OT DAY 509 - "Don't Quit" Rule No. 5: Able to Listen to God's Voice (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

      The Lord is my strength and my shield;
          in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
          my heart exults,
          and with my song I give thanks to him.

                                     Psalm 28:7

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Kings 19:9-14)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=列+王+紀+上+18&version=ESV

9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant,thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 

                                         1 Kings 19:9-14

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

    My Listening

           Everyone wants to listen to God's voice, not only Christians. Elijah heard God's voice before. But, when he was discouraged and depressed focus on his self-righteousness, he could not hear God's voice anymore. Until...

    Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 

     (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) : 

           God appears to him there and gently points out that he is not the only person left. Perhaps not gently. The way God speaks to Elijah first involves wind, earthquake, and fire, then a low murmuring sound…The story does not say that God is in the quiet sound though not in the earthquake, the wind, and the fire. The point the story makes in this connection is that you shouldn't identify God with earthquake, wind, and fire, which it might be tempting to do. Old and New Testament will continue affirming that God is the God of earthquake, wind, and fire, and for Elijah these reaffirm the power and might of his God, which he was in danger of forgetting. He gets the reassurance that God is still the kind of God who appeared to Moses and the Israelites at Sinai.

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Kings for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.91.

            So, Elijah could not hear God's voice anymore until when?

            Until he experienced the first four rules: Talk to God, good and sweet sleep, eat and drink, forty days to prepare himself to meet God.

            To listen to God's voice needs the focus of your body, mind and soul, that is physically first and then spiritually.

            That's how God teaches a group of us to be able to draw closer and closer to Him each day by coming to pray each morning at 6:30a.m., offering our first fruit to Him each day. Each day we pray to God first thing in the morning, we go to bed early and have enough sleep, we eat and drink together as we are having breakfast right after our morning prayer and we prepare ourselves to meet God for a long period of time, today is Day 193! That's how God calls brothers and sisters of REC to listen and obey starting January 1 this year.

            God has His own tailor-made way to call different people. How has God been calling you to listen to His voice? 

    Dear Lord Jesus,
    Be with us each day that we can be able to listen to your voice and act on your command. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

    1. How can these five rules help you to listen to God's voice?

2. Are you able to listen to God's voice more after experiencing these five rules?

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

四十天的"破. 立"靈修:

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如果你有 Android cel. 請按此處上載程式,可直接一按收聽最近之十次廣播:

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歡迎你使用三年三個月讀完新舊約聖經blog: 

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 Today is our 193 days non stop Morning Prayer Monday through Friday 6:30a.m. to 7:30a.m. Saturday 8a.m. to 9:45a.m., Sunday 7:30a.m. to 8:30a.m.

The offering of our First Fruit every morning have changed lots of things: unity, lifestyle, character …and many more!

Pictures of today 6:30a.m. Prayer Meeting: