· The way to get there: absolute surrender
· The way to stay there: recognizing His Presence continually
· Essential character ingredient: humility
· The by-product: worship becomes a lifestyle, not just an event
· Motto: anything that takes away the preciousness of Jesus to you is your enemy
Practical applications
Always primarily focus on fellowshipping with God throughout the day with the view that your purpose is to glorify Him. Let everything else be a side issue. Let nothing preoccupy your thoughts except the King and His effect on you & others.
Draw nearer to Him often through His promises, and through song. Do not just listen to music for something in the background. Do it with a purpose and present yourself to Him as you hear.
When praising God, make sure you keep focussing on each phrase of the song. Do not let your mind drift to other things. Make sure you don’t let the truth of the song slip by you. Assign faith to each truth presented in the song and let it be a personal revelation. Allow the motions of your body to agree with the lyrics: if they sing, “I lift my hands to You” then lift your hands. If they sing”We bow down” then bow either at your waist or on your knees. Do not ignore the lyrics and just say to yourself those phrases are spiritual allegories. Remember you are doing this for the Lord and treat Him as if He is really there!
Make it a habit to have praise sessions daily at home, not just every time you go to church. Who ever said you had to limit it to once or twice a week? Who ever said we had to wait for a worship leader to cue us before we can honor God? It is not someone else’s responsibility- it is ours; and Heaven is watching to see what we will do. We should be doing anything that can be considered practice for what we will be doing in heaven.
If any thought or circumstance occurs in your day to disrupt your focus on the Lord, say in your heart that you are surrendering it to God and He is handling it. If the thought tries to come back, repeat and affirm the surrender of it. Have in mind that you are going to allow nothing to compete with the Glory of God.
If a person or event comes to mind, pray for them/it because it’s not a coincidence. If you notice a situation that is out of the ordinary, that is an extra incentive to invoke God’s will on the matter, at least through prayer and if possible, through your assistance. When you pray, intervene apostolically, meaning pray prayers that intercede,(believing that God will supernaturally establish something) and base it on His word. Know that you are playing an important part in calling God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. You may not have opportunity to see the full effect of it until you are in heaven, but still have confidence that God is moving.
When praying, never dismiss the Presence of God after you say, “Amen” just to go on with your agenda. Your chief pursuit is only to know God more and to entrust anything to Him. Our enemy of His Lordship is not always the devil or blatant sinful acts, but self and our insistance to rely on our own resources. Don’t accept the idea that loving and living wholly in Him is too much to expect. That is pride trying to deny the leading of God’s Spirit which is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
Believe that nothing will ever separate you from the love of God every day. He proved it by allowing His Son to suffer and die for you, so how will He not freely give you all things (Romans 8:32)? If you abide in Him you will be content. Security does not come from getting your needs met. It comes from fellowshipping with the Spirit. The main reason we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us is what Paul said in the preceding verse: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want.” –Philippians 4:12
So remember that no matter what situation you are in, you can still determine to live for His glory!
Be aware that God is in your midst and the next thing you shift to dwell on, He is already there in that moment before you get there!
Recommended readings:
The Bible – God
The Normal Christian Life – Watchman Nee
The Complete Green Letters – Miles Stanford
Practicing the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
Absolute Surrender – Andrew Murray
The Final Quest – Rick Joyner
