A Prayer for Hearing God's Voice
“The word of the Lord came to Elijah… “I will send rain upon the earth.” That was the foundation of that persistent praying and sevenfold watching on the mountaintop. First the ear heard, then the voice persistently claimed, and the eye expectantly looked. First the voice of God, then the voice of man. That is the true order. Tremendous results always follow that combination.” S. D. Gordon
In order to pray God’s will, it is crucial that we hear His voice clearly. We all know what it is like to talk with someone who never listens. It is terribly frustrating. Likewise, God wants us to learn to listen to Him. As we spend time before Him in quiet listening we are able to pray His will more fervently and with greater expectation, hitting the target effectively. When you give God time in listening prayer, He will direct your prayers strategically, even when you don’t realize it.
This 4 1/2 minute pray and teaching will help you to pray and hear God's voice. It is called: A Prayer for Hearing God's Voice.
This is from the Intercessors Arise International School of Prayer.
By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC)
www.intercessorsarise.org
WILL (11)
Super Glue
When you think of super glue holding things together, what do you picture? Possibly you first want to know what we are binding together. Animal, mineral, vegetable…? A physicist might tend to think of forces like electromagnetic or even atomic. Scientific observation and study yielded new progressing thoughts in areas like conservation of energy (including measuring all forms of energy before and after a reaction), electromagnetic interaction studies, the vacuum-inertial speed of light (c) is a constant, kinetic energy is proportional to velocity SQUARED, and finally E=mc2, leading to powerful release of atomic energy. But today we are diving into spiritual power that is “out of this world.”
Are humans actually capable of taking actions that can result in the release of tremendous spiritual power? The answer is YES when we become aligned with God’s desires and purposes; this brings glory and recognition to Him, and it humbles and satisfies us. “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Man’s ability to release God’s power is NOT at all like rubbing a lamp and commanding a genie. Nor is it like chanting “magical words” or expecting consistently dependable and repeatable results from the application of a formula.
There is no substitute for humbly submitting our will to the will of God in prayer in dependence and trust in His written promises. Typically the process of conforming our will to God’s will takes time, commitment to Him, and devotion to prayer. Psalm 37:4 promises, “delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” In the middle of that promise is a spiritual reaction (transformation), a yielding of our spirit to His Spirit, including prayers of praise and thanksgiving where we learn to appreciate Him and His ways more. Philippians 2:13 states “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” When prayer aligns our spirit with His Spirit He can safely grant us the desire of our heart, since our heart has become conformed to His heart.
But this kind of prayer priority places it above the attention of men, with no fanfare or recognition, but with tremendous godly benefits, like the secret prayers of George Mueller which tapped into God’s grace of daily provisioning of the needs of 10,000 orphans in Bristol during his lifetime.
Here are a couple of passages on being devoted to the priority of prayer FIRST and foremost. Romans 12:10-12 (AMP) 10 Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honor;11 never lagging behind in diligence; aglow in the Spirit, enthusiastically serving the Lord;12 constantly rejoicing in hope [because of our confidence in Christ], steadfast and patient in distress, devoted to prayer [continually seeking wisdom, guidance, and strength], Colossians 4:2 Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.
The early church in Acts practiced such corporate devotion to unifying prayer. 120 were united (powerfully held together) in prayer as they awaited Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit- “with one mind, continually devoting themselves to prayer.” Acts 1:14 After seeing the fruit of over 3,000 believers added to their numbers in one day, they also continued devoting themselves to prayer. Acts 2:42 This is the key to doing things God’s way, producing patience to see Him gloriously work as the Head of His body to coordinate our attitudes and actions in accordance with His will at His timing.
What would our churches and our city be like if we repented and put prayer as the top priority in our personal and corporate lives, transforming each church into “a house of prayer for all nations?” – using the super glue of attitudes and actions of love, and first priority of prayer, depending on, and trusting in, God and His promises and provisions. Jesus prayed in John 17 for us to be known in this world by His badge of love, and united (One in Him- powerfully and corporately) as His effective body. “In Him, all things consist” (hold together). Col 1:17 And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] We know that He reveals and manifests Himself through His Word and through praying together. Better times are ahead!
In this foundational prayer Jesus told us to pray for God's will to be done. Our sin and the subsequent fall has spun our world and our hearts out of the will of God. Only God can restore us to the way things ought to be. This is one of the most powerful aspects of prayer. But there is much more to praying for God's will than simply mouthing these words in a rote prayer. Let me suggest two critical factors of consistently praying in obedience to this directive from Jesus, Discernment of His will and Desire for His will.
To pray for God's will, I must learn learn to discern God's will in various situations. That begins in exposing myself to God's word. God powerfully and personally reveals Himself to us in the Bible. As we apply ourselves to learning Scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks to us.
A more important facet of discerning God's will is the transformation of your mind, indeed your entire character. Romans 12:2 says, "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God." God makes us more and more like Him. The verse just before calls us to present our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. Transformation is a process that takes a lifetime. But every day of His work, often painful to our pride and self-centeredess, produces character, confidence and spiritual maturity. God shapes us in His image, in the likeness of Jesus, so we can know and understand His will. Through this process we come to desire His will. We learn in practice what we usually know superficially, that the best thing that can ever happen is what God desires whether it is what we want or not. Our joy increases exponentially as we come to delight in his will.
I need to note one other blessing that comes as we learn pray for God's will. He gives powerful assurance. 1 John 5:14-15 reads, "This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."
Prayer is the constant desire to be in God's presence. We are learning His will, seeking to follow His will and inviting Him to be part of all we are doing.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon."
Few of us have really been trained in prayer. We see the pastor pray on Sundays, people pray before meals and over their kids, but few of us have ever been trained to desire to be in constant contact with the Father, asking Him to lead, guide and protect. Pray for old and young Christians in the Arabian Peninsula, both foreigners, and the few children from the local peoples, that God will become a greater companion all day long. He is there, we are not. Pray that this connection with the Father will release more of His presence right across the AP. Pray that Christians would be praying for Gulf Muslims more and more.
BE IMMERSED IN THE WORD & WONDER OF THE LORD AS WE PRAY OUR WAY THROUGH THE REST OF 2015!
DAYS 1-31 DAYS OF PRAYER CAN BE FOUND HERE.
DAY THIRTY ONE:
VERSE:
"'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine"....Exodus 19:5
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we long to abide in Your Presence all the days of our lives and in eternity. Therefore, Lord we commit our way from the hour of our redemption and rejuvenation to now, the rest of this year and always, to obey You, listen to You, walk in Your Ways and Keep Your Covenant.
Thou hast shown us the way of all Truth. I thank Thee, Oh Lord.
Thou hast given me the Road Map and the spiritual fuel to go the distance. I am so grateful, my God.
Thou hast given me the Faith and Endurance to persevere until the end. I am all in for ever, oh God.
Thou hast shared Thy bountiful Goodness and all the Earth which You create and watch over. I am so humbled, my God.
Thou hast taken me out of the pit, sit my feet upon a rock, put a NEW song in my mouth - a hymn of Praise to our God. I will proclaim Thy Name throughout the Earth, for as long as life shall last.
I rest under the Shadow of Thy Wings.
I bow down in the Sanctity of the Throne Room.
I surrender to the Will of Christ.
I commit my ways and will to the Obedience You asked me to choose.
I am Yours. I abide in Thee and long to dwell in Thy Holy Presence on a soon coming day, choosing as King David wrote for my life verse "One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple".
On this I stand, oh God, and not just me but all who love Your appearing! Even so, come Lord Jesus! In Your Name I pray. Amen.
I’M GLAD YOU ASKED …
Q. In Sunday School we talked about God’s will; how do I know if I’m praying outside the will of God?
A. There’s an easy test … “is my prayer consistent with what Scripture teaches?” Let me suggest an obvious scenario to show what I mean. Suppose we have Christian who has been unemployed for some time. He needs money, so he begins to pray that he won’t get caught when he robs a gas station. That’s praying outside the will of God. Scripture teaches … “Do not steal.” (Exodus 20:15) Here’s a less obvious example. A Christian woman is asking God to bless her upcoming marriage to a non-Christian … is that praying in or out of God’s will? We read in Scripture, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) It would appear that God has already declared His will concerning that. Now situations may come up where answers can’t be found in Scripture. In this case, find a person who is mature in the faith and seek his/her counsel. Finally, listen to your heart. If you have sincerely prayed about something, and don’t have a peace about it, that’s probably The Holy Spirit prompting that what you’re about to do isn’t God’s will for you. Hope this has been helpful.
I’ll see you in Church (& Sunday School) …
Rande
Let’s start thinking about this simple, but profound promise (Draw Near To God, and He Will Draw Near To You) by going back to square one, and moving forward with ideas on actual ways to do this.
In either your experience or your understanding, who approached whom first, you or God? You may have searched or studied about God, feeling that you were the driving force. However, most of us who now know God by faith and experience have come to understand from His Word that He is the One who took the initiative in our relationship, and even our own efforts were guided by Him. This does not in any way devalue the FREE WILL He provided us, based on His love for us. God will never force Himself on us, and the love He shows us in giving us free will has a lot to do with Him wanting us to CHOOSE to know Him and love Him back. He could have made us ROBOTS, but that would have killed the essence of us choosing to respond to His love and thereby experience a growing, vital, dynamic love relationship with Him.
So, what is the bedrock way to see and experience His love initiative toward us? Jesus’ whole brief life on earth focused on His mission as Emmanuel (God with us) to show us God in flesh-action on His way to offer us salvation via the cross and the empty tomb. All forces of human and evil spiritual authorities tried to kill or sidetrack Jesus from His mission to become our savior by paying full price for all our sins. Perhaps the strongest potential deterrent from His mission was the foreknowledge of the pending physical, spiritual, and emotional pain He faced in his mock trials and crucifixion. For example He sweat drops of blood as he wrestled to seek any alternative to making full payment by taking ALL our sins upon Himself on the cross. Since none was to be found if we were to be given the invitation of heaven in God’s holy presence, dressed in Christ’s robe of righteousness, the third time Jesus agonized alone in prayer, he yielded, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” Psalm 22 predicted His cries from the cross, as well as the answer to His grueling WHY question. “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?...3 Yet you are holy”
So God the Father, Son, and Spirit planned before our known world began, to provide man a way that would satisfy God’s holiness, to live in their holy presence forever. They took love initiative way beyond our comprehension to invite us to love and worship them back. Only those who are impacted by the magnitude of such love, and respond with a decisive RSVP act of their will and commitment, will experience that extended transforming love, and be allowed into the holy presence of God forever.
So for those only, who have RSVP’d for heaven, God now offers us the opportunity to respond to His love initiative, in kind, with our initiative to draw near to Him. It is no surprise that some of these “methods” include: prayer, worship, adoration, sharing His worthiness and glory with others, and cooperating daily with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to produce and refine His fruit in us (which includes love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and Spirit-control). As we see God at work in this world and join Him as partners (ambassadors), we experience His enablement, filling, equipping, and transforming power at work in, through, and around us. As we mostly listen and worship in prayer we see Him High and lifted up. In King David’s impactful Psalm 51 prayer of brokenness and repentance, he prays, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. There are many such ways to respond to God’s love and experience Him drawing near to us, but the first step is to accept His love initiative to us on the cross where the dearest and best died for us.
For more, please see: How to Draw Nearer to God; John Hoelzel Sr; 2011; Amazon.com
In the beginnings of a year we often make plans for what we will do and where we wish to go in a year or a lifetime. But our own plans will not do. We need God’s plans. He alone knows the way of significance for your life. Last week I wrote to you about listening to God. This week I want to talk to you about obeying what God has told you.
It is foolish to ask God to reveal His plans to you, when you are showing yourself to be a poor manager of what He has already shown you. When you need a personal word from God, ask Him to remind you of what He has already told you. You may need God to change your heart or give you the courage and ability to obey what He has already shown you.
Conduits are useful and necessary things in our day-to-day lives. They transfer liquids, air, and other things from a source to a destination. Conduits can take the form of pipes, hoses, chimneys, jars, pitchers; even veins in a bloodstream. But have you recently considered that you are a conduit for our Lord?
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -2 Corinthians 4:5-7, 16-18
When we consider what fixed conduits do (like a water pipe or air duct), we notice that they are created and then put into use. The manufacturer forms and shapes the conduit. The builder sets and seals it in place and tests his work to see that it is good (not leaking; that it's positioned correctly, etc.). If all is well, the conduit is put into use to carry whatever it is intended to carry. It performs its purpose.
Like fixed conduits, flexible conduits are also created and then put into use. Flexible conduits, like hoses, are transportable, may be rolled up, and are useful in a variety of places or circumstances.
A conduit does not have the authority to select when, where, or how it will be used. Those decisions are up to the installer or worker who utilizes the conduit. The conduit only exists to fulfill its purpose- to transfer something from its source to its intended destination.
When a conduit becomes restricted or clogged, work must be done to reopen the passage way. If a restricted conduit is neglected, it loses its ability to achieve its purpose fully, and often times may become useless or even harmful! We see this commonly with heart valves, kinked water hoses, or chimneys.
We are flexible conduits for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our Source and what He sends through us is powerful and life-changing! As conduits, we're not the source of what passes through us spiritually. Only He is. He positions us in different locations and around many different people. We transfer His Word, words, thoughts, material goods, and everything He gives us to His intended destination for them. That can take the form of worshiping the Father, speaking a timely word to somebody, praying with someone in person, meeting a physical need, or many other ways. A working conduit is obedient to do and be what it's intended to be.
However, unlike inanimate conduits, Jesus gives us, and lets us control, a valve called free will. Free will gives us the ability to control how much or little of His Spirit flows within and through us at any given moment. We can hold the valve open by being watchful and in constant communication and worship with Him. We also can close the valve or become clogged by taking our hearts, minds, and eyes off of Him and become fixated on earthly things (news, entertainment, self-gratifying objectives, and more).
As we walk more and more closely with Him (spending quality quiet time reading and meditating on the Word, and worshiping Him in prayer of all kinds), we find it becomes uncomfortable to manipulate that valve away from being fully open all of the time. Then, as we cultivate an ongoing heart of worship, prayer, listening, and obedience, we begin to more easily see God's activity all around us!
It's good to always check the position of the valve! Is there anything clogging you as a conduit for the Lord? Is He able to speak or do anything through you He desires this moment? What plans do you have for later today? If He desires to move and use you differently than what you've planned, are you willing to postpone or change your plans to accomplish His will in your life or in others as He chooses?
Lord, I take credit for nothing of my own. You first loved me, and by doing so, you drew me to yourself. As your child, I desire to glorify you as you glorify your Father in all things. Thank you for choosing and installing me as a conduit to fulfill your Great Commission and more! Continue to shape, direct, and fill me by your Word and Holy Spirit. Like you, I desire many more to come to saving faith in you alone. Use, move, shape, and direct me the way(s) you desire. You are my Source. I am your vessel. Be magnified in me this day and in each to come. In Jesus' name, Amen.
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, I greet you today in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I know that many of you are very troubled by yesterday’s election outcome and even more by the overall direction our country appears to be taking. You, like I, care deeply for this country and know that its ultimate hope lies in a set of values and beliefs that we appear to be rejecting as a nation. You view President Obama’s reelection as even further indication that the country we love is becoming something other, something different, something, quite frankly, you don’t respect as much. I understand that.
But I feel compelled to remind you today that what you and I do right now is very important. I feel this compulsion, in part, because I share some of your frustrations, but also because I have been quite frankly shocked at some things openly confessing Christians have said and/or written about our President over the last few days. It has not been a good reflection of the Christ we serve.
Our Lord described us as salt and light. He said that we are to be the preserving and directing forces in our culture. He said that it would be our love–not our theology, our religious performances, and certainly not our political persuasions–that would be our greatest gift to our society. But he also warned that if we ceased to be salt, if we ceased to be light, and if we ceased to love, then we would become ineffective and lose our right to serve in his name.
I am afraid that we are getting dangerously close to becoming like the gripy Israelites who God left to die in the desert, or worse, the churches in Revelation who were dangerously close to losing their holy lampstands.
Perhaps we need to be reminded that God never promised us a certain way of life, or that the pursuit of happiness is an American, not a biblical virtue.
Perhaps we need to be reminded that for two thousand years Christians have lived under oppressive, repressive and even hostile governments and yet were still commanded to pray for their leaders.
Perhaps we need to be reminded that the vast majority of believers around the world live hand-to-mouth, sleep on the ground or in extremely rough, impoverished and unsafe settings, will never own a Bible, will never go to college, don’t have retirement accounts, don’t own or drive cars, don’t play golf on weekends or go on spontaneous shopping sprees, don’t have air-conditioned and heated church buildings, and never have to decide what they are going to wear out the next day. Americans, even in the economic challenges of the last several years, still have far more wealth and enjoy far more freedom than any nation in history.
And to all of that Jesus would say, to whom much is given much is required.
Christian brothers and sisters, we have work to do. It is the Church (believers in Jesus), that are the thermostat of a nation. Whatever we are set on is what our nation will become. If we are troubled by the direction our nation is going, then perhaps we need to compare our American Christianity to biblical Christianity, and adjust our thinking so that we are more of the latter than the former.
The future of our nation depends on it.
Read more at willdavisjr.com
The term unanswered prayer has been having an unsettling effect on my soul. I have noticed that over the course of my Christian life I have heard that prayers can be answered by God with yes, no or maybe. So when I have prayed I was always uncertain as to whether God would answer with a yes. This made it hard for me to pray. Often I would feel like the man who doubted in James 1. How can I pray with faith that God will answer if I don’t know that it is His will to answer with a yes? I felt my prayers were weak and powerless.
This led me to ask, what is God’s will? Inherently all of God’s will is written in the Bible. There is a verse for everything. So for every situation I began to search Scripture.
For example over the summer I knew a Christian couple who was getting married rather hurriedly. To everyone it seemed rash. They didn’t seem ready and the intensity of their relationship caused them to act with disrespect towards others. Some told me that I should pray they break up before the wedding. I found myself wondering how I knew it was God’s will they not get married. Maybe this marriage is what they both needed to grow. I began searching Scripture and found Ephesians 3:17 -19 – the verses about knowing the love of Christ. The actions of this couple demonstrated to me that they had issues and their hearts did not know the extent of Christ’s love. So this has become my prayer for them. They got married and I don’t know how they are doing but I know without a shadow of doubt that it is God’s will for them to know the love of Christ and that knowing this love will transform all their relationships.
Another situation is one that has been in my family for years – a certain saved person who is always full of negativity, whose life is just a mess. Always before I prayed for the outer situation; that this person would stop causing problems and stop being negative. After so many years of praying this way I was tempted to say my prayers were unanswered. Once again I began searching Scripture. I know this person is saved so I pray Philippians 1:6 – knowing that God began the good work of salvation & that He is able to complete a good work in this person’s life.
Praying Scriptural promises over people gives strength to my prayer life. I no longer feel like I don’t know if I am praying God’s will, no longer do I question if or how He will answer. My focus has shifted because when I prayed without a Scriptural promise I was praying with my desired outcome behind the prayer. I wanted the couple not to get married because I thought that was best. I want the family member to stop being negative so my life will be less complicated. As I put God’s promises to these situations I took my human desires out of them. I no longer think of prayers as being unanswered but wait on God who knows all things and works according to His timetable – whose ways are higher than my ways – who is able to bring His Word to pass!
