EVERY MORNING LEAN THINE ARMS AWHILE
UPON THE WINDOW SILL OF HEAVEN,
AND GAZE UPON THY LORD.
THEN, WITH THE VISION IN THY HEART,
TURN STRONG TO MEET THY DAY
...Author unknown
Has God provided a way for believers to live in victory? Or are we destined to live in constant defeat? If God has provided a way to live in victory, what is that way? I strongly suspect that many of God’s beloved children spend much of their lives searching for the way of the victorious life. It seems that many never find it, and give up in despair and discouragement, and just settle down to live mediocre lives.
How sad for a Christian who is justified, declared righteous by God, and who has all of the resources of heaven available, and yet to never experience on a regular basis the wonderful, glorious, victorious life God has fully intended he, or she, to have.
God has provided a way to live in victory! It is the way of daily heart preparation, which is the vehicle for the “Filling of the Spirit”, and the “Filling of the Spirit” is the means God has provided for the Christian to live in victory.
“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” . . . Romans 8:4 .
In Ephesians 5:18 we are commanded to be “Filled with the Spirit,” and immediately following that command, we have the characteristics of the Spirit filled life. In Colossians 3:16 we have the command, “ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” and immediately following that command we have the same characteristics of the Spirit Filled life , thus equating the word of God dwelling in us to the filling of the Spirit.
That is the purpose of the Quiet Time, it is HEART PREPARATION, which results in the filling of the Spirit. We need not begin the day without being filled with the Spirit.
I believe the Lord has also given us a means to facilitate the filling of the Spirit all through the day. That means is the memorization of a verse of scripture, and meditation on that verse all through the day.
Choose a verse from your morning reading, write that verse on a 3x 5 card. Put that card in your shirt pocket, or in your purse. In your spare thought times during the day, memorize and mediate on it. It is also helpful to write on the back of your card, five things you need to accomplish during the day, work on them in order of priority.
THE RESULTS of knowing, meditating, and obeying the Word of God are tremendous, THE RESULTS of ignoring God’s Word are disasterous.
The QUIET TIME, SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION, and MEDITATING, on the Word is really HEART PREPARATION.
THE TEACHING OF GOD’S WORD IS CLEAR.
- Without daily heart preparation, you will not enjoy all of God’s blessing on your life.
- With adequate daily heart preparation, you will prosper and have good spiritual success in your life.
Consider the clear promise in Joshua 1:8 “ This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, then shalt thou have good success.”
God has promised daily heart preparation, will mean a victorious Christian life.
We have an example in 11 Chronicles, of a man who utterly failed because of lack of heart preparation,”and he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.” 11 Chron. 12: 14 Believer, do not go running off in a thousand directions, looking for keys to victory, and power, and blessing! It is found right here in simple, daily, heart preparation in the morning Quiet Time.
HOW TO HAVE A QUIET TIME
A personal Quiet Time in the Word of God is perhaps the single most important habit to master as a Christian.
FOUR GUIDING FACTORS
- The time chosen must have top priority!
- The time chosen must be before other encroachments!
- The time chosen must be the quietest possible!
- The time chosen must be consistent every day!
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT GOD’S WORD
Meditation and memorization are commanded and cannot be separated!
- “These words which I command….shall be in thy heart” [mind] Deut. 6:6
- “Thou shalt meditate therein day and night” Joshua 1:8
- “Meditate on thee in the night” Pslam 63:6
- “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” Col. 3:16
- “I will meditate in thy statues” Psalm 119:48
- “But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night” Psalm 1:2
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD’S WORD
GOD'S WORD NEVER FAILS "There hath not failed one word of all his good promise” 1Kings 8:56
- THE WORD OF GOD IS MY SPIRITUAL FOOD
“I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” Job 23:12 - THE WORD OF GOD IS PERFECT AND SURE
- "The law of the Lord is perfect…the testimony of the Lord is sure” Psalm 19:7
- THE WORD OF GOD IS RIGHT AND PURE
“The statutes of the Lord are right…the commandment of the Lord is pure” Psalm 19:8 - THE WORD OF GOD IS TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS
“The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether” Psalm 19:9 - THE WORD OF GOD IS A WARNING AND A REWARDER
“Moreover by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping them is great reward” Psalm 19:11 - THE WORD OF GOD IS INFINITE
“Being born again not of corruptible seed , but of incorruptible, by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever…but the Word of the Lord endureth forever” 1 Pe. 1:23-25
RESULTS OF MEDITATION ON GOD’S WORD
- LOVE OF THE WORD
“Oh how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day” Psalm 119:97 - WISDOM
“Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son” Prov. 28:7
“Thy words were found and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” Jeremiah 15:16 - DISCIPLES
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” John 8:31
“And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” John 8:32 - SANCTIFIED LIFE
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth” John 17:17 - KNOWING GOD’S WILL
“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” Romans 12:2 - CONTROLLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
“Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to your selves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord” Ephesians 5:18,19
THE RESULTS OF NOT KNOWING GOD’S WORD
- HATER OF INSTRUCTION
“Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee” Psalm 50:17 - REBELLIOUS AND LYING
“That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the Law of the Lord” Isiah 30:9 - DESTRUCTION
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Because thou hast rejected knowledge; I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” Hosea 4:6
“Yea, they made their hearts as adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former prophets, therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts” Zech.7:12
PRAYER IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR QUIET TIME
THE SECRET PLACE
Author Unkown
There is a place where thou canst touch the eyes of blinded men to instant, perfect sight;
There a place where thou canst say,” Arise”to dying captives, bound in chains of night;
There is a place where thou canst reach the store of hoarded gold and free it for the Lord;
There a place- upon some distant shore- where thou canst send the worker or the word;
There is a place where Heaven’s resistless power responsive moves to thine insistent plea;
There is a place- a silent, trusting hour- where God Himself descends and fights for thee.
Where is that blessed place- dost thou ask, “ Where? “ O soul, it is the secret place of prayer.
Record your morning prayer requests, review them, seek to discover what the Lord is teaching through unanswered prayer. Thank the Lord for each answer as it comes.
