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Time Away With God In today’s society it is incredibly easy to get caught up in the fast pace of living that has been made available through technological increases and inventions that allow mass availability. For example: Travel is faster, therefore allowing us to go and to do more than any one person should ever want to do. Computers allow us to shop anywhere, view anything, and contact people anywhere on the planet. Cell phones make communications available 24 hours a day. Televisions can supply us with over 500 stations to watch any hour of the day, and rental DVD’s are available 24-7 at the local fast food establishments. These are only a few of the things that consume the time and minds of many Christians here in the USA. (Mat 14:13-23 KJV) “When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. (14) And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. (15) And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. (16) But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. (17) And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. (18) He said, Bring them hither to me. (19) And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. (20) And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. (21) And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. (22) And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. (23) And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.” In the above portion of scripture, we twice read that Jesus prioritized getting away from the pressing busyness. He knew that He could not allow Himself to be ruled by surrounding circumstances, He needed to keep a clear and open line to the will of God the Father. Jesus always led by example, and yet His disciples were slow to learn. They tried to get Him to eat when His food was to do the will of the Father. They tried to coax Him to save Himself when He spoke of laying down His life. The disciples should have realized that they would not be able to do the will of the Father unless they followed Jesus’ examples. For instance, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples were supposed to be praying, but they were overcome with dread and slept instead. Jesus warned them that they needed to be strengthened by communication with the Father so that they would be able to overcome temptation, but they slept on and abandoned Jesus when His dark hour came. As Christians we must realize that it is important for us to maintain the discipline of having a sound mind. If we find that we are losing internal mind battles and our conversations are tainted because of the spiritual deprivation in our hearts, we must quickly seek God to bring our lives into proper order or we will fall. If you were driving in a car and you realized you were speeding towards a cliff, wouldn’t you slam on the brakes? “If people would only put the brakes on their speeding minds, not only would their mind find rest, but it would be more receptive to divine Grace. Without divine illu mination, knowledge ends in disaster. Those who strive and labor for their spiritual life have their mind illumined by God; they receive divine illumination, divine experiences, and these give them foresight, so that they don’t see things only through their own understanding” (Author Unknown). This divine illumination is the “make it or break it” of our fulfilling the will of God for our lives as well as the only way to gain revelation for reaching out to others by the leading of the Holy Spirit. (Psa 51:11-13 KJV) “(11) Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. (12) Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. (13) Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” It is time to seek the Lord. We cannot let anything hinder us from getting away with the Lord, because it is in repentance and rest that we will find restoration. (Isa 40:31 KJV) “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” -Kurt A. Thurston July Newsletter 2010 | UPON THE HOUSETOPS 1007 Pastor's Journal July 2009 | What would you do? 1007 | Youth United June 2010
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