Category: 40 Days of Desiring God

After a week-long devotion to desiring God, Sundays worship service at church was truly awesome. To think of how many times I went to church because that’s what Christians do is not very comforting. I went to church yesterday in an “attitude of gratitude” experiencing God in a most worshipful way. The songs were more alive and the preaching was far more heart filling with the time “flying” by.

The evening service was just as wonderful. Putting feet to your faith in ministry is the way we are to live out our worship of Jesus. Our minister of music, Jose, seemed a little distracted in the evening service when our pastor come up to pray. He then let the congregation know that Jose’s dad, whom is also the Pastor of our Spanish congregation, was having high blood pressure and chest discomfort just before his service and he was taken to the hospital. Our pastor led the congregation in prayer for the music minister’s dad as Jose left for the hospital. I went with him to be him and his family.

Getting the opportunity to pray and minister through the Holy Spirit was a powerful experience. I think God ministered to me as much as to the family. God answered prayers and the diagnosis was truly a blessing. With a high fever and his high blood pressure coming down, the doctors ruled out any heart problems and Jose’s dad was treated for strep throat. God is so good.

We are living for God the most when we serve others for the glory of God and his son Christ Jesus.

¹ I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

⁴One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
⁷They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹The LORD is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

¹⁰ All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your saints shall bless you!
¹¹They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
¹²to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
¹⁴The LORD upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
¹⁸The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰The LORD preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

What more can I say except – Amen!

There is nothing like waking up at 3:30 am after having a bad dream. Though I didn’t sit up in my bed sweating like in the movies, I did have an awful feeling in my stomach.

In my dream I was sitting in a room of a house that I have never seen before. There was one other person in the room that I knew but he was not saying anything at first. Soon, he began to speak and remind me of something in the past. I remember getting up from a chair and leaving this house and that’s when I woke up – with a nervous pain in my stomach.

Satan loves to remind us of the past and he works very hard to discourage us from believing that God would ever really love us or use us for his purpose. After this dream, I got up and knelt down on my knees in prayer. Oh what a sweet communion I had with God. But it didn’t stop there. The Lord then led me to Romans chapter 5-8. Satan tried to remind me of the past and Jesus reminded me of His saving grace. Jesus won.

There is a great peace that flows through your spirit when you read the scriptures and you feast on the promises of God. This great battle that the devil tries to wage against us is a lost cause for him. He has no power over us, except what we give him.

Satan tried to discourage me, but I have read the rest of the story and I reminded him of his future. This battle was won not on my strength but by the power and glory of Jesus who is the Christ – the son of the living God and his glorious resurrection. I stand victorious having been washed in the blood of my savior.

This is a question that I should be asking myself on a daily basis – “Am I where I should be?” Naturally, I know that I should be a Christian because I am a sinner in need of a Savior. So that’s not the answer to the question. “Am I where I should be” is the question in relation to God’s sovereign will.

The Scriptures gives us a wonderful story to illustrate this point. It’s the story of David and Bathsheba. David was the king over Israel and it was that time of year that he should have been leading his army in battle. But, he was back home and on the roof of the palace one night when he spotted Bathsheba on a another roof bathing. Because King David was not where he should have been, he was confronted with a situation that led into sin. King David committed adultery which led to murder and a cover up (Read 2 Samuel 11.)

Had King David been where he should have been the story would have been very different. So, I ask myself the question – “am I where I should be?” In desiring God I find myself  a soldier in God’s army. I am to follow the orders of God which are given to me through the Holy Spirit and His word. It’s not to say that I won’t be confronted with sin in obeying God’s will and direction for my life but, I when I walk with God, I am far less vulnerable to the attacks of the devil. It’s only when I get ahead of God or lag behind Him that’s leads me to a place of greater temptation.

There is no greater joy than to be in the presence of and walking hand in hand with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To be in the presence of the sovereign will of God brings pleasure that no man match. And to think this is all possible because He first loved us and gave His only son Jesus to die so that I might live. What greater pleasure could there be?

Last night I was studying for the Wednesday night youth bible study. We are in the 3 chapter of the Book of James. What a fitting chapter – as is the entire bible – for discovering the joys of following Christ.

Taming the tongue is a very serious problem for every person in the world and especially for Christians. The scriptures clearly point out that if you can bridle the tongue, you can control your entire body. Our tongues both bless and curse. The tongue can lift someone up in their time of need, or it can burn someone to the very core of their being. And this ought not be so. We, as followers of Jesus Christ, should always be in a place to edify and lift up all those around us. First by pointing any lost person to a need for a Savior, and secondly, edifying each other for the Glory of God. After all, God created man in His own image.

Chapter 3 gives a clear indication of how important the Scriptures are in our everyday living for the Lord. It shows how desperately wicked we can be.

2 Timothy 3:16 clearly indicates how the bible is from God and is our instruction, reproof, and correction. The Bible is how we can know God and live for Him in this lost and dying world. It instructs us so that we can be the fragrance of Christ for those around us. It proves the things from God are true and, it corrects our ways for holy living.

In my desire for God, I must daily read and meditate on every word from God in the scriptures. To be filled with the power of God through His holy word and to know just how much God loves me, a sinner, even unto death. To have true joy in my life is to know God and His infinite saving grace by living in an attitude of gratitude.

Day 1 proved to be just what I expected. Anytime you set your mind and heart to serve the Lord and desire to walk in the spirit (Galatians 5) you will be attacked by Satan. There is nothing else that the devil hates worse than a Christian desiring to please God.

I spent the day consistently praying and quoting scripture as I worked. It was awesome. Anytime I knew that Satan was trying to corrupt me, I would pray and trust God for the strength and power to endure the devil’s evil schemes. I resisted the devil and he fled. If God would have opened my eyes to the spirit world, I would have seen Satan and his demons screaming mad as they thrashed around like someone who is being stung by a thousand bees. But, it wasn’t me, it was Jesus shinning brightly in my soul. I take refuge in my Lord and Savior. How wonderful to know that I have an advocate with the Father – Jesus. Oh, what a sweet name.

Day 2 brings a new challenge. Prayer. How would that be a challenge? If Satan can’t stop you then he loves to get you so busy that you don’t take the time to pray, and if you do, often it’s “popcorn” prayers.” Short and quick prayers. Nothing wrong with short prayers, my day was spent doing just that but, if we are to have deeper relationship with the great “I Am” then we need to spend some time with God in prayer.

Jesus is not only our Lord and Savior, but he is also our example. Every morning, Jesus would separate himself from the group and pray to the Father. That is what I must do. I must spend time in prayer and in the word. Not as a duty, but as a desire. Oh the joy in spending time with a God who loves me so much that He sent his only son to die, paying the penalty for my sins, so that I would live. Oh how He loves us so.

Some one once said that “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Well, today is the first day of the rest of my eternity.

It is only fitting to begin day 1 of my journey in desiring God, by recognizing that I am a sinner lost in my own desires and the will of my flesh.

My prayer – “Today Lord, I submit to your will. I know that I am saved, that you are the Lord of my life. Today I confess my sins. Today Father, I plead the blood of Jesus who is the Christ; the Messiah and your Son whom you loved and sent to pay the penalty for my sins. I confess that I can do nothing apart from you.”

“Lord Jesus, I begin this wonderful journey by standing on your promises – 1 John 1:9 says, ‘If we confess our sin, you are faithful and just to forgive us from our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’  Help me Lord to fully understand and receive this marvelous grace. Help me Lord to savor your glory. Help me Father to put on the mind of Christ and live today for you.”

Day 1 brings confession. Acknowledging that I am a sinner in the need of a savior. I pray that I never forget what it cost God to bring me home and into a personal relationship with Him.

One of my favorite verses is Matthew 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” This verse starts with 2 very important words. The first word is “seek” which means to deliberately, or purposefully look for something, take action to find something. That is how we should daily walk with God. To seek Him in prayer and in His inspired word – the Bible.

The second word in this verse is “first” which means priority. God should be first in every thing we do as Christians. Our daily walk with Him should always include waking up and beginning our day with Him in prayer. Keeping the Lord first in all that we do throughout the day.

Matthew 6:33 is a “life” verse. A verse that every believer should hold dear to his heart. To desire God takes a very deliberate action and is one that I long for each and every day of my life.

As I am thinking through this process, I am reminded that the Holy Spirit is in control. I like to plan things out, but in this endeavor I am leaving the plans up to the Holy Spirit.

I do have some direction in which I plan to start the “40 Days of Desiring God.”  I am realizing how important it is to live by the Spirit. To be moved by what God has in store for me. Really, it should be this way everyday in our Christian walk which is why I want to totally submit to him in this purpose – not just for 40 days, but for the rest of my life.

I am already feeling the pressures of Satan and his demons at work against me.  So, I claim those precious words of Jesus as he hung on the cross when he said “it is finished. ” Jesus won and Satan lost. Oh, the devil might win a skirmish or two, but I have everlasting life in Jesus Christ and I know I will spend my eternity in heaven worshiping Him. Oh what a marvelous thing it is to be swallowed up in the love and saving grace of Christ Jesus!

Starting on March 1st, I will be spending the next 40 days purposefully desiring God. Everyday of our christian lives should draw us closer to him. Often times though, we fill our lives with all the things God has created instead of being filled by the Creator. Certainly a battle that all Christians face in their daily walk with the Lord.

My reason for sharing this endeavor is not only learn to be “totally satisfied with all that God is for me in Christ Jesus” but also to help others learn to desire God and to be filled with His immeasurable joy.

Over the next 40 days, I will share my experiences as to how God is working in my life. I know that Satan will be on the attack and work very hard to discourage me. Satan does not want anyone to trust in God and his power. But God is supreme and he deserves all my (and our) praise and worship.