Posts Tagged ‘communication’

Quench Not the Spirit

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008

Verse: “Quench not the Spirit.“
– 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Quote: “Whenever the Spirit checks, call a halt and get the thing right, or you will go on grieving Him without knowing it.”

No on who has tasted the saving grace of Christ Jesus would ever want to intentionally grieve His Spirit, but when we ignore His leading, that’s exactly what we are doing. The checks don’t only come in the obvious places. You may be avoiding every major sin in your life, but when God told you to write that thank you letter, you put it off. Or when He asked you to volunteer your time at church, something “more important” came up.

God allows us to govern our lives with common sense, and the more time you spend in communication with Him, the more your natural, common sense decisions will reflect His will and nature. But there are times when you get off course, or He wants to take you down a different road, and His Spirit simply checks. Waste no time answering the call of the Holy Spirit, He is the messenger of the Father’s voice.

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Prayer in the Father’s Hearing

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

Verse: “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.“
– John 11:41

Quote: “God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God is formed in me the Father will always hear my prayers.”

What an amazing promise! It is easy for us to take the effects Christ’s sacrifice for granted because it’s all we’ve ever known, but through His death on the cross, Jesus opened up a direct line of communication between us and the Father. God hears and answers our prayers because we pray on behalf of the life of Christ hid within us. This is an enormous blessing that we should daily take full advantage of.

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The Cross in Prayer

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Verse: “At that day ye shall ask in My name.“
– John 16:26

Quote: “We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God’s grace.”

Prayer is about communication with God, not having our wishes granted us. God promises to give the desires of our heart, but He also promises to change our hearts to line up with His if we will pursue Him. Focus on talking to God in prayer, not on the answers. The answers will come, but not always in the way we hoped for.

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Dependent on God’s Presence

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

Verse: “They that wait upon the Lord…shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

Quote: “If our common-sense decisions are not His order, He will press through them and check; then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.”

This is one of my favorite things that Chambers frequently refers to: if we are in constant fellowship with God, the natural decisions we make will be in line with His will; and if they’re not, He will check us and point us back in the right direction. The idea is that as mature believers, we shouldn’t have to stop at every crossroads and ask God which way to go, we should instinctively know because of our daily communication with Him. There will be times where we are unsure of the next step, but that is where we stop and wait for the presence of God to guide us.

My parents will always welcome a phone call from me asking how long to leave a ham in the oven, or what type of drill bit I need to buy, but their real joy comes in seeing me personally make the correct decisions in my life based on the things they taught me.  Even so, God wants us to act out the lessons we’ve learned while resting on His bosom.

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