A religious mindset attempts to replicate results at the price of process.
The religious mindset substitutes inspiration with imitation.
It replaces revelation with repetition.
Wow, people of God! Grace and peace to you all in Jesus’ mighty name.
Thank You, Lord.
You're all very welcome to this Partner Service here at the God's Heart TV Studio.
I want us to begin this time together in a moment of prayer.
Let us pray right now.
Lord Jesus Christ, we are connected here at this moment unto Your glory.
Help us to remain spiritually and mentally alert
in this time of fellowship, meditation and prayer.
Manifest Your strength in our weaknesses.
In Jesus’ mighty name we pray.
And the people of God said, “Amen!”
I have a word of encouragement for you today, a word of exhortation
about the dangers of a religious mindset.
And this is going to be taken from a story in the Old Testament actually.
It's contained in two passages - in 2 Samuel 5 and also in 1 Chronicles 14.
But for today's message, I'm going to read the account from 1 Chronicles 14.
So please, I would encourage you to turn with me in your Bibles to this portion -
1 Chronicles 14:8-17.
And once again, I'm going to read the story and
really highlight the dangers of a religious mindset.
It is one thing to start in the Spirit,
but it is another thing to stay in the Spirit.
As we're preparing to read the Scripture, you can just say that to your neighbour,
or speak it out right now:
“Don’t just start in the Spirit; stay in the Spirit.”
Let's keep that in our hearts as we read this portion.
As we read the verses, I'm going to be emphasising some lessons,
practical lessons of life from this account.
This is about King David.
1 Chronicles 14:8 - “Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king
over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David.
And David heard of it and went out against them.”
Okay, let's just pause the story here.
Because there's already a very big lesson here.
I want you to think about this.
God had been equipping David in private long before anointing him in public.
He was being prepared spiritually long before the battle broke out physically.
Because anointing attracts attacks.
Don't be surprised when blessings are accompanied by battles
to remind us just how much we need God.
Ammunition selected by your enemy is a clue to his fear of you.
That’s a deep statement.
I'm quoting Prophet T.B. Joshua there. I'll say it again.
Ammunition selected by your enemy is a clue to his fear of you.
The devil does not waste attention on those who don't threaten his kingdom.
Why am I pausing to emphasise this point, children of God,
before we even get into the main focus of this story?
This is a point of reflection because
there are many of us today who fall into the trap of attributing delay
to the blockage of the devil, rather than to the building of God.
What many of us see as delay - ‘I'm praying for this, but it's not yet come to pass.
I'm expecting this in my career; it’s not yet happened.
I'm expecting this to happen.
I'm seeking God for this, but I have not seen the visible results.’
What you see as delay is God building you, not the devil blocking you - as a Christian.
It's common for people today to attribute their delay or their disappointment
to the work of the devil - ‘The devil has blocked me.
The devil is behind this. The devil has stopped me from fulfilling my destiny.’
Whereas rather than the devil blocking you,
it is actually God building you, preparing you, equipping you.
But if you are so focused thinking about what is the cause of this blockage,
you may miss the process of building.
Why must God build us? Why must God equip us?
Because blessings are accompanied by battles. Anointing attracts attack.
God's favour draws man's envy.
That's why we must be equipped.
The problem today is when, out of impatience or man's ambition,
we take actions to jump ahead of God's time or try to skip ahead of God's process.
But in your skipping, you miss equipping.
If you have skipped the building, then you are not equipped for the battle.
What many of us are passing through today is the process of God building us.
You can say that to your neighbour right now or speak it out if you are alone.
“I am being built, not blocked.
I am being strengthened, not stopped.”
Say it again, “I am being built, not blocked.
I am being strengthened, not stopped.
My delay is not denial.”
Just as God was equipping David in private before anointing him in public,
as a child of God, what you are going through is part of the process
of building your character.
A word of warning:
If you rise by gift, you may fall by character.
Or let me put it even clearer.
If you only rise by gift, you will surely fall by character.
Don't get carried away by your gift to a place your character cannot carry you.
Your gift can lead to greatness of man.
But it takes character to have greatness of God.
Your gift can entertain men.
It takes character to entertain angels.
This is just a pause in this story to think about this point.
The moment the Philistines learned that David had been anointed, the attack started.
Don't be surprised when what you are praying for
attracts the attention of what you are praying against.
God must build your character.
Because what is being built in private will equip you to face the attacks in public.
Anointing attracts attack.
Let's read on - this story: 1 Chronicles 14:9.
“Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim.
And David inquired of God...” - this is very important.
Before anything else, before setting up his military tactics, strategy and plans -
‘How are we going to face the Philistines’ - his first source was God.
“David inquired of God, saying, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines?
Will You deliver them into my hand?’
The Lord said to him, ‘Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.’”
Thank You, Jesus.
“So they went up...” - in accordance with that instruction, that direction.
“They went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there.
Then David said, ‘God has broken through my enemies by my hand
like a breakthrough of water.’”
He did not say, ‘I have defeated my enemies by my hands.
My tactics have defeated these enemies.
My superior military strength has defeated these enemies.
The skills and gifts of my men and myself have defeated these enemies.’
Even though they, of course, will have played a part in the victory.
But David did not say that.
He said, “‘God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.’
Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim” -
which literally means, ‘Master of breakthroughs’.
1 Chronicles 14:12 - “And when they left their gods there, David gave a commandment,
and they were burned with fire.”
There's a lot to think about here. Let’s pause a moment.
The evidence of the genuineness of David's relationship with God
was shown in his attitude before battle and after victory.
Before the battle, David sought God's face.
After the victory, David glorified His name.
The intensity of the battle and the immensity of the victory
did not take his focus from God or his dependence on God.
This is a very big lesson for all of us today.
When a battle comes, who do you seek?
Whose opinion do you seek?
Whose direction do you seek?
Whose counsel do you seek?
To whom do you entrust your heart when the battle comes?
Look, at this time, we know we are talking about a physical battle.
I am, of course, referring here to the battles that life can bring.
Not just physical - emotional battles, financial battles, marital challenges,
challenges in health, work, career - just name it. Battles.
Who do you seek before?
When you know a battle is coming, who do you seek?
And when victory comes, who do you ascribe the glory to?
The evidence of David's relationship with God -
how God had equipped him in private before anointing him in public -
was his attitude before battle and after victory.
Also, I want you to take note.
He did not attribute the victory to his strength.
He did not attribute the victory to his skills.
He did not attribute the victory to the strength of his men or himself.
He took no credit for the victory.
The spoils of success did not spoil his spirit.
His conquest did not give rise to compromise.
That is why, immediately after the victory, he glorified God.
But not only that, he burned the idols rather than keeping them as trophies.
Some of us are busy toying with what is meant to be burning.
David knew the source of his victory was God.
So that is why he didn't give any space to the devil after the victory
by collecting those idols as trophies.
He acknowledged God, glorified God for the victory,
did away with any form of idolatry,
and the result of this is reflected in what happens next.
So let's read on - 1 Chronicles 14:13.
“Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley.”
People of God, this is an interesting story.
They had just been defeated.
David had won the victory by the hand of God after seeking God's opinion.
But the Philistines attacked the very same area.
Don't think that victory today automatically assures you of victory tomorrow.
That you overcame today
does not automatically qualify you to overcome tomorrow.
God gives grace for each day.
You must depend on His grace each day.
I hope you follow what I'm saying here, children of God.
They attacked the very same area.
That an area of your life is attacked and by the grace of God you overcome
does not mean you are automatically immune from attacks in that same area.
If David had attributed the success to himself,
or he was busy toying with the trophies of past victories,
he would not have had the sensitivity to recognise
the needed revelation for the present decision.
Because if we read what happens,
David did not just assume that the tactic he used last time would work this time.
He didn't just conclude, ‘Well, the Philistines attacked here. God said I should do this.
And so let me repeat the same process and the same victory will ensue.’
No! What did he do?
Let's read 1 Chronicles 14:14 - “Therefore, David again inquired of God...”
People of God, don't think that the approach of yesterday will work today.
You need to depend on God daily.
This is the danger of a religious mindset
because a religious mindset attempts to replicate results at the price of process.
‘We did it like this. It worked. We will continue to do it like this.’
The religious mindset substitutes inspiration with imitation.
It replaces revelation with repetition.
David did not repeat the same approach to battle.
He repeated the same approach to God. Take note of this.
He still ran to God for guidance.
He still ran to God for wisdom of how to manage this battle.
He still sought God’s opinion.
He didn't just conclude that the guidance he received in the last battle
would automatically be the same for the next battle.
In fact, if we read on, God gave him a different tactic. Let’s read.
“Therefore David inquired again of God...”
Did God say to him, ‘I have already told you what to do. Follow the same path...’?
No. God said to him, ‘You shall not go up after them.’
In the first battle, the instruction from the Spirit of God was to go up.
If David had succumbed to a religious mindset,
he would have taken the same approach and expected the same result.
But what did he do? He sought God again.
And this time “God said, ‘You shall not go up after them;
circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.
And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees,
then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you
to strike the camp of the Philistines.’
So David did as God commanded him,
and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.
Then the fame of David went out into all lands,
and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.”
People of God, I hope you understand the lesson
I'm bringing forth from this passage.
It’s a practical lesson for each and every one of us today.
Look, the religious mindset subtly seeks to disconnect your daily dependence on God.
If David had been overwhelmed by the spoils of success
or busy toying with the trophies of his past victories,
or attributing the results to his own efforts, rather than God's grace,
he would not have been sensitive to seek God's direction when the next battle came,
even though it was in the same battleground.
What am I saying here, people of God?
We must be careful of anything that tries to interfere
with our total dependence on God for everything.
We need God each and every moment.
That you are in the right place with God today
does not give you the space to relax in the spirit.
If you relax in the flesh, don't relax in the spirit.
Victory should not give room to complacency.
Your victories today should not breed complacency tomorrow.
‘Everything was fine. We overcame this. I can relax.’
If you relax in the flesh, don't relent in the spirit.
You need God each and every day.
This is the danger of the religious mindset.
We reduce the things of God to a formula
that we can apply irrespective of the state of our hearts.
The religious mindset does not recognise the importance of the heart.
That's why we can just follow a plan of man, even if initially it was inspired by God.
We now turn it into a blueprint that we adopt irrespective of the heart.
You may look at this message and say, ‘Brother Chris, can you be more practical?
How do I apply what you're talking about? I don't think I have a religious mindset.
Be more practical with what we are talking about here.’
If reading the Bible just becomes a routine...
Every day I must read my verse, read my chapter.
If prayer just becomes a ritual - I say the words but I don't mean them -
then the heart is no longer required and the Spirit can no longer inspire.
Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.
Relationship lies in the heart.
Without the help of the Holy Spirit, your prayers can just impress man, not reach God.
Without the help of the Holy Spirit,
you will read the Bible just to be informed, not to be transformed.
You may read the Bible. The Bible will not read you.
Without the help of the Holy Spirit, our fasting is just a hunger strike.
You must be careful to not fall into a religious mindset
that sets the mind or the mode above the heart.
We just follow tradition, convention, ceremony.
This is a word that calls for self-examination.
Even in churches today, when we go to the house of God,
from the perspective of you that are attending,
are you just going because it's traditional?
‘On Sunday, I must go to church’ - even if your heart is not in church.
That's religious.
We may tick the box that we have attended church.
We will not truly receive what will change our lives.
Even from the perspective of those leading church, ministries, the work of the Lord -
if everything is pre-planned, the heart is no longer required.
If the script is already written, the heart can be missing.
If the script is present, don't be surprised the heart is absent.
It can become a ceremony.
If everything is prepared before in a script,
what's the difference between a service and a show?
I'm not in any way discouraging godly routine or regularly attending church.
But that something is regular does not mean it should become religious,
where we just go through the form, the motions without taking care of the heart.
We need inspiration from the Holy Spirit, not imitation of man.
We need revelation from the Holy Spirit, not repetition of what has worked in the past.
We need relationship with God, not religion.
That is a message I take from this story of David.
This is a reflection of David's relationship with God.
He sought God before the first battle.
He glorified God after the victory.
And when another battle came, he didn't automatically conclude
that the same approach would work.
He still went back to seek God, and this time the approach was given differently.
Because David knew the military tactics were not the source of his victory.
It was the Source of those tactics.
It was the Source - God.
The source behind it determines the force behind it.
This is why we need God every day, every moment.
That you took a wrong step in the past does not disqualify you,
and that you took the right step in the past does not qualify you.
Many who are first will be last, and last will be first.
There is grace for each day.
That I was right with God yesterday does not mean it’s guaranteed I am right with God today
because each day has its own battles.
Each day has its own challenges.
Each day has its own trials.
That's why I need God each and every day.
The religious mindset is so dangerous because it uses seemingly godly things
while disconnecting our daily dependence on the Source, God.
As I said at the beginning of this message, it’s a word of encouragement,
but it’s a word of exhortation, a word that calls for reflection, people of God.
It’s not about the way you overcome.
It's about the One who overcomes.
It's all about Jesus.
We must be very careful of anything that attempts, whether directly or indirectly,
to cut off our dependence on God, our communion with God and our duty to God.
That's the religious mindset.
‘This approach worked. Let's stick with it.’
Your approach to battle may change. Your approach to God will not.
Approach God and let His Spirit direct your approach. That's the answer.
So people of God, this is the message I wanted to
share with everyone in today's meeting - the danger of the religious mindset.
We must break free from the spirit of religion.
How? Daily dependence on God.
Daily dependence on God requires daily settlement of the heart -
daily checking your heart,
so that we are not toying with things we are meant to be burning.
David gave the instruction to burn those idols.
Don't try to build bridges with what is meant to be burned.
If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off (Matthew 5:30).
Some of us are taking trophies of past victories as if,
‘This will help me to understand the world better.’
It will help the world to overcome you, not you understand it.
I will bring this message to a close at this point.
I know there is a lot of food for thought in this message,
and we are going to have an opportunity now for questions, comments.
If you have something from today's message you'd like to ask about,
or you have a lesson that you would like to share with fellow people of God
here in God's presence, this is an opportunity for you to do so.
And I pray that the message you have received today will sink deep into your hearts
to root out every religious mindset, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
Thank you so much, Brother Chris.
This sermon really touched me.
Because I think I've fallen in that rut of depending on past victories.
And I would say that in the past I would probably call them principles.
But my question to you is this -
when we find ourselves in that state,
what is the best way that we can settle our hearts?
You said that we first of all need to settle our hearts.
What's the best way that we can do that?
Okay. Thank you very much, brother.
All of us can know - if we are sincere.
You can know when your heart is not settled.
Because no one knows you better than you know yourself.
You may attempt to attribute it to other factors or forces,
but no one knows your heart better than you.
If your heart is not settled, your heart is disturbed,
first of all, we have to identify what is causing that disturbance.
What is behind that ‘unsettlement’?
And if we are to be direct, the thing that disturbs our spirits as Christians is sin,
in whichever way, shape or form it manifests itself.
If we recognise that the source of our disturbance spiritually is sin,
we must equally recognise that the solution is spiritual.
Sometimes we try to mask our disturbance by
engaging ourselves in other activities to try and just forget about it
or take our mind away from it or try to postpone dealing with it.
But the answer is spiritual.
And the answer is not too far from repentance and seeking God’s face for forgiveness.
That's the answer, my brother. There's no formula here.
That's the answer. No one is perfect.
That's why we depend on the Blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary for us.
But I think one of the big problems people have today is that they delay
in settling the issues of their hearts
because they're not truly ready to deal with the sin that has caused the disturbance.
Maybe because there's a fleeting enjoyment of that sin,
or maybe because they have not been alert to recognise what it truly is.
I so often talk about, for example, this issue of unforgiveness, bitterness.
It's such an easy trap to fall into because you can be deceived
into thinking you are justified in harbouring it because of the wrong done to you.
But what you don't realise is that by harbouring it,
you are violating the very command Jesus Christ gave us to release forgiveness.
So even though it is the wrong done to you, not that you've knowingly done wrong
to someone else, but the wrong done to you -
by harbouring it, you're going to cause a disturbance in your heart.
So that's an example of something that we often are not alert to recognise.
We don't realise that that's the cause of our disturbance because we are clouded by
the pain of the wrong done to us,
or the feeling that such a response is justified because of what has happened.
So the light of God's Word opens our eyes to where we need to repent
and reconcile with God, and that is why we hear a message like this.
You hear the Word of God and it brings you to the place of reflection, examination.
And the beautiful thing is that when we turn to God with all of our hearts,
He’s ready and willing to welcome us, to forgive us and the past is over.
That's why I said the wrong steps you took yesterday don't disqualify you.
Satan tries to use guilt from the past
to paralyse us in the present from taking the rightful actions.
But if you hear a message like this today and right here, right now,
identify where you have gone wrong, ask God for forgiveness, reconnect with Him -
the heart can be settled and you continue your journey.
But if you delay settlement, then you are building disturbance.
It's only going to build up.
It's not going to be solved by trying to cover it with hard work or
recreational activities or schemes of blaming.
It's not going to work.
You have to get right with God.
And to conclude, brother, I really can't emphasise this enough.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, I cannot emphasise this enough.
We are living in a world where there is no shortage
of temptations and distractions everywhere.
And this flesh is weak. We are weak.
So we must take actions actively to help us spiritually.
Have a place in your house set aside for prayer.
When your heart is troubled, go there.
When your heart is disturbed, go there.
Go on your knees before God.
I tell you, if you seek God sincerely, you will identify what is causing that trouble.
And as you bring it before God's presence, the peace and joy will be restored.
But so many times something disturbs us and everything around us
contributes to that disturbance, rather than helping us to settle it.
Sometimes we need to set aside a place.
Look, I talked today about the danger of religion.
I am not saying, ‘If I go to that prayer room, automatically my heart will be settled.’
I'm saying find a place on the outside that will help you reconnect on the inside.
Have a place which you can set aside for prayer. Life is full of distractions.
Life is full of temptations.
There's no shortage of things trying to shift our focus, take us away from God.
But you know yourself. You know your heart.
Everyone listening right now - we know our hearts.
You can know if something's disturbing you.
You can know if your spirit is not settled.
And if you are sincere and go deep, the cause of that disturbance is sin.
But the Blood of Jesus is enough. Run to Him.
To quote Prophet T.B. Joshua again,
“If you make a mistake, as we all do, don't run from God; run to Him.”
And that mistake will become a tool to teach you,
to mature you, to improve you as far as you run to Him.
But that's the issue - running to Him.
That's the lesson from David - he ran back to God.
In the victory, he ran to God. In the battle, he ran to God.
When the battle happened the second time, he ran back to God.
It was the consistency of his running to God that was the source of his victory,
not the strategy that God gave him.
Blessings! My name is Fabiola from Honduras living in Kentucky, USA.
Thank you very much for this message, which has really filled my heart.
What happens when we go to God as David did...
Because David asked God what he had to do and God’s answer was clear.
The first time He said, ‘Go’ and the second time He said, ‘Don’t go’.
So, the problem I have is that I ask God but I don’t hear His answer,
or I cannot distinguish the answer He has to my question.
I’m going to give a simple example.
I have been living here in Kentucky for four years
and I desire with all my heart to go to live in Florida.
It seems like it is something simple but I want to ask God if it’s His will
but I don’t hear what His answer is.
This is the first question:
How can I recognise God’s voice when He answers me?
The very first question you asked is a very common question.
And at its root it is - how do I hear the voice of God?
Because it is easy to read this portion and say, ‘Well, it was very easy for David.
David just inquired of God. The instruction came. He acted on it.
Why is it not so easy for me?’
Some of us would just like to pray and then we would love a voice from the heavens
to come and say, ‘Go this way’ or ‘Don't go this way.’
And I think it's important to emphasise that this is why we talk about relationship.
Because the closer you draw to God, the clearer His voice becomes in your spirit.
God is able to speak to us in multiple ways.
We cannot restrict God in the way He speaks to His people.
Yes, I used the example that people would like to hear a voice.
Some people - you can hear a voice audibly. It can happen.
Some people may receive a message from God in a dream, a revelation, a vision.
Sometimes God may send someone to you with a message that you needed to hear
at that moment - God can use someone to convey.
Sometimes the circumstances of life are themselves a message to us.
Often, it’s the still, small voice of God’s Spirit in our hearts.
What I can say to you, sister, is very clearly this.
Although we cannot determine how God speaks to us
or the way God will choose to answer us when we pray,
what we can do is take care of the heart to whom God will speak.
Prayer is not just about talking.
It’s a two way conversation.
It's about talking to God, listening to God not with these ears, but with the heart.
If I go back to the answer I gave my brother earlier,
the best way to position yourself to hear from God is to settle your spirit.
If your heart is disturbed, your heart is troubled, your heart is weighed down,
you will likely be insensitive to what His Spirit is telling you.
This is why we reduce to desiring for our ears to hear the audible voice.
Because we want to bypass the process of settling our spirits.
Or we want to go to a man of God and just receive a prophecy - ‘You must do ABC.’
God can speak through His servants. Prophecy is real.
God can direct people through prophetic words.
But we should not see prophecy as an avenue
to bypass God's processing of settling our hearts.
I can just go to church and receive a prophecy that I should do this.
Even if God speaks to you in prophecy, there must be a confirmation,
which is why you must settle your own heart, settle your own spirit.
I would love to say to you today, sister, ‘It's as easy as following this formula.
Do this and you'll hear the voice of God.’
Look, the ways of God are higher than our ways.
God sees the bigger picture always.
And the way in which he communicates to us as His children
can often be mysterious to these senses.
But what I can tell you, God does not leave us without direction.
If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him.
He does not leave us without guidance.
If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find it.
You focus on the seeking and the direction will come.
You focus on caring for your heart and
sometimes events beyond your control will be supernaturally orchestrated
from above to take you to where He wants you to be.
But take care of your heart.
So my question, I think it's pretty straightforward,
but for me, sometimes it tends to be a challenge in the practical sense.
So my question is, how do you depend on God in a practical way, on a day-to-day basis?
And then what example do you have of how you do this yourself daily? Thank you.
All of us need to examine ourselves - ‘Okay, I hear this message.
How does this apply in my life, situation, family, marriage, workplace - everything?’
I think it all comes down to what we prioritise in life.
If you prioritise your relationship with God,
then you will structure your daily schedule around time with Him.
It doesn't mean you neglect your other assignments and responsibilities.
Of course not!
I am sure you are a working man and I believe brother, you have a family, right?
You have a divine responsibility to care for your family when you're at work,
as you give your best at your work for the glory of God.
These are not things that you neglect, but you must structure
your time management around the principle of your relationship with God first.
In other words, time with God is non-negotiable.
It’s not like I can adjust my way of life to manage without investing time with God.
It's essential. Now, how does that work out for you?
You may say, ‘Okay, because of prioritising my relationship with God,
I need to get up earlier in the morning and have some time of prayer
or time to read the Scriptures.’
Maybe it means in certain areas recognising there will be some sacrifices -
time I would ordinarily spend perhaps in leisure or recreation,
I rather want to give that time for the things of God.
That’s why I can't begin to share with you today specifically for you - ‘This is how to do it.’
You asked me the question - you should give an example of your own life.
And for myself, I am, by God's grace, in full time ministry.
Everything about me and everything surrounding me
are things that redirect me to God, which is an incredible privilege.
But you can't compartmentalise your life to think, ‘Well, I have my time at work,
which is just for making money,
and then I have my time with family, which is to enjoy fellowship with family.
Then I have my time for God.’
No, our relationship with God influences and impacts everything about that.
So when my relationship with God is my priority,
how I navigate marital issues is informed by my spiritual principles.
As husband and wife, you have a clash, marital misunderstanding.
The evidence of what you prioritise in your life
is reflected in how you react to that misunderstanding.
So if my relationship with God is the most important thing to me,
I cannot afford to remain in a state of marital disagreement.
So even if I have to lower my pride, I must do so for the sake of settling that issue
so my heart can be right with God.
Oftentimes, marital misunderstandings are prolonged because we, at that moment,
are more concerned about proving ourselves before man rather than being right with God.
So if my relationship with God is my priority, love God above all else,
everything else flows from that principle.
So I could talk about time with God, reading the Bible, prayer.
These are not things that should just be seasonal or circumstantial.
They should be daily.
But even that, it’s not - ‘Well, I’ve got my...’
That's why I talked about a religious mindset.
‘I’ve read my five verses. Let me get on with my life.
I have offered my prayer. Now let’s get back to business.’
No! What I read in those verses guides me through life.
What I pray to God guides me in business, family, marriage,
guides me in how I respond when I take a wrong step as we all do, how I handle mistakes.
So there is no formula, my brother.
But I would still - you know, you asked me to be personal.
I really encourage everyone to have a place set aside for prayer.
I can't emphasise it enough.
On a personal note, when I wake up in the morning and before I go to bed at night,
I will go to a place of prayer.
Whether it's for one hour, whether it's for one minute - it’s not about length.
It’s about making sure our heart is right with God.
That does not depend on being in a physical area. Our heart is the prayer room.
But sometimes setting aside a place can be very beneficial,
so you are surrounded by things that remind you of God.
Even if the heart disconnects - when you walk by and see it, you are reminded.
So I hope my brother, you take a message from this.
So let me even ask you. This is a good opportunity.
I want to ask you, do you have a place in your home set aside for prayer if you can tell me?
So, I pray in the living room.
I try to be consistent waking up in the morning, but sometimes it's a challenge.
And the reason why I was also asking this question was -
when the Bible says pray without ceasing...
I think there was also a message where T.B. Joshua was saying
you need to pray in your heart all the time.
So, sometimes I pray in my car. I pray when I wake up.
Sometimes, I forget. I get carried away by work.
So, that's why I was asking - how do you keep that engaged?
But I think your answer has been very insightful.
Thank you, my brother.
Look, living room is for living. Dining room is for eating. Bedroom is for sleeping.
Find another place for prayer. Don’t combine it.
I understand that not everyone may have the rooms available,
but what I mean is - have a place set aside, not a place that you combine.
Today it’s like this; tomorrow it’s like that - no.
Even if it's a space within a room, have it dedicated - if you need to corner it off.
Even if it's a small space - ‘Oh, this is an altar. This is a place for God.’
Not that you go there and pray today but tomorrow you are relaxing, watching something.
Don't combine the two. Set it aside - even if it’s just a small part of the room.
It’s a principle. It’s important.
And the question you are asking about - how do we pray all the time in our hearts?
As I said, the closer we draw to God, the more we prioritise Him,
the more time we spend with Him, you will find that spontaneously,
your spirit is engaging in godly things without your mind even being conscious of it.
It’s a process. It doesn't happen overnight. That's why we have to persevere.
We have to press in, and we have to disconnect from those things that contaminate us.
The problem we have today is that we easily give room to things that contaminate our spirits.
And then we wonder why our spirits begin to disconnect.
Look, it can reach a point where your mind can be at work solving a problem
or engaging in a conversation with someone,
and at the same time, there's a song going on in your heart.
There's a prayer going on in your heart.
Your brain may not even be conscious of it but your spirit is at work.
Just like when you sleep, this body is dead, but the heart is active, alive.
At the beginning, it may be your mind being conscious
and repeating words or meditating consciously on words
but a time will come where it just becomes part of you.
Your spirit unconsciously goes to God for wisdom, for guidance.
But we have to be careful of what contaminates our spirits.
What are we watching? What are we giving attention to?
What are we feeding our spirits with?
Grace and peace to everyone.
My name is Patricia and I am speaking with you from the United States of America.
And I'm in the state of Minnesota.
Thank you. So I have two questions.
So one of them is in regard to the Scripture that we read today.
So I want to ask - if King David did not hear a clear message from God,
telling him to either move forward or not to move forward,
he had been living right with God - would he change his prayer point?
For example, if he didn't hear that he should go and fight the Philistines,
would he have to change his prayer point?
Or would he just assume - ‘Since I’m living right with God, I’m good to go.
Silence is not denial. I can go, overtake them and win the battle.’
So that’s one question and then, my second question is -
for example, I'm praying about something and I hear from God, ‘Soon, you will have this’,
does it mean that in the meantime while I wait to hear from Him,
can I go ahead and do other things?
Or is He saying, ‘Soon but I want you to remain in prayer. Don’t move anyhow.’
So I was wondering if you could help me with that.
Ok, thank you, sister. So, the key principle here is the fact that David,
before concluding on a course of action, chose to seek God and approach God.
Now, if we begin to say, ‘What would happen in Scenario A
if he did not hear from God or there was not a clearcut message
or what would happen in Scenario B?’
There's so many different scenarios that you could talk about.
That's why we need spiritual sensitivity because situations change.
We need wisdom for each situation, which is why we need God.
So I don't think it would be particularly beneficial to the general message
if we began to say, ‘Well, if it was Scenario B where he did not do this,
David would have done that’,
because if an answer does not come in the way you expect,
then there will be another way in which God speaks to you.
I really believe that God will not leave us without direction.
It's not a formula that says, ‘Right, if you don't get Answer A, then let's look for B,
and if it’s B, that means you should do this.’
No. That's why we talk about relationship with God.
So it's not like when the battle comes - ‘Let me quickly bring out my book.
Ok, let’s try A. If that doesn’t work, then we go to B.
If the answer is B, then we try C’ - like it’s a chart.
No, it's about the overflow of relationship with God.
That's why I talked about David being equipped before this battle.
The attitude he had in the battle was a reflection of the relationship he had
before the battle - relationship with God.
So we need to prioritise caring for that relationship.
Okay, maybe this brings us to the second question you had.
And I want to quote something I said in a recent message that waiting on the Lord
is not a justification for laziness or mismanagement.
If you are seeking something from God and it's not yet come,
and you have that prompting of the Spirit that it’s going to come soon,
it doesn't mean you sit back, just relax and say,
‘Well, when that soon comes, it will come’.
You have to make use of whatever is in your hands today
to do what is right and work hard towards what you believe God has put in your heart.
So, in your particular example, although we don't know specifically the area you're referring to,
what I would just say very simply is this -
satan will do anything to try and stop us from acting faith in the present.
Waiting should not be an idle time.
Waiting is an active time because waiting is also part of preparing.
God is building us, but we have to pay attention to the lesson.
We all know if you go to school but you don't pay attention, you're not going to pass.
You have to pay attention to the lesson.
So the period of waiting may be more about paying attention to what God is teaching you.
Maybe there's an area of your character that needs to be adjusted.
Maybe there's a bad habit that currently you're engaged in -
that ‘soon’ will come when you deal with that habit.
But it's all about recognising, when it comes to the things of God,
we cannot bypass His process.
And as I said, God is more interested in our character than our gift.
So if God sees you are not yet ready for what He's prepared to release to you,
He will rather wait until you are ready spiritually and your character is equipped.
So your focus should be on that, rather than saying, ‘Well, if it's not yet there, let's jump ahead.’
That's why I said we shouldn’t jump ahead of God.
Vision waits for God's time.
Ambition does not wait for God's time. Vision waits for God's time.
That is why we have to make sure that in our period of waiting, we are not mismanaging.
We are not being idle. We are not just expecting it to fall from Heaven
into our plates without playing our part.
So thank you very much, sister. I hope you understand.
Thank you.