Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: PHP
Program Code: PHP000010
00:01 Hello, I'm Shelly Quinn.
00:02 Please join us today on "Pressing in to His Presence" 00:04 to learn how to wheel the sword of the spirit 00:08 in your prayer time. 00:31 Welcome to "Pressing in to His Presence." 00:33 In this series we are learning 00:35 how to use the praise prayer pattern, 00:38 the P-R-A-I-S-E prayer pattern to draw near to God. 00:43 And that is simply and acronym that labels different segments 00:47 of the certain type of deeper prayer. 00:50 The "P" stands for starting our prayer by praising God. 00:54 The "R" stands for repentance 00:56 and we'd cover these concepts in previous programs. 01:00 Today we will focus on the "A" 01:02 which stands for affirmations and simply means 01:06 applying God's promises to our lives personally 01:10 and applying them during our prayer time. 01:13 If you are using the companion book 01:15 Pressing in to His Presence 01:17 we're beginning this session on page 83. 01:21 You know, God worked a radical change in my life 01:25 when He taught me to return 01:27 His promises to Him during prayer 01:29 and to confess scripture as an affirmation of faith 01:33 and His ability to perform His word. 01:36 This program will briefly introduce 01:39 the concept of the teaching 01:41 that I've shared before in my books 01:43 and also a program on 3ABN called Exalting His Word. 01:48 In Isaiah 55:8-9, God says this. 01:54 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, 01:56 nor are My ways your ways," says the Lord. 02:00 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 02:03 so are My ways higher than your ways, 02:05 and My thoughts than your thoughts." 02:08 You know, finding out minds like ours 02:10 can scarcely grasp the infinite ways them of God. 02:14 His thoughts are beyond 02:16 the natural boundaries of our imagination. 02:19 Without the Holy Spirits help, 02:22 God's ways are mind-boggling to modern man. 02:26 The man without the spirit cries out why? 02:29 He is not learn to trust God to-- 02:33 or even to interpret God's perfect love. 02:37 Jesus said in John 17:3, 02:41 that "This is eternal life that they may know you, 02:46 the only God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." 02:50 What is it mean to know God? 02:54 The verb know in this verse 02:56 is means to understand completely. 03:00 It conveys the thought 03:02 of very intimate connection or union. 03:06 God's great desire is for mankind 03:08 to know Him as Creator, righteous judge, 03:12 Redeemer, mediator, gracious benefactor 03:16 and our perfect abba Father. 03:19 To know Him as our sovereign Lord 03:22 and the lover of our souls. 03:24 God wants us to experience 03:27 His love, light, life and power. 03:31 It is life eternal to know Him this way. 03:34 Jesus proclaimed in John 14:6, 7 03:40 He said, "I'm the way the truth and the life, 03:44 no one comes to the father except through Me. 03:48 If you had knowing Me, 03:50 you would have known My father also 03:53 and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 03:57 Jesus tells us that we can know God 04:02 through His written word the Bible. 04:04 God enfolds the Revelation of Himself 04:07 and His plans that He has for mankind. 04:10 And through His living word Jesus Christ 04:13 He revealed 04:15 the exact representation of His character. 04:18 The author-- the author of Hebrews says that, 04:22 "Jesus is the perfect imprint 04:25 the vary image of God's nature. 04:30 When we see Jesus, we see the Father 04:34 one in thought purpose in action 04:37 they hear the identical personality character 04:40 and the essence of love and motivation. 04:44 Christ is empowered to give us eternal life 04:47 by bringing us into the knowledge of God. 04:50 And our entrance to knowing Him is through the Bible. 04:54 An intimate relationship with the Lord 04:56 begins with an intimate relationship with His word. 05:01 From 1995 to 2002 05:04 the Lord led me into a deeper relationship 05:08 with Him by first revealing that His higher thoughts 05:11 and ways or not mine 05:14 and He revealed them to that I may know Him better. 05:17 First He introduced me to intimacy with His word 05:22 providing spiritual food for my growth. 05:24 Then He called me to press in to His presence 05:27 in prayer teaching me to exhale the pollution of the world 05:32 and inhale His sweet breath of life. 05:35 And next God guided me 05:38 through an intensive sanctuary study. 05:41 You know, in Psalm 77:13 the Bible says, 05:45 "Your way, O Lord, is in sanctuary, 05:48 who is so great a God, like our God." 05:52 It was that sanctuary study 05:54 which revealed to me God's ultimate way of salvation. 05:58 And finally He taught me 06:00 how to walk in the power of surrender to Him 06:02 which we will study in an up coming program. 06:05 Though I consider myself a Christian 06:08 prior to the years of 1995, 06:11 it was through these actions 06:13 that I came to know God and understand His plan. 06:17 Perhaps the most curious of all human behaviors 06:21 is that we can learn life changing lessons 06:23 from our Lord only to abandon them 06:28 to abandon the practice of them later. 06:31 I'm pretty certain that you can identify with this dilemma. 06:36 Its hard me to think otherwise because too many people 06:41 had that I have spoken to have acknowledged 06:44 this common fault that we share. 06:46 God teaches us a better a way 06:48 and we walk joyfully in its path for a while 06:51 only to awake one day 06:53 and realize we're no longer following His lesson plan. 06:57 To my point God revealed to me 06:59 the transforming power of His word 07:02 when He taught me to make affirmations from scripture. 07:07 It was a life changing experience 07:09 and for two years I walked so closely to Him 07:13 I felt like I could sense His heartbeat 07:16 but later miss placed priorities had me 07:19 slaving nonstop for start up company. 07:23 I abandoned the affirmation practice for 18 months 07:26 and found myself distanced from God. 07:29 He graciously corrected my backsliding 07:33 in September 1999 07:35 when he called me to pray an hour each morning 07:38 teaching me to press in to His presence. 07:43 And during the first 14 mornings 07:45 of this special prayer time, 07:47 I learned to praise, I learned repentance 07:50 and I assumed the role of prayer warrior. 07:53 God even opened my spiritual ears 07:56 to identify His still small voice 07:58 that I continue to lack sufficient spiritual power 08:02 to walk victoriously throughout the day with Christ. 08:06 So, on the 15th morning my problem became evident. 08:11 I had unplugged from my spiritual powers source, 08:17 affirmations from scripture 08:20 and when I added a generous portion of affirmations 08:23 to my daily prayer the dynamics 08:26 in my Christian walk were immediately changed. 08:30 In a flesh I was infused with faith 08:34 and I went from pitiful to powerful. 08:37 Once again I was the word warrior 08:39 armed with the sword of the spirit 08:41 and ready to defend myself against the enemy. 08:44 It was several months later in January 2000 08:48 that the Lord led me through the sanctuary study 08:51 and this opened my eyes 08:54 to see the surfacing of the sanctuary theme 08:57 in the praise pattern the P-R-A-I-S-E prayer pattern. 09:02 So, let's review how it has related that far. 09:05 As we began our journey to press in to His presence, 09:08 to press before His throne of grace 09:11 we started with the praise segment. 09:13 We entered His gates with thanksgiving 09:15 in into His courts with praise that was due His holy name. 09:21 And our next steps correlative actions 09:23 found in the outer court of sanctuary. 09:26 We embraced repentance confessing our sin 09:29 and pleading the blood of Jesus 09:30 over our failures equating to the symbolism 09:35 of the altar of burnt offering and what it represented. 09:39 And like the priest of all purifying themselves 09:42 with the labor we washed our spiritual hands and feet 09:45 in the act of repentance permitting us 09:47 to drawn near to our holy God. 09:50 Now had we been a Levi priest, 09:52 we would now be ready 09:54 to enter into the tent of the ancient sanctuary 09:59 which was much more beautiful on the interior 10:03 than the exterior just as God's people are. 10:07 The sanctuary was 45 feet long and 15 feet wide 10:12 and two third of the space was dedicated to the Holy place. 10:17 The first compartment which measured 10:19 30 feet by 15 feet, 10:22 the Holy place contained three items 10:25 the table of showbread, the golden altar of incense, 10:28 and the golden candle sticks. 10:30 I compare the act of making affirmations from scripture 10:34 to a symbolic entry in to the holy place 10:37 and the setting out of the showbread. 10:39 Here is how it happened in the earthly sanctuary. 10:42 First 12 loafs one for each tribe of Israel 10:46 were prepared fresh on the Sabbath of each week 10:50 and they were arranged in two stacks of six each 10:54 on the table in this holy place. 10:57 And since this was an act of worship 10:59 the labor was not considered Sabbath breaking. 11:03 The loafs were flat bread, they were baked without leaven. 11:07 Leaven was a type of fermentation 11:09 like yeast the cause bread to rise 11:12 and it was viewed as a symbol of corruption 11:16 or evil influence during Bible times. 11:19 So now on top of each of these stacks of six 11:24 there was placed a golden cup of frankincense 11:27 which was burned with fire coals 11:30 as an offering to the Lord 11:32 when the showbread was changed. 11:35 The loafs were a thank offering 11:37 and memorial of God's constant provision for nourishment 11:42 because they would set out before the Lord 11:45 the loafs were called showbread 11:48 and they were also referred to 11:50 as the bread of His presence or holy bread. 11:55 As new showbread was set out each Sabbath 11:58 the previous loafs were removed 12:01 and they were eaten by the priests. 12:03 And you know they were eaten their in the holy place. 12:06 Leviticus 24:9 says, 12:10 "They shall eat it in the holy place, 12:14 for it is most holy unto him." 12:18 Let's consider why I compare affirmations to the showbread. 12:23 First John 1:14 tells us 12:27 that Jesus is the word of God incarnate saying 12:30 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 12:33 and we beheld his glory, the glory 12:36 as of the only begotten of the Father, 12:39 full of grace and truth." 12:41 And in John 6:35 Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. 12:46 He who comes to me shall never hunger." 12:50 And then in Matthew 4:4 He said, 12:52 "It is written man shall not live by bread alone 12:56 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 13:00 So, we see that God's word is our spiritual bread. 13:04 It is given to us as a constant provision 13:08 for nourishment to maintain vibrant spiritual lives. 13:14 Jeremiah 15:16 Jeremiah says I love this, 13:18 "Your words were found, and I ate them, 13:22 and Your word was to me the joy 13:25 and rejoicing of my heart." 13:28 You know, as we partake of His holy bread His promises, 13:33 we ingest the bread of His presence 13:37 and we partake of His divine nature. 13:40 If there is any promise in the Bible 13:42 that I would say is the most favorite 13:46 at least I'm gonna say it today there are so many. 13:49 But it's 2 Peter 1:4 which tells us this, 13:54 it says "By which we have been given to us 14:00 exceedingly great and precious promises, 14:04 that though these" through what? 14:06 "Through these promises 14:09 you maybe partakers of the divine nature." 14:15 That is so exciting to me. 14:18 Affirmations are simply taking His promises 14:22 symbolic of that holy bread, bread without leaven 14:26 and setting the mount before God 14:28 in our own symbolic table of showbread offering. 14:33 This serves as our memorial of His constant predation 14:38 of spiritual nourishment for us. 14:41 So, how do we describe affirmations from scripture? 14:45 You know, I realize that giving 14:47 to this whole recap of a book in a whole 22 series program 14:52 in just very short time. 14:54 But let me just describe them for you. 14:57 Affirmations are more than a mere prayer request. 15:01 We are taking God's word His promises 15:04 and we are returning to Him, 15:06 His word is a thank offering as a declaration of faith 15:10 that we agree with God's testimony 15:13 and we acknowledge His word as truth. 15:17 As we pray His promises back to Him 15:19 we're confessing who we are in Christ 15:22 and it results in a personal application of God's promises. 15:28 For example, we can take 2 Corinthians 5:17 15:32 and say, thank you Lord 15:34 that I am a new creation in Christ" 15:37 or we can pray 15:40 saying, thank you Father, 15:43 that you are working in me both to will 15:46 and to do your good pleasure. 15:48 Thank you Lord, that if I cooperate with you, 15:51 you will cause me to be 15:52 all that you've called me to be. 15:55 You know, in Job 23:12 the great patriot said, 16:01 "I have not departed from the commandments of his lips. 16:05 I have treasured the words of his mouth 16:09 more than my necessary food." 16:11 You see, even God's commandments, are promises 16:15 of what He will perform in our lives. 16:18 There is transforming power in the Word of God. 16:23 In fact, God guarantees-- 16:26 we just read it in 2 Peter 1:4 16:29 that as you partake of His promises 16:33 you will partake of His divine nature. 16:38 The word becomes your testimony, 16:41 it becomes the treasure of your heart. 16:45 I know in 1995 when God first instructed me 16:49 to make affirmations from His promises 16:52 in regard to a health issue that I was suffering 16:55 I resided them with reverend devotion 16:59 night after night returning His word to Him 17:02 in the form of prayer 17:04 and actually it didn't take long 17:08 before I was struggling with self doubt. 17:11 Had the Lord really called me to do this? 17:14 Faith seem to be just beyond my grasp 17:18 and I cried out oh, Father, help my unbelief 17:23 and the Lord let me to three verses 17:27 that absolutely created 17:29 a fireworks display of faith in my heart. 17:33 The first was this Isaiah 55:11 17:38 which says, this is the Lord speaking. 17:42 "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth, 17:46 it shall not return to Me void, 17:49 but it shall accomplish what I please, 17:53 and it shall prosper in the thing 17:55 for which I sent it." 17:57 And the next verse is Jeremiah 1:12, 18:00 "Then said Lord to me, you have seen well, 18:05 for I" the Lord "I am alert and active, 18:09 watching over My word to perform it." 18:12 And then the third scripture 18:13 He led me to was Romans 4:17 that says, 18:19 "God, who gives life to the dead 18:22 and calls those things 18:24 which do not exist as though they did." 18:29 These verses just leaped 18:30 from the pages and into my heart. 18:34 I understood God's plan 18:36 of practicing affirmations from scripture. 18:39 He was directing me to return His word to Him 18:43 and His word was not without power 18:47 but would accomplish His purposes in my life. 18:50 Why? 18:51 Because He was watching over His word to perform it, 18:54 watching and waiting for me to believe His testimony 18:58 and although my testimony of word confession differed 19:03 from what I then experienced in the physical realm 19:06 I understood that faith begins where sight ends. 19:12 God's words are spoken with the power 19:16 of His promise to fulfill them. 19:19 They are a pledged to His people. 19:22 I was learning to speak like my heavenly Father 19:26 calling things that did not exist 19:29 as though they already did 19:32 and isn't that the essence of faith? 19:36 Hebrews 11:1 says in the amplified version, 19:41 "Now faith is the assurance the confirmation, 19:45 the title deed of the things we hope for, 19:48 being the proof of things we do not see 19:51 and the conviction of their reality 19:54 faith perceiving as real fact 19:58 what is not revealed to the senses." 20:03 God's word is indulged 20:06 with life giving creative power. 20:10 Just think about it how did God create the world? 20:14 He had spoken into existence 20:17 creating something from nothing. 20:19 Just read Genesis 1, 20:20 everything that God said happen. 20:23 His word has the same creative power today 20:27 as it did in the beginning 20:29 and it was doing a work within me. 20:32 Although I had yet to see the evidence 20:34 faith was being formed in my heart. 20:37 Hebrews 4:12 says, 20:40 "For the word of God is living and powerful, 20:43 and sharper than any two edge sword, 20:46 piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, 20:50 and it is a discerner of the thoughts 20:52 and intents of the heart." 20:55 You know, I studied the Greek text 20:57 reveal something remarkable about this premier verse. 21:01 In the Greek language the word two edged 21:05 talking about the two edged sword is distilment. 21:09 It literally the literal translation of it means 21:13 two mouth like a double mouth river. 21:17 I want to read you an affirmation 21:19 the Lord inspired 21:20 from five different scripture sources. 21:24 He gave this to me 21:26 and you'll probably recognize the scripture. 21:29 He has given me the authority and eternal power of His word. 21:34 His word is alive, active, immovable, unshakable. 21:39 His word is a two edge sword 21:42 the first edge struck when He spoken 21:45 the second edge strikes when I speak it. 21:48 As I speak His word I hear the voice of the Lord. 21:52 I am returning His word to Him 21:54 and His word does not return void 21:57 but accomplishes every purpose for which he sent it. 22:01 He actively watches over His word 22:04 to make certain it is fulfilled 22:08 at the perfect time which He has appointed. 22:12 Isn't that powerful? 22:14 You know, when we start speaking like this 22:18 it just changes the way we think. 22:22 What is the primary way that God speaks to us? 22:26 Right here through His word. 22:29 As we include affirmations 22:31 from scripture in our time of prayer 22:34 we are entering into a two way communication 22:37 with our Lord the Word of God 22:39 becomes two mouth as we make it 22:43 the confession over our life. 22:45 Scripture affirmations become alive and active within us 22:50 and affirmation goes beyond claiming. 22:53 It's a confession a word of faith 22:56 that declares we agree with God's wisdom. 23:02 We agree and confirming that God's word 23:06 is our life source and you know what happens, 23:09 it causes His way of thinking to become our way of thinking. 23:15 God's word has more than creative power. 23:20 It has sustaining power. 23:22 Let's look at Hebrews 1:3 23:26 and I am going to read this also 23:28 from the amplified version. 23:31 Hebrews 1:3 says this, "He is the perfect" 23:35 He being Jesus "is the perfect imprint 23:38 and very image of God's nature, 23:41 upholding and maintaining and guiding 23:44 and propelling the universe." 23:46 How? "By His mighty word of power." 23:52 Christ sustains us by His word power 23:55 we plug into our power source 23:58 when we speak affirmations from scripture. 24:01 Paul instructs us to put on the armor of God 24:04 and Ephesians 6:17 he explains 24:07 that the sword of the spirit is the Word of God. 24:10 This makes me think of the story of Eleazar 24:13 a high esteemed mighty man of King David. 24:16 And the Bible says 24:20 "He," Eleazar "arose and attacked the Philistines 24:24 until his hand was weary, 24:27 and his hand stuck to the sword. 24:30 And the Lord brought about a great victory that day." 24:36 Let us like wise cling to the sword 24:39 the sword of the spirit the Word of God. 24:42 When our flesh is too weak God will become our strength 24:46 and He will keep our hands stuck to the sword 24:49 if we will apply the double edge 24:52 two mouth principle to our lives 24:54 He would bring us victory cutting us free 24:57 from the cord of the wicked that binds us. 25:01 When a tempter tries to trip you up 25:04 and entangle your feet in his snare 25:06 pull out your sword and using the verses 25:10 from Roman 6 and 1 Corinthian say 25:14 it is written I am dead to sin but alive to God. 25:19 I am under the power of His grace 25:21 and sin shall not be my master. 25:24 I have put on Christ 25:25 and I'll make no provision for my flesh. 25:28 God has given me the victory 25:30 through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 25:34 When the enemy tries to cloud your mind with confusion 25:40 pull out the sword of the spirit 25:42 and using the verses from 1 Corinthian 14, 25:47 2 Timothy 1 and Psalms 129 say this, 25:54 "It is written. 25:56 God is not the author of confusion but of peace. 26:02 I have been given a spirit of power, 26:06 a spirit of love and I know that my God 26:13 is a spirit of sound mind 26:15 and I know that might God is a righteous. 26:19 He has cut me free from the cord of the wicked. 26:24 You know, as you claim these promises 26:29 wielding the sword of the spirit 26:32 Christ will sustain you with His mighty word of power. 26:39 This isn't just positive thinking 26:43 this is speaking God's word 26:47 the word that is alive and active. 26:49 It is speaking the Word of God 26:52 into our lives and like Jeremiah 26:56 as we eat God's word it becomes 27:01 the joy and rejoicing of our heart. 27:05 This is something that has been 27:08 life changing not only from me 27:11 but I have got literally hundreds upon hundreds 27:16 of testimonies that people had written in to tell me 27:21 how this learning means practice has changed their life 27:26 because there truly is 27:29 transforming power in scripture. 27:33 And I hope that you will join us again 27:38 next time as we consider 27:41 how the transforming power of affirmations 27:46 from scripture can change our life. 27:49 We thank you so much for joining us. 27:52 We hope that you are enjoying this series 27:55 and as always our prayer for you 27:58 is that the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 28:03 the love of the Father 28:05 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 28:07 will be with you today and always. |
Revised 2014-12-17