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faith
Registered Member
Date Joined Sep 2001
Total Posts : 34
| Posted 10/24/2001 7:24 PM (GMT -6) |   |
Rest in Christ. Wait on the Lord.
How does one do it? How do you shut off the chatter and really rest?
I'm not a good rester. My favorite disciple is Peter. I sooo relate to him. Action. I like action. Lately, I've felt a call to... something. I don't know what and it's driving me crazy. I feel like throwing myself into everything wholeheartedly. But I know I also need to take time to quietly listen because I can't physically do everything and need a specific direction. So how do I rest in Christ? How do I wait? How do I keep the motivation/vision strong when I feel like I'm doing nothing?
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selah
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1210
| Posted 10/24/2001 8:49 PM (GMT -6) | | Faith, I don't have the perfect answer for you, however, the book "Hearing God" by Dallas Willard may be of some help.
blessings,
sister selah
(on resting: SEE His face, Feel His arms around you, Hear Him whisper His promises to you! Through imagining, make your prayer time concrete.) Breathe in truth and exhale "non-truths", TAKE your thoughts captive and LEAD them ...to rest in Him. You have dominion over how you think.
"Then He showed me the river whose waters give life, sparkling like crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb." Rev. 22:1
Edited by - selah on 10/25/2001 01:59:16 AM | | Back to Top | | |
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trosie
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 550
| Posted 10/24/2001 11:04 PM (GMT -6) | | quote:
Faith: Action. I like action
quote:
Selah: on resting: SEE His face, Feel His arms around you, Hear Him whisper His promises to you! Through imagining, make your prayer time concrete
I find that I too like action because it keeps my mind distracted. When I really want to rest in Christ though, I find I can achieve this best through worship, whether it be lively or soothing. When I worship I try to listen to the words and picture what is being sung. When I totally enter in with all my heart, soul, mind, and body I find that I become lost in and absorbed in Christ's love and peace (I rest and sometimes hear Him speaking to me in my inner most being)
trosie
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Modes of Thought
Registered Member
Date Joined Jun 2001
Total Posts : 817
| Posted 10/25/2001 4:02 AM (GMT -6) | | Here's a provocative quote about the need for solitude:
quote:
On the whole, the longing for solitude is a sign that there is still spirit in a person and is the measure of what spirit there is. "Utterly superficial nonpersons and group-people" feel such a meager need for solitude that, like love-birds, they promptly die the moment they have to be alone. Just as a little child has to be lulled to sleep, so these people need the soothing lullaby of social life in order to be able to eat, drink, sleep, fall in love, etc. In antiquity as well as in the Middle Ages ther was an awareness of this longing for solitude and a respect for what it means; whereas in the constant sociality of our day we shrink from solitude to the point (what a capital epigram!) that no use for it is known other than as a punishment for criminals. But since it is a crime in our day to have spirit, it is indeed quite in order to classify such people, lovers of solitude, with criminals.
Let me start by saying that I find myself deeply implicated by this quote. However, I also have had moments where I have been deeply blessed by solitude. So this is my recommendation: get Dr. Boyd's book Seeing Jesus and take some time to be alone and practice the ancient methods of prayer outlined in that book. You can obtain it through Shepherd Tape and Books (at Woodland Hills Church) by calling Bill at 651-287-2080.
It really comes down to quieting your mind and your whole self enough to just BE. It is amazing how many distractions we have around us and just as many IN us as we try to sit still. It does take discipline, but it is worth it. Be sure not to go into it with lots of clear expectations about what will happen. That is an easy way to discourage and disappoint yourself.
"to be neurotic is human, to be psychotic is sinful...."
Paul Tillich
Edited by - ModesofThought on 10/25/2001 10:15:28 AM | | Back to Top | | |
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Triskal
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 198
| Posted 10/25/2001 1:39 PM (GMT -6) | | One of the best ways for me to shut the rest of the world out for a few minutes is to get on my computer, sit back, and listen to music. I'd also agree with Modes that getting Boyd's book "Seeing Jesus" would really help you in this area. The teachings that are explained in that book have immensely helped me rest in Christ and have allowed me to hear his voice more clearly through my day-to-day walk.
There is no one prescribed way that everyone can follow. My advice to you is just find something that you enjoy that allows you to relax and focus on God more clearly. It could be music, reading, etc. We all have different ways that are best suited to our personality. God will help you find yours.
In His Grip,
Matt
"In Him we live and move and have our being" - Acts 17:28 | | Back to Top | | |
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faith
Registered Member
Date Joined Sep 2001
Total Posts : 34
| Posted 10/25/2001 6:22 PM (GMT -6) | | Selah, Trosie, Modes, Triskal -- thanks to all of you for your advice. I found each post very helpful. The verse in Revelations made me pause (selah) thank you.
Modes, that was a really interesting quote -- where did it come from? It's strange how hard it sometimes is to "just BE" for a length of time. Yet, "Be still and know that I am God." -- to just BE in the presence of the great I AM.
Thank you all again.
Edited by - faith on 10/25/2001 11:26:35 PM | | Back to Top | | |
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selah
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1210
| Posted 10/25/2001 11:55 PM (GMT -6) | | quote:
Lately, I've felt a call to... something. I don't know what and it's driving me crazy. I feel like throwing myself into everything wholeheartedly. But I know I also need to take time to quietly listen because I can't physically do everything and need a specific direction.
Just wanted to concur on the SEEING JESUS book, and clarify that HEARING GOD is good for the "calling" part of your post.
be blessed exceedingly,
selah
"Then He showed me the river whose waters give life, sparkling like crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb." Rev. 22:1 | | Back to Top | | |
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Modes of Thought
Registered Member
Date Joined Jun 2001
Total Posts : 817
| Posted 10/26/2001 5:03 AM (GMT -6) | | quote:
Modes, that was a really interesting quote -- where did it come from?
Kierkegaard, Soren. The Sickness Unto Death trans. Howard V. Hong. Princeton University Press: NewJersey, 1980. pg. 64.
"to be neurotic is human, to be psychotic is sinful...."
Paul Tillich | | Back to Top | | |
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