ABIDING IN CHRIST

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ABIDING BETTER THAN OBEYING

“Friendship is rare on earth.  It means identify in thought and heart and spirit.  The whole discipline of life is to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ.  We receive His blessings and know His word, but do we know Him” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, Jan 7th)?

“In order to maintain this friendship…we have to be more careful of our…relationship to Him than of any other thing, even of obedience.  Sometimes there is nothing to obey, the only thing to do is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ, to see that nothing interferes with that….the greater part of the life is not conscious obedience but the maintenance of this relationship…” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, March 25th).

“Conformity to live with God, is a far higher and more divine life than to live simply in submission to God” E. M. Bounds (ref#54, p51-52).

“From eternity Christ and I were ordained for each other; inseparably we belong to each other; it is God’s will; I shall abide in Christ.  It is of God I am in Christ Jesus” Andrew Murray (ref#266, p47-48).

“Most essential to the abiding in Christ is the daily renewal of our faith’s assurance, ‘I am in Christ Jesus’” Andrew Murray (ref#266, p43).

FATHER, move my thinking toward abiding instead of obeying.  When I think of obeying I default to my natural abilities to carry out Your request.  But if I can keep my eyes on JESUS…  I will gladly obey because of my love for Him.  Obeying is a natural outcome of a loving relationship.

Abiding in CHRIST means to watch and wait—observe and be with Him, and then yield myself to the SPIRIT who will work mightily in me (ref#266, p119).

PRAYER

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DISCLAIMER TO PRAYER

After writing over 50 blog posts on the subject of prayer, I have some conclusions.

Prayer is such a broad subject because it represents all GOD’s creature’s communications with Him.  Dawn starts another day for us creatures.  As children of our Creator we look to Him in ways as individual as we are.  When we write about a large subject as prayer we can only write snippets of what it really is and we write what it really is to us individually at that moment in time.

Thus there are a lot of words in writing that contradict each other.  I have some in my blogs.  They seemed right at the time but as I write these conclusions some concepts seem myopic, even biased.

After completion of all the blogs the SPIRIT reminded me of an exercise I did many years ago.  I went through the Davidic Psalms and recorded David’s prayer requests.  There were hundreds and hundreds.  I’ve since thrown the list away but I still remember my conclusions.

David was a man—a child of GOD who looked to His FATHER for everything—EVERYTHING!  All day long he was pleading with his FATHER to get him through all he encountered.  All this praying confirmed that he rarely left the presence of his FATHER.  And when he did lose sight of Him he knew he must direct his mind back to thoughts of Him.

The writers of the New Testament recorded their prayers mainly in light of their evangelistic assignment from GOD.  Therefore New Testament prayers are mainly of the spiritual variety.

But, as Christian writers and readers of a prayer blog, my conclusion is to look to King David as our mentor on how to pray.  Let us stay close to our FATHER as we can and ask Him for everything we need throughout each of our days.  No prayer is too small; fathers love to hear from their children.  And the more we pray the more we see answers and the more praise we’ll give our GOD.

PRAYER

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GRATITUDE 

“Satan presses his agenda by sowing seeds of ingratitude….By focusing Eve’s eyes on the one thing God hadn’tgiven her, Satan was able to distract her attention from all He had given her” Carol J. Ruvolo (ref#228, p102-103).  This is disastrous.  We run into much trouble because we don’t take the time to give GOD our gratitude!

“When done well, prayer is a most powerful tool in God’s service.  For that very reason, it is a prime target of Satan.  As temporary Prince of This World, [I love that descriptive word for satan—‘temporary prince.’] he attacks prayer quite successfully by raining down discouragement and distraction on God’s children.  The timebelievers need to pray can be eroded by a flood of ‘essential’ activities.  And the still, small voice of the Spirit calling Christians to commune with their Father can easily be drowned out by the rushing cacophony of busy schedules.  And the hope that should draw us often to God’s throne in prayer can be immersed in anxieties produced by life’s pressures” Carol J. Ruvolo (ref#228, p100, brackets mine).

“His throne…is to be approached with devout joyfulness.  If I find myself favored by divine grace to stand among those favored ones who frequent His courts, shall I not feel glad?…Shall not my thankfulness ascend into joy, and shall I not feel that I am honored and that I am made the recipient of great favors when I am permitted to pray” Charles Spurgeon (ref#212, p29)?

“The umbrella of gratitude concentrates our attention on the goodness of God.  It fills our minds with His glory (adoration), humbles our souls with His grace (confession), and inspires our hope with His promises (supplication)” Carol J. Ruvolo (ref#228, p103).

“…receive all his benefits with true gratitude and thanksgiving…having obtained what we asked…we are led to long more earnestly for his favor…have greater pleasure in welcoming the blessings which we perceive to have been obtained by our prayers….” John Calvin (ref#113, p565).

“If our prayers are to function as God intended, they must be shielded from environmental bombardment that dilutes devotion and washes away hope.  The umbrella of gratitude serves that purpose well” Carol J. Ruvolo (ref#228, p100).

“…how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you….you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help….Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD” (Ps 31:19,22,24 ESV).

PRAYER

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WAITING AND WORSHIP 

In order to go I need to stop.  On Your path, FATHER, there is no such thing as moving ahead on auto pilot.

“Prayer is the solace of the soul…we can not be said to wait upon God without prayer; for prayer is the fixing of the eye, the outgoing of the heart, the breathing of the spirit, the cry of the soul” James Smith (ref#303).

The hard part about being obedient to You is waiting for Your instructions.  Not only do You require I give You a piece of my precious 24 hours, but I must clean out all thoughts in my head that are self-centered.

I must resign to give up all I’m doing or want to do selfishly.  HOLY FATHER, You will only talk to a holy vessel.  CHRIST and the SPIRIT make possible my holiness.  I thank them for their help.

Waiting empty and clean propels me into worship.  Reflecting on what You have done for me—reflecting on Who You are…

“…the natural reason to praise God is for what he has done for me.  This is okay, but doesn’t go far enough….God deserves praise simply because he is God.  The…focal point for our thoughts is not our deep longings but…is…the immeasurably great ‘God of glory’ (Acts 7:2)” Edward T. Welch (ref#106, p154).

So, FATHER, aid me that I might wait for You, draw me into worship instead of work.  Worshipping births no specific instructions for the day, but produces a new character in me that is ready to follow You in obedience each moment.  How I love to be in Your presence.  What work?  I just want to be where You are.

PRAYER

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HAVING DONE ALL, STAND 

“…take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication….” (Eph 6:13,18 ESV).

“…a battle is going on between God and the evil one; my part in the battle in the lives of others is to pray for them.  I have a responsibility to pray for other people.  Neglect to intercede will not directly hurt me, but my failure to pray may lead to insufficient protection for someone who is vulnerable and in the direct target area for the devil’s incoming mortar bombs” Anne J. Townsend (ref#306, p53).

“Our Leader [GOD] has placed in our hands the irresistible sword of the Spirit which defeated the devil in the wilderness—the Word of God.  But its aggressive and conquering power is released only through the prayer of faith” J. Oswald Sanders (ref#307, p36).

“…a believer may lead a fairly normal Christian life on the outside while wrestling with a steady barrage of sinful thoughts on the inside: lust, envy, greed, hatred, apathy, etc.  This person has virtually no devotional life.  Prayer is a frustrating experience for him….I [Neil T. Anderson] see about 65 percent of all Christians living at this level of spiritual conflict” (ref#90, p107).

“The second level of conflict is characterized by those who can distinguish between their own thoughts and strange, evil ‘voices’ which seem to overpower them…15 percent of all Christians fall into this category” Neil T. Anderson (ref#90, p108).

“At the third level of conflict, the individual has lost control and hears voices inside his mind which tell him what to think, say, and do….about 5 percent of the Christian community falls victim to this level of deception and control” Neil T. Anderson (ref#90, p108).

 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Col 3:16 ESV).  “Since Satan’s primary weapon is the lie, your defense against him is the truth.  Dealing with Satan is not a power encounter; it’s a truth encounter” Neil T. Anderson (ref#14, p170).

 

PRAYER

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SPEAK ONLY OF GOD

FATHER, if You give me an occasion to speak of spiritual things to my loved ones who are not yet part of Your kingdom, prompt me to speak only of You.  They do not need to know how they can be saved from hell or how to be moral and made pure; instead, they need to know who it is that owns them (ref#7, May 5th).  “The great sterling test in preaching is that it brings everyone to judgment” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, May 5th).

“Every element of self-reliance must be slain by the power of God.  Complete weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His power” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, May 5th).

Quicken me, FATHER, to convince my loved ones that they are unholy just as I am unholy.  And then I may pray that their realization of being unholy will awaken an intense craving.  You came to save them because You created all of us to be holy (ref#7, May 5th).  You alone can put them back into perfect union with Yourself “…not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…” (1 Thes 1:5 ESV).

FATHER, be with my mouth and teach me what You wish to speak to my loved ones (Ex 4:12).  “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3 ESV).

PRAYER

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DISCERNMENT

“For everyone whose sole diet is milk, is inexperienced in a message which is righteous in quality…solid food belongs to…mature, to those who on account of long usage have their powers of perception exercised to the point where they are able to discriminate between both that which is good in character and that which is evil” Kenneth S. Wuest (ref#37, p521, [Heb 5:13-14]).

FATHER, Your Son warns me not to judge (Matt 7:1).  But Your SPIRIT will reveal what is wrong in others for the purpose of intercession (ref#118, p77).

I first ask that You, LORD, keep me from thinking rashly of others; I do not want my intention in prayer to be simply passing judgment—to be the product of my own jealously or ill nature (ref#18, [Matt 7:1-6]).

FATHER, in intercession I want to bear up the life of the one I pray for until You, put the person right.  May I so lay hold of You for them that You enable them to turn away from rebellion and come to You (ref#118, p77).

May I “…get to work and pray, and God will get His chance with other lives;…God has based the Christian life on Redemption, and as we pray on this basis God’s honour is at stake to answer prayer” Oswald Chambers (ref#8, Nov 19th).

Even though I cannot know the heart, I can be sensitive to Your SPIRIT.  It is possible for someone to imagine they are Christians when they are not—especially when they decide that being a Christian is desirable.

“Professing the Christian religion is of no avail whatever unless there is something more added to it…it is a change that is known…known by works of holiness” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, March 6th AM).

Give me a spirit of gentleness; give me a spirit of humbleness lest I be tempted in like manner as they (Gal 6:1).  Make me candid and charitable (ref#18, [Matt 7:1-6]).  And also give me discernment and the boldness to admonish them, (1 Thes 5:14) when they have a false notion that they are already Christians.

PRAYER

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A STATE OF UNBELIEF

“GLORIOUS GOD, I bless thee that I know thee, I once lived in the world, but was ignorant of its creator, was partaker of thy providences, but knew not the provider, was blind while enjoying the sunlight, was deaf to all things spiritual, with voices all around me, understood many things, but had no knowledge of thy ways, saw the world, but did not see Jesus only” The Valley of Vision (ref#76, p62).

FATHER, increase my concern for Your yet-to-be regenerates for they are “ignorant and careless, and ready to perish for lack of vision” Matthew Henry’s Commentary of the Whole Bible (ref#18, [Matt 9:35-38]).  They are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36 ESV).

“Misery is the object of mercy; and the miseries of sinful, self-destroying souls, are the greatest miseries: Christ pities those most that pity themselves least; so should we” Matthew Henry’s Commentary of the Whole Bible (ref#18, [Matt 9:35-38]).

So many people are following shepherds that fill them with vain notions (1 Tim 1:6) and burden them with the “traditions of the elders.”  Like sheep they have gone astray and are lost.  They are “helpless, shiftless, and exposed, or more unapt to find the way home again (ref#18, [Matt 9:35-38]).

FATHER, help me help them.  I was once lost and unable to find my way home again.  I was lost seeking to gain happiness from myself and not seeking the things of CHRIST.  I needed the Good Shepherd; they need the Good Shepherd.

FATHER, as I recognize the presence of JESUS and routinely recall His life, it makes me own my rebellious selfishness.  Even as a believer, comparing myself to JESUS makes me realize I am no different than the vilest sinner.  Give me such a loving heart that I, like CHRIST, take on their distress and poverty—their guilt and perdition.  I plead to You for them.  My work is to do vicariously what they cannot do for themselves (ref#10, p149-150).

FATHER, may I bear what CHRIST produces as He lives His life again through me (ref#100, p140).  “I am His branch, a part of Him whose resources are limitless for the blessing of those who are around me” Roy and Revel Hession (ref#100, p141)!

Oh, that my loved ones “…Be having a change of mind regarding…[their]…life, and be putting [their] faith in the good news” Kenneth S. Wuest (ref#37, p80, [Mark 1:15], brackets mine).