Get With God

Too many people spend too much time doing too many things apart from getting alone with God and seeking his heart and soul diligently, making intercession for others, and covering the bases in earnest, effectual prayer. What bases, you might ask? Well, if you were putting top priority on what I just mentioned, you wouldn’t need to ask that question. I remember a born again believer once saying, “I would pray more but I can’t think of anything to pray about.” Wow! My immediate thought was, “I can’t think of anything NOT to pray about!” Maybe if she had been spending more time alone with the Lord, the holy Ghost would have led her to FIND OUT some things to pray about. I would say, I don’t know how people get by without spending consistent, ‘quality time’ with Jesus, but I don’t say that. Reason being I already know that they are NOT 'getting by.’ It brings to mind a line from my favorite movie: “It’s enough for a man to tend to his own business, and mine occupies me constantly.” Those who make it their constant business to personally seek to get to know Jesus better, and to intercede to him for the well being of others, just happen to live out the scriptures in real time. Things like this: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour” (I Tim. 2:1-3). Then there’s other stuff like this: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philip. 4:6,7). There’s plenty more of the like found in the Bible, like this verse: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph. 6:18).

Here’s a short verse that says a whole lot: “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17). Then there’s one of my favorites from the wisdom that God gave Solomon: “Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures” (Prov. 2:3,4). I can’t leave out another of my all time favorite passages either: “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:12,13). Someone who is fulfilling these scriptures in their life takes great joy and feels much confidence toward God upon reading these kinds of things. Those who are not doing so feel a gulping and a lack of confidence, as well as a scathing rebuke from their conscience. If you are not doing what you should be doing, the good news is that YOU CAN! God is a 'let’s go from here’ God, and he’s always happy for us to start cooperating with him at any point. He ALWAYS wants to redeem us and to bless us, but it’s up to us to present ourselves in a manner that will allow him to do so. He CANNOT bless disobedience and negligence, as the scripture confirms: “If we believe [obey] not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (II Tim. 2:13). This means that he “abides faithful” to who and what he is, and one thing he has always been is a righteous judge in all things. We simply cannot devote our time to frivolous things and crowd out our savior, our healer, our redeemer, our provider, our preserver, our comforter, our shepherd, and our VERY LIFE; and expect to be blessed OR saved. It really is that simple, and anyone who would crusade for anything contrary to that would simply have to be what the Bible clearly defines as a fool. Period. And I will tell you with clarity that you can talk yourself into crowding out the time that you should be spending with Jesus, by spending it on 'worthy’ pursuits. Too many folks are doing just that. I’m talking about holy Ghost baptized believers, and I’m talking about things like spending too much time on the internet and phone, including stuff like 'ministry’ and 'fellowship.'

The same thing can be done in person as well as on the phone or internet. You can also spend all your time 'talking to people about the Lord,’ and somehow not have sufficient time to talk TO and WITH the Lord like you need to. A very telling and powerful scripture says, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” It’s no coincidence that the verse just before that one tells us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philip. 2:11,12). I’ve got news for you, and that is that you will NOT have God working in you or through you if you are trying to go it on auto-pilot. People who are truly “working out their salvation with fear and trembling,” above all else are seeking God’s face as their top priority; because they literally crave the feeling of God living his life in and through them. They also stay aware of the reality that if they do NOT do so, they will not be blessed or saved (Mat. 5:8; Heb. 12:14). They know full well that Jesus judges righteously and that he will not bless or save those who do not let him have what he paid for; namely all of themselves, as it is written: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). Personally I like to do a lot of things beside praying and studying the scriptures, etc. Mainly because after I have put in good time with the Lord, everything else I do is a real joy because I’m feeling him purely and I’m ready to distribute his love and peace to everyone I cross paths with. Jesus REALLY wants us to enjoy our lives and the people around us, but the truth is there is nothing AS enjoyable as communing with him; and we are NOT going to enjoy ANYTHING without staying purely connected to his love and joy and peace. So I have just one more admonition from the Bible on the matter, and I believe that will cover the issue for the moment: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psm. 46:10). Amen.