for me and I am sure that it works for God. (However, please forgive me Lord, because I fail daily in this endeavor.)
GOD'S PERFECT WILL
Romans 12:2, the ideal explanation of what is the perfect will of God.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Everything that pleases God is His perfect will. God’s Word teaches us how to live righteous lives according to His will and to be holy because He is holy [20] but what it doesn’t teach (directly) is what the will of God is specifically for each one of us.
GOD'S WILL FOR INDIVIDUAL LIVES
It is my contention that you can find your God given purpose through your passions. With God as understood, whatever you are passionate or excited about, above all else, should be the will of God for your life. This is providing that you are living in the perfect will of God.
Psalms 37:4 tells us that God gave us those passions in the first place, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
Therefore, answer yourself this question, “I am passionate about insert passion here?” Again, with God as understood, does this passion get you up in the morning just thinking about it? Is this what you are excited about? If you couldn’t do this one thing, would it make you curl up and die inside?
TYPES OF PASSIONS
Does your passion involve any number of talents or skills? Could you use them to help the church, conduct services, or minister to people? Are you a musician, thespian, or have construction knowledge? Are you an author like me or maybe you’re an artist, nanny, driver, accountant, or have some other talent or skill that you could administer and serve the church or body. The church needs many and all services and skills that the body can provide from within.
Does your passion lay within one of the 18 spiritual gifts designations [21]? Or maybe you feel that God has sent you out on a special mission or given you revelatory words and you feel compelled to tell others? Do the souls of men burn inside of you or maybe you have a desire to shepherd or lead other people? When you learn something, is the first thing you want to do is teach or tell somebody else? Well, maybe God has called you to the five-fold ministry as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher.
I would exhort you to take a spiritual gifts class, to see in which area you are gifted. Every six months or so, as a follow up, you could take another class to see how you have grown in the Lord or to see in what area God is now leading you.
EDUCATION
Once you discover your passions, where they lie, and a direction in which you really want to serve God, another question you might want to ask yourself is, “Do I need training or do I need teaching in this area?” I know, for myself, I wanted to go to school to learn how to write right.
Writing is my passion and I write from the time I get up in the morning until the time I go to bed at night. I needed some teaching to perfect my craft or at least have the capacity to do my best and feel good about myself, that I was doing the best I could for God. Education is something that you might want to check into. Education is never wasted.
STILL SEEKING THE WILL OF GOD
We can seek His will by learning from His Word, how to live righteous lives, and by being a good example for others as we carry our own cross down the Via Dolorosa [22]. This is why it is so important to know the Word of God, to know the difference between pizza and what God is saying to us.
In everything we are to give thanks to the Lord [23]. When doing things for others we should do them like we are doing them for Christ [24]. Our sanctification is the will of God, which is the act of setting ourselves apart as being holy unto God and not prostitute ourselves with other gods/idols, which is anything that we put above God [25]. Much is common sense because God has written the moral Law on the hearts of men [26].
Seeking God’s perfect will for our lives should be our number one quest. Anything we can do to close the gap between us, as in my vision, the better off our walk with Him will be. It is a door to a higher level of knowing Him. Let’s go through that door now by Seeking God’s Hands.
____________________________________________________
[1] For every natural truth, there is an equal and corresponding spiritual truth.
[2] Hebrews 1:3; Lamentations 3:37; 1 Samuel 2:6; Amos: 3:6-13; Matthew 5:45; Psalms 115:3
[3] Exodus 20:3-17; Mark 3:35; Romans 8:27, 28, 14:23; Ephesians 5:3, 6:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:15, 16, 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:15, 16
[4] John 6:40; Romans 12:2; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Peter 1:15, 16
[5] Ephesians 1:11, John 1:3
[6] I speak especially as it pertains to eschatology in these end days. We should know the sign of the times but only as God reveals them to us through the Holy Spirit..
[7] Exodus 20:16; Romans 3:4; 1 John 1:6
[8] Exodus 20:15
[9] Exodus 20:17
[10] Ephesians 5:1-20
[11] Ephesians 6:5-8
[12] 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
[13] 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18
[14] 1 Peter 2:15
[15] Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21
[16] Proverbs 3:5
[17] Proverbs 3:6
[18] Matthew 6:33
[19] John 3:16
[20] 1 Peter 1:15, 16
[21] Words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of the spirits, tongues, and interpretations of tongues, administration, giving, leadership, mercy, service/helps, hospitality, exhortation, intercession, and missions
[22] We must bear our own Cross, Luke 14:27. The Via Dolorosa is the road in which Christ carried His Cross to Golgotha, or the hill where He they crucified Him.
[23] 1 Thessalonians 5:18
[24] Colossians 3:23
[25] 1 Thessalonians 4:3
[26] Acts 4:27, 28. Also, men is a generic term for mankind, meaning men AND women.
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