I received this message very clearly during the leaders' meeting yesterday - 1 August 2015.
Psalm 27:4
"One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple"
1. I only need to desire "one thing", not many things. I need not desire houses, lands or cars or material possessions. They have no eternal value. The "one thing" of eternal value is to seek to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold His beauty and to inquire in His temple.
2. "Desire" for the "one thing" i.e. to dwell in God's house is GOOD. To have such a godly desire is simply excellent....yet it is not enough. If it remains as a mere desire, it has no eternal value either. What is the use of such a desire of there is no "seeking" after the dwelling place of God?
3. "That will I seek" - how profound is this statement. How absolutely true it is!
What is seeking? What does it involve? It involves action!
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him"
Seeking involves a diligence. It involves action on our part. It involves getting up early before light dawns to seek God's face, to read His word and to worship Him. There is some action, some sacrifice of time and even sacrificing sleep!
4. "Dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" - where is God's house? It is not the building. The church is only God's house in so far as God's people gather there to worship and hear His word. God's house is my heart! God dwells in my heart, within my spirit man!
I believe with all my heart that the moment I worship, the moment I read God's word aloud, the moment I pray, I have entered into God's house.
What an awesome place to be. In fact, we need not dwell anywhere else. No mansion, palatial homes or majestic castles can ever compare to the beauty of God's house which is the heart of the man.
5. "To behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple". Where else can I see the beauty of the Lord except in His word. His word shows me different facets of His beauty. So eternal, so glorious, so unchanging....I simply love His word....
Yesterday night I asked the Lord the meaning of 24/7 prayers. Does it really mean that I have to give up my job to be in the church 24/7 to pray and pray and pray....?
While it can be possible in the case of Anna, the prophetess, it is definitely not possible in my life as I hold a full time job that can be very hectic at times. The only time I can be in God's presence and dwelling in His house is from 6 to 7 am. I continue from 8 am for another 45 minutes and if I don't take my lunch, I will spend another hour with the Lord.
Then I realize that all things are possible to him who believes. A 24/7 prayer is to be in such a position of communion with God that there is an endless flow of asking, inquiring, giving and receiving from God throughout my day.
Yes...even while I am asleep at night, my spirit man is downloading things from God. This endless flow of giving, receiving, inquiring of the Lord is very much similar to my mobile phone having data and not having data.
When my mobile phone has data, I constantly receive whatsapp messages and email. I can even reply them on my phone. However when I have too many worries and my mind is preoccupied with worldly needs rather than God, my phone gets "hanged"....I have to restart it to make it function like normal.
There are times, I need to shut down and restart my relationship with God. There are times when I need to empty all my worldly thoughts and concerns and start afresh by only focussing on God.
This is how we should be in our 24/7 relationship with God...always having "data".....so that our flow of communication with God is endless!
I do not ask for cars, houses or lands. Neither do I ask for money, gifts or talents. I only want ONE THING to be the sole consuming desire of my heart. I will do whatever it takes to seek, pursue and relentless make it my sole obsession.
To dwell in God's house all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. TO HAVE SPIRITUAL DATA!
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