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This article was originally published in Edition (4) of Prayer Magazine, Autumn 2005. “It is one thing to know intellectually about Jesus, it’s another thing to get up each day ‘Being’ His friend and engaging in the ministry of the Holy Spirit.” In the face of bombings, threats of violence and increasing lawlessness, it is easy to understand how minds can be captivated by discouragement and doubt. But we, the Beloved of God, are not to be overcome by fear. We are to press into the Holy Spirit and secure our hearts in His presence. 2 Corinthians 4:1 in the Amplified Bible says “Therefore, since we do hold and ENGAGE in this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not get discouraged (spiritless and despondent with fear) or become faint with weariness and exhaustion.” To ENGAGE means to occupy, employ, or to enter into, or agree. When someone is ENGAGED to someone else they are committed to pursue and stay connected with their beloved. They only have eyes for their betrothed and are completely focused on becoming fully united with them. Some one who is said to be ENGAGING has the ability to capture and hold the attention of others. When an army ENGAGES in warfare, they have entered into combat and direct conflict with their enemy. Our first order of business in ‘being’ a friend of Jesus is to engage with Him first thing in our day. For me the Holy Spirit began to impress this scripture upon my heart from time to time, and after about a year I finally realized the power of it as I obeyed it rising early each morning to seek God for wisdom. “The Lord God has given me the tongue of a disciple, of one who is taught, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He wakens me morning by morning. He wakens my ear to hear as a disciple.” Isaiah 50:4 Another verse of scripture was already working in my life and had become part of my daily discipline. “In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare (a prayer, a sacrifice) for You and watch and wait (for You to speak to my heart.)” –Ps. 5:3 AMP When we first wake up in the morning, are our first thoughts and moments given as an offering before the Lord? Surely our first choice of the day should be to ENGAGE with Jesus, allowing all of our hearts and minds to be consumed with His presence and washed by God’s living Word. Once receiving the perspective from heaven, we will have eyes to see what the Spirit is showing us to do and we can then be in step with His timing. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “God’s eyes run throughout the earth to see who He can be strong for.” Our God is longing to be strong for us! He desires us to ENGAGE ourselves to Him! As we come into His throne room and meet Him through Jesus Christ we capture His heart and attention, ENGAGING His heart with ours. God pours Himself into our hearts and on what is concerning us, and we can pull from heaven His Power, His Redemption, His kingdom into our hearts and lives and circumstances! As we become anchored in relationship with Him and grow more deeply rooted in His Word, we can then begin to engage with the enemy of our souls from a place of abiding in Christ. Engaging with the enemy does not entail neglecting the reality of circumstances or denying there is a spiritual warfare, it is however, a conscious choice to enthrone Jesus as Lord over every circumstance we face. Underestimating the power the enemy has, we must be careful not to let the destruction or chaos become our focus. We must never let the devil seem bigger than God!!! As we focus on that, though the enemy is a powerful foe he does not have authority to run over our lives when we exercise our authority in the powerful Name of Jesus. A key is to “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Whatever we set our thoughts on will always become bigger in our own minds. The battle is to take every thought captive and make it obedient to the mind of Christ. When the enemy comes against us, we should learn to combat every lie with the Truth of God’s Word, (training and disciplining ourselves to do that in less than three seconds) )and making every distracting thought as nothing under our feet. When we ENGAGE with Truth, and set our sights on Jesus as our Goal and High Prize we can run in freedom, safety, and JOY! By ENGAGING with the Holy Spirit we can expect new things to come. When the Holy Spirit fell on the church of Acts they were dramatically changed, actually they were transformed. When this same Holy Spirit falls on us and draws us into deeper relationship with Him, we must certainly expect to never be the same again. There are things in the book of Acts that remain the same today. Perhaps it will be easier to flow with the Holy Spirit if we think of Acts this way. Acceptance of fresh power in our prayers Change and Conformity in our thoughts, to be filled with the mind of Christ Transformation in our souls: mind, will, and emotions. Strength: moving from Strength to Strength in our lives. As our spirits become filled and yielded to the counsel of God’s Word, our hearts become satisfied. When we live out of our hearts, we are able to ‘see’ what is really valuable. The darkness may increase, but so will the Light. As the kingdom of darkness rages and displays its acts of terror and corruption in the earth more in the days to come, so the Lord will arise and display His Power, Healing, Redemption, Love and Glory! Let us rule in the midst of our enemies! According to God’s Word in Psalm 110:2. A time is coming when the Lord will pour out His Spirit. Don’t grow tired or spiritless focusing on the circumstances you may be facing, but stay ENGAGED with the ministry of the Holy Spirit and allow the strength of God to take you from one degree of strength to another! Julie Anderson Website: www.prayerforthenations.com Contact Tel: 0845 130 9797 If you like this article, why not subscribe to Prayer Magazine - Click here to Subscribe {LINK : https://www.prayermagazine.
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