| God
speaks to His people by the voice of His Spirit: "Thine ears shall hear
a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye
turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:21). The voice of His Spirit comes to us primarily through the Scriptures. He may open up a biblical passage that will be the key to our deliverance. But before we can hear His voice of direction, God requires something of us: We are to stand still and wait for Him to act. This word is not a suggestion but a commandment. It is the secret to our total victory and deliverance. Indeed, the Lord commanded His people to stand still on many occasions. In Joshua 3 we read of another crossing Israel had to make, at the Jordan River. God instructed the people: "When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan" (Joshua 3:8). Then the Lord added: "As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests . . . shall rest in the waters of Jordan . . . the waters of Jordan shall be cut off . . . and they shall stand upon an heap" (verse 13). God was saying, "When you get to the water, plant your feet in it and just stand there. Be still, rest. Just wait for Me to act and I will part the waters for you!" The Hebrew word for stand still in this passage means "stop all activity, cease all striving." Yet, how many Israelites obeyed when they came to the Jordan? As they stood with their feet in the water, many must have thought, "How do we know this is going to work?" Some might have been tempted to build some sort of pontoon bridge and try to get across on their own ingenuity. But that would have been in vain. God did act on that occasion — He parted the waters. Israel's act of obedience was accompanied by faith — and God answered their faith! from: http://www.worldchallenge.org/view/devotions | |
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
STAND STILL AND WAIT by David Wilkerson
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Formula for a Burning Heart - A.W. Tozer
I have previously said that any Christian who desires to, may experience
a radical spiritual renascence, and this altogether independent of the
attitude of his fellow Christians.
The important question now is How? Well, here are some suggestions which anyone can follow and which, I am convinced, will result in a wonderfully improved Christian life.
1. Get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself.
Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. The contented soul is the stagnant soul. When speaking of earthly goods, Paul could say, “ I have learned … to be content”; but when referring to his spiritual life, he testified, “I press toward the mark.” Stir up the gift of God that is in thee.
2. Set your face like a flint toward a sweeping transformation of your life.
Timid experimenters are tagged for failure before they start. We must throw our whole soul into our desire for God. “The Kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
3. Put yourself in the way of the blessing.
It is a mistake to look for grace to visit us as a kind of benign magic, or to expect God’s help to come as a windfall apart from conditions known and met. There are plainly marked paths which lead straight to the green pastures; let us walk in them. To desire revival, for instance, and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.
4. Do a thorough job of repenting.
Do not hurry to get it over with. Hasty repentance means shallow spiritual experience and lack of certainty in the whole life. Let godly sorrow do her healing work. Until we allow the consciousness of sin to wound us, we will never develop a fear of evil. It is our wretched habit of tolerating sin that keeps us in our half-dead condition.
5. Make restitution wherever possible.
If you owe a debt, pay it, or at least have a frank understanding with your creditor about your intentions to pay, so that your honesty will be above question. If you have quarreled with anyone, go as far as you can in an effort to achieve reconciliation. As fully as possible make the crooked things straight.
6. Bring your life into accord with the Sermon on the Mount and such other New Testament Scriptures as are designed to instruct us in the way of righteousness.
An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly. I recommend that the self-examination be made on our knees, rising to obey God’s commandments as they are revealed to us from the Word. There is nothing romantic or colorful about this plain downright way of dealing with ourselves, but it gets the work done. Issac’s workmen did not look like heroic figures as they digged in the valley, but they got the wells open, and that was what they had set out to do.
7. Be serious – minded.
You can well afford to see fewer comedy shows on TV. Unless you break away from the funny boys, every spiritual impression will continue to be lost to your heart, and that right in your own living room. The people of the world used to go to the movies to escape serious thinking about God and religion. You would not join them there, but you now enjoy spiritual communion with them in your own home.
The devils ideals, moral standards, and mental attitudes are being accepted by you without you knowing it. You wonder why you can make no progress in your Christian life. Your interior climate is not favorable to the growth of spiritual graces. There must be a radical change in your habits or there will not be any permanent improvement in your interior life.
8. Deliberately narrow your interests.
The Jack-of-all-trades is the master of none. The Christian life requires that we be specialists. Too many projects use up time and energy without bringing us nearer to God. If you will narrow your interests, God will enlarge your heart.
“Jesus only” seems to the unconverted man to be the motto of death. But a great company of happy men and women can testify that it became to them a way into a world infinitely wider and richer than anything they had ever known before.
Christ is the essence of all wisdom, beauty and virtue. To know Him in growing intimacy is to increase in appreciation of all things good and beautiful. The mansions of the heart will become larger when their doors are thrown open to Christ and closed against the world and sin. Try it.
9. Begin to witness.
Find something to do for God and your fellow men. Refuse to rust out. Make yourself available to your pastor and do anything you are asked to do. Do not insist upon a place of leadership. Learn to obey. Take the low place until such time as God sees fit to set you in a higher one. Back your new intentions with your money and your gifts, such as they are.
10. Have faith in God.
Begin to expect. Look up toward the throne where your Advocate sits at the right hand of God. All heaven is on your side. God will not disappoint you.
If you will follow these suggestions, you will most surely experience revival in your own heart. And who can tell how far it may spread? God knows how desperately the church needs a spiritual resurrection. And it can only come through the revived individual.
The important question now is How? Well, here are some suggestions which anyone can follow and which, I am convinced, will result in a wonderfully improved Christian life.
1. Get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself.
Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. The contented soul is the stagnant soul. When speaking of earthly goods, Paul could say, “ I have learned … to be content”; but when referring to his spiritual life, he testified, “I press toward the mark.” Stir up the gift of God that is in thee.
2. Set your face like a flint toward a sweeping transformation of your life.
Timid experimenters are tagged for failure before they start. We must throw our whole soul into our desire for God. “The Kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
3. Put yourself in the way of the blessing.
It is a mistake to look for grace to visit us as a kind of benign magic, or to expect God’s help to come as a windfall apart from conditions known and met. There are plainly marked paths which lead straight to the green pastures; let us walk in them. To desire revival, for instance, and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.
4. Do a thorough job of repenting.
Do not hurry to get it over with. Hasty repentance means shallow spiritual experience and lack of certainty in the whole life. Let godly sorrow do her healing work. Until we allow the consciousness of sin to wound us, we will never develop a fear of evil. It is our wretched habit of tolerating sin that keeps us in our half-dead condition.
5. Make restitution wherever possible.
If you owe a debt, pay it, or at least have a frank understanding with your creditor about your intentions to pay, so that your honesty will be above question. If you have quarreled with anyone, go as far as you can in an effort to achieve reconciliation. As fully as possible make the crooked things straight.
6. Bring your life into accord with the Sermon on the Mount and such other New Testament Scriptures as are designed to instruct us in the way of righteousness.
An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly. I recommend that the self-examination be made on our knees, rising to obey God’s commandments as they are revealed to us from the Word. There is nothing romantic or colorful about this plain downright way of dealing with ourselves, but it gets the work done. Issac’s workmen did not look like heroic figures as they digged in the valley, but they got the wells open, and that was what they had set out to do.
7. Be serious – minded.
You can well afford to see fewer comedy shows on TV. Unless you break away from the funny boys, every spiritual impression will continue to be lost to your heart, and that right in your own living room. The people of the world used to go to the movies to escape serious thinking about God and religion. You would not join them there, but you now enjoy spiritual communion with them in your own home.
The devils ideals, moral standards, and mental attitudes are being accepted by you without you knowing it. You wonder why you can make no progress in your Christian life. Your interior climate is not favorable to the growth of spiritual graces. There must be a radical change in your habits or there will not be any permanent improvement in your interior life.
8. Deliberately narrow your interests.
The Jack-of-all-trades is the master of none. The Christian life requires that we be specialists. Too many projects use up time and energy without bringing us nearer to God. If you will narrow your interests, God will enlarge your heart.
“Jesus only” seems to the unconverted man to be the motto of death. But a great company of happy men and women can testify that it became to them a way into a world infinitely wider and richer than anything they had ever known before.
Christ is the essence of all wisdom, beauty and virtue. To know Him in growing intimacy is to increase in appreciation of all things good and beautiful. The mansions of the heart will become larger when their doors are thrown open to Christ and closed against the world and sin. Try it.
9. Begin to witness.
Find something to do for God and your fellow men. Refuse to rust out. Make yourself available to your pastor and do anything you are asked to do. Do not insist upon a place of leadership. Learn to obey. Take the low place until such time as God sees fit to set you in a higher one. Back your new intentions with your money and your gifts, such as they are.
10. Have faith in God.
Begin to expect. Look up toward the throne where your Advocate sits at the right hand of God. All heaven is on your side. God will not disappoint you.
If you will follow these suggestions, you will most surely experience revival in your own heart. And who can tell how far it may spread? God knows how desperately the church needs a spiritual resurrection. And it can only come through the revived individual.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Jesus put the song in my heart
I tried to sing my song on my own
But then I found out I was singing alone
Then Jesus sang with me
We sang in harmony
Now I’m singing His song
Ooh I’m singing His song
Jesus put the song in my heart
He turned my life around
He gave me a treasure, the heart of a servant
Jesus put the song in my heart, a joyful melody
That sings of His wonderful love
He gave me His love
He sang me His song
And He put a song in my heart
Yeah
I’m going to live my life differently
By serving the Lord and not serving me
Helping to meet your needs
Following Jesus’ leads
Ooh I’m singing His song
Yes I’m singing His son
Source - http://www.lyrics.com/jesus-put-the-song-in-my-heart-lyrics-psalty.html
But then I found out I was singing alone
Then Jesus sang with me
We sang in harmony
Now I’m singing His song
Ooh I’m singing His song
Jesus put the song in my heart
He turned my life around
He gave me a treasure, the heart of a servant
Jesus put the song in my heart, a joyful melody
That sings of His wonderful love
He gave me His love
He sang me His song
And He put a song in my heart
Yeah
I’m going to live my life differently
By serving the Lord and not serving me
Helping to meet your needs
Following Jesus’ leads
Ooh I’m singing His song
Yes I’m singing His son
Source - http://www.lyrics.com/jesus-put-the-song-in-my-heart-lyrics-psalty.html
God Loves Us As He Loved Jesus - Zac Poonen
The root cause of all our spiritual problems lies in our not
knowing God as a Loving Father and a Sovereign God. One
truth that has revolutionized my Christian life is the
glorious revelation that Jesus gave us that the Father loves
us just as He loved Him. Jesus prayed to the Father,
".....that the world may know that Thou didst love them,
EVEN AS THOU DIDST LOVE ME."(Jn.17:23) Jesus prayed here
that the world around us might know this truth. But it has
to grip our hearts first, before the world can realise it.
All Christians believe theoretically in a loving Father in
heaven. But the fact that they are often worried and anxious
and so full of insecurity and fear, proves that they don't
believe it deep down in their hearts. There are fewer still
who would dare to believe that God loves them AS MUCH AS HE
LOVES JESUS! None of us could dare to believe such a truth
if Jesus had not plainly told us that it was so. Once your
eyes are opened to this glorious truth, it will change your
whole outlook on life. All murmuring and depression and
gloom will vanish from your life altogether. I know this can
happen, for it happened in my life.
This is now the unshakeable foundation of my life: GOD LOVES
ME JUST AS HE LOVES JESUS. It's not because you don't fast
and pray sufficiently that you are not entering into the
victorious life. Victory comes, not through self-effort but
through faith. "Faith in what?", you may ask. Faith in God's
perfect love for you. Many believers live under the
condemnation of Satan who keeps telling them, "You are not
fasting enough. You are not praying enough. You are not
witnessing enough. You are not studying the Bible enough",
etc., etc., They are constantly being whipped up by such
thoughts into an endless round of activity and into a
multitude of dead works. Do you realise that all your self-
discipline, fasting, praying, tithing and witnessing are
dead works, if they do not originate in love for God? And
they cannot originate in love unless you are secure in God's
love first. Paul's prayer for the Christians at Ephesus was
that they might be rooted and grounded in the love of God.
(Eph. 3:16,17).
The world is full of people who are looking for someone to
love them. Many Christians go from church to church, wanting
to be loved. Some seek for love in friendships and some in
marriage. But all this search can end in disappointment.
Like orphans, the children of Adam are insecure and as a
result are again and again overcome by bouts of self-pity.
The sad thing is that even after conversion, many still
remain insecure, when there is no need for them to be so.
What is the answer of the gospel to this problem? The answer
is to find our security in the love of God. Jesus repeatedly
told His disciples that the hairs on their head were all
numbered and that a God Who fed the millions of birds and
clothed the millions of flowers would certainly take care of
them. A greater argument than all of that, is: "He who did
not spare His own Son but gave Him up freely for us, how
shall He not with Him also freely give us ALL THINGS " (Rom.
8:32). As God cared for Jesus, He will care for you too.
One reason why God allows us at times to be disappointed
with our fellow human beings is so that we might learn to
stop leaning on man. He desires to free us from such
idolatry (for it is a form of idolatry to depend on man), so
that we might learn to lean wholly upon Him alone. And so
when God orders your circumstances in such a way that you
are disappointed on every side, that shouldn't discourage
you. It is just God weaning you away from the arm of flesh
so that you might learn to live by faith in Him. Learn to
find your security in the fact that God loves you as He
loved Jesus. All competition and jealousy among Christians
arises out of this same insecurity. A man who is secure in
the love of God and who believes that God made no mistake in
making him the way He made him, and in giving him the gifts
and talents He gave him, can never possibly be jealous of
another or compete with another. All problems of
relationships among believers are also basically due to this
same insecurity. Just think how many of your problems will
be solved when your eyes are opened to this one truth - that
God loves you exactly as He loves Jesus.
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