How do we find where we once were?

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Permalink Reply by Jess on October 30, 2008 at 10:15am

Hi ... I too am going through the same things in my walk with the Lord... I do find it hard not to let my lifes duties consume all of my time... I think this is a very good discussion and would love to see some insight as to how we can come to put the Lord first and foremost in our lives...
your sister in the Lord... Jess

Permalink Reply by Faithbound on November 1, 2008 at 1:56am

Jess, to be honest with you I still have not made much progress. I pray constantly. Though I miss the time I once spent with the Lord I tend to spend it on other things now; even when I don't have too. There is the issue of accountability. I wish I had someone to help me take accountability each day. I bought a brand new study bible weeks ago, and I am ashamed to say that I have not even opened it. So many things are going on in my life right now. My children continue to catch head lice over and over from the school, we found out they think our son has a form of autism, my sister's health is failing, and more. I am sunk into this depression that I cannot seem to shake. I know that I am blessed as well. My husband, four beautiful children, an apartment to live in, new furniture, food on the table...but the other circumstances are bringing me down. How do we not let them bring us down? You know what makes me the most mad? It's that when I allow the circumstances to control me I am letting the devil win. I don't like letting him win a battle that Jesus has already won on my behalf...

Permalink Reply by Jess on November 3, 2008 at 8:22am

Hi Faithbound,
I completely understand where you are coming from. I keep telling myself that I am going to get up earlier in the morning (atleast a 1/2 hr) so that I can make that devontional/study time with the Lord as a regular routine in my days. However, just like you I still have yet to do so. The alarm goes off and I hit the snooze button. I'm not going to give up though... As I believe that I will get there. I have chosen the mornings because if I can take that extra half an hr. at the beginning of each of my days... than 1. I will be starting out each of my days with the Lord first and foremost and 2. When my days are hectic or I have my many daily duties as a mother consuming my time... well my time with the Lord has already been fulfilled so I dont have to worry about making time or letting my duties continuously consume my time from the Lord. I was also just looking around in the forums and I came across this... It has really given me some insight and only confirmed my thinking to starting my days out early in the a.m. with the Lord. I also believe if we start out day off with the Lord than I think we will start seeing things differently as far as those things we stress over or trouble us. Hopefully it will help you also... and may we both overcome this hurdle we are both struggleing with...

I WANT TO SHARE THIS WITH U: PRAYING IN THE EARLY MORNING
“I love them that love me, and those that seek me early find me.” Proverbs 8:17 (KJV)

I - INTRODUCTION

The early morning is when the dew falls, moistening and fertilizing the earth as a refreshment for the dry ground. Seeds will receive water to bloom and be fruitful. It’s the beginning of a new day that’s still quiet. All are sleeping and it is calm. The birds begin to sing, announcing that the night has passed and the sun will soon shine.

II – PATH IN THE DESERT:

In the desert, the manna fell along with the dew in the early morning. Numbers 11:7-9.

The people were fed by this manna as they walked through the desert towards Canaan. God sent it to them every day in the early morning. The people had to gather the manna in the morning before the sun came up or else the manna would melt in the heat of the sun’s rays. Ex. 16:21.

Therefore they collected their daily portions early so that it would be preserved. The food they collected would be used over the course of that day. When the sun shone, the manna in the field melted. The sun speaks of the heat of our daily struggles and the work and fatigue that many times surrounds us. Because of this, we need a provision that allows us to remain in constant fellowship.

We encounter the Lord in the early morning (” those who seek me early find me”) and this is a promise made to us in the Word. The church walks in the desert, a dry land, on the way to the heavenly Jerusalem, but along the way there is refreshment, shade for the heat of the day, light during the night, and food to sustain the tired soul.

It was imperative that Israel sought the manna every day. They had to work with the food that they collected to prepare it to be eaten. Numbers 11:7-9.

The manna was like coriander seed and it was the color of bdellium [1], which is a crystal from a white rock.

The people collected the manna and ground it in hand mills or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes, and it had the taste of something made with honey or fresh oil. Exodus 16:31, Numbers 11:7.

The manna in the desert speaks of the Lord Jesus, the Bread of Life. He was crushed for us and by his stripes we are healed. His suffering and pain brought us peace. Jesus, the son of God and the lion of the tribe of Judah, became flesh and lived in our midst. Through his sacrifice we know the sweetness of his love (Judges 14:18), and the joy of the Holy Spirit. The cakes with the flavor of honey speak of the Lord Jesus and the fresh oil of the Holy Spirit. This is the food that we receive in the early morning. Just like the manna in the desert sustained the life of the people, Jesus, the Bread of Life, sustains our spiritual lives.

III - NEED

We feel the most need to seek God in the early morning when we are afflicted.

Psalm 78:34 - “Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.”

IV – AFFLICTION

Hosea 5:15 - “Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me. ”

V - SECRET

Seeking in the early morning has surprising results.

“It’s a secret of My work” – and the secret is the manna in the desert, the revelation, the presence of Jesus, the Bread that comes from the Father and is of the Holy Spirit (Hallelujah! Glory to God!)

Jesus, the manna in the desert, is the secret!

VI – BREAD THAT COMES FROM THE FATHER

The fruit of seeking in the early morning is food that is complete, nutritious, and sweet like honey. It gives us the joy of the Holy Spirit, the fresh oil. Its food for our souls and the fulfillment of a promise: ” those who seek me find me.” If we seek the Lord, we will find him, because his promises do not fail.

VII - PRACTICE

We seek heavenly bread in the early morning. It is our daily portion, personalized and exact. Each one collects what he can eat: nothing more, nothing less, only the exact measure. Collecting more speaks of anxiety, of seeking in anxiety when we are afflicted, without knowing the Lord’s rest. We need to remember that the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. Collecting less speaks of negligence and a lack of interest. The exact portion is the one that is sought with wisdom.

VIII – CONCLUSION – WHEN IS THE OBJECTIVE REACHED?

There came a time when the manna ceased. The people had reached the promised land of Canaan, the land of milk and honey. They were going to enjoy the fruits of the land. One day we will arrive at the heavenly Jerusalem, the promised land, where we will enjoy the presence of the Lord in its fullness. We will be in a different place: one of glory, in eternity.

GOD BLESS!!!

Permalink Reply by diana on November 27, 2008 at 3:33pm

yes i feel the same way about this.i used to spend all my time reading the bible and having christ in my life that i fall en here couple times,how can we get that back.