40 days "Break.Build" blog and podcast, Day 17:
https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2020/03/day-17-new-praying-for-gods-eyes-only.html
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. Sing a song to praise God (you are welcome to use "Father, I adore you" which I have been singing every morning for the past 20 years or your own choice to praise God)
Father, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.
Jesus, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.
Spirit, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.
Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method)
1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:
“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 and having Jesus as my Lord. 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 sins 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 gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."
3. John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)
"Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
The Word, Time with Abba (Psalm 38:13-22, Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Proverbs 11:8)
Today's key passage:
In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.
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 to Jesus as you listen to him.
My Listening
The topic I received today from Jesus is: The punishment of quarrelling is not being able to enter into the Promised Land!
We should be able to learn this painful lesson of why the Israelites needed 40 years to enter into the Promised Land. It is purely because of their continuous grumbling to God's servants and quarrelling to each other!
Not only so, all those signs and wonders happened in that 40 years had not changed their attitude to Moses and Aaron, those leaders and people still blamed on God's servants when they lacked something. The most serious situation happened in today's passage that even Moses got angry and lack of faith.
God gave him new power that he could just say a word and then water would come out from the rocks. But, Moses was angry and lack of faith. He chose not to believe that but to use the same way as God commanded him to do 40 years ago.
That's why God said to Moses that he did "not trust in Him enough to honor Him in the sight of the Israelites". Which means Moses did not listen to God's direct command that God was not glorified in a new and powerful way! The punishment to Moses is that Moses could not enter into the Promised Land!
So, brothers and sisters, please do not grumble to God's servants and do not stir up quarrels in your church. That would cause you and other people to be punished by God! Don't do it!
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us not to grumble against your servants and not to stir up quarrels at church but to listen to your command like an army glorifying your holy Name . In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Reflect on these questions:
1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?
2. What is your next step to be closer to Jesus?
Family Corner:
Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message.
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