Showing posts with label 聆听神,禁食祷告,圣灵,耶稣,救赎和医治. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 聆听神,禁食祷告,圣灵,耶稣,救赎和医治. Show all posts

May 30, 2013

Secret of answered prayers: ‘Lord, give him utterance, let Thy Word run’

Jessie Penn-Lewis, Prayer & Evangelism
“Prayer is work, and a work which, in its accomplishment, is the expression of the will of God.” (Jessie Penn-Lewis, Prayer & Evangelism, 1995. Page 7).
“Many are willing to give themselves to the work of talking—but how few to the work of praying? If you will stand at the back of someone you see has a real message and pray, ‘Lord, give him utterance, let Thy Word run’—that is the WORK of prayer.” (Penn-Lewis, 1995. Page 16).
“Many Christians attend the prayer meeting to get right with God, or to get in communion with God; they ought to have lived in that all day, and should go to the meeting for definite work.” (Penn-Lewis, 1995. Page 17).
“An unclouded personal relationship to Christ is the very foundation of answered prayer.” (Penn-Lewis, 1995. Pages 22-23).
A great secret in maintaining a life of personal victory is to ‘keep short accounts with God’—to quickly seize the weapon of prayer and pray, no matter how you feel. Whatever may be the circumstances, however you may think you are in ‘defeat’, PRAY!” (Penn-Lewis, 1995. Page 24).
The fundamental personal conditions for a life of continual answer to prayer are therefore: (1) A cleansed heart—no love of sin; (2) ‘planted into His death’ as your permanent footing; (3) union with the Living Christ; (4) His Word abiding in you as your innermost food and life; (5) petition governed by the will rather than the feelings; (6) faith; (7) no self-motive; and (8) praying in spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit.(Penn-Lewis, 1995. Page 34).
“It takes a deeper spiritual life to pray than to work, for the flesh can be very active for God and apparently accomplish great results. Lack of power in prayer drives us to human resources. To ‘only pray’ seems folly! This is simply because we have no power in prayer.” (Penn-Lewis, 1995. Page 37).
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“The powers of darkness must be met on their own ground. We may account ourselves ‘dead indeed unto sin’ and yet give the strong man much advantage by walking after the life of nature, i.e. our own thoughts, our own plans, our own energy. The natural cannot contend with the supernatural (see 2 Corinthians 10:4). It may appear to do much, and the enemy will go so far as to cause apparent ‘fruit’ if by such means he can keep us striving on a plane where the results are only exterior and bereft of spirit life.” (Penn-Lewis, 1995. Pages 68-69).

Derek Prince, Secrets of a Prayer Warrior
“When we learn to pray, then we are qualified to rule.” (Derek Prince, Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, 2009. Page 22).
Just as the Holy Spirit leads us to understand God's will in Scripture, so He leads us in praying it back to God.... Additionally, if these ones shall symphonize—come together in perfect harmony—concerning anything that they shall ask, then it will be done for them.... He has tied Himself only to those who are led by the Spirit of God to come into His name.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 68).
Isaiah 60:18   “you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise.” (NASB)

Psalm 100:4   “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.” (NASB)
“The instrument that most people mean when they talk about ‘prayer’ is petition, asking for physical and material needs to be met. But remember: Praying is not just thinking of anything we want and asking for it. Praying is discovering God revealed purpose in Scripture, and then praying for the outworking of that purpose.
“Look again at 1 John 5:14-15: ‘Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we ask of Him.’ ” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 74).
It is not just asking that is important, but asking and receiving. I have seen this many times. God touches someone with a healing touch, but the person does not receive it. One way not to receive an answer to a petitiion is to go on praying for it. Some people pray themselves into faith and then pray themselves out of faith.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Pages 74-75).
Mark 11:24   “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them…” (NASB)
“Notice this, though: Receiving is not the same as having. Receiving is settling it; having is the experience that follows. The actual experience of having what we have prayed for may have to wait, but by faith we receive what we pray for when we pray.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 75).
Prince goes on to describe the essential ingredient between receiving and actual experience: “Keep the plug in.… How do you do that? Basically, by thanking God. If you have made a petition regarding physical healing, for instance, you say, ‘Thank You, Lord. Your supernatural power is at work in my body.’ And as you respond that way, the healing is completed.(Derek Prince, 2009. Page 76. Get the book, there are examples following.)
Intercession is one of the highest arts of Christian life, one of the most difficult instruments to play. It requires a lot of practice, a lot of skill, a lot of maturity. To intercede means literally ‘to come in between.’ The intercessor is one who comes in between God and those for whom he is praying.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 79).
“the most influential people on earth today are those who know how to get their prayers answered.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 105).
“Something happens in our spirit when we let that attitude of reverence express itself in our prayers.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 109).
“Through the new birth and through the grace of God we can be released from that prison of self-centeredness and into a relationship with Him in which what God wants is more important than what we want.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 110).
“Prayer is not a way for us to get God to do what we want. A lot of Christians think it is. It may work out that way, but that is not its purpose. Prayer is a way for us to become instruments for God to do what He wants. When we become aligned with God's purpose, we are going to pray prayers that are irresistible. There will be no power, human or satanic, that will be able to resist the outworking of our prayer.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 115).
“There are only two alternatives about prayer. Either God answers prayer or He does not. If He does not answer prayer it is foolish to pray, and if He does answer prayer it is foolish not to pray.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 119).
“When you find your place in the Body, then your allotted proportion of faith that God has given you will make you successful in that place.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 125).
Daniel 10:12-13   “Then he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.’...” (NASB)
Notice also that the initiative is with earth, not heaven. Daniel started the whole thing moving. And I venture to say, in certain respects this remains true today. We are not waiting for God; God is waiting for us. When we move, heaven will move. Then will come the conflict, and our prayers on earth will settle it. We who are believers and know how to pray are much more important than most of us have the faintest idea.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 132).
Prince makes another important statement concerning the quote above from the book of Daniel: “This shows that earth's empires have their counterpart in Satan's empire. In other words, Satan seeks to control the empires of earth through its rulers in order to make its leaders and governments instruments of his will. We must pray for our governments in order to frustrate Satan and to bring our governments under heaven's control.

“That is why Paul said first of all—before you pray for the sick, the missionaries, the evangelist, even your family—to pray for the government. As we have seen, anyone who criticizes the government is telling the world that he has failed in his prayers. He has not done his job.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 134).
Revelations 12:11   “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their soul until death. ” (MKJV)
The key words are testimony, Word and blood. You testify personally to what the Word, that is Scripture, says that the blood of Christ does for you. To make it effective you must make it personal. To whom are you testifying? To Satan. This is not a believer's testimony meeting! This is where you and I come face-to-face with the enemy of our souls. We speak directly to him in the name and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we tell him what the Word of God says that the blood of Jesus does for us.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 150).
“When Scripture speaks about a glorious Church, it means a Church that is filled with God's glory, a Church that has within it the manifest, visible, tangible, personal presence of Almighty God. It is not a Church that is living on naked faith without any manifestation, but a Church that, through faith, has entered into a relationship with God where His visible, personal, tangible presence is with His people. The Bible says that is the kind of Church for which Jesus is coming. It is the Church for which we pray.” (Derek Prince, 2009. Page 183).

Charles G. Finney, How to Experience Revival
To pray effectively you must pray with submission to the will of God. Do not confuse submission with indifference. No two things are more unlike. I once knew an individual who came to a revival. He was cold and did not enter into the spirit of prayer. When he heard the brethren pray as if they could not be denied, he was shocked at their boldness. He insisted on the importance of praying with submission. Yet, it was plain that he confused submission with indifference.

“If the will of God is not known, submission without prayer is tempting God. For all you know your prayer may be the thing on which an event turns. In the case of an impenitent friend, your prayers may be the key to his being saved.

“Christians often amaze themselves when they look back on their ardent, bold prayers spoken in a moment of intense emotion. Yet, these prayers have prevailed and obtained the blessing. And many of these people are among the holiest people I know in the world.

“The temptation to have selfish motives is so strong that there is reason to fear a great many parental prayers never rise above the yearnings of parental tenderness. That is why so many prayers are not answered and why so many pious, praying parents have ungodly children. Prayer for the unsaved must be based on more than sympathy. Missionaries and others often make the mistake of praying only about those going to hell, forgetting prayer about how the unsaved also dishonor God.” (Charles Finney. How to Experience Revival. Pages 44-45.)
Discussing the conduct of the revival in Evans Mills Finney states: “The means used where simply preaching, prayer, and conference meetings, much private prayer, much personal conversation, and meetings for the instruction of earnest inquirers. These, and no other means were used for the promotion of that work.” (The Autobiography of Charles G. Finney. Pages 68-69.)
“I have said more than once that the spirit of prayer that prevailed in those revivals was a very marked feature of them. It was common for young converts to be greatly exercised in prayer. In some instances they were so burdened that they were constrained to pray whole nights, until their bodily strength was quite exhausted for the conversion of souls around them. There was a great pressure of the Holy Spirit upon the minds of Christians and they seemed to bear about with them the burden of immortal souls.
Not only were prayer meetings greatly multiplied and fully attended, not only was there great reverence in those meetings, but there was a mighty spirit of secret prayer.(The Autobiography of Charles G. Finney. Page 104.)
“In offering the Lord's Prayer, ‘Thy kingdom come,’ it is plain that sincerity is a condition of prevailing with God. But sincerity in offering this petition implies the thorough consecration of all that we have and all that we are to the building up of Christ's kingdom. To utter this petition in any other state of mind involves hypocrisy and is an abomination.” (The Believer's Secret of Spiritual Power. Page 127.)
    We must evaluate our prayer lives to see if we are meeting these conditions of prevailing prayer:
  1. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit. All truly prevailing prayer is inspired by the Holy Spirit. ‘For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with the groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God’ (Romans 8:26, 27). This is the true spirit of prayer. This is being led by the Spirit in prayer. It is the only really prevailing prayer. Unless believers are taught how to pray by the intercession of the Spirit in them, they cannot prevail with God.
  2. Fervency. A prayer, to be prevailing, must be fervent. ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much’ (James 5:16).
  3. Perseverance or persistence in prayer. See the cases of Jacob, of Daniel, of Elijah, of the Syrophoenician woman, of the unjust judge, and the teaching of the Bible generally.
  4. Travail of soul. ‘As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.’ ‘My little children,’ said Paul, ‘of whom I travail in birth again, till Christ be formed in you.’ This implies that he had travailed in birth for them before they were converted. Indeed, travail of soul in prayer is the only real revival prayer. If anyone does not know what this is, he does not understand the spirit of prayer. He is not in a revival state. Until he understands this agonizing prayer, he does not know the real secret of revival power.
  5. Specific prevailing prayer. It is offered for a definite object. We cannot prevail for everything at once. In all the cases recorded in the Bible in which prayer was answered, it is noteworthy that the petitioner prayed for a definite object.
  6. Meaning what we say. We make no false pretenses; in short, that we are entirely childlike and sincere, speaking out of the heart, nothing more nor less than what we mean, feel and believe.
  7. Believing the good faith of God to keep all His promises.
  8. Guarding against everything that can quench or grieve the Spirit of God in our hearts. We must watch for the answer in a state of mind that will diligently use all necessary means, at any expense, and add entreaty to entreaty.”
    (The Believer's Secret of Spiritual Power. Pages 138-139.)

November 6, 2012

What do end times Christians do? preaching, teaching and healing:

 Most Christians today are increasingly aware of what the Lord's will is. No one wants to be condemned by not knowing the will of the Father in heaven. Jesus clearly declared that only those who do the will of the Father can enter heaven. (Matt.7:21)

The utmost question is: What is the will of God? Jesus does the will of the Father in heaven and He knows the will of God. As Paul has urged us, let us emulate Christ.

 Matthew 9:35-38 (NKJV)

The Compassion of Jesus (Learn from His example of an evangelist)

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.[a] 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary[b] and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Footnotes:
  1. Matthew 9:35 NU-Text omits among the people.
  2. Matthew 9:36 NU-Text and M-Text read harassed.

Matthew 10 (NKJV)

1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 
 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,[c] cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
 16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
  22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
 32 Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 
  38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 
 

October 28, 2012

Today’s sermon from the Holy Spirit: God remembers & records prayers and living right


The Holy Spirit gave a second sermon this morning: Acts of the Apostles chapter ten. When the watchman woke, he was led to read psalms 65 (all the way back to 53, plus two verses from 52 v8-9.) He received one verse specifically, 65:2 “O You who hear prayer.” This has turned out to be the message and prayer for today!

(In this journey to see God, the watchman’s study notes are in either boldness or in brackets. He also highlighted/made bold those verses/words that the Lord has required to be noted specifically in today’s message!)
Here is the summary note from the watchman:
One unusual event occurred: He printed the verses of this chapter but the printer printed one sheet of paper with the word ‘God’ repeated sixteen times!
  1. God is again the focus today. See God and see what He has taken the initiative to give to man.
  2. God works in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. Peter heard from the Holy Spirit and received instructions and obeyed. Cornelius and households and close ones received the Holy Spirit and His gift of tongues when they believed in the word about Jesus.)
  3. Those who receive from God share these qualities: They fear God. They do right living before God. They pray continually to God. They raise devout household (family, servants, relatives and close friends). They are eager to hear from God and are willing to wait in the presence of God to hear all that God has commanded! (God remembers, honors, and records these qualities.)
  4. God does the cleansing (of believer’s spirit, soul and body) and saving. God shows no partiality. God loves the ‘world’ and sent His only Son to die for the ‘world’. (John 3:16-21)

Acts 10 (the Bible verses with notes)

English Standard Version (ESV)
Peter and Cornelius (each called by God as they were praying at separate time. One saw angel, and another saw vision of things coming from heaven. Both heard and conversed with the heavenly messenger).
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day[a] he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision (“What God has made clean, do not call common.”)

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour[b] to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation,[c] for I have sent them.21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests.
The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour,[d] and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear the Good News (The good news is all about Jesus Christ Whom God had sent to save that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.)

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles (All who heard the word and believed in Jesus received the Holy Spirit, with the gift of the Spirit poured out, and they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ!)

44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Footnotes:
  1. Acts 10:3 That is, 3 p.m.
  2. Acts 10:9 That is, noon
  3. Acts 10:20 Or accompany them, making no distinction
  4. Acts 10:30 That is, 3 p.m.

October 13, 2012

End times witnessing: conversation between the watchman and God about love etc.


It was after the third day of absolute fasting. The watchman broke his fast after 2am. He had a thick chicken, carrot and turnip soup, rice, coffee and ice cream (a treat). This time he could eat normally as he prayed for divine ‘digestive system’. After that he could not go back to sleep and he prayed for direction from the Lord. It started a long nightly discourse. After midnight is always the best time for any watchman intercessor. He has the whole stillness of the night to wait before the Lord. The air is fresh and refreshing as the Spirit of the Lord moves gently.
He has recently tidied up three main areas in his house to specifically meet with the Lord: However, after he went through the house thoroughly to cleanse and clear the clutters from the ‘temple’ by faith, led by the Spirit, he found it very comfortable and natural to pray and read the Bible just anywhere.
The three days and three nights absolute fast was not that difficult after all. The difficult part was the second day when he got into depression. The third day was wonderful and normal as he could walk around the garden and clean the walls of fungus. He did not need to sleep during the day and at night he slept several hours and felt refreshed.
So he was looking forward to this late night /after midnight discourse with the Lord. The first night he was led to sit on the floor at the ground floor meeting place. (He and family friends have regular prayer and Bible reading there). The coolness of the early morning air breathed through the french windows. He asked the Lord what to do about some investments, as he discovered in his 2010 notes that “God is the investment expert”! He received his answers.
(The following are only some summarized excerpts of the actual conversation. The purpose here is to demonstrate how the Lord meets with and talks to us .)
Healing and deliverance
After he had asked about someone he loved he asked, “Why do I keep seeing this big patch of blackness looming before my eyes?”
Answer: “That is because you are overcoming. You will go through with this key: ‘mind the things of God.’”
He then thanked the Lord, “I thank you Lord that the oppression on my head has lifted.”
Answer: “It will. The more you trust me the more it will lift.”
He asked, “What about my stiff-neck?”
Answer: “The less stiff-neck you are, the less it will be too.”
The watchman then repented over a number of things over which the Spirit of the Lord had convicted him. He was also led to read Philippians 2:4-5, 7-8.
After a few hours he fell asleep for awhile. When he woke he felt cleansed. He worshiped in spirit and in truth (the word of God). He was led to read Psalms 31-47 and 51 in a non-English language, and Psalms 47-48 in English. As he read and meditated on the word he was convicted by the greatness and goodness of God. He was filled by the Holy Spirit and prayed in new tongue for quite sometime, with joy and thankfulness.
On altar building, justice system, plumb line
The next night/early morning event. He was woken after two hours of sleep and led to read Exodus 20:24, “build My altar wherever I cause My name to be remembered, and I will come to you to bless you.” Where the Lord’s name is being proclaimed, He expects sacrifices. Altar living today means ministering to the Lord in worship, prayers and reading of His word (proclaiming His greatness and goodness), living before the Lord, being mindful of the things of God. (Col.3:1-4)
20:25 “Use only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use.” Anything man-made, shaped/modified by man’s effort is of no spiritual value to the Lord. (Zech4:6b ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.)
He read Exodus 19-25. A number of verses stood out in answer to his prayers and petitions during daytime. The Lord answered him specifically through chapter 23 about justice and legal system, the watchman’s concern and indignation over political corruption, social injustice and mistreatment of the poor. The Lord’s instructions to Moses specifically dealt with case in point. He required truthfulness of witnesses (who should not give regard to popular opinion, feelings, relationship, or even social concerns). The watchman asked what truthfulness was. How to measure?
Answer: “Biblical truth is the only plumb line.”
On how a ‘guilty’ person can be acquitted: the power of John 3:16.
Asked (on behalf on the ‘guilty’): “what shall I do?”
Answer: “plead for mercy.”
Asked: “will I be granted mercy?”
Answer: “Yes, you will. John 3:16.”
Asked: “I never realized that John 3:16 can be so important and powerful.”
Answer: “It is. It is the only way the guilty can be acquitted. By blood. My Son’s blood.”
The watchman burst into praises and thanks, “how great You are; how great is your goodness and love for me. Thank you Lord for demonstrating Your love for me!”
Answer: “This is how I teach and show you what love really means. If you do not know this love, you don’t really know love. 1 Cor.13:5 ‘love does not demand its own way.’”
On behalf of those who want to know about ‘love’
The watchman was led to read 1 Corinthians 13. He found these about love as defined by the Lord:
  1. love is complete (as in John 3:16 “God gave His only”)
  2. love has no time limit. (Patient, long-suffering, kind)
  3. love is not influenced by internal self-seeking nor external circumstances.
  4. Truth wins out in love.
Summary: love is not influenced by body and soul. Love is spiritual.
He sighed, “I don’t really understand love.”
Answer: “You do understand love. How else do you think you could have loved ‘someone’ (name)? But love is responsible. You need to learn responsibility(not just in word but also in deed).
Asked: “Are you building truthfulness in me?”
Answer: “Yes, for My name’s sake, for My purpose.”
Asked: “Why are you so good to me?”
Answer: “Because I love you. You are My son (Romans 8:14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God).
Asked: “I really do not deserve such great love from You Lord.”
Answer: “No one deserves, for all have sinned and fall short of My glory (Romans 3:23). Remember John 3:16.”
On praying in tongue
He prayed (but not really flowing in the Spirit) in tongue for awhile. Then he asked what it meant.
Answer: “It means you are trying hard to connect to Me. But that is not how it should be.”
Asked: “How should it be, Father?”
Answer: “Just by keeping still before Me and hear Me in your inner voice. You are already connected to Me (Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit!)”
On letting go
Asked: “why do I keep seeing this black water, with white cloud/sand/waves/shore?” (With his eyes closed)
Answer: “That is the struggle within you. You want to follow Me. But you don’t want to let go.”
Asked, “How can I let go?”
Answer: “Continue reading the book ‘Demands of Love’ and finish it.”
When the watchman said he still wanted to listen to the Lord he was asked to read Psalm 23. Then he read and went to bed.
By the time he woke, his spirit man was happily singing over and over the scripture song,1 John 4:4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
GOOD NEWS TO ALL -John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

2024 Advent Deeper Christmas Devotion Day 7: Whom did Jesus come to heal?

Jesus was born for this. The Bible is full of stories of the downs and outs. Crowds thronged Jesus, including the rich, the famous and the p...