Essentials Of Effective Meditation - Part 1

Welcome to the intense podcast for family 13, November 30. Biblical meditation is a crucial skill for any follower of Christ today will it help developing a lifestyle of dwelling on the truths of Scripture we find ourselves going through difficulties and trials and troubles in light usually it will looking for some word of comfort where the return return to the soul want to return the Psalms because it's very evident that David went through difficulty hardship in trial in his life in such a fashion that he discovered some things about God some things.

It was so overwhelming as he wrote them down.

Now all these thousands of years later we read what he wrote and we get the most comforting reassuring feeling.

Why, because this man knew how to listen to the father. He knew how to meditate upon God, and while he was there because a shepherd boarding later on in his life. He still meditating, still sitting before the Lord still listening to God and so often people say to me what what was the most important thing you can do to grow in your Christian life and usually they want some big time answer and is real simple, because you see I really believe all of my heart that what really determines how God uses as the degree to which he uses as is not talent, though that's important not spiritual gifts, though they are all important, not charismatic Personality that may appear to be important to some people. The real bottom line is there intimate personal relationship with and so what that does. It brings all down the same level of the cross and that is God's ultimate determining factor is our personal relationship with him well. David certainly had the kind of relationship if you turn to second Samuel, you recall that in the seventh chapter of the Bible says in verse one that came about when the king lived in the house of the Lord had given him rest on every side from all of his enemies. Then he and Nathan had a conversation and talked about several things there and then the 18th verse of that eighth chapter says, then following this conversation, then David, the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, who am I the Lord God and what is my house that you brought me this far and then he begins at this time. Meditation thinking upon the Lord, listening to him and if you will recall what David did here for things primarily. He reviewed his past as a shepherd boy out there and among his family writing Goliath running from Saul and all the things and going all the battles he'd been in all the wars he thought and then the Bible says that he reflected upon God. He talked about how good and gracious and great God been to him and then the third thing he did was he remember the promises of God.

Recall those and then he made his petition and that is the he made his request to God. So this is what he is doing sitting before the Lord now in the process of doing this. I think there are several essentials to effective meditation. That's what I want to talk about the six essentials to effective meditation because, listen until you learn to be quiet before the Lord, you will never be satisfied your Christian might always be something missing and now that you will never have the effectiveness in your life with other people. If you do not learn to meditate upon his word and with him so I does one mention of these six things primarily and if you notice he says here. Then the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said so he begins to talk to God and share with him.

I was on his heart. And if you think about some of your favorite songs that David wrote and how open he must have set out on the stars and talk to the father and listen to him and wrote an as he also sang and played and so forth. God dealt with this men the most unusual way you recall we mentioned last time the even though he had many faults and failed many times.

He's the man about whom God said that here's a man after my own heart. Not perfect, not send this made his mistakes made big public blunders. Yet God says he is a man after my own heart was.

It was because of his abilities and talents. The God given them great courage and getting skill as a fighter skill as a musician skill as a leader. All those things.

But what is it that most impressed got about it. He said his immense amount heart. He is a man who is hungry for me. He is a man who wants to know me and remember this the God that only judges us say judges, I don't mean condemns as judges us by our actions and our conduct, their behavior, but our intentions. What is our hearts desire. So is to look at these essentials and their very simple and yet sometimes the simple things we overlook and sometimes need to be reminded of them. But I think there are six things primarily that are absolutely essential if you are not going to grow in our personal relationship to be graciously our intimate relationship with him, ultimately, is the thing that determines our effectiveness for so if you want to be used effectively for him and you will you and your Christian life is just some things that God requires. I think there are six essentials in here they are number one that is a season of time.

You got to spend time with him if you want to grow like it is what we gaze upon most of we become like is what we think about most in our minds that most effects is what we become like so season of time and you recall of this passage we mentioned before, but that is not only through Jesus, but David and others as they meditate upon the Lord Jesus got up early morning went up to the mountain to pray to be with her father. He spent time in as we think about how busy your schedule in mind as we think about what we have time for what we don't have time for. In essence, is what we say. If we don't have time for the Lord Jesus Christ and we don't have time for joy. We don't have time for wisdom.

We don't have time for prosperity.

His counter prosperity we don't have time to grow if we don't have time for him. It just takes time and you see it when somebody says to me will what can I really do really grow in the Lord.

I mean just move on with God. Well, there's nothing you can do to move on. If you me grow hurriedly if you want to move on with God, then take time back here with him not to do anything else but the with him. It takes time and you see it's interesting that Jesus never got in the hurt and the reasoning getting her is because this because he had such a relationship with her father and he spent enough time with him that he had such absolute confidence and assurance of the father's leadership he'd have to get her.

He had to rush around and I believe when you and I'll learn how to meditate. What happens is you can move outwardly quickly but at the same time moving slowly spirit. I think you never find Jesus rushed, horrid or anxious about getting to the next place because he understood how valuable it was to spend time alone with the father and so when I think about David.

The Bible says he set before the Lord. Here's a man who said before the Lord, not after all his battles were over. He said before the Lord in the midst of those battles, he learned to sit before the Lord and to rely upon him to meditate upon him and think about and remember he didn't have all this three when I think about what he had. He just had a few scriptures. That's all he had. That's all he had what was handed down. You and I have it written down of all the people in the world who blessed we have it written that we can just take it we can just take it out and read it is what God says it takes time and so I just want to ask you to be real honest as you think about Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday honest and true to have any time that on your schedule. You have set aside for God, I tell you this.

I don't care who you are. Peter said decide he won't get if you don't send this out. He's not going to get size when asked to look at your calendar. Is there any time on there that says meditation are quiet time or prayer time. Is there anything on that that says that it does not.

I'm telling you you're not going to do it. Don't tell me you're not. You're not going to do because the devil is going to crowd your time. You not going to have time you have set aside time you have to make time. You have to set it down on going to do this if you don't you want. You know you live, you'll fill it up with good times arm a few weeks ago I decided this week. Here's how much Thomas will be alone with got out.

I feel the real need of this that you not about the third day, I thought God I can't believe how absolutely horribly busy. I have been and if not spent that time that I know you laid upon my heart to spend some of it but not nearly what I agreed to. It's easy, it's easy to let your time get delivered good things and people who are in the ministry. We of all people. If we're not careful we can have so many good spiritual things going the God whom we serve gets on the periphery out here while we are supposedly doing his work, and I'm here to tell you if it can happen to us. It can happen to you if you don't set it aside is not going to happen.

I want to say one more time if you don't set aside is not going to happen and if you don't spend time with him. You not going to grow you are, you say well I'm moving longer how you move, you wobble all over the place that God wants us moving ahead in our spiritual walk and what he wants is intimacy and so that takes time and sought is more challenging you say will my vocation. Is this not an element.I'm so jammer time know what I learned long time ago. Every time I get laid out sick.

It's like the Lord remind me. Now how much time you have got all the time you need a listen.

We do have the time. It's a matter prior to use it without you say that pretty open absolutely. I'll tell you why, because I know that's the bottom line, the Christian life and about remind myself over the bottle. Remind you of what happens we drift. If we're not careful, and so I just want to say what that the first essential to real meditation in the first essential to real effectiveness is meditation time with him. The first essential time everything one of us have a clock listed all of our clocks have the same numbers on them right.

It just depends on how much you love God you really want to know and what we don't want to know if I really want to know in.

I got to spend time with. If I don't I feel my time something else. Is it not true.

All of us have 24 hours and every day. We just have to decide what we can do it.

I just wanted challenging when you go home tonight pull out your calendar and look at it and see who's on their and see if you have God, prayer, meditation, quiet time.

If you have any of those words on your calendar if you don't is what you're saying to God. God I am so busy I don't have a temp you, you shall not pray down the expressway. This element talk about that, I'm talking about you spin time with him. Second essential not only as time.

The second essential is stillness a listen you not know that passage in Psalm 46. Be still and know that I'm God that sometimes when if we are not still, we're not going to be able to sense him stillness means stop everything else. It's time with stillness.

Did you know it's in the amazing him. How many times we try do more than one type how to be watch TV and do something else same time and it commercials what you doing reading some Elsa doing something else are, whatever. It's amazing and I I find myself sometimes when I got one thing going on. If I got all timeouts with this enemy got to through that mom on the phone maybe doing something else work the computer listen to somebody talk depends on who it is and it depends on if I can carry on a conversation and do this at the same time. That's not good, but that's how horrid we oftentimes find ourselves stillness means I'm in the just stop. I don't think Jesus set up in the mountain flipped rocks while he was talking the father are, you know, broomsticks are you know what is going in the stands and alcoholism and bring about this going someplace earlier. I don't think he did that all he knew how to sit still and I believe David knew how to sit still. The Scripture says here he sat before the Lord, and he said, who am O Lord God, what is he doing is talking about. You see when you and I get real steel we can concentrate and think about and we need to think about them.

This is why it's so important when you listen to a sermon, write something down. So when you get by yourself in your thinking about God thinking about the things that you know and so to reiterating them to him and reminding them of just being steel and being quiet. You know why we can get to still because sometimes we don't like with stillness brings sometimes rely Crystal Springs because some things rise up that we don't want to deal with and so as long as we keep active. We don't have to bother, but we get real steel something happens on the inside and often times God brings up these issues in a life of things in life that we particular no particular want to bring up and on the other hand, we get steel what happens. Not only are we able to concentrate upon him. We get steel his goodness's law is grades his kindness, his mercy, and oftentimes we gets there. What is it, if he reminds us of what is done in our life. He reminds us of his love for us. He reminds us of his promises. Just being still.

I want to challenge you tonight when you go home tomorrow whenever just sit down and just get steel before the Lord a lot and anneal down whatever you want. Don't do anything just get steel you see in God can speak to is why we doing other things. But I wonder what you and I miss that he would like to say if we just get, still not to listen. One thing about fasting is fasting sharpens the mind so the second thing out of something to say still is the third is seclusion and this is what Jesus really had to fight for in his ministry because he says he would go in the mountains near what I credit follow him and he going outside Lake and end up here they come, so seclusion for him was a major challenge now by seclusion, I mean getting by yourself is not like being themselves well if you learn to meditate before the Lord sit before him being by yourself very important to being with somebody and praying about people is wonderful but there's something about being alone with him when there's nobody there but just you and the father you in the Lord Jesus all alone, being still unhurried, not checking the clock not answering the telephone. Not only was going on. I wonder how often you and I get quiet before the Lord and will and by the service. Now if Lord Jesus walked into your house tonight and he said that he said now have a conversation, just the two of us. I want the telephone rang you itself sees me, Jesus, and if you came to go answer. This also might knock on the door you just know you would you he would have your undivided attention you recall when Mary and Martha were entertaining Jesus one day and they had a real problem between them because one of them was in the kitchen carrying all of this work. The other was sitting at the feet of Jesus just being quiet listening.

You see, the problem is, sometimes we think we are wasting time, but just being quiet and being steel and being secluded and asking this annoyance. This are of course you would is new you have any place in your house that you can get by yourself and close the door and nobody bought sure there must be someplace.

There's something about being alone with God. Just like is there is something you being alone with your husband or your wife.

You don't somebody around all the time. You know that God doesn't want someone around you and me all the time. He wants to love us, you know how God loves people one at a time, one hug at a time. One word of the time. God doesn't hug. In general, else and he doesn't he doesn't love groups he loves is one of the time. He wants our undivided attention, secluded away, being quiet, being steel just listening to. Here's what happened with talk about this later. What all the consequences of this are these consequences are.

But you know, one of the most wonderful things about being quiet along with him is ultimately this going to be this awesome kind of peace that nothing else in this nothing else in the world brings a kind of peace that seclusion with him in stillness and hurriedly listening, being quiet is let speak and so we talked about how God speaks one of the promises we can't listen because when too big of a hurry. We're so busy doing and this at the other and so forth. And what he wants to stillness what he wants is seclusion. He was accused by ourselves. So the master question. When's the last time you got by yourself just to listen to God steel just listening unhurried, no clock, nothing if we are real honest is it not true that not many folks spend very much time is always something to do but nothing so important is just being quiet. I just want to emphasize seclusion by being along with him and just list. Thank you for listening to financials and effective meditation.

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