The most important direction of our lives: The five steps to experience "God with us"

 

 

Please click this link for the video version of today's blog :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLZ9t_Iz0N8

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

      2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

     Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile. 

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.          **Sing a song to praise the Lord

      Please click this link to worship with us - 10,000 Reasons

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3K3roEF36k

      

     Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

      https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sins to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

**Please click this link to read how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Today's Time with Abba: Psalm 25:8-15, Exodus 37:1-38:31; Matthew 28:1-20; Proverbs  9:9-10

Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link:http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

Key passages:

     Good and upright is the Lord;

    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

       He guides the humble in what is right

    and teaches them his way.

 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

They will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their descendants will inherit the land.

The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.

My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

                                   Psalm 25:8-15

The Great Commission

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

                                                   Matthew 28:16-20

                       

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through today's TWA passages we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to Him.

The topic I received today from Jesus is: The most important direction of our lives: The five steps to experience "God with us"

    

Before we are able to receive the most important direction of our lives we need to know the biggest problem of our lives!

      The biggest problem of our lives is "I am the lord", "I am the king"! 

       Because of our unwillingness to give the lordship of our lives to Jesus to let Jesus as our Lord, we have walked so many wrong paths and made so many wrong decisions, wasting lots of time! Sad!

      The biggest blessing we can receive is to have Jesus as our Lord and King and to enjoy the intimate relationship with Him and His daily direction for us to experience what it says in today's Psalm 25:8-15: Live in peace and prosperity and be able to get out of sufferings.

      Today is Valentine's Day. I feel that our Lord Jesus Christ would like to give you a gift, the most precious gift one can have: God with us!

      Today's Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives the Great Commission to His apostles. And, this is actually the most important direction of our lives:

        The five steps to experience "God with us"

      Quite a number of Christians do not want to take the first step and become religious people and not Christians. Some Christians have the 1st step, the 2nd step, the 3rd step, the 4th steps, but at last miss the 5th step and cannot experience the love of our Abba Father,  the sweetness of the intimate relationship with Jesus and the mighty power, signs and wonder of the Holy Spirit.

    What I received this morning is the five steps to experience God with us when we live out the Great Commission:

    1. Going

    2. Discipling

    3. Baptizing

    4. Teaching

    5. Obeying

    Those Christians who can live out these five steps can surely experience "God with us" because that is the promise of Jesus in the Great Commission!

     Dear Lord Jesus,

     I love you, Lord Jesus! Lead me to live out these five steps that I can receive your promise of your daily presence. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.   

Reflect on these questions:    

1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

     2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus, to be holy - that is to do what Jesus wants you to do and not to do what Jesus wants you not to do?

    

    Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

       

       Please click this link to Old Testament Psalm 19 blog: 

        https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/01/day-19-2021-you-are-better-than.html

       

     

  Please click this link to today's Old Testament Exodus 17:8-19:15 blog and video: https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningenglish.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-power-of-prayers-and-listening.html

       

  

      

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 6 blog:  

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/07/day-156-2021-dont-burn-yourself-because.html

   For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):

    https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningchinese.blogspot.com

     

     

       My first blog "Devotion on Fire"  was written in English only  (July 17, 2009年7月17日至November 22, 2012年11月22日). Each day one chapter of Bible, from New Testament and then Old Testament. Completed in four months and three years:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/blessings-from-rev-dr-john-stott.html

My second blog "Discipler 123"  was written in both Chinese and English (March 6,2011to December 31, 2016 ):

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-1-choose-light-away-from-darkness.html

and "Time with Abba" blog and video (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2024): 

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2017/01/1-2017.html

 

 

Connecting Workshop 2025(Session 2)

Bishop Silas Ng on Three Streams

 https://youtu.be/xiSOSFF9Iw0?si=puDWFD9Cx01ADm-o