May/June 2000
My time spent alone with the Lord is normally in the mornings. This time is devoted to prayer, Bible reading, worship and praise. I can confidently say that this time is the most precious part of my entire day. When I learned that God loved me and wanted to be with me, it changed my life. I was amazed and intrigued at the same time. I had heard all my life that God loved me. But, it was not until 1998 that it began to penetrate my spirit and renew my mind and thinking. I set out on a journey to know this God who loved me and wanted to be with me.
On that journey, it was not long before Hebrews 11:6 got a hold of me. I began to seek the Lord diligently through His Word. The more I read and learned about Him the hungrier and thirstier I became. As I started to get to know Him, I began to understand more and more about His love for me. The more I began to understand His love for me, the more I began to love Him. As my love for Him increased, the closer I found myself to Him, wanting to spend more time with Him. Very quickly, I started to look forward to times when I could get away and spend time with the Lord. I soon realized that every opportunity I found for free time, I would read my Bible. I was enjoying what I was learning and did not want to forget it. So I began writing down the insights I discovered during those times. This was the beginning of a Spiritual Journal that I have come to cherish as my most prized possession, aside from my Bible, of course.
Now mind you, I can take none of the credit for this. I had no idea what was happening to me. All I understood was that I was being drawn to a love I had never known before. And this love satisfied all that was missing in my life.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26
One day during my quiet time with the Lord, He led me to the following Scripture:
God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1 Corinthians 1:9
Then it hit me and I realized that God was working in my life, calling me into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. One thing we must always remember about our Christian life is that it is a process and truth is revealed as we are ready to receive it.
My journey of seeking the Lord through His word prepared me to receive the fellowship of His Son.
It is through the Word of God that He draws us into relationship with His Son. I guarantee you, if you would spend regular, consistent time in the Word of God, you will find yourself being drawn into intimate fellowship with Christ. And just as He did for me, He will fill every void in your life. You, too, will be amazed and overwhelmed by His great love for you. You will be even more amazed by your love for Him that will begin to grow, grow and grow. Don’t just take my word for it, listen to the words of Jesus Christ, Himself in John 14:21:
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
Time alone in the Word of God with a willing and obedient heart will lead to a love relationship between you and your Savior. It begins with time in the word, spent alone with the Father, which develops into into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. But, best of all, look at what the result will be ...”I will show myself to him” (verse 21) Jesus will begin to show Himself to you, reveal His will for your life and give you life more abundantly.
Allow me to share with you some of the ways in which Jesus revealed Himself to me through the word and prayer. These are just a few highlights from my daily quiet time. I keep a journal to be sure that I can always go back and reflect upon how Jesus is changing my life. Keeping a journal also encourages me to remain steadfast in my faith. It is awesome to be able to see how and when God has moved in my life. It also strengthens my relationship with Jesus as I discover what I have learned from Him.
First, let me share how the actual discipline of quiet time was taught to me.
The first person I ever known to have quiet time was my grandfather, Bishop George E. Moye. One Christmas holiday, he stayed at my house and slept in my upper bedroom. That morning when he came down, he was smiling and glowing at the same time. I said, "Granddaddy, what happened." He said, "Oh the Lord and I had a good time up there this morning." That was all he said, but I never forgot it.
But I do remember wanting to know God in the same way as my grandfather. Now from that day to this one, I cannot explain it all. But, I can tell you that I began reading the Bible and any other book about God that I could find. It was God who began to draw me to Himself as I sought after Him. Thank God from Whom all blessings flow.
I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me. Psalm 8:7
Note: Angel News Ministries was born as a result of the death of Bishop George E. Moye and the legacy of faith he left his family.
Luke 10:38-42
Are you Mary or Martha?
The Lord showed me a truth, one morning reading the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42. He showed me how my life was much like Martha's. I was ripping and running, doing all kinds of things, busy with this, that and the other. I had very little time to devote solely to sitting at the feet of Jesus, like Mary.
Although Martha was busy doing something important, like preparing dinner for a very important house guest. Jesus let her know that there one only "one needful thing" that was more important than anything else. That “one needful thing” was hearing the word of God and spending time with Jesus.
I learned spiritual responsibility from this lesson. There is nothing more important than the time spent alone with the Lord. Like Martha, we can get so caught up in working for Jesus that we spend no time with Jesus. Yes, we have many responsibilities and things that steal our attention and drain our strength. But, Jesus said it all when he said "there is one thing that is needful."
This is why I believe my Grandfather spent quiet time in the mornings. By doing so, God was first and everything else followed. Jesus instructs His disciples to "seek ye first the Kingdom" and during His ministry, he often spent time alone with the Father in the mornings (Mark 1:35).
This was proof enough for me. I began to pattern morning devotions after both my "earthly" and "heavenly" role models.
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:1-3
Romans 7:18-25
The Battle of the Flesh
As always, during devotional time certain truths are revealed to me. Most times, they are things I have been wondering about or something I read that I did not understand. Then, a light comes and things become crystal clear. This was an example of one of those times.
From my study Bible, I read: "The more pure and holy the heart is, the more sensitive it will be to the sin that remains in it." Wow!! How ironic. I was under the impression that the more holy and pure my heart, the less sin I should find. Whenever I did find sin, I would feel defeated and disappointed in myself. Rather, this is the work of God sanctifying my soul for Heaven. I should rejoice in the fact that I am sensitive to sin. The next thing to do is confess it and be cleansed by the Holy Spirit in accordance with 1 John 1:19.
The struggle with sin in our flesh is the battle of a true Christian. In reading Romans 7 about Paul's struggle with this, it sounded very much like my own. The good that I want to do, this I do not do. The things I do not want to do, that I do. But, praise God for the Holy Spirit who will rescue me from this struggle. The Spirit is stronger than the flesh. As I seek to live according to the Spirit, I will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Therefore, there can be no condemnation for those that in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8)
This was a wonderful truth I learned that morning. It set me free from Satan’s trap of feeling defeated and frustrated. Thank God that He loves us and encourages us in our walk with Him. Anytime you are feeling condemned or defeated, it is not from God. There is a great difference between the conviction of God and the condemnation of Satan.
Problems in my own life as well as prayer requests, keep me before the Lord seeking an answer to the dilemma of suffering. I have to admit, I am still finding the need to constantly return to the grace of God for help in this area. I have learned a lot of things about suffering, but the only principle that gives me hope and strength is that God is in total control of everything. He is Omniscient, knowing all things before they happen. Nothing catches Him by surprise, unaware or unprepared. He is Omnipotent, having all power over all things. Nothing is beyond His authority or ability to handle. Best of all, He is Omnipresent. Always present with all power, knowledge, and ability to take care of me.
This is what I tell myself and others who come to me with sufferings and problems. I usually rest in the fact that I don't know or understand everything. I just know Who is in control of it all and I seek to concentrate on Him and His nature and not on the problem.
Let me share with you some of the Scriptures I read to calm my spirit and feed my faith in times of suffering:
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:12-19
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Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:2-3
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