A Life on Fire

Joshua Davis

11.19.2023

 

Every relationship needs cultivation. It requires intentionality to have a strong walk with the Lord. There are four things that I believe should be a part of every Christian’s daily life to have a strong personal relationship with the Lord. These are 4 things that I use in my personal life everyday. As a result they have sustained the passion, love, and zeal that I have for the Lord.

The Secret Place

The secret place needs to be your favorite place if you’re going to have a strong relationship with the Lord.

Matthew 6:6 (AMPC)

But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.

4336 proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, “towards, exchange” and 2172/euxomai, “to wish, pray”) – properly, to exchange wishes; pray – literally, to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes (ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith (“divine persuasion“). Accordingly, praying (4336/proseuxomai) is closely inter-connected with 4102 /pístis (“faith”) in the NT.

Luke 10:38-42 (AMPC)

Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house.³⁹ And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching.⁴⁰ But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!⁴¹ But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;⁴² There is need of only one or but ^[a]a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [^[b]that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.

John 15:7 (AMPC)

If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

Reading, prayer, and worship are all a part of my daily time with the Lord. I begin my sitting with the Lord and adoring Him. Next, I read so that His words are in me. I often pray what the Holy Spirit highlights to me. In the Secret Place, it’s about the Father and His Will; (“Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”)

What comes to mind when you think of prayer? “Our Father” should be the preeminent and dominant thought. We’re seeking Him to get His heart and will. In this place, I have found that worries, fears, anxieties melt away when I’m with Him. He’s a Father, and He cares about you.

Psalm 91 also teaches that remaining/abiding has its benefits.

Friends

Luke 24:32 (AMPC)

And they said to one another, Were not our hearts greatly moved and burning within us while He was talking with us on the road and as He opened and explained to us [the sense of] the Scriptures?

1 John 1:1 (AMPC)

[We are writing] about the Word of Life [in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands.

Malachi 3:16 (AMPC)

Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.

Proverbs 27:17 (AMPC)

Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].

Amos 3:3 (KJV)

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Friendship built on and around Jesus will last forever. Distance can’t stop these relationships. Real encounters with the Lord change you and leave you desiring Him. Encountering the Lord with friends binds you together! When I worship, pray, talk about Jesus and the Word with my friends, it causes me to want to seek Him. Be friends with people who want to chase Jesus too!

Ex: The Stirring, table talks about the Word, exchanging revelation in the hallway.

 

Ministry to the Lord

It’s more than merely serving, it’s ministry to Him.

Mark 12:30-33 (AMPC)

And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.

³¹ The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

³² And the scribe said to Him, Excellently and fitly and admirably answered, Teacher! You have said truly that He is One, and there is no other but Him;

³³ And to love Him out of and with all the heart and with all the understanding [with the faculty of quick apprehension and intelligence and keenness of discernment] and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Colossians 3:23 (AMPC)

Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,

Ezekiel 44:9-16 (AMPC)

Therefore thus says the Lord God: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh shall enter into My sanctuary [where no one but the priests might enter], of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.

¹⁰ But the Levites who went far away from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, they shall bear [the punishment for] their iniquity and guilt.

¹¹ They shall minister in My sanctuary, having oversight as guards at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall attend the

people to serve them.

¹² Because [the priests] ministered to [the people] before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity and guilt to the house of Israel, therefore I have lifted up My hand and have sworn against them, says the Lord God, that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity and guilt.

¹³ And they shall not come near to Me to do the office of a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things that are most sacred; but they shall bear their shame and their punishment for the abominations which they have committed.

¹⁴ Yet I will appoint them as caretakers to have charge of the temple, for all the service of the temple and for all that will be done in it.

¹⁵ But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me, and they shall attend Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God.

¹⁶ They shall enter into My sanctuary; and they shall come near to My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.

Ezekiel 44:28 (AMPC)

This [their ministry to Me] shall be to them as an inheritance, for I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession.

We are absolutely supposed to love and care for others. We are to serve others. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick. We get into error when these things don’t follow ministry to Him.

Ministry to Him is not done with others in mind. Ministry to Him is reserved for Him. Think about going on a date with your spouse. Most of the times, spouses try to not talk about the children. They spend time discovering each other.

Your service to others also has to be ministry to Him. When we on purpose make what we’re doing about Him, it becomes really difficult to get offended with others.

Even the Lord makes a distinction between the Levites that minister to the people and the Levites that minister to Him. Ministry to Him is often overlooked. We are tempted to make ministry, church life, and our daily walk with the Lord about ourselves, but He must be the focal point and the reason we serve others.

First Love

Revelation 2:1-5 (AMPC)

To the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him Who holds the seven stars [which are the messengers of the seven churches] in His right hand, Who goes about among the seven golden lampstands [which are the seven churches]:

² I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who call [themselves] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars.

³ I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary.

⁴ But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].

⁵ Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God’s will) and do the works you did previously [when first you knew the Lord], or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.

Ex: Worship team auditions

1 John 2:15 (AMPC)

Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

Romans 12:2 (AMPC)

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

2 Corinthians 11:2 (AMPC)

For I am zealous for you with a godly eagerness and a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Ephesians 5:32-33 (AMPC)

This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church.

³³ However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and [that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].

We have to know that we are engaged. One day there will be a wedding called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We must do our part now to prepare for that day. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us and He will return to get us.The parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25 is a great reminder to get extra oil. This extra oil is time spent with Him. Time spent ministering to Him. Time spent getting to know Him by His Word. If you love the world and/or have conformed to the world, you do not have First Love.

Song of Solomon 2:13-15 (AMPC)

The fig tree puts forth and ripens her green figs, and the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

¹⁴ [So I went with him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me] O my dove, [while you are here] in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

¹⁵ [My heart was touched and I fervently sang to him my desire] Take for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards [of our love], for our vineyards are in blossom.

First Love must be fought for. Just as your marriage in the natural takes intentionality, so does your relationship with the Lord. A constant prayer of mine is to remove all distractions and hindrances that keep me from the Lord.

Closing:

I believe that if you cultivate these things in your life, it will strengthen your walk with the Lord. It will build your faith and confidence in Him as well. You will have actual feelings and emotions in your heart when you talk to Him. You’ll begin to worship wholeheartedly and with sincerity.

Action Points:

1. Is spending time with the Lord an actual priority? Ask the Lord to help you make a plan to meet Him everyday.
2. Do you have hungry friends? If not, start with the Small Groups we have. Get around people who are passionate about the Lord.
3. Refocus to make it all about Him.

Colossians 1:17-18 –¹⁷ And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).¹⁸ He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent].