Abiding in the Heartbeat of God...Craig Denison Ministries

 Abiding in the Heartbeat of God

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview: 

The absolute, most important single act of the children of God is making space to encounter our heavenly Father in the secret place. Abiding in God is the foundation on which every other aspect of the Christian life finds success. It establishes roots which enable us to receive all that we need to bear the fruit of the Spirit. It guides us to constant refreshment and revival in God’s presence, thereby supplying and sustaining the abundant life God intends for us. My prayer is that you would be marked by wonderful, satisfying, and fulfilling encounters with the presence of God as we look at John 15:1-17 this week. Make room in your heart and mind to rest in the love of your heavenly Father as we look at the different ways we are to abide in true vine of God.

Scripture:“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8

Devotional:    

Jesus makes us an almost unbelievable promise in John 15:7-8. Scripture says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” Jesus promises that if we abide in him and allow his words to abide in us, then we can ask anything we desire of God and it will happen. Clearly this is a vital passage for us to understand today. I believe that the Lord has fresh revelation in store for us if we will take him at his word and allow him to transform our understanding of what it is to petition our heavenly Father. So, let’s open our hearts and minds and allow the Holy Spirit to come and do a work in us today as we place our trust in Jesus’ word.

I have spent a large part of my Christian life praying without understanding how to pray. I used to view prayer as time for me to ask God for what I thought would be good and then wait to see if my circumstances lined up with my prayer. Then only through my circumstances would I know if God’s answer to my prayer was yes or no. Then I read John 15:7-8. Jesus clearly teaches a very different model of prayer than I had been experiencing.

Jesus’ model for prayer is abiding in his presence, abiding in his words, and then asking God for our heart’s desires. God desires that we would be so in tune with his heartbeat and so saturated with his word that our desires would be transformed into his desires. His plan is to fill us with the knowledge of his perfect will for our lives in the secret place so that we can pray and live wholeheartedly with full expectation that our heavenly Father will bring to fruition the desires he has placed within us.

Does this model of prayer line up with your life? Is your prayer life marked by abiding in him and his word first? Have you discovered the heartbeat of your heavenly Father? Do you feel as if you know how he feels about situations going on in your life? Are you so saturated with his word that it is transforming your actions, beliefs, emotions, and prayers?

Scripture says in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” And Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” God longs for you to search out his heartbeat. He longs to reveal to you how he feels about you and every aspect of your life. He longs to transform your desires into his that you might desire and ask him for what is really best for you.

Asking God for something is meant to be as simple as abiding in his presence and word and praying in line with the desires he’s birthed in you. Discover today the wealth of desires he longs to share with you. Ask him to show you how he feels and thinks. Saturate yourself in his word. Allow the teachings of Jesus to transform your perspectives. And ask your heavenly Father to bring to fruition the desires he’s placed within you. May your desires be one with God’s today as you spend time abiding in the true vine of Jesus.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Jesus’ process of prayer. Reflect on each phrase. Allow the words of Jesus to transform the way you view spending time with God and prayer.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8

2. Spend time abiding in the presence and word of Jesus. Ask him to reveal how he feels about situations in your life where you need his help. Ask him to show you how he feels about anything you are curious about! Spending time with God is meant to consist of conversation, questions, and response. Seek and rest in his heart and word today.

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

3. After discovering the heartbeat of God and the teachings of Jesus, ask God for your heart’s desire in confidence! Petition your heavenly Father to bring to fruition the desires he is planting within you. Pray in line with the Spirit and Truth. Take joy in your heavenly Father’s desire to answer your prayer.

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:5-8

The Lord loves to answer the prayers of his children. He longs to give you every good and perfect gift. Trust in his goodness. Have faith that he will respond to your prayers in more magnificent ways than you could ever imagine. He is our loving Father, and he loves to bless us. Rest in his presence and word today, and allow him to mold and shape you into the image of Jesus.

Extended Reading: Matthew 6

A Prayer for Revival in Our Country...By Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer for Revival in Our Country

By Chelsey DeMatteis

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” - Matthew 5:13

When I look around, I see the rotten fruit of a nation that’s removed the Lord from all of society. People have chosen comfort over boldness and passivity over truth. Fear over faith, and pleasing man over pleasing God.

We as believers are at a pivotal point when it comes to our hunger for the Lord. We have turned from godly desires in order to be embraced by the world. Choosing to be loved by the world has come at the cost of losing our saltiness. “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”

We know full well that we cannot claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior while we dance with the devil. There is no such thing as entertaining darkness behind a closed door - the Lord sees it all. It’s time for us to stop wanting popularity in the world and start living on fire for the truth. We can no longer turn a blind eye to the way culture has fought to remove the Lord from everything, and not only remove Him, but usher in the darkness.

We must start leading in truth and loving in truth. It is time to get ourselves girded up in God’s Word for our own walk. Then through this pursuit of our hearts, we can begin pouring into the next generation. We can teach them who God is, we can help them to understand what He commands and why. We must teach them why God the Father sent Christ to the cross for a relationship with us. What an honor it is to know we can be the ones who get to lead a generation to know these truths and live them boldly.

It's time to surrender what we wish things looked like and start being the hands and feet of Jesus to the world around us. This will create a change, this will create the ripple effect that comes from the Great Commission, this is how we live out being the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Let's pray:

Lord, lead and guide us as we walk boldly for you in this world. Cover us with your mercy and grace as we step out in faith to combat the messages that have tried to delude you. Create in us pure hearts that want to honor you above all.

Let us, as bold believers of Christ and Your Kingdom, lead in truth, love in truth, and uphold the truth. Let the men of God in this nation rise up to train up younger men to know what You command of them. We pray you would show them what it means to be men who honor You with their whole lives, and who desire to lead and protect those entrusted to them.

Let the women of God rise up to teach the younger women to love You and Your word. To be women who want to obey You and honor You; to be women of the Word and not women of this world.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Loving God Wholeheartedly...By Anne Peterson

 Loving God Wholeheartedly

By Anne Peterson

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” - Jeremiah 29:13

Did you ever look for something you’ve lost? You’re retracing your steps, trying hard to remember when you last saw that item, and yet, you’re coming up empty. Maybe it’s because you’re not really engaged, just trying to go through the motions.

Or how about when you are with someone, and they are having a conversation. You are there with them, but not completely. And you think you’re pulling it off, till they ask you a question, and then you’re forced to confess you weren’t really listening. Or here’s an even better example. You’re on the phone with someone and they’re explaining something to you in detail, when suddenly you interrupt and say, “Hey, listen to this!” And you share something you saw on the internet. Yes, I did this just today. And how did my brother feel? Unimportant. 

There have even been times when I’m reading the Bible, but when I get to the end of the passage, I don’t remember what I’ve read. It’s possible to do many things half-heartedly. Maybe that’s why God tells us that we’re to trust Him with our whole hearts (Proverbs 3:5).

My Bible teacher had this gift I thought was rare. No matter who she was with, Lois made them feel as if they were the only one on earth. For that time we spent with her, we felt special. Like we really mattered.

Do you know what really helped me know how to be present? A sweet baby granddaughter who now lives in heaven. Olivia was born with a genetic disorder, Trisomy 18. There would be many things she would never do, according to the doctors. But in her short 14 months here on earth, she taught us the importance of being where we are. I learned if I wasn’t present with Livie, I might miss something.

In Psalm 139, David describes how fully God knows him. God knows our thoughts before we verbalize them. And not only does he know our thoughts, but he knows our every movement. God studies us. Which reminds me of when I first knew my husband. 

I hung on every word he said. Wow, that has somehow changed through the years. But God is always leaning in to hear even words we whisper. This wonderful, loving Father, who doesn’t want to miss a thing, just like me and Livie. No wonder, as parents and grandparents, we love those God gives us. He shows us how.

God tells us we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). I heard a speaker expound on this passage saying that we are God’s poem. That seeped deep into my heart since I’m a poet. Actually, I’m a poem God knows by heart.

David was called a man after God’s own heart. Maybe because David sought the Lord with his whole heart. It’s true, David made mistakes in his life, but when he did, he knew where to go—to God.

Sometimes when we blow it, we don’t go to God, we try to hide. And yet, eventually, we realize that there is no place we can hide from God. He is omnipresent. And even the dark won’t hide us, because God is light, and there is no darkness in him (1John 1:5).

I love to walk. One of my favorite places to walk is in the cemetery by my house. I can walk there in the morning and it feels like it’s only me and God there. And sometimes He’ll even have a deer or two show up. I like seeing the dew on the morning grass, making it shine like diamonds. It’s a time where I can’t help but remember the old hymn, In the Garden. It’s about walking with God, holding hands. I’ve walked in that cemetery for years. Through times when my heart was light and full of gratitude. Other times when I tried to process still another loss. And each and every time, I never walked alone. He and I walked together.

Sometimes I start out by just praying and letting him know what’s on my heart. And often I will end up singing. It’s funny. Even on hard days when my heart has been burdened, I leave feeling lighter. Maybe I’m learning how to love God wholeheartedly.

Intersecting Faith & Life:
Yes, sometimes it may seem easier to love God with our whole hearts. While at other times we get swallowed up in the circumstances surrounding us. And yet, even in those times when we offer him half of our hearts, He still is attentive to us, ever patient, always loving. I’m so glad that we can read about David who knew he was loved by God and knew the door to God was always open.

Father, I pray for anyone who may be struggling today. Perhaps they feel distance from you and don’t realize you are always there. The circumstances of their life are clouding their vision. Lord, draw them near to You. I pray this in Your Son’s precious and Holy name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Biggest Smile

God, with all you have to do,
I’ve never heard you say,
“I’m sorry, but I’m busy now,
come back another day.”

You listen to my lengthy prayers,
though others need you everywhere.
You always wear your biggest smile,
like I’m your only child.
©Anne Peterson 2021

For Further Reading: 
Read: Psalm 139:1-12