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We
begin this message from the book of Psalms 46. There are some very
important things in this chapter for us to look at that will help us in
our walk with God. The chapter opens with these words;
"God
is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Now
lets face the facts. Have you ever
seen a time such as this when there is so much evil in the world.
Jesus tells us in the gospel of John 16:33 that in the world ye shall have
tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
As
we go through this 46th Psalm we will find out what our God is after as
for as Knowing Him intimately in a relationship that He will be pleased
with. Remember what verse one
is telling you. God is
our Force, He is our Security, He is our Power, He is our Praise, He is
our Might. This is a promise
that God will come through for you
no matter what the circumstance or situation or trouble. God will be there
for you but this has got to be settled in your heart by Faith or it
will not work for you. First comes the promise He is
there for you. The
second verse tells us that we should not fear, though the earth be
removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though
the waters thereof roar and be trouble,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, Selah. Verse
7 tells us "The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our
refuge. Selah.
I
believe there is in the
church today a battle going
on, a warfare, if you
please. Satan knows he as but
a short time to work and he
is busy working on the saints of God
with strategies that they are
not aware of. I want
to call to your attention a passage of
scripture found in II Cor.11:14 where Paul tells us that Satan is
able to transform himself into an angel of
light. There is a lot of religious deception in the world
today that is causing
many Christians to lose direction of Gods calling upon there lives.
Seduction is growing rampant but God also through The Holy Spirit is
Getting the attention of those who are tired of the enemy seeking to dominate
their lives. The victory is ours for the battle has already been won at
Calvary.
Lets
go back now to our text in the 46
chapter of Psalms and look at what I believe is
the key to living
an overcoming and prosperous life in Gods kingdom.
He tells us in verse 10 Be still and know that I am God. Here is the secret, stillness. What does it
mean to be still. How
do we come into this stillness that God is
wanting us to experience? Lets
see as we define this word Still. There
are many words translated from the Hebrew which I believe will help us to
understand what God is trying to convey to
the Church. It means abandon, become discouraged, forsake.
Now let's discuss just what the message is all about.
First I want to say that until we abandon everything that comes
against the the teachings of the cross and bring every thought into the
captivity to the obedience of Christ, we
will never be able to live that overcoming life which God
intends us to live. we will never
fully understand the teachings of
that word "Obedience."
Remember
the words Jesus spoke in John's Gospel Chapter 15:7,
"If ye abide
in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be
done unto you." Beloved, to abide means you stay in a
given state of expectancy or relation. Here is the secret.
The church today is so busy doing things until there is little time
for relationship or should I
say communion with Father God. The adversary of your soul is very
subtle in religious things and is a
master of the art of deception. The
bible tells us that if we will come out from the world and be a separated
people unto the Lord
we will be constantly open to the leadership of Gods Spirit and we
will hear his voice when He speaks to
us to Be still and know What the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Let
me say that the average Christian cannot stand to be still. They have been
trained to do activity ,and that is what they will do.
Activity is great, but even that must be in balance.
Here is a good example.
Most
Christians go to church at least three
times a week plus different church functions. As a whole they are to busy
to just take time out to listen to the
voice of The Spirit as to commune with them. When was the last time you
spent a day just in the
presence of God and meditated upon and listened to the whisper of His
voice? Think on this a little and I'm sure you will feel the convicting
power of God dealing with you to do so and that more frequently.
To know that God is God in
every situation demands Stillness( abandonment).
Beloved, God is wanting to teach us how to be overcomers but it all
depends on our response to His
Spirit. |
