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Communing with God
by beatrice ofwona Prayer is man talking to God whereas intercession is man talking to God about man. One can be filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore pray in tongues with words that mean so much more in these other languages. In church, a worship leader should be one who is sensitive to the Holy Spirit in order to be led of him who has the Father's ear, and who is able to guide the worshipers to that place where they know what to say to our God and how to do so. Sometimes we wake up in the morning with a song in our hearts and this is what ministers to us from the onset. It may well be the repetitive words of 'it is well with my soul' or 'what a friend we have in Jesus' which remind us to be still in our turmoil and know that He is God. Mostly it will be a Christian song, hymn or carol we have long since forgotten about but which will appropriately give meaning to what we are going through in our lives. At such times we should be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is directing us to pray about. A song in your heart is a song for the day. Hang onto it and let it minister to your heart. That song in your spirit that just won't let go is the song about what is happening in the holy of holies so sing it gladly When we start worshiping our God therefore, we should be prepared to change the direction of our worship at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Worship is not about religion but rather about listening to the Holy Spirit to guide us to that place of oneness with our Father. This means too that a worship leader cannot lead people to a place he or she has not experienced. Our God is willing to reveal a lot to us. Amos 3:7 reminds us that He does nothing without revealing His plans to His servants the prophets. Genesis 1:26 shows us how we became co-workers with Him when He gave man dominion over all the animals on earth. Jesus himself considered the disciples, not as his servants, but as his friends because of what he had shared with them concerning the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In our worship and reverence of Him, God speaks to us. Sometimes God will speak in dreams like He did in the case of Abimelech to warn him that Sarah was Abraham's wife. You too may have your treasure embedded in a dream. Pharaoh also had his moments with dreams. A dream therefore may come as a warning about what is about to happen to you or to prepare you for what is ahead. A repeated dream is surely something whose meaning must be established. However, we must also acknowledge that there are dreams that come about as a result of the day's business or our own anxieties and have nothing much to do with God speaking. How then do we know that God is speaking? Firstly will be the dreams that we suddenly wake up from and start praying about. These may cause enough anxiety to get us out of bed and onto our knees. At this time the Holy Spirit is saying something to us and in us we suddenly feel a deep need to intercede for a situation or a person. Secondly will be when God puts impressions in our hearts. We will feel as if the message is written in the slates of our hearts. Men of God may be heard saying that they 'perceive' things. Impressions may however be soft and we may be missed. We have to be carefully listening to the Spirit who speaks in a soft whisper into our ears, sometimes in the very middle of the night. Do not take lightly what you have been perceiving because you may the carrier of God's Word. Thirdly are visions. These may be subtle, which you see in your mind as pictures or a trance which may overtake you in prayer as though your very physical consciousness were suspended- the kind Peter talked about in Acts 10 before his meeting with Cornelius; or the open vision which Cornelius himself experienced in Acts 10:3 where 'he distinctly saw an angel of the Lord' Lastly, the Word of the Lord may come upon you as it did prophets of old; in 1Sam 3 we read how the Lord continuously appeared to Samuel. God can come to you through a revelation of His Word. The Word is like a light in the darkness and will change you forever. All said however, is the realization that God does not have to speak. The most important thing for a Christian is to have a relationship with Him. David loved God and he was prophetic, he would be praising the Lord in worship one minute and in the next make a prophesy about the coming savior who would not see decay. So when we come to God's presence, we should do so for worship and because we hunger and thirst for Him like David did in Psalms 42:1. Hunger is key but only God can satisfy this hunger. God looks for those who worship him with a contrite and lowly spirit, who come to Him in fear and in the knowledge that they have not earned His favor but who know that His grace is sufficient to protect them. The enemy may track us but He loses sight of us when we are in the presence of God. Is it not interesting that in the forty days that Christ fasted the devil kept at bay? Not once did he approach Christ. He waited for the fasting and prayer time to end, then he moved in with his temptations. In the presence of the Lord, we are protected from evil. God is not looking for perfection, only availability. He will never despise a heart that comes to Him in brokenness, humility and true worship. A heart that seeks to commune with Him (Word count-1018) May these words (sermons), from various men and women of God be a blessing to all. contact:[email protected] Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |