Chapter 1: The invitation to fellowship
Welcome, here and now, we explore the truths of God's word and discover the realities of the new creation in Christ. Get ready to grow in revelation knowledge and discover who you truly are in Christ Jesus.
Monday morning, you pray. It feels good. You close your Bible and you promise yourself this is the week it finally sticks. Tuesday, the alarm goes off late. The kids are loud. Work is waiting. You tell yourself you will pray tonight and tonight arrives and you are too tired. Wednesday, you notice that you skipped and a small knot of guilt appears. You think about praying, but you feel strange approaching God after missing a day. Thursday, the knot is bigger. Now, it is not only that you skipped, it is that you have been avoiding him. And avoiding him feels worse than skipping. By Sunday, you are sitting in church singing about the presence of God and quietly wondering if he is a little bit disappointed in you.
If that is your story, even a little, I want you to hear something before we go any further. Nothing is wrong with you. You are not a spiritual failure. You are a person who has been handed a method when what you were actually offered was an invitation.
A method can get you to a chair at 6:00 in the morning. It can get you to open a book. But no method can make you love someone. Love needs a different kind of fuel.
And that is what we are going to look for. And by the time this teaching is finished, I promise you that six questions you may be afraid to ask will be answered. Not with pressure, not with guilt, but with with scripture and with some surprising words.
Chapter 2: Defining the core conflict
Here are the six questions.
One, how do I make time for God when I am busy and overwhelmed?
Two, why do I feel distant or feel like I am not being heard?
Three, I skipped days. Is God upset with me?
Four, why do I keep getting distracted? And why does it feel like nothing is happening?
Five, how do I keep this real so it does not become another routine?
And six, the one many of us are afraid to say out loud. Does God actually enjoy my company or does he just put up with me? Hold on to that sixth question because the answer is a sentence that stops you when you read it and I am going to save it for the very end.
One more thing, this is the first of two teachings on this subject. In this one, we are going to build the daily habit so that closeness with God becomes something you can actually live even on a crowded Tuesday.
In the second one, we will go deeper into the heart of it.
What it means to hear him, to behold him, and to walk in his love. This teaching is anchored in God's Presence, together with the word of God. That the call to prayer is the Father's invitation to visit with him. And then "It is the call of love to come and fellowship." Look at the verbs.
Visit, come, fellowship, not report, not perform, not earn. Sons and daughters visiting their Father.
Exodus 33:11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
As a person speaks unto his/her friend. You do not fill out a form with a friend. You do not rate the conversation. You simply show up and talk.
John 17:3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent to know thee.
Eternal life is not mainly a place you go when you die. It is a relationship you begin now.
And 1 John 1:3. That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his son Jesus Christ.
Our fellowship is with the Father. Fellowship with the Father, not only with a church, not only with a pastor, but with Him.
So let me say what this teaching is not. It is not a challenge. It is not a guilt trip and it is not a list of rules for earning God's attention.
You already have it. Now I want to plant three small pictures in your mind. We will come back to each of them.
The first picture is a woman who was so busy serving Jesus that she missed Jesus. She was standing in the same room with him and she was the one who needed the most help. We will meet her when we answer question one.
The second picture is a breakfast. A man had failed and failed badly three times in one night. And the first thing the risen Lord did when he saw him again was cook him a meal. That is how we will answer question three.
And the third picture is a man so exhausted that he asked God to let him die. And God did not give him a lecture. God gave him sleep and a hot meal. That one will help us with question four.
Three people, one Father. And each will change how you approach him tomorrow morning.
But before any method works, we have to settle something. Why are you allowed to come close at all?
Because if you secretly believe you are not allowed, no schedule on earth will save you.
And the answers to that with two words, that most of us have never separated.
Relationship and fellowship. That is next. Let me tell you about the first prayer meeting that ever went wrong.
Chapter 3: Relationship vs. fellowship
Genesis 3:8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Notice the first thing. God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. It sounds like a habit, an evening walk, a visit. God came looking for company.
And notice the second thing. They hid. Genesis 3:9 and 10. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, and I hid myself.
Where art thou? That is not the question of someone who cannot find a person. It is the question of a Father standing at the door of an empty room.
I heard. I was afraid. I hid. That is the whole story of lost fellowship in three verbs. And it is still how many of us approach him on a Wednesday. We hear his voice. We feel the knot and we hide.
But notice what God did next. Genesis 3:21. Unto Adam also, and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. They hid, and he clothed them. The pursuit did not end in a lecture. It ended with a covering.
Now, watch what redemption was for. In relationship and fellowship, there are two great objectives in redemption.
The first is relationship.
God is working so that man may legally become his child.
The second, is to restore to man his lost fellowship. Relationship and fellowship, and the difference between them will settle half of your questions.
Relationship is what you have by birth.
John 1:12 and 13. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Born of God, not adopted on probation, born.
And that our relationship cannot be challenged.
It rests on the finished work of Christ, cannot be challenged. Not by your Tuesday, not by your temper, not by the skipped morning prayer. The knot you feel on a Wednesday is not a verdict. It is a feeling that has not yet met the facts.
Fellowship is different. Fellowship is what you enjoy. It is the warmth in the home. A child can come to dinner angry and silent and still be the child. He has not stopped being a son. But the conversation is cold. The relationship stands. The fellowship feels strained.
Relationship is the fact. Fellowship is the enjoyment of the fact and the Father wants both.
The whole redemptive process has been so that the Father might have children living in the closest fellowship of love and freedom with himself. Love and freedom, not fear.
So what does it take to enjoy fellowship?
I answer directly. There can be no fellowship unless a person can stand in the Father's presence without the consciousness of guilt of sin or of inferiority.
Guilt. Sin. Inferiority.
Those are the exact things that make us hide. And that is why the blood matters to your prayer life. Hebrews 10:19 and 22. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
Boldness. The writer did not say once you have had a good week, he said by the blood.
Then let's ask a question that is hard to answer. Could you think of a son who could not stand in his Father's presence? Think about it. A son who could not stand in his Father's presence is a contradiction. The word 'son' would mean nothing. And here is a sentence I want you to take into this week, right here in this present world. "We may have as sweet fellowship and communion with the Father as Jesus had in his earth walk. Right here, right now, not after you die, not after you become more spiritual." Romans 8:15 and 16. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. But ye have received to the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
Romans 8:15–16 describes the transition from slavery to sin into adoption as children of God through the Holy Spirit. Verse 15 states that believers did not receive a spirit of bondage that leads to fear, but rather the Spirit of adoption, which enables them to cry out, "Abba, Father."
Verse 16 confirms this new identity, teaching that the Holy Spirit Himself testifies with our human spirit that we are God’s children. This internal witness assures believers of their status as heirs and their intimate relationship with God, replacing slavish fear with familial confidence.
Not the spirit of bondage again to fear. That is the voice that says 'hide.'
The spirit of adoption says, "Abba, Father," and 1 John 3:1, behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. So now you know you are allowed. You are not a guest. You are a son. Father's child. And that changes how we answer the first question.
How do you make time for our Father when you are busy and overwhelmed? For that we have to go to a house in Bethany where a woman was cooking dinner for Jesus. And before we get there, I want to share something with you that is connected to exactly what we are talking about. That is next.
Chapter 4: Building a daily habit
Before we step into that house in Bethany, I want to share something with you. Today we are reading a testimony report from one of our readers, Linda from the United States. She left this review after going through the Secret Place devotional and I want you to hear exactly what she said in her own words.
If you are hungry for fellowship with the Holy Spirit and a deeper communion with him, this book will assist you. You will experience a practical means of real fellowship with the Lord. This is not just another devotional to read and forget what you read. This is a practical aid for helping you and walking with you on what to do when you are in the secret place with the Lord. You will not be disappointed. Read on.
Now, the house in Bethany, Luke 10:38. Now it came to pass as they went that he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. Martha opened her home to Jesus. Think about that. She was not avoiding him. She was serving him. Verse 39. And she had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus's feet and heard his word. Two women, one Jesus, and one of them was sitting while the other was working. Verse 40. But Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, "Lord, do thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me?" Cumbered about much serving, the word means pulled in every direction.
Martha was not lazy. She was not carnal.
She was doing good things, and the good things had swallowed the guest. And listen to the complaint. Lord, does thou not care? That is the voice of the overwhelmed. And underneath it is a question about God's heart. Now watch Jesus, verses 41 and 42. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful (full of cares and concerns) and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say, "Stop serving." He did not say, "Your work is worthless."
He said her name twice gently, Martha, Martha, and he told her what was happening inside her heart, 'careful and troubled' and he offered her the one thing that is the answer to your first question.
You do not need less to do.
You need one thing at the center of the day so that everything else has a place to stand.
To put it this way about the whole matter of prayer. Jesus taught prayer. Prayer is not as a slavish duty but as a glorious privilege. A privilege, not a slavish duty. If your time with God feels like one more item on the to-do list, you are not wrong to feel tired, but you have been handed the wrong picture. It is a seat at a table.
So, how do you make that time when the day is crowded? Here is the first method, and it begins the night before.
Step one, decide the appointment tonight. Not in the morning when you are foggy, but decide tonight. What time will you sit with him tomorrow? Write it down.
Ephesians 5:15 and 16. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, Redeeming the time, not finding it, buying it back on purpose.
Step two, set the table. Put your Bible, a notebook, and a pen where you will see them. And put your smartphone in another room. A guest does not compete with a screen.
Step three, protect the first block of the day. Mark 1:35. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Jesus did not wait for a quiet day. He chose the first quiet hour.
Step four, guard your night. Many of us stay up scrolling because the day gave us nothing for ourselves, and the night tries to collect one more video, one more snack, then the morning appointment dies before it is born. Decide that tonight has an ending.
And please hear this. A plan is a servant. It is not a master. If tomorrow goes sideways, the plan does not condemn you. It simply tells you where to begin again.
When we constantly visit him, he will find it easy to reach us.
Constantly visiting. A friend dropping by, not an inspection. So that is question one. But here is where it gets honest.
You make the plan. And on Wednesday, the alarm does not ring. You sleep through it and the knot returns.
What do you do then? That is where the breakfast comes in and it is next. Let me take you to the worst night of apostle Peter's life.
Chapter 5: Responding to failure
John 18 18. And the servants and officers stood there who had made a fire of coals, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself. A fire of coals. Remember that detail because around that fire three times Peter was asked whether he knew Jesus and three times he said no.
John 18:27 Peter then denied again and immediately the cock crew.
Luke 22:61. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter went out and wept bitterly. Now imagine the days that follow. Peter has failed and failed in the one thing he swore he never would.
If anyone had a reason to hide from God, it was him. But listen to the message the angel gave on Easter morning.
Mark 16:7. But go your way, tell his disciples, and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. And Peter, not just the disciples, and Peter, Jesus made sure the one who had failed knew he was still wanted.
And then John 21:9, as soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread,
A fire of coals, the same kind of fire, the same man. But now on this fire the Lord himself was cooking breakfast. Verse 12, Jesus saith unto them, "Come and dine, come and dine." Not, come and explain, not, come and account for yourself." Jesus fed Peter first. And only after the meal did he ask Peter three gentle questions, one for each denial.
John 21:15. Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yay, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. Feed my lambs. Jesus gave him his work back. No probation, no waiting period.
That is the answer to your third question. Is God upset with me? When you fail, the first thing Jesus offers is not a meeting about the failure. It is breakfast.
Psalm 103:13-14. Like as a father pity his children, so the Lord pity them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame. He rememberth that we are dust. He knows our frame. He is not surprised by a Wednesday. And there is a verse about what he actually does over you. That I am saving for question six.
So here is the second method. When you miss a day, pray. When you miss a week, open your Bible. The worst response is to wait until you feel worthy. Think about it. If you can only approach him on your good days, then quietly you are trusting your good days.
Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
And 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Come boldly, not come once you are clean. Come and be cleansed.
Now to the second question. Why do I feel distant or feel like I am not being heard? Here is something to notice. Distance is usually a feeling. Nearness is a fact.
Hebrews 13:5. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. And hearing is a fact too.
Psalm 116:2. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. Inclined his ear. That is a picture of someone leaning in, not someone ignoring you.
Think of a friend who gives you the silent treatment. And now think of a father who bends down to listen. Which one do you pray to?
Isaiah 65:24. And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear.
To say it plainly, when I pray the Father hears my prayer and answers me. When I pray the Father hears me. That is not a feeling. It is a position.
And a line about faith that I want you to write down. Hope is always future. Faith is always now. Now, now. Not someday. When you feel something, faith says, "He hears me now, even when the room is quiet." 1 John 5:14 and 15. "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. "
So when you pray tomorrow and nothing seems to stir, you do not conclude that he is silent. You conclude that he is listening. But that brings us straight to question four.
Chapter 6: Removing common barriers
Because even when you believe he hears, your mind wanders. You get distracted and it still feels like nothing is happening.
For that, we go to a man under a tree, so tired that he wanted to die. And what God gave him may be exactly what you need. That is next.
He had just seen the greatest day of his ministry. Fire fell from heaven. A whole nation shouted, "The Lord, he is the God." and then a single threat from a queen and he ran. First Kings 19: 3 and 4. And when he saw that, he arose and went for his life. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree.
And he requested for himself that he might die. And said, "It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life." That is Elijah, a man of faith and power, so exhausted that he asked to die.
And I want you to watch exactly what God did because it is not what many of us expect. Verse 5. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him, "Arise and eat." And he looked, and behold, there was a cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruise of water at his head, and he did eat and drink and laid him down again. God did not give him a sermon. God gave him sleep and a hot meal. And then a second time. Verse 7. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee," Because the journey is too great for thee.
That is a father who knows your frame. He addressed the body before he addressed the soul. Only after that, 40 days later, on the mountain, did Elijah hear God. And how did God speak?
Verse 11 and 12. A great and strong wind the mountains, but the Lord was not in the wind. An earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. A fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a still small voice, a still small voice. Elijah was looking for God in the loud things, and God was in the quiet.
Now apply that to your fourth question. Why do I keep getting distracted? And why does it feel like nothing is happening?
First, a practical truth. If you are exhausted, your prayer is not failing because you are unspiritual. You may need sleep. You may need to eat. Do not be more spiritual than Elijah's God was.
Second, there is a quieter reason. A chapter on some enemies of prayer. A sentence worth noticing. Some of these enemies, are very dear friends. Dear friends, not obvious sins. Good things that have been with us so long that we cannot imagine giving them up. The ministry, the endless reading, the helpful phone calls, the latest video, the good things that have quietly taken the guest's chair. And one of them is a desire, to read about the Bible and about prayer rather than to study the word and fit ourselves for it. Reading about God, listening to talks about prayer, studying methods.
These are not evil, but you can fill the whole day with them and never sit with him.
So here is the fifth method. Say no to one distraction, not 10. One. Which one is stealing your appointment with the Father?
Hebrews 12:1. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. And let us run with patience.
Every weight, not only sin, but weights, some are not wrong. They are just heavy.
And when your mind wanders in the middle of prayer, do this. Keep a small notebook beside you. When a task or a worry drifts in, write it down in one line and return. You have not failed. You have parked it.
Proverbs 4:25. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Now, the second half of the question, why does it feel like nothing is happening?
Because we are measuring with the wrong ruler. Mark 4:28, for the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself. First the blade, then the ear. After that the full corn in the ear. First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn. Nobody stands over a field at midnight and says, "Nothing is happening. The growth is real. It is simply slow and mostly hidden."
Zechariah 4:10. For who hath despised the day of small things? So the fourth method is this. Do not despise small progress. If you cannot pray for an hour, pray for 5 minutes.
If you do not know what to say, read one Psalm slowly.
If you can only manage one sentence of thanks, say it. 5 minutes kept every day will do more than an hour attempted once. Luke 16:10. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.
You have your appointment with the Father. You know you can return when you fail. You know he hears. You have one distraction to remove and a small step to take.
But now a new danger appears. Not failure. Routine prayer that becomes a box you tick. How do you keep this alive? That is question five.
Chapter 7: Keeping prayer alive
Here is a surprising answer that begins with two kinds of prayer. That is next.
There is a couple who sit down to dinner every night at the same time.
They have never missed a night in 20 years and they have nothing to say to each other. That is what routine looks like. When the person has left the room, the habit is still there. The presence is gone.
So here is question five. How do I keep this real so it does not become another routine? Notice something first. Routine is not the enemy. A schedule is a good servant. The enemy is routine without presence.
And Jesus has a name for what happens when that sets in. Revelation 2 : 4 and 5. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works.
Notice the cure. Remember where you started. Do the first works. Go back to the freshness of first love. Not more effort, but more affection. So here are the last two methods and they work together.
The first is to practice two kinds of prayer. One is the scheduled prayer. The appointment, the closed door, the quiet room, the time you protected the night before. This is where you go deep.
The other is the spontaneous prayer. The short unplanned word through the day, the one nobody sees. And this is the one that keeps the first from going cold.
Look at prophet Nehemiah. Nehemiah 2:4. Then the king said unto me, "For what dust thou make request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. He was standing in front of a king with a decision pressing down on him, and there was no time to kneel. So he prayed in the space between the question and his answer. A sentence, an arrow.
Nehemiah 2:4 records the moment King Artaxerxes asks the cupbearer Nehemiah, “What is your request?” in response to his visible sadness over the ruined state of Jerusalem. In that instant, Nehemiah performs an ejaculatory prayer—a brief, inward appeal to the God of heaven—before verbally answering the king.
This verse highlights Nehemiah's spiritual discipline and dependence on God in high-stakes situations. Key aspects include:
Immediate Prayer: Nehemiah prayed before speaking, demonstrating that he sought divine direction and favor for his dangerous petition to rebuild Jerusalem.
Context of Risk: As a Jew in the Persian court, Nehemiah risked execution for displaying unapproved sadness before the monarch, making his prayer a critical act of faith.
Outcome: This prayer preceded his specific request to return to Judah to rebuild the city walls, which the king subsequently granted with letters of authority.
First Thessalonians 5:17, pray without ceasing, not kneel without ceasing, stay in the conversation.
And Psalm 16:8, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Always before me.
Let's describes the whole life of prayer this way. Prayer is a constant communion with the Father. And we are near enough to Him to breathe in His very presence.
Near enough to breathe in His presence.
That is not a distant god at the end of a long ladder. That is a Father so close that the air around you carries Him.
Here are three easy moments for those arrow prayers. At a doorway before you walk into a room, say, "Father, go with me." In a waiting moment, in a queue or a traffic jam, say, "Father, I am glad you are here." And at a decision before you reply to a message or answer a question, say, "Father, what do you think?" Ï want to think with you ,Father." 10 seconds. No special words, just company.
Now, what about the scheduled time? How do you keep that alive? Start with arrival. Before you open anything, sit for 30 seconds and say, "Father, I am here." Let your mind catch up with your body. Then talk to him the way you would talk to a friend.
Then listen, even if all you hear is quiet, then thank him for one thing and write one line. What did I notice about him today? That one line is the secret to keeping it fresh. You are not collecting prayers. You are collecting discoveries about him. And that is the second of the last two. Treasure the presence. This is what moves prayer from performance to love.
Look at Moses. God had just promised him the land. Everything was ready. And Moses said something remarkable. Exodus 33:15. If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. Moses preferred the presence over the promise. He was saying in effect, I would rather stay in the wilderness with you than enter the promised land without you.
Psalm 42 :1 and 2. As the hart pants after the waterbrooks, so pants my soul after thee, oh God, my soul thirsteth for God, for the living God.
Thirst and it is meant to be joyful. I describe prayer as children coming joyously into the presence of a loving parent. Joyously, not nervously, not dutifully, but joyously.
Psalm 84:10. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. That is not poetry for people with spare time. It is a reordering of what counts.
And Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, to behold the beauty of the Lord." That word behold is exactly where our second teaching begins. So the shift is this. Performance asks did I do enough? Love asks was I with him.
And once you ask the second question, it is very hard to be bored. Five questions answered.
You have an appointment.
A way back when you fail.
Confidence that he hears.
One distraction removed.
Small steps kept. And a life of short prayers through the day.
There is one question left. The one many of us are afraid to ask. Does God actually enjoy my company?
And the answer is a sentence and a verse about what God does over you. That is next.
Chapter 8: God's joy in you
Now the sixth question, does God actually enjoy my company or does he just put up with me? I told you the answer is a sentence. That few of us have realized the fact that the Father's heart is hungry for the companionship of His children.
Hungry for companionship for you. And then he says something even bigger. That heart hunger, he writes, is the reason for man and the reason for redemption.
The reason for man, why were you made?
Not only to serve, not only to be useful. You were made for company. And the whole plan of redemption, the cross, the blood, the new birth was God clearing the road back to the garden so that the evening walks could begin again. Remember Genesis 3, God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, calling, "Where art thou?" He was not searching for lost information. He was looking for a friend. And Jesus said it plainly. John 4:23, "The Father seeketh such to worship Him." The Father seeketh, He is the one looking.
Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing. Rejoice over thee with joy. "Joy over thee with singing.
That is the verse I promised you. It is not a God who puts up with you. It is the God who sings over you. I say it in one short line. It is sons visiting their father. Psalm 139:17 and 18. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, oh God. How great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand.
You are not an afterthought. And remember how this whole teaching began.
"The call to prayer is the call of love to come and fellowship." The call came first. You are not chasing him. You are answering him. So here is your answer. Yes, he enjoys your company. He made you for it. And the invitation on the table tomorrow morning is not a test. It is a visit.
James 4:8. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. And if tomorrow you feel nothing special, that is all right. Closeness grows the way friendship does through repeated unhurried time, not through intensity. If the distance feels heavy and will not lift, please also talk to a pastor you trust or a counselor. Grace and good help work together.
Now, let me gather the seven methods in one breath.
One, plan the appointment the night before.
Two, when you fail, come back the same day. Pray and open your Bible.
Three, believe that he hears you. Faith is always now.
Four, do not despise small progress.
Five, remove one distraction.
Six, practice two kinds of prayer, the appointment and the arrow.
And seven, treasure his presence and let love replace performance.
And here is a simple way to begin seven days.
Day one, decide tonight what time you will sit with him tomorrow. Set out your Bible and put your phone in another room.
Day two, when you arrive, sit for 30 seconds and say, "Father, I am here."
Then write one line about what you noticed about him.
Day three, pray three arrow prayers during the day, a doorway, await, and a decision.
Day four, read one Psalm slowly and talk to him about it.
Day five, remove one distraction from your morning.
Day six, if you missed a day, practice the return. Come back without apology and let him cook you breakfast.
Day seven, look back over the week.
Write down everything you noticed about him and thank him for it. Remember where we began. Monday morning, you pray. Tuesday, you skip. Wednesday, the knot appears. This time, you know what to do with the knot. You pick up the book and you come to breakfast. Let us pray.
"Father, thank you that your heart is open to me. Thank you that I am your son and that my relationship cannot be challenged. Forgive me for the mornings I hid. I come now without fear to visit you. Teach me to treasure your presence and to keep my appointment with joy. Let my time with you become the warmest part of my day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
If this teaching has drawn you closer to the father, write this words on a piece of paper. I am in fellowship with the Father.
Share it with someone who has been feeling distant from God and because in the second teaching we go deeper. How to hear his voice, how to behold him and how to walk in his love. He is walking in the garden and he is calling your name,
Developing Intimacy With the HOLY SPIRIT Every Day (Even When You're Busy)
