Free course, free of obstacles

(new article tomorrow)

A great old hymn, "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne," written in 1864 by Emily E. Elliott, includes the stanza:

"The foxes found rest and the birds their nest In the shade of the forest tree; But thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God, In the deserts of Galilee: O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee."

"Prayer is constantly talking to God about everything going on in your life, applying what His Word says," explains Richard Jordan. “All of a sudden you’re making all of your life under this wonderful, intimate communion with a heavenly Father who loves you and desires you more than anything else. He desires that fellowship and active communion with you taking what He says and bringing it into your experience by walking by faith.

"Paul says, 'Pray for me; I’m excited about what we’re doing.' He writes in II Thessalonians 3:1: 'Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.' Paul’s saying, ‘I want the Word of the Lord to be set free; run without obstacles. Run without needing to stop and be glorified.’

“When you glorify something you demonstrate how valuable it is; how much of a treasure it is. How important it is. How would you glorify the Lord Jesus Christ? How do you demonstrate in your life that you cherish Him more than anybody else; His wisdom, His thinking?

“When you make decisions in life, whose opinion is the most valuable? You’re choosing HIS thinking, HIS attitudes, having HIS actions. I can’t live the life but He gave me His life and that’s the life that’s going to count.

"I Thessalonians 1:5 says, 'For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.'

"The power is in the power of God. As chapter 2:13 says, 'For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.'

"Jesus says, 'The flesh profiteth nothing,' meaning all of our wisdom, our resources, aren’t the issue.

“You got to start there! You never want to glory in yourself. Galatians 2:20 says, ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.’

“You’re constantly learning that it isn’t me; it’s Him. Jesus said, ‘The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life.' The objective measure of the working of the Spirit of God in your life is God’s Spirit wrote a Book and it’s a physical, tangible connection between Him and you.

"You never appropriate that into your experience until you need that. If you don't know it, you can't appropriate it. The need is, 'Not I but Christ.' You're constantly learning that. You learn this at a different level; that's part of what maturity is all about.

"Jesus said, 'The words I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.' The words on the pages are the words of the Spirit, and when I believe that Word and put my faith in it, it WORKS; it becomes energizing activity and life in him who believes."