In Psalm 46, God tells us, ‘Be still and know that I am God’, ‘Cease striving, let go, relax, and know that I am God.’
When we’re still it’s easier to draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak in our hearts. To wait on God, we need to learn to be still.
It’s best to remove distractions by finding a place where we can be alone and undisturbed.
We need to quiet the voices and thoughts fighting for our attention.
If you have difficulty with this and your mind is really busy, try jotting down the thoughts that come so you can deal with them later.
If you become conscious of sin, confess it so it’s no longer in the way.
If your mind is busy, visualise Jesus there with you.
The key is to be so focused on Him that everything else fades into the background.
When we become still we begin to sense God’s presence. His promptings are gentle and if we’re not still, we miss them.
By becoming still, I mean not doing anything other than making it possible to be in touch with God and experience Him.
When we become still it’s easier to hear God. Spontaneous images begin to come and we begin to hear His voice in our heart as spontaneous thoughts.
When you enter the secret place, take the first few minutes to become still. When you’re still, you’ll begin to sense God. Then you’ll be able to communicate.
Once you’re still and you’ve quieted your thoughts, focus on the Lord. Visualise Him there with you and wait for Him to speak.
The more you practise becoming still, the easier it gets and the more quickly it all comes together.
God speaks in many ways and different people tend to hear God in different ways. For many of us, God’s speaks through spontaneous thoughts, pictures, feelings or impressions. He rarely speaks to us in an audible voice.
Mark Virkler tells us that ‘the definition of paga, the Greek word for intercession, is a ‘chance encounter or an accidental intersecting.’
When God speaks to us, showing us what He wants us to know or pray about, He often does it through paga, thoughts that come spontaneously, interrupting our own thought process.
As you still yourself and wait, spontaneous thoughts will begin to flow and you’ll find yourself having an inner conversation with God.
Look for the Lord there with you, and watch Him as He speaks to you. You’ll find that if you look, you’ll see. You’ll see spontaneous images in the same way that you receive spontaneous inner thoughts.
You might find that inner vision comes so easily that you want to reject it, thinking that it’s just you. If you persevere and record what you see and hear, your doubts will soon give way to faith as you begin to recognise that what you’re seeing and hearing is mostly from God.
It’s a good idea to have a journal with you and record what you see and hear. Your journal is your way of saying to God 'I value what you say to me.' It’s also a step of faith, showing that you expect Him to speak.
Write in faith, simply believing that it’s God. Don’t censor what you’re receiving. Let it flow. You can test it later, making sure that it lines up with Scripture and even running what you’ve heard by a trusted friend.
You’ll be surprised at how much you hear when you start to journal. You’ll probably realise that God has been speaking all along but you just didn’t recognise it.
Put aside any doubts you might have and trust that God really is present and speaking to you.
Are you ready to wait, look and listen?
Find a quite place and spend some time in worship.
Sit quietly, visualise yourself with Jesus.
Talk to Him and ask Him questions. Listen and sense His reply.
Write down His answers.
Afterwards, Test What You Hear
Is it biblical - does it line up with Scripture?
Is it a voice of love or a voice of fear? God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, He told us to be ‘anxious for nothing’. If what you've heard creates fear and anxiety it probably isn't from God.
Is it convicting or is it condemning? He may be convicting you of sin but condemnation is never from God.
If what you’ve heard involves a major decision, look for confirmation and seek the counsel of mature Christians before taking action.
Lord, thank You for drawing us to the secret place. Teach us how to listen. Help us to be like Samuel who said, ‘Speak for your servant is listening.’ Let us be those hear you in our heart. Help us to get used to the sound of your voice so that we can easily recognise when you’re speaking. Help us to still and quieten our soul so that we can hear you more. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear.
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Friday, September 29, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The Secret Place
Do you struggle to sense God's presence when you pray?
Does He often seem distant?
Do you long to know that He's really with you?
There's a guaranteed way to be in God's presence and know that He's with you.
Matthew 6:6
'When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.'
'But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.'
'Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.'
Jesus told us that the Father is in the secret place. The good news is that our Father is already waiting there. When we go to the secret place we are in God’s presence.
Jesus gave us the key – 'go into your room, and when you have shut your door…'
When we enter, and shut the door, we are in God’s presence. He's waiting.
It doesn’t matter how we feel, the truth is that God is waiting and when we enter in and shut the door we are in His presence, whether we feel it or not.
When we let this truth sink in, take hold of it and believe it, we are free to connect with God and to walk with Him as we long to.
Remember the secret. Shut the door. He’s waiting.
The secret place is where God speaks to us and answers us. We close the door to the secret place to shut out distractions and tune into God.
Everything depends on whether or not we hear God. When we know that we have heard from God it is easier to have confidence and push through regardless.
So, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.' Matt 13:19
The power of prayer is in waiting on God to hear His agenda. Our role is to listen and act on what we hear.
It’s good that we get to talk to God but it’s even better that He talks to us.
'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.' John 10:27
We can hear God’s voice, we just need to stop and listen.
And when we hear, we need to make sure that we act on what we hear.
'Be hearers of the word and not hearers only…' James 1:22
Sit at His feet, hear His word and then go and do what He tells you to.
We save ourselves a lot of grief when we take time to listen for His direction and only move into action when He has spoken.
God is delighted when we draw near to Him and explore His vastness.
Moses didn’t settle for the assurance of God’s presence, he longed to understand His ways. That's what opened the door for a great friendship between God and Moses. That same kind of friendship with God is open to each one of us.
God counsels us, 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know'. Jeremiah 33:3
God tells us to call and tells us that when we do, He will answer us and tell us things we don't know.
God wants us to call on Him from a humble and sincere heart and ask Him for a deeper knowledge of Him, for wisdom and insight and understanding.
Human striving and zeal won’t get us what we want, sitting at His feet and waiting for Him is the key. God is looking for people who long for intimacy and fellowship with Him.
Some of us find it difficult to listen when we've entered our secret place and shut the door. We can't seem to get our minds to co-operate, we have to fight wandering thoughts.
Yet it is possible to learn to discipline our minds and listen.
It helps to have a special place for listening prayer, but just being there doesn't stop the wandering thoughts. Jesus tells us, 'shut your door.'
Being still before God in the secret place, means deliberately shutting the door on our thoughts and emotions and focusing on Him.
When we live in the secret place, and get to know God more intimately, it becomes impossible to doubt Him. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else.
When we enter into the secret place, we find that God was in our circumstances all the time. Actually, He's always with us, it's just that we become more conscious of His presence when we draw aside and meet Him in the secret place.
As we build the habit of talking with God about everything and allow God in from the first moment of each day, it transforms our life. Everything we touch and that touches us is marked with God's presence.
Are you ready to shut yourself away and wait to hear what God has to say to you?
It will only happen if you plan to do it.
Decide exactly how and when you will shut yourself away to listen to God.
Consider putting an entry in your diary to make sure that time with God doesn't get squeezed out.
It's time to venture deep into the heart of God and discover the mind of Christ.
Enjoy the adventure.
Some of the ideas for this article came from 'Secrets of the Secret Place' by Bob Sorge.
Does He often seem distant?
Do you long to know that He's really with you?
There's a guaranteed way to be in God's presence and know that He's with you.
Matthew 6:6
'When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.'
'But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.'
'Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.'
Jesus told us that the Father is in the secret place. The good news is that our Father is already waiting there. When we go to the secret place we are in God’s presence.
Jesus gave us the key – 'go into your room, and when you have shut your door…'
When we enter, and shut the door, we are in God’s presence. He's waiting.
It doesn’t matter how we feel, the truth is that God is waiting and when we enter in and shut the door we are in His presence, whether we feel it or not.
When we let this truth sink in, take hold of it and believe it, we are free to connect with God and to walk with Him as we long to.
Remember the secret. Shut the door. He’s waiting.
The secret place is where God speaks to us and answers us. We close the door to the secret place to shut out distractions and tune into God.
Everything depends on whether or not we hear God. When we know that we have heard from God it is easier to have confidence and push through regardless.
So, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.' Matt 13:19
The power of prayer is in waiting on God to hear His agenda. Our role is to listen and act on what we hear.
It’s good that we get to talk to God but it’s even better that He talks to us.
'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.' John 10:27
We can hear God’s voice, we just need to stop and listen.
And when we hear, we need to make sure that we act on what we hear.
'Be hearers of the word and not hearers only…' James 1:22
Sit at His feet, hear His word and then go and do what He tells you to.
We save ourselves a lot of grief when we take time to listen for His direction and only move into action when He has spoken.
God is delighted when we draw near to Him and explore His vastness.
Moses didn’t settle for the assurance of God’s presence, he longed to understand His ways. That's what opened the door for a great friendship between God and Moses. That same kind of friendship with God is open to each one of us.
God counsels us, 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know'. Jeremiah 33:3
God tells us to call and tells us that when we do, He will answer us and tell us things we don't know.
God wants us to call on Him from a humble and sincere heart and ask Him for a deeper knowledge of Him, for wisdom and insight and understanding.
Human striving and zeal won’t get us what we want, sitting at His feet and waiting for Him is the key. God is looking for people who long for intimacy and fellowship with Him.
Some of us find it difficult to listen when we've entered our secret place and shut the door. We can't seem to get our minds to co-operate, we have to fight wandering thoughts.
Yet it is possible to learn to discipline our minds and listen.
It helps to have a special place for listening prayer, but just being there doesn't stop the wandering thoughts. Jesus tells us, 'shut your door.'
Being still before God in the secret place, means deliberately shutting the door on our thoughts and emotions and focusing on Him.
When we live in the secret place, and get to know God more intimately, it becomes impossible to doubt Him. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else.
When we enter into the secret place, we find that God was in our circumstances all the time. Actually, He's always with us, it's just that we become more conscious of His presence when we draw aside and meet Him in the secret place.
As we build the habit of talking with God about everything and allow God in from the first moment of each day, it transforms our life. Everything we touch and that touches us is marked with God's presence.
Are you ready to shut yourself away and wait to hear what God has to say to you?
It will only happen if you plan to do it.
Decide exactly how and when you will shut yourself away to listen to God.
Consider putting an entry in your diary to make sure that time with God doesn't get squeezed out.
It's time to venture deep into the heart of God and discover the mind of Christ.
Enjoy the adventure.
Some of the ideas for this article came from 'Secrets of the Secret Place' by Bob Sorge.
Bob wrote this book 'with a passion to empower and inspire your secret relationship with God.' He said, 'My prayer as you read this book, is that you get a glimpse of the living relationship God has purposed to have with us. What Jesus had with His Father when He walked this earth is available to you.
If you want to send this page to a friend click on the arrow below.
If you'd like to know when the next article is posted you can subscribe using the link in the left hand column.
Thank you for joining me on the journey.
Lynne
Monday, September 18, 2006
How Real Is God To You?
For some Christians, God is as unreal as He is to non-Christians. It's sad, but true, that many Christians go through life without really knowing God.
Yet God longs to be known. He can be real to us.
All we have to do is listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and use our spiritual senses. They grow with use.
The spiritual realm is just as real as the physical realm but our spiritual senses are dull from lack of use. We don’t see that there’s a spiritual kingdom all around us waiting for us to recognise it.
We know that the spiritual world exits but we don’t think it’s real in the accepted sense of the word. We‘re so earth bound that we find it hard to see the spiritual reality around us.
Yet belief in the invisible lies at the heart of our Christian walk. To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we can't see.
We separate the physical and the spiritual in our thinking when really there isn’t any separation.
To grow in God and the things of the Spirit we need to move our attention from the seen to the unseen.
It’s time to become otherworldly. If we really want to follow God we need to become more spiritually minded, even if that means being thought odd.
Tozer said, ‘We must avoid the common fault of pushing the ‘other world’ into the future. It is not future, but present. It parallels our familiar physical world, and the doors between the two worlds are open.’
Our spiritual eyes and ears are weak because we haven’t used them much but it doesn’t have to be that way. We can learn to use them. We are in Christ and with the Holy Spirit’s help we can have eyes to see and ears to hear.
As we begin to focus more on God we will begin to see the things of the Spirit.
God is waiting for us to respond to His presence.
Are you ready to spend time with Him in the secret place? Are you ready for a closer walk with God?
Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Enable us to see with your eyes. Help us to be more aware of your presence. Make yourself known to us. Let us be those who are as at home in the spiritual realm as we are in the earthly realm. Help us to live more and more in the power of Your Spirit. We long to have continual fellowship with you. Lead us Lord, show us how.
The Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
In this short book, through letters and conversations, Brother Lawrence explains simply how to continually walk with God from the heart rather than the head. He gives us a direct approach to living in God's presence that’s as practical today as it was three hundred years ago.
In troubled times Brother Lawrence, discovered an uncomplicated way to walk continually in God's presence. He lived and walked for forty years with our Father at his side.
We can do that too.
If you e-mail me and put ‘Brother Lawrence’ in the subject bar I’ll send you the PDF file of this timeless treasure.
You have my promise that I won't share your e mail address with anyone.
Yet God longs to be known. He can be real to us.
All we have to do is listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and use our spiritual senses. They grow with use.
The spiritual realm is just as real as the physical realm but our spiritual senses are dull from lack of use. We don’t see that there’s a spiritual kingdom all around us waiting for us to recognise it.
We know that the spiritual world exits but we don’t think it’s real in the accepted sense of the word. We‘re so earth bound that we find it hard to see the spiritual reality around us.
Yet belief in the invisible lies at the heart of our Christian walk. To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we can't see.
We separate the physical and the spiritual in our thinking when really there isn’t any separation.
To grow in God and the things of the Spirit we need to move our attention from the seen to the unseen.
It’s time to become otherworldly. If we really want to follow God we need to become more spiritually minded, even if that means being thought odd.
Tozer said, ‘We must avoid the common fault of pushing the ‘other world’ into the future. It is not future, but present. It parallels our familiar physical world, and the doors between the two worlds are open.’
Our spiritual eyes and ears are weak because we haven’t used them much but it doesn’t have to be that way. We can learn to use them. We are in Christ and with the Holy Spirit’s help we can have eyes to see and ears to hear.
As we begin to focus more on God we will begin to see the things of the Spirit.
God is waiting for us to respond to His presence.
Are you ready to spend time with Him in the secret place? Are you ready for a closer walk with God?
Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Enable us to see with your eyes. Help us to be more aware of your presence. Make yourself known to us. Let us be those who are as at home in the spiritual realm as we are in the earthly realm. Help us to live more and more in the power of Your Spirit. We long to have continual fellowship with you. Lead us Lord, show us how.
The Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
In this short book, through letters and conversations, Brother Lawrence explains simply how to continually walk with God from the heart rather than the head. He gives us a direct approach to living in God's presence that’s as practical today as it was three hundred years ago.
In troubled times Brother Lawrence, discovered an uncomplicated way to walk continually in God's presence. He lived and walked for forty years with our Father at his side.
We can do that too.
If you e-mail me and put ‘Brother Lawrence’ in the subject bar I’ll send you the PDF file of this timeless treasure.
You have my promise that I won't share your e mail address with anyone.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Valuable Free Resources For The Journey
Free Resources
Here is an assortment of free resources to help you on your journey.
There are many things freely available if you know where to look.
Somewhere along the way, I turned into a human Google. I’ve collected a growing list of useful resources after sifting through a lot of dross and I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of them with you.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Downloadable Bibles, Study Tools and Other Aids
Searching the Bible has never been easier, nor has comparing the wording of different versions.
http://www.onlinebible.org
Online Bible software for Windows free of charge together with downloads of Bibles, Notes, Books and other titles in European languages.
http://www.e-sword.net
More free Bibles and Bible study software.
http://www.virtualsalt.com/bibstudy.htm
A list of Bible Study resources on the web
Keys to Hearing God’s Voice
4 keys to consistent, powerful, life-giving conversations with God
Principles of Christian Dream Interpretation
12 pages of practical help to aid your understanding of what God is saying through your dreams.
Food For Thought
You’ll need your speakers on for the following two links. They provide an oasis in the midst of all the busyness and will help you to stop long enough to ponder.
Wonder Of It All
Positive Pause
Be sure to add this page to 'your favourites' so that you can return to it again and again.
Send this page to a friend by clicking on the arrow below.
Subscribe using the link in the left hand column if you'd like to know when the next article is posted.
Here is an assortment of free resources to help you on your journey.
There are many things freely available if you know where to look.
Somewhere along the way, I turned into a human Google. I’ve collected a growing list of useful resources after sifting through a lot of dross and I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of them with you.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Downloadable Bibles, Study Tools and Other Aids
Searching the Bible has never been easier, nor has comparing the wording of different versions.
http://www.onlinebible.org
Online Bible software for Windows free of charge together with downloads of Bibles, Notes, Books and other titles in European languages.
http://www.e-sword.net
More free Bibles and Bible study software.
http://www.virtualsalt.com/bibstudy.htm
A list of Bible Study resources on the web
Keys to Hearing God’s Voice
4 keys to consistent, powerful, life-giving conversations with God
Principles of Christian Dream Interpretation
12 pages of practical help to aid your understanding of what God is saying through your dreams.
Food For Thought
You’ll need your speakers on for the following two links. They provide an oasis in the midst of all the busyness and will help you to stop long enough to ponder.
Wonder Of It All
Positive Pause
Be sure to add this page to 'your favourites' so that you can return to it again and again.
Send this page to a friend by clicking on the arrow below.
Subscribe using the link in the left hand column if you'd like to know when the next article is posted.
About This Site
If you want a closer walk with God you've come to the right place.
Each week you will find articles to inspire, encourage and motivate you to draw nearer to God.
You'll learn how to hear God and how to understand what He is saying through your dreams.
We're surrounded by a spiritual kingdom of which we are largely unaware. It's time to have eyes to see and ears to hear. God is waiting for us to recognise His presence and respond to Him.
Tozer said, 'He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw life from His smile.'
In the coming weeks I will be giving you tools to help you to know God more, hear Him more clearly and become more aware of His presence and His ways.
I hope you'll join me on this voyage of discovery.
Lord we have tasted your goodness and we are thirsty for more. We want to know you more. Fill us with longing for you. Make us thirsty for your presence. Say to our soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ And Lord, please help us to rise up and follow you.
Each week you will find articles to inspire, encourage and motivate you to draw nearer to God.
You'll learn how to hear God and how to understand what He is saying through your dreams.
We're surrounded by a spiritual kingdom of which we are largely unaware. It's time to have eyes to see and ears to hear. God is waiting for us to recognise His presence and respond to Him.
Tozer said, 'He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw life from His smile.'
In the coming weeks I will be giving you tools to help you to know God more, hear Him more clearly and become more aware of His presence and His ways.
I hope you'll join me on this voyage of discovery.
Lord we have tasted your goodness and we are thirsty for more. We want to know you more. Fill us with longing for you. Make us thirsty for your presence. Say to our soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ And Lord, please help us to rise up and follow you.
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