My Soul Yearns For You In The Night: In The Morning My Spirit Longs For You
Intimacy With Christ Is Paramount To Successful Ministry
ISAIAH 26:7-10
“The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just. Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let grace be shown to the wicked, Yet he will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, And will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
”Isaiah 26:7-10 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.26.7-10.NKJ
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At times it seems that the path of the righteous isn’t so smooth and it can become quite difficult to do God’s will. But the truth is, we are never alone when facing troubling times; God is always there to help us, comfort us, lead us, and provide for us.
He does this by giving us a purpose, that we remain dependent and focused on Him, and by building our trust in Him to rise above every situation.
But He wants more than obedience and praise, He wants relationship and intimacy with His people.
His love for His people is immeasurable.
God provides us with relationships of family, friends, and mentors, He gives us wisdom to make right choices, and faith to trust Him.
Therefore, even in these times of corruption, threats of war, pestilence, restrictions and controls, you who put your trust in God shall have peace. For it is written, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV
We wait for the Lord with expectation, knowing He has already made a way for us even in these turbulent times; He went before us to make a way, and however difficult the path, God goes through it all with us (DEUTERONOMY 31:8).
The truth is, however impossible the situation may seem, God makes it possible (LUKE 18:27; MATHEW 19:26). He causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them (ROMANS 8:28).
God is a loving God; even the wicked receive God’s benefits; He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (MATHEW 5:45).
But the truth is, even that doesn’t teach them to do what is right because pride and selfish ambitions stand in the way.
But God’s justice teaches His people more than His good gifts. We all must live the consequences of our actions, both good and evil.
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.”
Proverbs 3:11-18 NKJV
Solomon asked God for wisdom, and from it gained understanding which led to riches beyond belief starting with peace.
But he recognised that intimacy with God was paramount to our relationship with Him.
But God’s bride, the individual parts of the body of Christ, has constantly withheld from Him, operating in ministry to please himself rather than God.
Just as marriages break for lack of intimacy, so the church has broken as a lack of intimacy with Christ, and over six thousand churches have shut their doors throughout Europe in the last few years.
This is the old church that was led by one Pastor, vicar, or minister. This old religious church is dead and the new is here led by Jesus Christ Himself. ”And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.“
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
He has gifted all believers to operate within the five fold ministry of Christ, not by man’s leadership, but His.
It is time to hand the reins to Jesus and for the whole congregation to actively operate within Christ ministry as one body in submission to our Lord and Saviour.
Coming together once a week if one can be bothered is not enough; successful marriage comes from good relationship every day and intimacy without inhibitions.
Church isn’t a social event, it is the gathering of God’s people to seriously come together in worship of the most High and sing His well deserved praises.
It is time for the whole body to come together without restriction to glorify our God.
Just as Paul tells us, “do not deprive intimacy from our spouse (1 CORINTHIANS 7:5),” so we must not deprive our Lord and Saviour. This simple instruction brings lasting success to marriage and our relationship with Christ.
My beloved, “”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10 NKJV
If you have been blessed by God’s kindness and grace, and we all have, now is the time to respond to Him with praise, gratitude and devotion. Our everlasting God is deserving of all praise.
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
