Meeting with Jesus

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Transcript

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Welcome to the Be and Become Podcast, featuring Francois Carr, a Party for Life and Collective Life Ministry. Francois's International Ministry equips and encourages pastors, ministry leaders, and fellow Christians as they discover what it means to truly be and become the followers they were meant to be. Thank you for joining Francois today as he offers a few words of encouragement from God's Word.

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I love reading the biographies and stories of great men and women of faith, especially those who had been used by the Lord in a wonderful way. And I've noticed as I was reading these stories that their lives of victory and power was always hinging on three different things. There was an act, there was a purpose, and there was a habit. The initial act of a personal surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ, not as Savior anymore, but as Lord and Master once and for all. Andrew Murray used to call this the life of absolute surrender. The fixed purpose was that of doing what will please Jesus and not only that, but at every turn in every matter, regardless of any consequences. And then lastly the habit of daily spending a bit of time, quiet time with him over and in his word. It's clear as I was reading these stories that the secret of a strong Christian is a life spending time daily with the Lord and also in His Word. Now many people are troubled with doubts about certain and even questionable things which are attractive in themselves and which many practice but which do not seem just right for those who desire to have their lives pleasing the Lord in every aspect. If we will make a habit of spending time daily alone with God and in his word quietly reading, meditating and praying about what we read, we also will get clear light for every question and also receive the courage to walk in that light. Everyone faces at times perplexing questions of actions and duty and longs to have a plain direct guidance and answer from the Lord regarding some serious step that we need to take. Just like King David when he was facing the Philistines or even the Amalekites, and the Bible tells us, and therefore David inquired from the Lord. You can read about this in 1 Samuel chapter 23 and also 1 Samuel chapter 30 or even 2 Samuel chapter 5 verses 19 through 25. He wanted to know if I pursue them, shall I overtake them? And the Lord answered him. If every one of us will practice the habit of daily waiting, you will be surprised and charmed to find how distinctly God will let you, to know with certainty what is the next step that needs to be taken, and also to find the power to wait patiently until the next step is clear, which comes from His presence alone. Our lives are so busy or it seems so one cannot do all that pressures in upon us on a daily basis, and some things just need to be left undone. If we truly want to live a life of victory and power, a lives marking with the power of the Lord Jesus Himself, we need to make sure that nothing, absolutely nothing, will be allowed to crowd out this habit or to flutter its spirit of quiet listening and waiting upon the Lord. To become quiet, we must be quiet enough to hear the sound of gentle gentle stillness with which our master speaks his messages to us. Nothing quiets the soul and the mind and the spirit as listening to his voice. I recently was reading a poem, and the poem simply stated, I have seen the face of Jesus, tell me not of aught beside. I have heard the voice of Jesus, and all my soul is satisfied. In Psalm chapter five, verse three, which is a beloved Psalm, where David expresses his commitment to start each day in quietness with God. It reads, In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my request before you and wait expectantly. David was faithful in his fellowship with the Lord. In fact, you begin every day in prayer. Unlike so many people today, he don't speak with the Lord only when he was in distress or desperately needed something from him. He was a daily visitor to the throne of grace. It's so important to realize that God is the greatest priority of our lives. Before David met with anyone else, he first met with the Lord. Before he attended to any of the days' affairs or businesses, he first sought the Lord in prayer. The first appointment on his daily calendar was with God. Prayer at the beginning of the day acknowledges God as the most important being in our lives. And then, secondly, is to recognize God as the greatest power that answered our prayer and has the ability and the power to provide and to help us in our need. And as I look at this verse of scripture, there's a consistency. The phrase in the morning highlights David's habit of prioritizing communion with God at the start of every day. There's the intention to lay his request before the Lord. And then there's trust to wait expectantly upon the Lord to answer and to provide those things that David was praying about in that moment. So I want to encourage you that you would spend the first thirty minutes of every day or even longer if you have more time each day to see the face of Jesus before you see any other face that day, and to hear his voice before you listen to any other voice on the TV or the radio or the mobile phone or all the different groups that we belong to before you start your day, just like King David. Now in the Songs of Solomon there is a verse of scripture in chapter two, verse 14 that I want to encourage you with. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely. That we can say, I have seen the face of Jesus. Tell me not of aught beside. I've heard the voice of Jesus and all my soul is satisfied. May you see the face of Jesus in this day. May you hear the voice of Jesus. May your soul be truly satisfied. God bless you.

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Thank you for listening to this be and become episode with Francois Carr. For more information about the ministry, visit the website at ConnectedLife Ministries.com. We hope you'll join Francois next time as he continues the conversation on what it means to be and become the follower you are meant to be.