BE STILL BEFORE GOD

 

Be Still

Without a doubt the most difficult step in intercessory prayer is this one – keep silence, be still. Learn this step and you will transform your prayer life. Remember, your mind is like an undisciplined child running constantly and refusing to be dominated. It wants it own way. It is like a wild stallion that does not want to be tamed, bridled or ruled. It wanders wherever it wishes. It clamors for its own way. It speeds ahead to its own agenda. It refuses to be brought under control. But God says it must be bridled. Peter urges us to “gird up the loins of your mind.” (1 Peter 1:13) Paul says, “Bring every thought into the captivity of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

A Secret

There is a secret that God reveals to his servants that is hidden from all other men. It is the secret of his presence. He delights to walk and talk with us but he will only do so in the “Secret place of the Most High.” Therefore David exalts the mystery of that secret retreat with God alone where God shadows over his own with his protective presence. Jesus said that the secret place for believers is the “closet of prayer” in Matthew 6:6.  The Greek word translated in KJV is “tameion”  which means a closet, secret or inner chamber, or a storehouse – thus “a closet.” He is very specific about it. “When you have entered into your “tameion” (secret chamber), shut the door…and pray in secret!” God longs to have that romantic secret chamber of interlude with each of us.

A Command  (not a suggestion)

God has given his people express commands governing the turbulence of their own hearts and the peace that he offers and expects. None stands out so markedly as  Isaiah 30:15 "In quietness and confidence will be your strength and you would not..."  It declares that the Lord's purpose is for his people to return to Him to find quietness and confidence before Him.  The indictment was that his people "WOULD NOT," therefore they had no peace.

• Psalm 4:4  “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”
• Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am thy God..."
• Isaiah 30:15 "In quietness and confidence will be your strength and you would not..."
• Isaiah 32:17 "The effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever."
• Isaiah 41:1 “Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.”
• I Kings 19:12 “After the earthquate a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
• Ecclesiastes 3:7  “A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;”
• Habakkuk 2:20  “But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.”
• Mark 4:39 “And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
• Revelation 8:1 “And there was silence in heaven for about the space of a half hour.”

It is the mandate of God that we still ourselves before him in order to find his peace and hear his voice.  So thus we have as the first and most important step in the believer's prayer life to still ourselves before the Lord.

Priority –  “I set the Lord always before me...”

What is first in your life? David testified that he always, meaning every day, “set the Lord before me.” (Psalm 16:8) The word used here is the same used in Exodus 20:3 for the command “to have (to place) no other Gods before Him.” God is a jealous God and will not share his glory with another. (Exodus 34:14) There is room for only one on the Throne of Omnipotence. Either God, the Lord, is first and supreme and before all others or someone (maybe you?), or something else is first (your agenda, day-timer?) and on the throne. Jesus indicates the same priority theme in Matthew 6:33 when he commands that we “Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else will fall in place.”

Listen – Hear His Voice

We live in a busy, noisy, tumultuous society.  There is noise and constant demands for our attention every waking hour.  There may not be any quiet Judean hillsides for us to retreat to daily for prayer. Therefore we must find an inner solitude in the Lord's presence. Elijah, the mighty prevailing intercessor, learned this lesson when in weariness of the battle he fled into the wilderness. God sent first the wind and storm, then the earthquake and finally the fire. But God was not in them. After this there was “a still small voice.”  God was found, not in the spectacular, but in the stillness.

Quiet Rest

Rest is important to God. The tireless Creator rested the seventh day from all his work. He commands us to do the same on the Lord’s Day. He enforced the year of Jubilee for the land to rest. So too, he wants us to rest in Him. Get this message from Isaiah 40. “The Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint, neither is He weary…”  But they that wait on the Lord will renew their strength. God doesn’t need to rest, we do!

Isaiah 40:28-31

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Wait on the Lord

In the age of cell phones, microwaves, satellite TVs, high speed computers, and nanosecond processing, we don’t like to wait. But waiting on God is an important biblical principle. Most of us are in a constant frenetic hurry. We don’t like to wait. We don’t have time to wait. Waiting is a waste of time. So we don’t wait and we miss God’s train of blessing. Waiting is part of the blessing of prayer. It requires that we put aside the rush of life and sit still and just wait. The point of prayer is not getting stuff from God. The point of prayer is getting God! Take skiing for example. The thrill of skiing is not in the arrival at the bottom of the hill, but in the joy of getting there – so it is with seeking God. The delight of prayer is not getting the answers, but being in the presence of the One who freely gives us all things.

• Psalms 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
• Psalms 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.
• Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

One Desire – To Behold His Beauty

David again is a wonderful example of one who learned about the secret place of stillness before God. He declares, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after.” What is that one thing that consumed his desire? It was to behold the beauty of the Lord, then secondly to inquire in his temple. Beholding God’s beauty begins in the quiet place of stillness. Then it blossoms into worship, the second step of our intercessory prayer strategy. One desire… what is yours?

Songs of Quietness:
 

• There is a Quiet Place: There is a quiet place, far from the noise and pace, where God can soothe the troubled heart. Sheltered by tree and flower, and in that quiet hour, we find a new, new day.
• In the Garden: I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And he walks with me and he talks with me. And he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.
• Be Still My Soul: Be still my soul, the Lord is on they side. Bear patiently thy cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide. In every change he faithful will remain.

Try singing these songs quietly, even mentally, to help quiet your heart and mind.

On no other step is it more important to begin and continue to use the 3-minute timer. It is the only way I know of to make myself be still before the throne.

The secret is in the discipline of laying aside everything else until your heart, mind and spirit are quiet before God. God says, “Be still!” The choice to obey him or not is up to you. Obedience begins here.

Even Heaven requires silence

Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal,

there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

As you attempt to train yourself in these prayer disciplines remember that learning new habits takes time. Don’t try to apply all of the steps at the same time. May I suggest that you discipline yourself in this step of silence only for at least 4 weeks, 10 minutes per day before going on to the next step.

Practical Disciplines Practical Disciplines

1.  Enter into your secret chamber, your closet. Find a quiet undisturbed place. Once you are alone before God "Shut the door." Block out all distractions but God Himself.
 
2.  Kneel or lay prostrate in the Lord's presence. (Only under real medical prohibition should you do otherwise. Kneeling or prostrate are worship positions.)  You need not be uncomfortable but neither should you be lazy in prayer.  Philippians 2:10-11 “every knee shall bow…confessing Jesus as Lord.”
 
3.  Make your mind a sanctuary. Make your mind stop its commotion and noise! Listen to the din of confused voices reminding you of duties, tasks and obligations. Then silence them! Your mind is not a noisy playground.  It is a sanctuary.  Your mind is yours. Make it obey you.
 
4. Slow down! Remember “relax” is the word for “be still” in Hebrew.  Consciously loosen the tension of every muscle. It won't come naturally so work at learning to be quiet!  1 Thessalonians 4:11 “Study (force yourself) to be quiet.”
 
5. Set apart a significant amount of time to learn this slowing down process. Give yourself time to slow down. You cannot stop a train on a dime. It takes time to slow down to a stop. You cannot get still in 10 seconds and often it takes more than a 3minute timer. 10 minutes is a good target, but it might not be long enough. Give God some room to work in you.
 
6. Fix your eyes on Jesus - behold the beauty of the Lord.  Like the angels in heaven and all creatures before the throne present yourself to God in stillness. Imagine yourself prostrate at his feet before his throne.
 
7. Take a few deep breaths. At first take long slow deep breaths. Hold it a few seconds. Let it out slowly. Control it! You'll be amazed at how it begins to quiet your body, which in turn affects thoughts too. Remember, if you cannot control your body, you cannot expect to control your spirit either. 1 Corinthians 9:27 "…I keep my body under, and bring it into subjection..."
 
8. Refuse to go on to the next step until the body and mind have obeyed you. If they are not subject to your will, neither will be the rest of your thoughts in prayer. If you cannot bring your own body and mind into subjection how will you wrestle with spiritual forces and win? Proverbs 24:10 "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small."

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,

Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. – Mark 4:39

WHEN YOU KNOW WHOM YOU HAVE BELIEVED!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 02, 2023.

SUBJECT: WHEN YOU KNOW WHOM YOU HAVE BELIEVED!

Memory verse: "For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (Second Timothy 1 vs 12.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 38 - 39:

838: For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

8:39: nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

INTIMATION:

How many of us can proudly say, "I know Whom I have believed." When you know whom you have believed, you become unstoppable, your confidence in Him is unshakable. Our memory verse was written when the apostle Paul was in prison, but that did not stop his ministry. He carried it on through others like his spiritual son Timothy. He had lost all his material possessions, but he would never lose his faith. He trusted God to use him regardless of his circumstances. 

He so trusted God that he was not bothered about his bleak situation. He gave all his concerns to Christ, trusting Him to guard his faith and safely guard all he has entrusted to Him until the day of His return. In spite of the suffering that might have caused him to despair, he affirmed his confidence in God’s protection. This was not a claim of strong faith; rather, it was a trust in One so powerful that even a weak faith was sufficient. Hence Christ said, “If your faith is a small as a mustard seed,” it comes with tremendous power in Him.

Paul based his confidence in Christ on his intimate relationship with Him. He knew the One he trusted with personal knowledge; he knew Christ so well that no earthly experience could break the bond of love by which Christ held him. Paul had an in-depth knowledge of Christ and His earth walk. He knew Christ better than other apostles because he knew Christ in the spirit, as he was arrested by Spirit Jesus.

Christians have always had to face various unfavorable life’s circumstances. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But in the passages we read today, the apostle Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can separate us from Christ’s presence. God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid.

The Scripture, in Romans 5 vs 3 - 4, says, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, Character; and character; hope.” God’s thoughts for us is of good, hence He gives us richly all things to enjoy (First Timothy 6 vs 17). Our future in Christ is excellently superb, but we have to overcome now to become later what He has in stock for us. This means we will experience difficulties that help us grow. 

When suffering comes our way, we rejoice, not because we like pain or deny its tragedy, but because we know whom we have believed and trusted, and He is using life’s difficulties and Satan’s attacks to build our character. The problems that we run into will develop our perseverance; which in turn will strengthen our character, deepen our trust in God, and give us greater confidence about the future. You probably find your patience tested in some way every day. Thank God for those opportunities to grow, and deal with them in His strength.

The apostle James counsels us in James 1 vs 2 - 4, saying, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. You can’t really say, “I know whom I have believed” until trials come, and your reactions to them are weighed.

Many Christians when facing trials may even begin to question God, “God where are You?” “You can’t be on Your Throne and I am going through this situation.” In my considered opinion, such comments come from those who do not know whom they believed, For If they know, they will realize that “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8 vs 28). God cannot be in any other place than His Throne. He is an “All knowing God,” and knows all about you and your circumstances, and in all these things you are a conqueror through Him who loves you. (Romans 8 vs 37.)

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love for me is unquestionable, undeniable, and unfathomable. What You cannot do for me, let it remain undone. What You cannot give me, let me never have it. Give me the grace to never shift my focus from You because I know Whom I believed, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

BEFORE 2023 5 THINGS FOR RETREAT BY APOSTLE JOSHUA SELMAN

 

GOOD THINGS COMES IN SMALL PACKAGES BY BISHOP TD JAKES

 

GOOD WORKS IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR US!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 01, 2023.

SUBJECT: GOOD WORKS IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR US!

Memory verse: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2 vs 10.)

READ: Acts 9 vs 36 - 42:

9:36: Now there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.

9:37: But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

9:38: And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

9:39: Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

9:40: But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

9:41: Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.

9:42: And it became known throughout all Joppa; and many believed on the Lord.

INTIMATION:

Good signifies that which is morally honorable, pleasing to God, and beneficial. Good works therefore, are works honorable, pleasing to God, and beneficial to all. God had prepared believers beforehand to walk in those good works. God, by His nature, is an epitome of goodness. For instance, we become believers through God’s unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or acts of service on our part. 

However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, not merely to please ourselves. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up His church—the Body of Christ.

To do good is the will of God for all believers, and they are to take thought of things good, prove it by doing them (Romans 12 vs 2), and cleve to it (Romans 12 vs 9). Good works are not only pleasing to God but also to man, and makes you outstanding in your society. The Scripture, in Romans 13 vs 3, says, “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.” 

The good works does not only earn you praise only in the society, but is also rewarded by God. And being conscious of this fact, the Bible says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of God” (Galatians 6 vs 10). Obviously, sometimes your good works are not recognized, and it is discouraging to continue to do good or right and receive no word of thanks or see no tangible results. But keep on doing good knowing that God will come with His reward, and in due time you will reap a harvest of blessing. 

When you do good, you receive the same from God (Ephesians 6 vs 8), and He rewards good works with glory, honor, and peace (Romans 2 vs 10). Therefore, Christians are to take thought for things honorable and do them, and also to follow after them. The Scripture instructs us thus, “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 15), and not to be wary in well doing (Galatians 6 vs 9), and to hold fast that which is good (First Thessalonians 5 vs 21).

We should be zealous of good works for it is for the reason that Christ saved us; “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2 vs 14). We are redeemed and purified to imitate Him in good works, and maintain them according to the Scripture; “This is the faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” (Titus 3 vs 8.)

Now, knowing all the benefits of doing good, which includes avoidance of harm (First Peter 3 vs 13), and overcoming evil with it (Romans 12 vs 21), Christians must devote themselves to doing good works—faithful service, acts of charity, and involvement in civil affairs, to mention but a few, for this is the will of God for us; to be more like Christ.

While good works cannot save us, or even increase God’s love for us because God had already loved and saved us with or without good works, they are true indications of our faith in, and love for Christ. We should then provoke them among ourselves (Hebrews 10 vs 24),  to bear testimony by them as children of God (First Peter 2 vs 12), knowing that if our actions are good and above reproach, even unbelievers will end up praising God, and consequently turning to Him.

In the passage we read today, Dorcas made an enormous impact on her community by her good works—walking in the will of God; always doing kind things to others and helping the poor by making coats and other garments for them. When she died, the whole community was thrown into mourning. They were very sorrowful that they lost a good woman known for her good works which they will greatly miss on her passing. They were desirous of having her back, and searched for the apostle Peter, believing he can pray to God to bring her back to life.

When Peter came, the room was filled with mourners, very likely many of the people she had helped. He knelt down and prayed, and God restored her life. And when she was brought back to life, the news raced through the town, and obviously, there would have been jubilation all over the town. 

This passage teaches us that we all have our individual gifts God has endowed us with, for His use for building and edification of the Body of Christ. Though, God uses great preachers amongst us to accomplish His will, but we can’t all be preachers, and we are all witnessing for Christ. He also uses those who have gifts of kindness like Dorcas (Tabitha) to accomplish His will. Rather than wishing you had other gifts, make good use of the gifts God has given you.

The pertinent question for us all is, “What are people saying about you now?” And “What will people say about you in your passing?“ “Will you be missed, and wished to come back to life?” Truthful and sincere answers to these questions will be a quick reminder to you, to know if you are walking in the will of God. May you never never walk out of God’s will in Jesus mighty Name!

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of excellence in good works, that I may never relent in using the gifts and talents You bestowed on me for service to you in good works, and to all humanity, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

INTIMACY WITH GOD

 INTIMACY WITH GOD

It begins with your relationship to God in “INTIMACY.”  Daniel says, “They who know their God will be strong and do exploits.”  (Daniel 11:32b) Daniel knew God because he spent many disciplined hours alone with him.

This intimacy begins with the simple discipline of "being still" and grows from there. We start with learning to be quiet in God’s presence and so, to hear His whispers. It is about intimacy, not getting things from God. It is about relationship, not about telling God all the world’s needs.  Begin small by learning the first step. It will take you awhile. It took me a good year to learn to be still. I still struggle with it. We are not used to being still or listening to God’s whisper. It takes time. It takes patience, but you can learn it.

Begin with one step, the first step. Learn it well until you can discipline yourself to spend three minutes on it without distraction. A three-minute egg timer will become your best friend as you seek to discipline your mind and heart in prayer.

It is extremely important to spend adequate time in preparation for intercession since that is the discipline most often neglected or missing altogether in our times of intercession. It is important because God says it is.

Happy 2023 a year of double honour and grace!

Death Rehearsal

 

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. . . . So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:5–6, 12)

For me, the end of a year is like the end of my life. And 11:59 pm on December 31 is like the moment of my death.

The 365 days of the year are like a miniature lifetime. And these final hours are like the last days in the hospital after the doctor has told me that the end is very near. And in these last hours, the lifetime of this year passes before my eyes, and I face the inevitable question: Did I live it well? Will Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge, say “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21)?

I feel very fortunate that this is the way my year ends. And I pray that the year’s end might have the same significance for you.

The reason I feel fortunate is that it is a great advantage to have a trial run at my own dying. It is a great benefit to rehearse once a year in preparation for the last scene of your life. It is a great benefit because the morning of January 1 will find most of us still alive, at the brink of a whole new lifetime, able to start fresh all over again.

The great thing about rehearsals is that they show you where your weaknesses are, where your preparation was faulty; and they leave you time to change before the real play in front of a real audience.

I suppose for some of you the thought of dying is so morbid, so gloomy, so fraught with grief and pain that you do your best to keep it out of your minds, especially during holidays. I think that is unwise and that you do yourself a great disservice. I have found that there are few things more revolutionizing for my life than a periodic pondering of my own death.

How do you get a heart of wisdom so as to know how best to live? The psalmist answers:

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. . . . So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:5–6, 12)

Numbering your days simply means remembering that your life is short and your dying will be soon. Great wisdom — great, life-revolutionizing wisdom — comes from periodically pondering these things.

The criterion of success, that Paul used to measure his life, was whether he had kept the faith. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). Let this be our test at year’s end.

And if we discover that we did not keep the faith this past year, then we can be glad, as I am, that this year-end death is (probably) only a rehearsal, and a whole life of potential faith-keeping lies before us in the next year.