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Listening to God

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Too often we think that prayer is telling God our “shopping list” of needs. I like what Stephen D. Eyre had to say “Turn your “to do” list over to the Lord.” Write down how you feel after you have done it. The prophet Habakkuk experience is very useful to understand that concept. In Habakkuk 2:1-3 we see that as a watchman the prophet stand at his guard post and waited to see what the LORD would say. In Psalm 32:8 we read a great promise God gave to David and us “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”  Do you expect Him to instruct you and guide you in life?

What should we do? (From Stephen D. Eyre book Drawing Close to God).[1]

1.To help you listen, make a list of questions and concerns you would like God to address.

2.Ask God what He thinks about your problem with ______.

3.Ask God what he wants you to do about ______.

4.Sit back and wait quietly to see what God will say.

Does it seem strange to actually listen for God to talk back? One more time,’ Do you expect Him to instruct you?’

John Powell writes:

The Lord … puts his ideas into my mind and especially his perspectives. He widens my vision, helps me to see what is really important in life, and to distinguish the really important from the unimportant …. He comes to me in the listening, receptive moments of prayer, and he transfuses his power into me.

A.W. Tozer said:

“What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.”

This goes back to Jesus’ invitation to enjoy a time (coffee) together (Rev.3:20).

[1] Stephen D. Eyre, Drawing Close to God: The Essentials of a Dynamic Quiet Time: a Lifeguide resource (DowersGrove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995).

Quiet Time Phases

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My best time during the day is went I am alone with God early in the morning (with a good cup of coffee). I feel very close to the Lord and He speak to my soul through His Word the Bible. I particularly enjoyed this morning what Stephen D. Eyre wrote in his book  Drawing Close to God. “I have discerned five different phases in my quiet times: occasional quiet time, determined quiet time, study quiet time, desert quiet time and devotional quiet time. Each phase has its own characteristics, its own strengths and weaknesses, its own dangers and delights. The first two, occasional and determined quiet times, deal with frequency— how often we have a quiet time. The study quiet time focuses on what we do in a quiet time. The last two phases, desert and devotional quiet times, are distinguished by how we feel during a quiet time.”

Remember Jesus word “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and
open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelation 3:20 (NLT)

 

Stephen D. Eyre, Drawing Close to God: The Essentials of a Dynamic Quiet Time: a Lifeguide Resource (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995).

Determination

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Many young people have to leave home either for study, or work, or military life. For many it is a challenging time in their life, many new pressures are building up on their shoulders. History offers an interesting example of a young man that was force away from home. His own country lost a war and the enemy tactic was to expatriate young promising people to the enemy territory. This young man name was Daniel. We can learn some important lessons on how to survive in anew surrounding. Like many of today cities Babylon was a very wicked place to live. We can read in the Bible that Daniel determine in his heart what not to do. Away from Daniel familiar network into a new one came with many new temptations. Here is how Daniel manages the situation. He “determine” not to compromise with he knew to be evil.

Some year ago I read the life story of R. G. LeTourneau. I was moved to make a few resolutions. The author A.W. Tozer summarized well my stand. “Tie up the loose ends of your life. Begin to tithe; institute family prayer; pay up your debts as far as possible and make some kind of frank arrangement with every creditor you cannot pay immediately; make restitution as far as you can; set aside time to pray and search the Scriptures; surrender wholly to the will of God. You will be surprised and delighted with the results.” Inspire by LeTourneau example, I decide to give God the ‘first place’ with my time and money. Reading God’s Word became a top priority each morning. I also realize that God did answer prayers. I avoided like pest going into debt. I can say that life was never the same since.

Like Daniel, LeTourneau’s life had a very positive testimony after taking a stand for God. LeTourneau was a known as “God’s businessman”. You could read more about LeTourneau. [1]

“The Breakdown Moment”

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Mrs. Iyanla Vanzant  wrote “Each of us faces a moment in our lives called “the breakdown moment”. This is the time when you must stand toe to toe, eyeball to eyeball, with the very thing you have tried desperately to avoid. In that moment, when there is nothing standing between you and the thing you fear the most, you will be forced to step into your greatness, because that is what life is demanding of you.”

At those “breaking moment” remember Jesus powerful words, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

When life is challenging, what you are facing situation that you cannot avoid; what you need is not harshness treatment, but someone that is gentle. Accepting God’s comfort and grace during trials develops an attitude of kindness and gentleness toward others.

 

The Breakdown Moment

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The risk factor is very present in life. Surveys ask a question to elderly people “if you could go back what you would do differently?” One answer that came over and over was “I would take more risk.” What keep us to risk more? This morning on Facebook I read the remark from a dear friend, in her 2013 Scrapbook she mention what a blessed life she had in 2013. She quoted Iyanla Vanzant meditation called “the breakdown moment.”

“There are always rick related with every important decisions in life. I am to the point where I must make important decision and there is always risk related.  Each of us faces a moment in our lives called “the breakdown moment.” This is the time when you must stand toe to toe, eyeball to eyeball, with the very thing you have tried desperately to avoid. In that moment, when there is nothing standing between you and the thing you fear the most, you will be forced to step into your greatness, because that is what life is demanding of you.

Susan Gorman comments to her blog was also very rich, “When you’ve come to the edge of all you’ve known and are about to step into darkness, one of two things will happen: either there will be something solid for you to stand on or you will be taught to fly.”

I am at that “breaking moment” in my own life, and to take the easy path is very tempting, but is it the best path? I want to make a decision that when I will back I will be able to say “what a blessed life I had in 2014”.  

Café with a Friend

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“If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal (coffee) together as friends.” (Revelation 3: 20) What a great way to start a day with such a friend! You might be surprise what Jesus want to share with you. He speak directly to the inner part of us. The soul need to be feed just like the body need a couple meals every day. A. W. Tozer said “To meet with God, we need to slow down inwardly so that we can relax and open our spiritual eyes and ears”

Written by a 18 years old young man

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“After this my sense of divine things gradually increased, and became more and more lively, and had more of that inward sweetness. The appearance of every thing was altered; there seemed to be, as it were, a calm, sweet cast, or appearance of divine glory, in almost every thing. God’s excellency, his wisdom, his purity and love, seemed to appear in every thing; in the sun, moon, and stars; in the clouds, and blue sky; in the grass, flowers, trees; in the water, and all nature; which used greatly to fix my mind. I often used to sit and view the moon for continuance; and in the day, spent much time in viewing the clouds and sky, to behold the sweet glory of God in these things: in the mean time, singing forth, with a low voice, my contemplations of the Creator and Redeemer. And scarce any thing, among all the works of nature, was so sweet to me as thunder and lightning; formerly, nothing had been so terrible to me. Before, I used to be uncommonly terrified with thunder, and to be struck with terror when I saw a thunder-storm rising; but now, on the contrary, it rejoiced me. I felt God, so to speak, at the first appearance of a thunder-storm; and used to take the opportunity, at such times, to fix myself in order to view the clouds, and see the lightnings play, and hear the majestic and awful voice of God’s thunder, which oftentimes was exceedingly entertaining, leading me to sweet contemplations of my great and glorious God. While thus engaged, it always seemed natural to me to sing, or chant forth my meditations; or, to speak my thoughts in soliloquies with a singing voice.”

“Holiness, as I then wrote down some of my contemplations on it, appeared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature; which brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and ravishment to the soul. In other words, that it made the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant flowers; all pleasant, delightful, and undisturbed; enjoying a sweet calm, and the gently vivifying beams of the sun. The soul of a true Christian, as I then wrote my meditations, appeared like such a little white flower as we see in the spring of the year; low and humble on the ground, opening its bosom, to receive the pleasant beams of the sun’s glory; rejoicing, as it were, in a calm rapture; diffusing around a sweet fragrancy; standing peacefully and lovingly, in the midst of other flowers round about; all in like manner opening their bosoms, to drink in the light of the sun. There was no part of creature-holiness, that I had so great a sense of its loveliness, as humility, brokenness of heart, and poverty of spirit; and there was nothing that I so earnestly longed for. My heart panted after this,—to lie low before God, as in the dust; that I might be nothing, and that God might be all, that I might become as a little child.” —Jonathan Edwards