21 Days of Prayer - January 9, 2021 Day #7 Experiencing Him

Day 7, January 9, 2021  

2 Corinthians 3 - Today’s focus: Experiencing Him.

God is not to be understood, but a God to be experienced.

We need an encounter with Him! 

Experiencing Him, we are changed or transformed! 

Moses encountered God and was transformed. Moses came down with his face and hair glowing.

Jacob wrestled with God and was transformed. He came out with a limp.

Paul had the road to Damascus. He was changed from murdering Christians to writing the New Testament.

It’s about the glory of God coming down to us.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NIV)

16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

People would go into worship and there was a veil so the people could not see clearly. Only the High Priest could go in once a year.

Jesus took care of that and now everyone has direct access to God with no veil.

God has a likeness. He has a face, an appearance or a look.

Ezekiel 1:1, 10, 28

1 In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.

28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel saw God!

God had 4 faces!  Human being, Lion, Ox and Eagle.

This is what God looks like.  So this should be our desire to be like the 4 faces.

Some scholars say the 4 gospels show Jesus by 4 different faces.

The face of Lion. Boldness, anointing.  God give me the face of a Lion.

The man.  Represents relationships, the Gospel of Luke where it shows Jesus relating to humanity. 

The face of an eagle. Possibly the Gospel of John.  Dignity, honor, respect, excellence!  I’ve never seen anything like this. I bow. I honor you.  I want that in my life too. I want honor, discipline, dignity and respect.

The Ox is the servant - possibly the Gospel of Mark.. He’ll be your sacrifice or plow your fields. It’s not about me but it’s about you.  

God will do a deep work on the inside of you! He will transform you! Let that be our prayer that God will work mightily in us, changing us to be more like Him.

21 Days of Prayer - January 8, 2021 - Day #6 Obedience to Him

Day 6, January 8, 2021  

Caterpillars, slow, hairy, chunky, go into a cocoon.  But after 21 days they come out transformed and beautiful.  I think that’s what is going on during this 21 days and we will come out transformed. 

This week it’s been about Surrender.

Today focus to return to Obeying Him.

We like to talk about grace and love but obedience is hard. That word comes with weight. You are either obedient or disobedient. 

What is God’s heart in obedience.

We can come to God only by faith, but we can grow in God only by obedience.

1 John 5:3 (ESV)

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Two truths that we must understand.

God is God

Ephesians 1 “He’s above all”

When He calls the play; we run the play.  The answer is “yes!”

Just like the military receives the command it is carried out.  God is God!

God is also Good. 

His commands are not burdensome.

Oh Taste and see that He is good. Psalm 34

His commands are always for us though we may not see it.

When we obey, we grow and see what He sees more clearly.

Things that need to be fixed, are unfixable without God.

Obedience begins with prayer today!

If this is a struggle for you, today is a day where you might step into a place that God has for you and claim that God will take down every wall or barrier; give your life to Him and completely be obedient to Him.

Maybe some of us need to be praying a prayer of forgiveness for disobedience. 

Perhaps forgiveness it’s time to forgive another person; perhaps it’s time to forgive yourself.

Today, let’s walk into obedience to God’s call in our life.  When He calls the play; let’s run the play in faith.

God is God!  God is good and the answer is YES!

21 Days of Prayer - Day 5 - January 7, 2021 "Committed to Him"

Day 5, January 7, 2021  

Today’s theme: We are committed to Him!

God calls us to a higher level. There is no place for part time Christianity. We are in 2021 totally committed to Him.

Vince Lomardi quote “Most people fail not for lack of desire, but for lack of commitment.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a]

God doesn’t call us to perfection but to pursuit, to commitment.

Question? Do I really trust Him fully with everything?  

I knew I had not been, but I finally answered that question 46 years ago. God wants our heart.

A fully committed heart unlocks the promises of God.

We don’t do it and forget about it; we give Him everything, God comes through and keeps His promises.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT)

9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

He is looking. When we say “yes, I am all in” - He comes through and enables us to keep  this commitment. 

The key is to trust God with a whole heart.

Trust = “to cling, to hold on and refuse to let go.”

Jesus has the final say in my life. We stay committed to Him. When we run to Him, He is there and ready to help us keep that commitment.

You cannot think your way to God - “lean not on your own understanding” 

Isaiah 55 says God’s ways are way beyond what we are able to imagine. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

So we cannot lean on our own understanding. Society says we are entitled, but that is really pride.  Lean not on our understanding.

However the Bible says that there is a way that seems right unto a man, but that way is death. (Proverbs 14:12)

When I get to a crossroads in my life, I remain committed.

Let’s pray that - “Lord help me to remain committed even when I don’t understand.”

My question for you today is, “what area of your life do you need to commit to God?”