by Brother Al

Philippians 4:8

How often has it happened to you?

You raced through your chores,

          or got up early,

          or simply shut the door,

          just so you could spend time with God.

It was important to you.

          You wanted to reach out and feel His presence.

          You longed for the peace of that presence.

          You had to plan and maybe fight for that time.

Now you were at last there.

But there was the threat of external intrusions, things like the telephone, kids, the doorbell, etc. “Mommy!!!” For these I have no solution to offer other than careful planning.

Maybe there were also internal intrusions, such as ideas, problems, circumstances that come to mind. A busy mind.

You wanted to focus on God, but your mind kept getting in the way. How you wished you could control that mind so you could pay attention to God.

Perhaps your ideal was described in Psalm 100. It was familiar to you. You had read it and considered it often. You had tried to make it your pattern.

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

“Make a joyful noise.

“Come with singing. “

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving.”

“Enter His courts with praise.”

“Be thankful unto Him.”

“Bless His name.”

Oh, if only you could!

But these thoughts keep intruding. You can’t clear your head of your problems. They won’t go away.

Here you are, on your knees, alone with God. You have thanked Him for His recent gifts. Now you want to praise Him for who He is and how He loves you. But your mind! It won’t behave itself. It is full of your needs, your problems. They flood in, one after the other. How can you take control of this unruly mind? How can you push aside these needs so you can talk to God?

Here is the secret: Don’t!

Instead, take each issue, one at a time, as it comes to your mind. Explain it to God, just as if He never heard of it before. Of course He has heard of it. He is well aware of it. But go ahead, explain it to Him anyway.

Go through all the details. Be careful to tell the whole truth too. Don’t suppress anything. If sin is involved, admit it. If there is fear, reveal it. Do not try to block out anything. Let your mind have the freedom to tell God your innermost thoughts about the matter. Even the ones you are ashamed of.

But, you may say, “I came to God to get help.” Yes, and this is how you can get it. You see, as you pour out your inner man, you will suddenly see new aspects, new factors.

Wisdom from God will seep into your understanding.

As you reveal, He will instruct.

This is not some psychological cleansing ploy. This is you carrying on a conversation with God. This is

• You telling Him how you see your need, and

• Him telling you how you SHOULD see your need.

This is opening the door to wisdom and revelation.

You may wonder, “What about Psalm 100?” This is part of it. “The Lord is good.” “His mercy is everlasting.” “His truth is for all generations.” His truth is for you.

How can you garner truth from God if you fail to tell Him what you are concerned about? How can He instruct you in the details if you don’t discuss the details with Him?

• Explain yourself!

• Enter into conversation about your needs.

• Be ready to have your words changed as you speak them. Let God refashion them into true and righteous words.

• Be ready to go away enlightened and refreshed.

AND—Be Alert for Prayer Nudges

They are the summons of the Holy Spirit to join in prayer.

The sudden remembrance of someone, a spiritual intrusion into one’s thought life, It is for a reason: Pray! It is the Holy Spirit asking you to join with Him.

The more often you respond, the more often He will call you.

The more often you ignore Him, the less often He will call.

Seek Him, Hear Him, Honor Him, Join Him,

02/18

Presented by Bro. Al Salay, Blessed Man Ministries Inc.

www.BlessedMan.net [email protected]

02/18

Presented by Bro. Al Salay, Blessed Man Ministries Inc.

www.BlessedMan.net [email protected]