The Prophetic Word - Day 171: Close in with Him.

“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭17‬-‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This week we have discussed being mindful of the Lord (being always reverent).

We have discussed the fact that sin caused a chasm between us and God so that we could no longer be directed from our heart.

However, through the work of Jesus Christ, we were cleansed from our sins, putting us back into fellowship with the Lord.

As well, our Lord became the way through which the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, could indwell us. And as such, we can now have the mind of Christ and be directed Heart to heart.

We have also discussed the fact that even spirit-filled Christians, don’t always consistently walk according to the Spirit.

Now, even though we have been given wonderful access to God through the Holy Spirit, if we stay distracted by everything else going on in our lives, never taking time to attend to His voice, then we will not be walking in alignment with His will and purposes.

The Lord, speaking through the psalmist, gives this instruction:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, the Lord is willing to lead us and guide us. Indeed, He went to the farthest extent to restore us to fellowship with Himself so that we could be guided from His heart, and not just by His commands.

However, if we are not willing to submit to the yoke of Jesus Christ (the Holy Spirit of God), and refuse to follow His leading, then we may well end up being destroyed along with those who profess nothing in terms of salvation, or being filled with the Spirit.

Jesus had been observing the religious leaders who made a great ceremony of their praying. The Lord remarked that they did what they did so that other people would notice what they were doing. He then instructed His disciples to operate differently.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Now, of course, the Lord’s main point here was that they should have a true relationship with the Lord, not just a pretense of a relationship with Him for others to see (and admire). But, for our purposes, I want us to consider His instruction to “shut your door.”

Obviously, we can’t always find a secluded place to pray, although that is probably the most ideal scenario for our praying. But, we can close the “door” of our attention. We can close out circumstances, our lust, our troubles, our drama, etc., and enter into the quiet place, the secret place of God.

Face it, getting alone and shutting an actual door so that we are not having interaction with anybody or anything else, will still not serve to put us in that place of complete fellowship with the Lord if the door of our mind is open to everything else.

In our opening Scripture we see the psalmist finding the answer to an urgent crisis by going into God’s sanctuary.

You see, the psalmist was embittered by the fact that he saw wicked people seemingly “getting by,” while he was suffering. In the sanctuary of the Lord, he was able to look past his present suffering and bitterness, to see that the end of the wicked is destruction, whereas, he was being guided in this life by the Lord, and after this life, would be taken to a glorious eternity.

Now, I imagine the psalmist was referencing literally going into the house of God. But, that which brings us peace in our heart and our mind, comes from BECOMING the house of God, letting Him fill us with His Spirit while we are closing everything else out.

Given, life happens. And it is true that we must attend to the needs and operations of our living. However, we must not fail to take the time to make sure that we are not forfeiting our fellowship with the Lord by always attending to everything else in the world, other than His voice.

Remember, if we will trust in the Lord and attend to His voice, if we will always be mindful of Him, He will guide us in this life and be with us even in death.

“For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭48‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#ThePropheticWord