Basic Spiritual Training: Fourth Exercise
Keeping ourselves in God's Presence
Phrasal prayers in daily lives: Its purpose is to allow God's word to infiltrate into our daily lives. Passages on "Status in Christ" can be used as a start of this training. The method is to transform the word of God into phrasal prayers, actively confess these prayers, and let the word of God sink from your mind into your heart and be rooted there.
An important dimension of active confession is to love ourselves. The basis of loving ourselves is to see ourselves from God's perspective. In God's perspective we can certainly assure our status and value in Christ, and love ourselves.
Satan is the father of lies. He is very good at deceiving. He tells us that we are unlovable, faulty, useless, worthless. We easily believe in Satan's lies and be hooked, and thus lose our freedom to live out the abundance of the children of God.
If you want to take a flight and soar up high, you have to get an answer to this important question of life: Who am I?
We are all searching for our identity. But it is only in Christ that our status and value can be truly found and assured. Before Jesus began his ministry, God the Father had to affirm his identity. Then the devil came and tempted Jesus, continuously attacking his identity. Our identity is our basis of living, and it is very important that we can affirm our status in God.
Status is value. Unfortunately, after the fall our value has been linked up with our performance, and our self-image has been seriously deformed. Today many Christians only know in their mind that they are precious in God's sight, but they cannot comprehend it in their heart. This creates a black hole in our life, dragging us down and not allowing us to live out the abundance of the children of God.
Spiritual parents have to help our spiritual children to affirm their status and value before God. They cannot see the heavenly Father, but they can see you. When you affirm them, they can feel the affirmation of the Father. Your affirmation will establish their status and value.
Likewise, you have to be trained to see yourselves from God's perspective and establish a healthy self-image in Christ. Then, you can help others to establish their healthy self-images.
How to affirm your status and value before God, and accept and love yourselves from the bottom of your hearts? I now share with you twelve verses on our value in Christ, and encourage you to declare them daily.
Zephaniah 3:17 (KJ21)
The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.
"Rest in His love" means that when God looks at you He has a deep satisfaction, because you are a masterpiece of His creation, and God is overjoyed and thrilled to see you.
Transforming this verse into a prayer, you may say, "God is satisfied in seeing me, and He is as happy as a clam."
Song of Solomon 7:10 (ESV)
I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.
Not only do we need God's love, God also needs our love. God is a lover, yearning for our love, even to the extent of sacrificing Himself on the cross so as to win our affection. God of the most high is yearning for our love! How worthy are we!
Transforming this verse into a prayer, you may say, "My beloved, I am yours, and your desire is for me."
Colossians 1:22 (ESV)
He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.
We are "holy, blameless and above reproach", because God sees us through the blood of Jesus, and does not weigh us according to our performance. This is grace.
Transforming this verse into a prayer, you may say, "I am holy, blameless and above reproach. God sees me as very good!"
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
"Workmanship" means masterpiece, a work of great artistry. God want to shape us into a wonderful piece of art, which is not finished yet. But the final product is already in His mind, and He is very satisfied when He sees us.
Transforming this verse into a prayer, you may say, "I am God's masterpiece, and God is glad with me."
1 John 4:4 (ESV)
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Romans 8:31 (ESV)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
The meaning of verses 5 & 6 is that "God will help us, and nothing can going against us", including Satan, anybody and any circumstances.
Transforming these two verses into a prayer, you may say, "God is for me, and nothing can be against me."
Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Every need includes expenses, intelligence, opportunities, etc. And these supplies are from the riches of glory of God, which is never in want.
Romans 8:32 (ESV)
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
God is willing to give us all His riches.
Transforming these two verses into a prayer, you may say, "God is willing to give me all His riches."
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
God is your God, so He will strengthen you and help you.
Romans 8:37 (ESV)
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
We are conquerors in all things, including all trials and attacks. Not just conquerors, but more than conquerors.
Transforming these two verses into a prayer, you may say, "God is with me, so I have no fear; His love makes me more than a conqueror in all things."
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Being connected to God, there is hope and strength over weariness.
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
In God there is always hope.
Transforming these two verses into a prayer, you may say, "In God I am full of hope."