Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: PHP
Program Code: PHP000022
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00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Please join us today on "Pressing into His Presence" 00:05 as we summarize the prayer steps 00:07 that help us to seek God's face. 00:31 Welcome to "Pressing in to His Presence." 00:34 On our last program I shared 00:36 how the Lord had taught me to listen for His voice 00:39 at the end of my hour of prayer and how He subsequent, 00:43 subsequently called me into full time ministry. 00:46 We ran out of time 00:48 so today I'll finish that testimony 00:50 and then we'll summarize the entire prayer process. 00:55 Our resource for this series has been a book 00:57 that I was very privileged to write 01:00 it's a God teaching to me 01:02 and it's called "Pressing in to His Presence." 01:04 Today we'll begin on page 186. 01:08 Let me recap where we left of last program. 01:10 When God first impressed me 01:12 that by praying an hour each day 01:14 I would be delivered from back sliding, 01:16 I was intimidated at the thought of it. 01:19 On that first day in September of 1999 01:22 as He was teaching me how to do this, 01:24 I sat at my computer 01:26 writing my prayer out to God hoping 01:28 that I would find enough to pray about for an hour 01:31 but to my surprise it turned to be out 01:34 to be over two hours for this prayer session 01:37 and it passed rapidly. 01:38 So I typed Amen to bring our time to a conclusion. 01:42 But God had a life changing surprise 01:45 for me at the end of this first, 01:47 my first time of pressing into His presence in prayer. 01:51 He impressed this thought upon my mind. 01:53 He said, be still and know that I'm God. 01:58 From that day forward He began training my ear 02:01 to hear His words of encouragement, 02:04 instruction and discipline through this process. 02:08 Soon I knew He was calling me into full time ministry 02:12 and my husband and I decided that I should accept His call 02:15 and our loving Lord rewarded our leap of faith. 02:18 He immediately put me on a Christian network 02:21 where I frequently spoke over the next eight months. 02:24 The ministry was progressing nicely 02:27 until the network offered to produce a series of my own 02:31 and their unusual request 02:33 for full copy right to my materials 02:36 which meant that I wouldn't have been able to write a book 02:39 or share this teaching in any other way 02:41 except on their sponsored series, 02:44 it was a great disappointment and we had a great disagreement 02:49 and we parted ways. 02:51 God had for warned me 02:52 that He was calling me out of where I was 02:55 which I did not understand until after this happened. 02:59 But once again God immediately opened doors for ministry 03:04 and soon I was sharing His word 03:06 on a weekly bases in five different cities. 03:09 Life was pleasant for me 03:12 but perplexing for my poor husband. 03:15 J.D. was not only caring the full financial load 03:18 for our personal expenses and debt 03:21 but now he had the cover the ministry expenses. 03:24 He was convinced, absolutely convinced 03:28 that I was following God, but he was confused 03:32 about how I heard the Lord's leading. 03:35 J.D. was working out of town and one day over the phone 03:39 he said Shelly, I prayed through out the day 03:43 why haven't I ever heard God? 03:45 I responded well, have you ever been still and listened? 03:51 Several days later 03:52 during one of our many daily calls 03:54 he cautiously shared a new experience 03:57 from his payer time that morning. 04:00 He said well, I tried what you said. 04:03 I prayed and then I listened 04:05 and I don't know I might have heard from God I am not sure. 04:08 How do you know for certain? 04:11 And I gently encouraged him to tell me 04:13 what was impressed upon his mind. 04:16 And he said the thought 04:17 that was impressed upon my mind was this, 04:20 I'm the potter you are the clay. 04:23 I mold you and shape you 04:25 then set you on the shelf to cure 04:29 but you do not stay settled. 04:32 You move out of place 04:33 always trying to live on the edge 04:36 before you can be made firm 04:38 you lean to fall in the wrong direction 04:40 and topple off the shelf. 04:42 Then when you cry out I must pick you up 04:45 to mold you and shape you again. 04:47 Move back from the edge. 04:51 Oh, my when he was telling me 04:55 what he had heard tears were brimming in my eyes. 04:58 I knew he had heard from God. I knew it. 05:02 J.D. was one of the best men I had ever met in my life. 05:06 He is compassionate, honest, humble, tender hearted 05:10 but he was just some how afraid to make 05:14 the 100% commitment of his life to the Lord. 05:17 God had called J.D. to be a pastor 05:19 when he was younger and he regretted 05:21 that he had not responded to that call. 05:25 A few weeks later as I was praying, 05:30 I was praying about the future of my own calling 05:33 the Lord shared this thought with me. 05:35 He said, I will join you to one who is running fast after me 05:40 and J.D. will work shoulder to shoulder 05:43 with you and this one. 05:45 I knew this was God's voice and not my own imagination 05:50 because I was somewhat disappointed initially. 05:53 I mean, besteaded vivid but I remember thinking 05:56 well, I thought You called me 05:58 to a full time teaching ministry. 06:00 I didn't know You wanted me to be another man's assistant. 06:03 Now I know that it sounds selfish and prideful 06:06 because it was but soon God worked it out of me 06:10 and I look forward to serving 06:12 whatever capacity He had planned. 06:16 I was just excited that J.D. and I would work 06:19 shoulder to shoulder. 06:21 God frequently told me 06:22 He would do a quick work in my husband 06:25 and make him a leader in his church 06:27 and indeed He did. 06:30 Well, anyway at that time one of the Bible studies 06:33 that I was leading was women only 06:36 and it was in a town 06:37 about an hours drive from her home. 06:39 And we had just completed ten hours of a teaching series 06:43 that God had given me 06:44 and I had witnessed how rapidly 06:46 the Lord was changing this group 06:48 the metamorphosis in such a short time 06:51 was as dramatic as watching larvae become butterflies. 06:57 In on the way home in the car 07:00 I lamented my own seemingly slow growth. 07:04 So as usual I was praying and I cried out 07:06 oh, Lord, you are changing them so rapidly, 07:10 change me Father, change me. 07:14 And suddenly this thought was impressed upon my mind. 07:17 Do you not recognize the changes 07:22 that I have wrought in you child 07:24 and you have yet to thank Me. 07:28 Oh, boy, that was one of those shut my mouth moments. 07:33 It's true the Lord often does a work in my heart 07:37 that I'm slow to recognize and by the time 07:40 I do I have to pray 07:43 and ask him to show me how He accomplished it. 07:47 I want to recognize and know His workings 07:51 to enable me to teach others 07:53 but also to mark the trail 07:56 so that I can find my way back 07:59 should I ever slip off His narrow path. 08:03 In March of 2001 08:04 which was a little over six months 08:06 after leaving that first television network 08:09 I was happily leading home group studies 08:13 in surrounding cities 08:14 and attendance range from maybe 12 to 40 people. 08:18 It certainly was not as far reaching as television ministry 08:21 but I was busy being faithful with the little things 08:25 to demonstrate to God that He could trust me 08:30 to be faithful over much. 08:32 That is one of the kingdom principles you know. 08:35 Jesus shared that in Luke 16:10-13. 08:40 God had miraculously opened a door of-- 08:44 for television ministry. 08:46 The very day after we accepted the call 08:47 to full time ministry then the door slam shut 08:51 immediately God opened the doors 08:54 for weekly small group ministries 08:57 in five different cities. 08:59 Now our responsibility was to be satisfied 09:02 with what the Lord gave us 09:04 and be faithful in fulfilling the duty. 09:07 One morning during my time of being still before the Lord 09:10 He spoke something to my heart that made it leap for joy. 09:16 He said, I will open doors for you to minister 09:21 in television, radio and publishing 09:24 and you will speak into all the world. 09:28 Well, J.D. was home that day. 09:31 I was thrilled I jumped up and I ran downstairs 09:34 to share God's exciting report with him 09:37 and he looked at me and he said honey, 09:41 and his brow was rather furrowed. 09:44 He said, it seems to me that God already did that 09:46 and you walked away. 09:48 Now how is anyone gonna notice you 09:51 in this little town of Coleman, Texas, 09:53 with a population of only 5,100 people. 09:57 You are stuck in the middle of nowhere. 10:00 I looked at him and I spoke paraphrasing 10:03 a Bible verse found in Luke 1:38. 10:07 And I said that often as an affirmation 10:09 so I said it to my husband with my hand raised to heaven. 10:13 I said, "I am handmaiden of the Lord, 10:15 let it be done to me according to His word." 10:20 I knew God would be faithful. 10:22 All I had to do was exercise patience 10:25 in the time of waiting upon Him. 10:28 When God first called me into ministry 10:31 He clearly instructed me not to promote myself. 10:35 I was not to seek ministry opportunities rather 10:38 He would open the doors 10:40 and I was simply to walk through. 10:42 God knew where I lived 10:45 and He would lead me to those places 10:47 where He wanted me to minister. 10:49 You know, I encountered many, many rocky places 10:53 as I ploughed God's harvest fields 10:56 but when discouragement came 10:58 I never removed my hand from the plough. 11:01 How could I? 11:03 God's hand was cupped over mine just to as He promised. 11:08 And together we ploughed the straight line. 11:11 You know when David had fled from Saul 11:15 and he was in a cave he said in Psalms 57:2 11:20 let me read the amplified version to you. 11:22 David said "I will cry to God Most High, 11:27 Who performs on my behalf and rewards me. 11:30 Who brings to pass His purposes for me 11:33 and surely completes them! 11:36 I knew that God would perform His purposes in my life. 11:42 First He led me to study to understand the truth 11:44 about His covenants, the truth about the Sabbath, 11:47 the truth about resting in the grave, 11:49 and the truth about hell. 11:50 And I was begging the Lord 11:52 to teach me the truth about revelation 11:54 because I just knew that what I had been taught 11:58 over my lifetime contradicting some scriptures 12:01 and they just couldn't be explained away. 12:04 Then after all of this God saw through that 3ABN 12:07 began broadcasting in my little hometown 12:11 and I learned that Daniel 12:12 was the key to unlock revelation 12:15 and that all the symbols of that apocalyptic book 12:18 were found within scripture. 12:21 I studied my way 12:23 into the Seventh-day Adventist church. 12:25 And in December 2002, 21 months 12:29 after I had walked away 12:31 from the other television network 12:33 J.D. and I arrived 12:35 at Three Angels Broadcasting Network 12:37 for my first scheduled appearance. 12:39 God had opened the doors miraculously 12:42 and bubbling over with enthusiasm 12:45 I said to J.D. just think about it honey, 12:48 Psalms 139:16 says that all the days about lives 12:53 were written in God's book before they ever took shape. 12:58 God already knew that we would be here tonight. 13:02 Well, J.D. was silent for a moment 13:05 and then he softly responded wow, that's a heavy thought. 13:10 It was December 31, 2002 and is God had purposed 13:16 I spoke into all the world with a teaching 13:20 for 3ABNs New Year's eve live broadcast 13:23 and after several more appearances on the network 13:26 3ABN offered to produce and air teaching series of mine 13:30 and they published my companion book, Exalting His Word. 13:34 The program aired internationally 13:36 on 3ABNs television's and radio networks 13:40 and I was invited to make 13:41 a number of additional guest appearances 13:44 over the next two years. 13:45 God had fulfilled His promise. 13:48 And then in February 2005, J.D. and I relocated here 13:54 to accept fulltime positions 13:56 at the networks world headquarters. 13:59 We were working shoulder to shoulder. 14:02 My precious husband went to work 14:03 in the pastoral department 14:05 and now just as God had promised 14:07 here we are shoulder to shoulder 14:09 and J.D. walks in absolute surrender to the Lord. 14:12 He is one of the most godly men I know. 14:15 I would say the most godly if he would let me 14:19 but the Lord has opened his ears 14:22 and J.D. relies on the leading of the Holy Spirit 14:24 as he goes about his daily work of praying with people 14:27 and managing 3ABNs pastoral department. 14:31 I wonder, I wonder where we would be 14:36 if I had refused God's request to press into His presence. 14:40 I wonder, how would we be investing our lives 14:44 if we had not learned to listen for God's still small voice. 14:49 Jesus says in Revelation 3:20. 14:52 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 14:55 If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, 15:00 I will come in to him." 15:03 Your loving Lord is calling you. 15:07 Will you listen? 15:09 Will you let Him come to you now? 15:12 Will you be still and know that He is God? 15:19 We have reached the end of out journey together. 15:23 I think it's has been an exciting journey 15:24 on this series but we hope in pray 15:28 it's just the beginning of a new journey 15:30 that you will experience with the Lord 15:32 as you press into His presence in prayer. 15:35 It seems been official this being our last program 15:37 to review the various segments of the praise prayer patter 15:42 that we have learned to use to press in to God's presence. 15:46 Here's the prayer segments we have followed. 15:49 Praise, Repentance, Affirmations, 15:54 Intercession, Supplication, and Enter and Be Still. 16:00 And you notice the first letter 16:02 of each of those words forms the word Praise 16:05 so I also call it the praise prayer pattern. 16:08 You know, God corrected my backsliding 16:11 when he taught me to tearing an hour each day with Him 16:14 and He will do the same for you. 16:18 Perhaps it's impossible for you to pray an hour 16:20 everyday at this stage in your life 16:23 but if you schedule this time even once a week 16:26 I promise you'll begin to develop 16:29 a closer relationship with Him. 16:31 You can use the praise pattern 16:33 for shorter sessions of prayer as well. 16:36 I begin every morning in this manner. 16:39 Though not a requirement 16:41 I encourage you to follow God's advice to Habakkuk 16:44 and try journaling which simply means 16:47 to write out your prayer like a letter. 16:50 Let me read that to you Habakkuk 2:1-3 says, 16:57 "I will stand my watch" Habakkuk says 17:01 "to see what He will say to me. 17:04 Then the Lord answered me and said, 17:07 'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets 17:11 that he may run who reads it.'" 17:14 I hope you will try it at least once. 17:17 As I had mentioned before 17:19 journaling truly increases your focus. 17:22 It blocks out the detracting thoughts 17:25 that often disrupt the intimacy of our prayers. 17:29 But let me also repeat this journaling is not for everyone. 17:34 My precious husband probably spends more time in prayer 17:38 then any other person I know yet if someone told J.D. 17:42 that he must journal to press into God's presence 17:45 I doubt he would ever try. 17:48 And something else bears repeating. 17:51 Prayer is an extremely intimidate communication 17:56 with an extremely intimate being our God of love 18:00 and it takes on many forms. 18:03 We are not suggesting here a perfect formula for prayer 18:07 as that doesn't exist. 18:10 In fact, I don't think of the praise prayer 18:13 as a formula but rather just important segments 18:18 that are been official to include 18:20 as we sincerely try to press into the presence of our God. 18:25 I pray many different prayers throughout the day 18:29 of varying links and varying types. 18:32 But, you know, when I rush in and out of God's presence 18:37 I don't hear His still small voice 18:40 and the praise prayer pattern 18:42 seems to solve my problem of being hasty. 18:46 Now I do believe that it is quite possible 18:50 that God inspired the order of the praise prayer purposely 18:56 to follow the divine pattern of His sanctuary. 19:00 Since the New Testament 19:02 calls Christian believers you and me a Holy priesthood 19:07 this comparison to how the priest 19:09 of old approached God is most interesting. 19:14 During this series we have taken note 19:17 as a matter of observation only 19:20 how each of these prayers segments correlates 19:23 to the ancient sanctuary theme. 19:26 So let's also recap those now. 19:30 The temple priest entered into God's presence 19:33 in a very specific order. 19:35 First, they had to enter through a gate 19:38 to reach the outer court 19:40 and as they moved through the gate 19:43 they did so with thanksgiving 19:45 as they move through the court 19:47 they sang songs of praise. 19:51 So like wise as we begin our prayer 19:53 to press in before His throne of grace 19:56 we start with the praise segment 20:00 and this portion of prayer teaches us 20:03 to enter His gates with thanksgiving 20:06 and into His court's with praise. 20:08 And it's amazing have faith building this is. 20:13 Now the second segment of our prayer 20:15 is our daily sacrifice of repentance 20:19 which is the process of applying 20:22 the blood of Christ personally to our lives. 20:26 This reminds us of the first article 20:29 that the ancient priest would encounter in the court yard 20:34 which was the altar of burnt offering 20:37 where the sacrifice for sin was offered 20:41 and the blood was made available. 20:44 And then midway between the altar 20:48 and the door of the temple 20:50 stood the shinning bronze laver, 20:53 the sacred wash bowl of the sanctuary. 20:56 The priest were required to inspect themselves 21:00 and to wash away all impurities 21:03 and present themselves 21:05 spotlessly clean before the Lord. 21:09 Our prayer segment on repentance 21:12 includes our confession and helps us 21:15 understand our need to come with purity of heart 21:19 before a holy God's throne of grace. 21:23 When leaving the shining bronze laver 21:26 the priest were prepared to enter 21:29 into the first compartment of the sanctuary the holy place 21:35 and the three articles that furniture there 21:38 were the table of showbread on the right, 21:41 the golden altar of incense across the compartment 21:45 directly in front of the veil 21:47 that separated the holy place from the most holy 21:50 and the seven branched golden candlestick. 21:54 And the next three segments of our prayer 21:57 correlate to these items in the following way. 22:00 The prayer segment of making affirmations from scripture 22:04 correlates to the table of showbread. 22:07 It is like our symbolic entry into the holy place 22:11 and setting out the showbread on the table, 22:14 a duty of the priest. 22:16 You know, God's word is our spiritual nutrition. 22:19 It was given to us as a constant provision 22:22 for nourishment to maintain vibrant spiritual lives. 22:27 And Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 22:30 "Man does not live by bread alone, 22:33 but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." 22:37 So that's our affirmations. 22:41 Now when we consider 22:43 the intercession part of our prayer 22:46 it correlates to the golden altar of incense 22:51 were special incense burned morning and night. 22:56 Psalms 141:2 says, 22:58 "Let my prayer be set before you like incense." 23:03 And as we are interceding, pleading for the perishing 23:07 we know that Christ is at the right hand of His Father 23:11 interceding as well. 23:13 He adds His special incense to our prayers. 23:17 Now this supplication part of our prayer 23:21 we correlated to the seven branched golden candle stick 23:26 which the priest of old were required to dress each morning, 23:31 throwing out the ashes and refilling the oil. 23:35 This portion of our prayer 23:37 is when we are seeking our greatest personal need 23:42 to be filled with the Holy Spirit 23:45 who is represented by the symbol of oil. 23:49 And then once we're filled with a spirit 23:52 we are reflecting the light of Jesus Christ. 23:56 Now once we had finished with entering His gates 24:02 with thanksgiving and His courts 24:03 with praise with our repentance, 24:06 with affirmation, intercession and supplication 24:11 we have reached that segment of our prayer 24:14 titled enter and be still we are ready to press 24:19 into the most holy place were God's ark, 24:24 His throne of grace was seated there 24:27 and where His Shekinah presence resided. 24:31 This is the most sacred time of our prayer 24:34 when we press in the closest to God 24:38 and we be still and listen. 24:42 We listen for His counsel either through allowing Him 24:46 to speak to us through the scriptures 24:50 or through hearing the still small voice of God. 24:58 A favorite verse of mine 25:04 and it tells us, 25:05 "Seek the Lord and His strength, 25:09 Seek His face evermore!" 25:14 You know when God told David this, 25:17 David said you said seek My face 25:20 and I said Lord, your face I will seek. 25:25 David was a man who followed after God, 25:29 God called him a man after His own heart. 25:34 How disappointing it must be to God 25:37 to have His children those whom He has adopted 25:42 into His family to have His children 25:45 only be praying to seek His hand. 25:49 God is good to those who seek Him. 25:54 God wants us to seek His face. 25:56 He wants us to wait expectedly for Him. 26:01 As your father God desires are deeper communing with you. 26:07 Oh, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. 26:13 He knows your weaknesses. 26:15 He will exchange His strength for yours. 26:19 God is calling His people to develop 26:22 an intimate relationship with Him through prayer. 26:26 Can you hear Him calling your name? 26:30 He is inviting you to press into His presence 26:35 that you may know Him 26:37 and that you may know the plan 26:40 that He has for your life. 26:43 I know He will show you the path of life. 26:47 And as David said in Psalms 16:11 26:51 and when he said, 26:52 "You will show me the path of life, 26:55 in Your presence is fullness of joy." 27:01 I just have to tell you from my heart 27:04 that this practice of pressing into His presence 27:11 was completely life changing for me. 27:16 It was life changing in every sense of the word. 27:21 God plucked me up out of a corporate setting. 27:24 He put me into ministry 27:26 and He completely changed my life 27:30 because I tuned my ear. 27:33 I didn't tune it the Holy Spirit 27:35 helped tune my ear. 27:37 He taught me how to listen to my God. 27:41 I want to encourage you to press into His presence. 27:46 You will never regret the time 27:49 that you spend with the Lord in prayer. 27:52 It is something that will make your life 27:55 so much more beautiful and productive. 27:59 Now our continued prayer for you is, 28:01 may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 28:05 the love of the Father, 28:06 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 28:09 be with you always. |
Revised 2015-01-22