In the Closet
Below is an excerpt taken from a little booklet titled Helps to Holiness. Such a great teaching tonight by the author, S.L. Brengle, about waiting on the Lord.
Here I sit trying to honor our President’s request that we stay in so we can “flatten the curve” of the spread of this coronavirus. Here in the confines of my home though I am not alone… it is truly in this special place (my little prayer closet) that it is just me and God. There is no one to draw from, no one to compete with, no one for me to distract or to be distracted by. And still, even here, with God as my only companion and source, it is so hard to wait on Him.
But this was encouraging to me and made me search my heart.
David said, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.” (Ps. 62:5); and again he declares: “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His name do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning” (Ps. 130:5); and he sends out this ringing exhortation and note of encouragement to you and me: “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Ps. 27:14).
The secret of all failures, and of all true success, is hidden in the attitude of the soul in its private walk with God. The man who courageously waits on God is bound to succeed. He cannot fail. To other men he may appear for the present to fail, but in the end they will see what he knew all the time: that God was with him, making him, in spite of all appearances, “a prosperous man.”
Jesus puts the secret into these words: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matt. 6:6).
Know, then, that all failure has its beginning in the closet, in neglecting to wait on God until filled with wisdom, clothed with power, and all on fire with love.
~ S.L. Brengle, Helps to Holiness
What does it mean to wait?
Wait – to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens; to remain neglected for a time; to be postponed or delayed; to be available or in readiness.
Looking at those definitions, I can easily find the reasons I have such a hard time. Over the last years, I have become a person that loves to do and to go. We can fill our lives with many things. Even very good things things can become a hinderance when we allow them to keep our bodies and our minds occupied at all times. The first day I deliberately stayed home, all I wanted to do was go, go, go though I had no where to go and needed nothing. Obviously I don’t like “remaining neglected” for any amount of time. Does anyone?
So how then do we wait?
By God’s grace and by making a deliberate decision to press in to the waiting.
I have to get in the posture and attitude of waiting. Oh yes, it will be so much easier to move on toward the next sight or sound in the adjacent room. It will be easy to jump on Facebook or Twitter and lose an hour or two there…but the moment I give in, I know I will begin that same old descent that leads to discouragement.
What will be the benefits of waiting?
WISDOM, POWER, FIRE with LOVE!
Give me the grace to wait upon You, Lord…in Jesus Name. Amen!
Luke 22:42
A Good Reason To Fast
A good reason to put fasting alongside your prayers!
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling `down to him, and saying,
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth `into the fire, and oft into the water.
And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be `with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from `that very hour.
Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have `faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to `yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
~ Matthew 17:14-21
Psalm 55:17
2 Corinthians 5:7
The Heavenly Calling
HEBREWS 3:1-6
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
What does it mean to Partake –
to take or have a part or share along with others; participate (usually followed by in )
to receive, take, or have a share or portion (usually followed by of)
to have something of the nature or character (usually followed by of)
What is this heavenly calling?
This heavenly calling is intercession.
Why do I believe the heavenly calling is intercession?
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. ~ Hebrews 7:25
Other words that struck me –
If – a condition, requirement, or stipulation
Confidence – full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing
Rejoicing – the feeling or the expression of joy.
Hope – the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best
Hebrews 7:25
Continue Ye in My Love
Jesus said He loves us as the Father loves Him. Nothing can change that love or take it away.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 8:38-39
Then He said that we are to love one another with that very same love. Think about that. We are to love each other and everyone in the same way the Father loves the Son. That’s intense.
We thought it was enough to love our neighbor as ourselves.
“And, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” ~ Matthew 19:19b
But Jesus raised the bar on how we love. He said we are to love our neighbor in the same way the Father loves Him, the Son.
“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” ~ John 15:9-12
How it that even possible? How can we love like that? Only by coming into His Presence in the secret place and receiving His power to love. PRAY. ASK. Ask for love to be the foundation of your life. Not just the foundation of your prayer life, although prayer always begins there….but your whole life. Ask the Holy Ghost to fill you with the love of Jesus Christ. “I want to know the length, breadth, depth, and height of Your love.” (Ephesians 3:18)
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:14, 16-19
What does a life of the love of Jesus Christ look like. Paul tells us:
“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:” ~ Romans 9:1-3
Read that again. Paul says here that he would live in a life of eternal hell so that others would not. That is the love of Jesus! Only God can anoint you to truly love like this.
This kind of love looks like the Cross!
—-
Thoughts – I have gone into the secret place of the Most High and asked Him to anoint me and fill me with love for others. I have gone not once but many times. Then I am so surprised when hardships and trials comes my way or when some I thought would be lifetime friends seem to easily walk away. And the Lord said to me this morning in the prayer room – Open your eyes, your ears, and your heart. I have answered your prayer. Now continue ye in My LOVE!!!
Quicken, Change, and Communion
A glimpse into my Bible study and prayer time tonight.
Verses and specific phrases in them that struck my heart…and definitions because God speaks to me through verses and phrases but also very often through single words.
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ~ Romans 8:11
The Phrase – Quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit
The Word – Quicken: to revive; to restore life to
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
The Phrase – Changed into the same image
The Word – Changed: to transform or convert; to transfer from one to another
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. ~ 2 Corinthians 13:14
The Phrase – Communion of the Holy Ghost
The Word – Communion: interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions
Thank you, Father for Your Word and for prayer that has quickened and changed me tonight and thank You Holy Ghost that You were and are there all along throughout this entire day to offer and provide me with sweet communion. Draw me closer than I’ve ever been, and carry me through – into the place You have prepared for me on this day. In Jesus Name. Amen!
