This week's chapter is The Universal Presence. As you read, you may want to reflect on the following:
1. Rewrite Psalm 139:7-10 in your own words, substituting places and situations that are meaningful to you. Let this be an encouragement to you.
2. What is 'spiritual receptivity'? How does Psalm 27:8 relate to why some people have spiritual receptivity and others do not?
3. What does a person need to do to be more spiritually receptive?
4. What is God saying to me through this chapter?
By the way, these questions are to help you engage with the chapter. Please don't feel you have to answer all or even any of them...
* Catch up on the conversation so far here.
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3 comments:
A wonderful chapter for anyone who feels like God is absent or distant. Always, everywhere God is present, and always He seeks to discover Himself to each one.
Yesterday, the speaker at church was speaking about how the battle is won or lost in the mind, and it triggered thoughts about how I approach God - often as one who needs to persuade God to draw near, like I'm pulling Him to me against His better judgment. Yet, here we see plain as day Our pursuit of God is successful just because He is forever seeking to manifest Himself to us.
Oh, I want to cultivate my spiritual receptivity - to make a conscious decision to press into Him whenever I feel that hunger gnaw away in my, rather than dull the feeling with my 'cowardly heart's toys'.
Between my devotional reading of today and this chapter, The Holy Spirit is rebuking my passivity towards change. C. Swindolls says "the number one enemy of change is the hard-core,self-satisfied sin nature within you".
No conflict with the fact that God is near me, around me. Many a time I feel like David praying deliver me from this and that, provide this or that as our last 10 years in Europe have been constant economic crisis. My daily life is a constant miracle of his faithful supplies. His loving touches of provision make me aware that He is close to me. That he is more real than ever...
Yet, even though his Spirit is urging me to cultivate a deeper relationship and "change" my attitude from approaching Him as my "Supermarket Store" and seek His glorious presence as Moses did, climbing up the mountain. I'm rebuke for the laziness, and putting aside the disire to cultivate the spiritual awareness that that will take me up to the mountain. Am I afraid of persuing and entering into the Holy of holies places? Afraid of the time that it needs to cultivate it? Lord help me to brake with the entangleness of this world!The instant "click" and "push botton" mentality. I want a change, to cultivate the longing and obey the calling of your Spirit. To cultivate a change of attitude, to let your Spirit take the lead and follow his voice to see your glory, and fall postrated in adoration!
Wow, that's a powerful, heartfelt response, Gladys. And I can relate to much of it.
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