Union with His Heart
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| We begin to recognize that it is only in Him that all things hold together and have their being. |
Whatever we build in our lives with
the aim of making up for a shortcoming, will result in something that will not
endure. This is regardless of how sincere or noble it may appear to be. But if
we see the other half and put it into practice, it will bring our long escapade
to an end - to His end. When we look through His eyes, we
will even recognize that our battle with failures and weaknesses
contain the impetus for us to go deeper into the presence of God, the only
place where true wholeness can be found. We begin to recognize that it is only in Him that all things hold together and have their being.
Union with His heart and nature is foremost the priority, closely followed by His love for others. We cannot extend His love to a fallen world and have an eternal impact, if we are not united with Him and His purpose. The love He expects us to walk with on earth eclipses human affection. It is unconditional love because it is rooted in the divine nature.
Union with His heart and nature is foremost the priority, closely followed by His love for others. We cannot extend His love to a fallen world and have an eternal impact, if we are not united with Him and His purpose. The love He expects us to walk with on earth eclipses human affection. It is unconditional love because it is rooted in the divine nature.
Moreover, the Lord addressed two major
issues when He spoke to His people in Exodus 20:5. They were neither to worship
nor serve graven images. The two are related in the sense that man
inevitably serves what he truly worships and he worships what he serves. The
object of our core service is also where our true worship lies. We can know
what we truly worship in our lives by identifying the focus and centre of our
service. What is foremost in our list of commitments? In other words, it
is possible to claim to worship God and yet be serving other masters. These do
not have to be such influences as materialism or peer pressure. They can be
silent, inner masters in the form of emotions like guilt, fear, discouragement,
anger, lust, and so on, which cause our prayer life to be limited in scope,
depth and effectiveness.
By way of example, doubt and guilt are
two of the prime enemies of making progress in the Kingdom of God. Until they
are properly dealt with, they causes the prayer life of a believer to remain
shallow and ineffective since there is no boldness with which to approach the
throne of grace. Moreover, prayer wrapped up in self-focus does not yield
results. This was the difference between the prayer of the tax collector and
the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14. It is an issue of the heart, for
while the former prayed to God, the latter prayed with himself. The
one was justified, the other was not. However, once our sins have been
forgiven and we have received cleansing through a season of true repentance and
washing by the blood of the Lamb, we are free to relate to the Fountain of
life. The goal is to so identify with His death on a daily basis, that we are
able to live His life rather than our own.
See, what I really believe conditions
me either toward outer conformity or inner transformation. Change calls for a
much deeper work than merely responding to externals. His presence can deliver
me from the pull of this world, its corrupt appeal and devilish traps; but more
importantly, it is what delivers me from myself! The ultimate call is not
on the level of doing but of becoming. And we
have been called to become one with Him. We are here not to seek the best
lifestyle. We are not even here to seek church or ministry, but to seek His
face. Our strength lies in knowing who He is in Himself and being changed into
His likeness, not in trying to turn Him into our own image or into something we
are comfortable with. What you have come to know and have been informed about,
will only begin to work in your life as you spend time in His presence.
There comes a time when anyone who is
serious with inner values needs to spend time away from venues where he or she
is constantly under the pressure to perform. One of the reasons for this is in
order to develop fresh clarity in mind and vision, to hear the voice of the
Master. Jesus Himself often went away into desolate places to be with the
Father. We too, often need solitude with Him in order to develop the depth
needed for our living. These strategic times of spiritual 'hibernation' are not
a lot of wasted time. They are set-aside seasons of replenishment and renewal.
Prayer was never simply designed to be
an act or an art, but a lifestyle. Do more than simply present requests,
petitions and needs. Allow the liberating presence of Christ to free you from
yourself! He wants you to seek His face in prayer but also He expects you to
abide in Him through a yielded life.
In times of private devotion, quality
is not to be sacrificed for quantity. It is wise to set a guard lest while
maintaining the outward motions, one unknowingly whiles away the period that
has been set aside in unhealthy introspection, rather than focusing on Christ.
True prayer does not derive its potential from the exertions of the believer
and his piety, but from the Holy Spirit's involvement. Remember we are to pray
in the Spirit, but we are also to live by the Spirit.
Where He is not involved, we may tend
to look to ourselves for the capacity required. As with any other noble
undertaking, this is where things can come dangerously close to arousing
legalism and bondage to self-righteous means. This is not to say that in
order to achieve such heights, we ought to spend the rest of our lives in
isolation. This call to devotion is not seeking solitude for solitude’s sake,
else we would be depending on the isolation rather than on the presence and
Spirit of Christ. When a believer’s life is built on seclusion he may not
even realize his true condition until he is cast into an different
environment altogether. How quickly his morality degenerates and his
spirituality fails him, will be evidence of his want of foundation.
Resolve is important. From the time we
begin to pray, we ought to be determined to stay on course and despite all
feelings of dryness or emptiness, to persevere until our cup is filled to
overflowing. This will not be possible if in the process of praying we fail to
shift from being absorbed with who we are, and move on to find release,
motivation and strength in all that He is.
In the Presence
You don't have to be with anyone to be able to contact God because the
capacity to relate to Him lies in the inside of you. Remember the Kingdom does
not come in a manner to be seen visibly, but it is within you. We
may think that it is we who ought to pray according to how we know and this is
often what renders our prayers unspiritual. The scriptures teach the direct
opposite of this. We do not know how to pray as we
ought. You see, prayer is not a mere performance of intellect and feeling,
but rather something that ought to take place spontaneously from
our inner being when we are in the presence of Christ. The Spirit of Christ who
intercedes within us is not influenced by externals and so His intercession is
pure. He prays according to the will of God.
True prayer requires patience for
whatever time truly spent in the presence of God cannot be in vain. Patience is
a virtue that has been almost completely overlooked in many faith and success
teachings. Yet when it comes to developing real depth in life, this is one
factor that cannot be overemphasized.
Focus is the second thing. Spiritual
operations do require a measure of stability and will not work in someone whose
mind and life is going in several directions at the same time.
In a time of persecution, with Apostle
Peter's life on the balance, we read in Acts 12:5, how the church responded.
Before the dramatic angelic rescue from prison occurred, the verse states
that prayer by the church was fervently made. In other words,
the church did not come together to discuss how to organize prayer. They did
not have time to do a Bible study on the importance of praying. In this hour of
crisis, prayer was not studied or merely spoken about. It was produced. Oh,
how desperately we need such meetings today! Enough of all this pious and
theological talk. The need of the hour calls for prayer again to be manufactured. We
need “prayer mongers” in this age; anointed craftsmen and midwives of
intercession who can be used of the Holy Spirit to make a mighty
difference! When they arise in our generation, they will not waste their
time. They will pray today like they have no tomorrow. Their lives will teach
us how prayer moves from routine to lifestyle.
In Matthew 16:13-19, we read the
account of Peter receiving revelation concerning who Jesus truly is. Almost
immediately after this, the disciple received revelation concerning who he
himself truly was. If we understand who Jesus is, we will also know who we
truly are. The key to fully understanding the new identity is to turn to
Him and seek to know Him over and above everything else. All who really
belong to Him are members of His Body. As you continue to lose sight of
yourself, you afford Him opportunity to reveal more of who He is to your person
and then through you to others.
In the Old Testament, there were set
guidelines through which the children of Israel were to handle themselves when
the presence of God came in their midst. Whenever this procedure was violated,
it brought about an undesirable turn of events. A vivid example was during
the reign of King David, when the Ark of the Covenant was being brought into
Jerusalem. In the heat and excitement of festive celebration, the correct order
of carrying the Ark was set aside, and a seemingly casual method was used.
Instead of having descendants of the Levitical priesthood involved, the Ark was
transported on a new cart with oxen and two countrymen alongside
it. Judgement fell swiftly and what had started out as a festivity quickly
turned into a funeral. It was a time of reckoning as the fear of the Lord came
upon the king and the people.
The symbol of His presence in the Old
Testament had to be shouldered by descendants of a High Priest. So it is today.
Only those who have rightly come into a genuine bond of priesthood, as
descendants of the High Priest of the New Covenant, can truly bear the presence
of the Lord. Out of all creatures, God has chosen His dwelling place to be
with men. His presence does not settle on carefully arranged programs, methods
and mechanics of ministry, but upon living containers. Therefore, it is not
about the activity. It is about the individual. The container is a human
vessel that needs to be set apart and prepared before it can become useful in
this way.
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of
God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His,"
and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from
wickedness.” Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but
also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to
dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a
vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good
work. (2 Timothy
2:20-21)
