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MID MONTH NOTES -
AUGUST 2008
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DEAR READERS
The goal of this ministry is to equip
for prayer, to inspire believers to draw near to God and for a
Spirit of Prayer to come upon the church of Canada. How tempting
in these days to comment and teach on many other issues rather
than prayer but this has to be my priority. My spirit has been
stirred recently by reading classics like 'The Holiest of All' by
Andrew Murray, 'A Diary of Signs and Wonders' by Maria Woodworth-Etter,
and by being in the Word of God, which is living and active, with
a chronological Bible! I also read carefully a book on listening
prayer, which I will comment on as it troubled me. The main
portion of these notes is a description from the book of Hebrews
of how we can and do approach the throne of God in worship and
prayer.
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LISTENING PRAYER
This got my attention when two of our members told me they were
going to a conference on 'Listening Prayer'. This sounded innocent
enough but when I read the speaker's book I became concerned.
('Can you hear me?' by Brad Jersak, 2003). The use of
visualization and guided imagery was vigorously defended and it
was clearly taught to use one's imagination as the foundation for
revelation. I have recognized that the latter principle is used by
other ministries as a key for visualizing angels, going into the
third heaven and even the healing of the memories. Listening
Prayer is also another name for contemplative prayer, centering
prayer and types of mediation. Please see the IFC web site for a
more complete book review.
Listening Prayer.
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ENTER THE SANCTUARY BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS
The remarkable truth from the book of Hebrews is that the ordinary
believer can continually approach the Throne of God to offer
acceptable worship (12:28), a sacrifice of praise (13:15) or to
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (4:16). We
can even just draw near to God to please the Father and to seek
Him (11:5-6). Is it that easy? Yes but there are some
conditions:
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Heb. 6:4
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The believer needs to have a good foundation. Repentant, born
again, received the Holy Spirit. To have believed the Good News of
Jesus Christ (4:2) and entered into God's plan for our lives by
ceasing from our own works (4:10)
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Heb. 3:1
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An awareness of the heavenly call and that God has intervened in
their life to one day bring them into the glory of God (2:10) This
creates the desire to seek or draw near to the living God.
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Heb. 11:6
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Drawing near to God requires faith that God exists even though we
can't see Him. Faith is the conviction of things not seen (11:1).
Moses endured because with the eye of faith he saw Him who is
invisible (11:27).
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Heb. 6:18
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We must seize the hope set before us. That hope (6:19) is that we
can draw near to God (7:19 - better hope) This gives us an
attitude of confidence in the promises of God, the word of God
being living and active in us (4:12)
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Heb. 2:11
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We understand that we are in union with Christ. In Him we are
clothed with His righteousness and perfection, not our own. In Him
we have been sanctified (10:10) and by the offering on the cross
we have been perfected (10:14). My sins have been forgiven and
forgotten (10:17-18). I can share His holiness (12:10)! He ever
lives to talk to the Father on my behalf (7:25)
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Heb. 9:14
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My confidence is established by one more thing - a clean
conscience with no shadow of unconfessed sin. Through repentance
and faith the sprinkling of the Blood of Christ purifies an evil
conscience (10:22). By faith in the power of the Blood, I no
longer have any consciousness of sin (10:2)
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This then brings us to the new and living way into the
presence of God
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most
Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened
for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a
great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a
sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our
bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the
hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:19-23
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I am right with God, my conscience is clear, I understand how
Christ has changed my life and my perception of what matters, and
right where I am I draw near to the God who sees everything about
me (4:13). I can be at rest or I can pray my heart out on issues
with loud cries and even tears (5:7). I can worship, sing or shout
the virtues of the names of God and my Saviour (13:15).
Twice Hebrews mentions the need for reverence, a godly fear that
is cautious and certainly not careless in the presence of God.
(5:7, 12:28). Jesus, as the man, was heard by the Father because
of his godly fear (5:7). At the end of Hebrews we find the writer
urging for such prayer as it will result in good things happening
sooner (13:18-19)
To sum up, a basic and essential part of our great salvation is
that we draw near to God, eagerly, carefully, in faith, knowing we
are welcomed in Christ.
Andrew Murray wrote in 'The Holiest of All' chapter 66:
"The veil of the flesh has been rent; Christ has entered once for
all, having obtained everlasting redemption; the dwelling of God
and man has been thrown into one; the Spirit of heaven has been
given to signify to us, and to give us the living experience, that
the way into the Holiest has been made manifest. Our entering in,
our dwelling in God's presence in the light and nearness and
holiness of the Most Holy, is a spiritual, a heavenly reality. It
can only be apprehended by the tender, by the perfect, conscience
that the Holy Spirit gives to him who is willing to give up all to
be saved completely, by the perfect whose senses are exercised to
discern good and evil. But to all who are willing to pass through
the rent veil of Christ's flesh, to die with Him as he died and
live with Him as He lived, the Holy Spirit will show it; the way
into the Holiest is opened up."
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Yours in Christ for Canada,
Pastor David Carson
Director, Intercessors For Canada
If you wish to comment on any of this or communicate with us
please send an email to:
info@int4canada.com.
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© Copyright
2008 Intercessors for Canada. All rights reserved.
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