|
|
Bible Questions and Spiritual Discussion
| |
wesrman
|
01/09/2012 12:30 |
Being still before God is tough in todays world. I have found the spritual exercises of St Ignatius to be helpful.
http://ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/
Im also reading Experiencing God by Blackabee.
Hope it helps. :)
|
| |
Beverly
|
01/09/2012 18:51 |
Remember that He just wants you to be His---you don't have to worry about doing enough to please Him. Just your heart seeking after Him is evidence that He is guiding you. The Bible tells us that even the desire that we have to find Him actually comes from Him.
Here are the practical steps that I so: I have pen and paper ready. Then I read a portion of Scripture, if a word or sentence jumps out at me, I jot it down. That is the way I remember what stood out to me. Next, I praise Him. I might sing a song or read out loud a Psalm. I then out loud thank Him for my sight, my family, etc., Then my heart is turned toward Him, and I have been able to put aside distractions and then I give requests. At the end of this, I sit quietly, looking back over what I wrote.
When I first began, it took about 5 minutes, now it can last as long as time permits. I don't always sense His Presence or feel He spoke to me---that is when I am walking by faith and not by sight. I think we women are so driven by emotion that we long for that sense of His Presence. But there are times you just practice the disciplines of prayer and Bible reading and keep on. He will make Himself known in the midst of it.
He doesn't make it hard for us---the enemy does that---He is so tender to us that we cannot comprehend His very passion for us, His fiery love for us. I don't know if any of this will help you, but I just thought I would lay out the steps that I take daily, and then you would have an idea of what works for me. Our life hidden in Christ is more "be" and less "do". I hope some of this made sense--- I pray that the Lord bless you with the joy of His Presence as you press on!
|
| |
Calico
|
01/09/2012 19:08 |
Nice, Wes! :-)
|
| |
wesrman
|
01/09/2012 19:41 |
Thanks Tom.
|
| |
Kristy Scott
|
01/10/2012 11:18 |
Thanks so much everyone, all of this has helped me, thanks Wesrman I was actually looking for a book to read, I just finished Passages yesterday so I will get this one and read it, thanks so much......Beverly I love what you wrote, it made me teary-eyed, thank you!!!
|
| |
Davidobed
|
01/10/2012 17:01 |
Kristy,
You sound like you need encouragement and I would like to share some words that have encouraged me. Jesus says in response to our worry or concern about not doing enough. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." This means that it is not for us to solve the problem but for us to ask God to do the solving. Then comes the promise. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Phil. 4:6-7.
What is VERY key here is faith and faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.
"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Rom. 10:17 Just keep listening to the DAB and you will begin to grow in faith. The reason faith is key is that faith is the key to answered prayer and it is the cure for anxiety.
In your present case you were/are anxious that you are not doing enough to get close to God and that you will not find Him. The Bible and prayer can help you. Let me break it down into steps for you.
1. Present your request to God with prayer. "Dear Jesus I want to come near to you and to find you but I feel like I am not doing enough. Please let me find you, please give me a vibrant relationship with You. I come to you Jesus just as I am."
2. Build Faith. This is where you need to go to the Word. "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." John 6:37 Do you believe this? This verse tells you that what you have asked for in step one has been answered because the Word says, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."John 11:22 and "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." John 11:22
3. With thanksgiving. "Dear Lord Jesus, I know that you have heard my prayer and I know that my prayer is in accordance with your will based on your word that whoever comes to You Jesus he will never cast away. Thank you God that you have heard and answered my prayers. I wait expectantly to discover what it is like to be in a close vibrant relatinship with You Lord. (this would be a good time to play some worship music)
4. Do not doubt. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." Mark 11:23
|
| |
Davidobed
|
01/10/2012 17:21 |
I would like to add an article about prayer that I have found very helpful. http://ratorrey.webs.com/Keep%20Praying%20Until%20God%20Answers.htm
|
| |
Helga
|
01/10/2012 20:52 |
Kristy God knows your heart. He works in your heart. Just stick to the Word of God and trust Him in easy times in life and in difficult times in life. He is has created you in His image and He needs you exactly where you are. Prov 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your HEART and lean not on your own understanding.
|
| |
Ray
|
01/13/2012 09:48 |
I love how Josh visits the quiet heart here, so faint the impatient can't here:
Praise the Lord, when it's all gone wrong
Everything fades but our love shines on
Praise the Lord, when your hope is gone
Everything fades but our love shines on
Like waves on the ocean singing old songs
Like waves on the ocean breaking beyond
So faint the impatient can't hear
The sound of the one without years
The culmination of every child's tears
Form tide breaking on the eternal lands
Time stands still
In the moment when we are healed
I questioned if this was real
But then I opened up my heart and I could feel
The feather of a bird in the wind
Fire in the brush if we only
Speak when we must
A hush of heart will become a good treasure
Kept in a place without systems of measure
But as real as an undying love
We will discern what comes from above
Compared to that which could never be sustained
The season of rain will bring labor pain
But its end will be the most wonderful
Joy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cQ5_Iqdasg
|
| |
Kelley
|
01/18/2012 00:47 |
That was breathtakingly beautiful, Ray.
|
(page
1
2)
|
