Waiting upon the Lord requires constant practice. There is no work-smart kind of shortcut, no microwave kind of instant experience and encounter. Many men and women of faith spent the bulk of their life time waiting upon God. The watchman could see the significant difference on those whose lifestyle is waiting upon the Lord! A senior watchman/intercessor often required the class to spend time in quiet doing 'nothing' except waiting upon God. They were usually required to do so in the afternoon when he was feeling quite sleepy. But he noticed that the others were indeed seasoned 'waiters'. They had gone through many practices and were truly basking in the Presence of the Lord.
When he decided to seriously wait upon the Lord, he received the word 'Practice'. Here are some of the Bible verses (in Amplified Bible) for serious seekers of God._____________________
PRACTICE
WHAT JESUS HAS COMMANDED
Matthew
5:19 Whoever then breaks or does away with or relaxes one of
the least [important] of these commandments and teaches men so shall
be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven, but he who
practices them and teaches others to do so shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 6:27 But I say to you who are listening now to Me: [ in order to heed, make it a practice to] love your enemies, treat well (do good to, act nobly toward) those who detest you and pursue you with hatred,
Luke 6:46 Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not [practice] what I tell you?
Luke 6:49 But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great.
Luke 11:28 But He said, Blessed (happy and to be envied) rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it!
John 3:21 But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him].
John 5:27 And He has given Him authority and granted Him power to execute (exercise, practice) judgment because He is a Son of man [very man].
John 5:29 And they shall come out--those who have practiced doing good [will come out] to the resurrection of [new] life, and those who have done evil will be raised for judgment [raised to meet their sentence].
Luke 6:27 But I say to you who are listening now to Me: [ in order to heed, make it a practice to] love your enemies, treat well (do good to, act nobly toward) those who detest you and pursue you with hatred,
Luke 6:46 Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not [practice] what I tell you?
Luke 6:49 But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great.
Luke 11:28 But He said, Blessed (happy and to be envied) rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it!
John 3:21 But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him].
John 5:27 And He has given Him authority and granted Him power to execute (exercise, practice) judgment because He is a Son of man [very man].
John 5:29 And they shall come out--those who have practiced doing good [will come out] to the resurrection of [new] life, and those who have done evil will be raised for judgment [raised to meet their sentence].
John 13:17 If
you know these things, blessed and happy and to be envied are
you if you practice them [if you act accordingly and really do
them].
Revelation
22:9 But he said to me, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only]
a fellow servant along with yourself and with your brethren the
prophets and with those who are mindful of and practice [the
truths contained in] the messages of this book. Worship God!
PUT
TRAINING INTO PRACTICE
Philippians
4:9 Practice what you have learned and received and
heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it,
and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being)
will be with you.
1 Timothy 4:15 Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.
Hebrews 6:12 In order that you may not grow disinterested and become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith (by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness ) and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are [now] inheriting the promises.
1 Timothy 4:15 Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.
Hebrews 6:12 In order that you may not grow disinterested and become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith (by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness ) and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are [now] inheriting the promises.
1 Peter
4:7
But the end
and culmination of all things has now come near; keep sound minded
and self-restrained and alert therefore for [the practice of] prayer.