A Prayer For a Heart After God

"I believe strongly that one thing the devil seeks to do is to sneak in and subtly distract our attention from the purity and simplicity of loving God. He doesn't mind if we exalt revival, healing, or anything else, as long as we lose our focus on the simplicity of heart-level lavish devotion to the Son of God.”  Mike Bickle One of the battlegrounds of this present age is activity.  The outward is most immediate for our attention. It demands our time and energy. We can feel trapped by the tyranny of the urgent. It’s Satan’s great strategy. If he can keep us constantly active, he has trapped us. We no longer are the captain of our soul, and we so easily sink into dullness in our Christian life. An impulsive desire of mankind is to avoid concentration on God. It’s so easy to work for Him any day than to let Him work in us. David is a great biblical example of one whose primary ambition was to love God even in the midst of all the ups and downs of life.  What was the secret to David’s success? Throughout his obscure life alone out in the fields as a shepherd boy, He continued to praise, worship, and thank God. He cultivated his heart and allowed God to root out self. All of this seemed so contrary to human wisdom, but God used David mightily in His perfect timing. He had a shepherd’s heart of trust and devotion. He was the giant killer, the composer of Psalms, Saul’s personal musician, Jonathan’s closest friend, a hunted fugitive and, finally, the King of Israel. The Bible says that he was a man after God’s own heart.  For the Bible to say this about a man is quite astounding. David used all his energies in pursuing God. He spent time with God. His inward life was more important than his outward activity. It was his highest priority, and he learned to work effectively from the inward to the outward. Out of our heart flow our energy, insight, and influence for God. David let God penetrate his heart deeply. God was his one dominant passion. The cost was high to feel God’s burden, to feel His anguish, to understand His heartache, and to stand in His truth day in and day out, but he was willing. Are you tempted not to make prayer and devotion to Christ your first ambition in life?  Does the devil tempt you with focusing on the externals of life rather than what is most important? Keeping Jesus as Lord of our life is the best way you and I can live. The following prayer will help you to keep Jesus in the center and cultivate a devoted heart.   A Prayer For a Heart After God Dear Lord, help me to cultivate the simplicity of devotion to You. I want You to be my primary ambition in life. I desire to behold Your beauty, and dwell in Your house all the days of my life (Psalm 27:4). Let seeking Your heart be the goal of my life even in busy and stressful times. Help me to be one who seeks after Your beauty. Help me to discover Your emotions and the purposes of Your heart. I want to be a lover of God and thirst after You daily (Psalm 42:1-2a). “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8). Teach me how to align my heart with Yours. I recommit myself as a man/woman after Your heart. I choose to seek Your face (Psalm 27:8). In difficult times, open my heart to receive Your revelation. Hide me in the shelter of your tabernacle (Psalm 27:5). Reveal deeply to my heart Your love for me. Rescue me in the midst of difficult circumstances, and bring me into a spacious place (Psalm 18:19). Teach me to enjoy life the way you desire. I choose to be confident in Your love. I am Your Bride. “I love you, O LORD, my strength” (Psalm 18:1). “One thing I ask from the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock... I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (Psalm 27:4-5, 13-14). In Jesus’ name, amen. “Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God” (Psalm 86:2a). God is crazy about you and I am praying for you.

How to Practice God's Presence in 2017

   

              

"Every moment is alive with My glorious Presence, to those whose hearts are intimately connected with Mine. As you give yourself more and more to a life of constant communion with Me, you will find that you simply have no time to worry. Thus, you are freed to let My Spirit direct your steps, enabling you to walk along the path of peace." Sarah Young, Jesus Calling.

As we enter into a new year, it is absolutely essential that we learn to walk in God's presence. We need to be intimately connected with Him as we face an unknown future and uncharted waters. We are in a new day with so many stresses and strains in our everyday life, and what God wants from us in the midst of a chaotic world is to walk in His Presence and live from that place of peace. Worry, anxiety, and fear are at an all-time high, but this is not what God wants from us. He wants us to be free from negative emotions so that we let His Spirit direct our steps with confidence and joy.

Take time to realize that God will take you farther than you ever dreamed possible if you learn the secret of practicing His presence. What a privilege to become a best friend of God! Have you grasped the reality of what this means?

“Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God’s greatest pleasure. - Rick Warren

Look at the amazing example of Brother Lawrence. He was a humble cook in a seventeenth-century French monastery who was able to turn even a boring job, such as washing dishes, into an act of worship and an opportunity to build his relationship with God. He said:

“The key to friendship with God is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do. What you normally do for yourself you begin doing for God, whether it is eating, bathing, working, relaxing, or taking out the trash.”

Following Brother Lawrence’s example, let’s realize that worship should not be so much an event as a perpetual attitude. We read in Psalm 16:11, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

I once read about a man who said that he wanted to learn to pray all the time in every situation day and night. He wanted to live in constant fellowship with God and moment-by-moment companionship with Jesus. This is a holy ambition and motivated me personally to develop this kind of intimate relationship with God. When we pray, we are speaking to God, and when we meditate on God’s Word, He speaks to us. We need both as we develop our friendship with God. Practicing the presence of God will give us rest and lead us into a more fruitful lifestyle.

But how can we practice God’s presence on a daily basis? Here are two key ways.

“When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that’s called worry. When you think about God’s Word over and over in your mind, that’s meditation. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate! You just need to switch your attention from your problems to Bible verses.” Rick Warren

As you apply the following two ways of practicing God's presence, you will realize in a deeper dimension His companionship with you. As time goes on, it come will become a natural practice in your everyday life, and you will realize afresh that Jesus really is your best friend. You become more aware that He is with you through all the joys and sorrows of daily life. A deeper joy invades your life as you realize that you are learning to abide in Christ.

Use Breath Prayers - Pray a brief phrase to Jesus throughout the day that you can repeat in one breath. You may want to pray phrases such as, “You will help me,” “You promise to never leave me,” “I can do all things through Christ,” “Your joy is my strength,” “I love You,” and “Help me trust You.” Breath prayers, unlike regular prayers, are short with just a few words that you can quickly pray to God at any time. They will keep you more conscious of your relationship with God on a moment-by-moment basis, and you will walk in less worry and greater peace. 

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).

Think About God’s Word. Meditate on God’s Word throughout the day. Focus your thoughts on the Bible. Write down short Bible verses and repeat them often. Think about who God is and what He has done. This takes time to learn, but Scripture offers a promise of God’s prosperity in our lives when we meditate on His Word:

"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (Psalm 1:2-3).

Do you want to move into a new place in prayer this year and practice God’s presence even more than you ever did before?We are entering days when the Word of God in our hearts is going to be absolutely necessary. We can live above all that is happening here on earth if we keep in mind that everything we do can be spending time with God. We only need to be aware of His presence during the day, whatever we’re doing. He wants to be invited into the center of our activities.

As world conditions worsen, we will ride on high places above the storm. This is how we will defeat the enemy. Practicing God’s presence through short prayers and meditation will make all the difference. Together let’s stay aware of His presence and step up higher, into a new realm of intimacy. Let’s learn to rest in God’s presence rather than worry during 2017.

A Prayer to Practice God's Presence

Father, I pray that You will help me to cultivate Your presence in my life. Remove the distractions that keep me from Your presence [Repent of any distractions in your life]. I repent of any pride or personal idols that have taken me away from having you in first place and being completely Yours (Name them one by one - i.e. television  material possessions, food, sports, work, etc.]. Remove the compromise in my life, and set me on fire for You. I want to be a clean vessel, bringing light into the darkness and carrying Your presence wherever I go. I want to come up higher around Your throne and sit with You in heavenly places. 

Help me to worship only You. Take me deeper in my prayer life and in intimacy with You this year. Help me to walk in Your light and holiness. I want to know You more. “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord” (Psalm 89:15). Give me joy in Your presence and help me to bring joy into the lives of others. I want to dwell in Your house and gaze on Your beauty. I want to seek Your face. “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple... Hear my voice when I call, O LORD" (Psalm 27:4, 7). In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

God is crazy about you and I am praying for you.