Quiet Time

Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-6 Topic: Labour For Revelation: God will give you a revelation that will make you shine.  Revelation from God is a light that makes you shine. You will arise and shine because a light has been put on in your life.  God gives light to you and this leads to your prosperity.   In this beautiful prophecy, we see how the light of God comes into your life leading to your rising and shining.  Light is revelation.   "ARISE, SHINE; FOR THY LIGHT IS COME, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and HIS GLORY SHALL BE SEEN UPON THEE. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and fl...

Scripture: Job 22:21-29 Topic: Labour For Revelation: God gave supernatural revelation to Job that made him prosper. "ACQUAINT NOW THYSELF WITH HIM, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. RECEIVE, I PRAY THEE, THE LAW FROM HIS MOUTH, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou RETURN TO THE ALMIGHTY, THOU SHALT BE BUILT UP, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. THEN SHALT THOU LAY UP GOLD AS DUST, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and THOU SHALT HAVE PLENTY OF SILVER. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. THOU SHALT MAKE THY PRAYER UNTO HIM, AND HE SHALL HEAR THEE, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. WHEN MEN ARE CAST DOWN, THEN THOU SHALT SAY, THERE IS LIFTING UP; and he shall save the humble person." Job 22:21-29 It is amazing that ...

Scripture: Genesis 31:4-12 Topic: Labour For Revelation: God gave a revelation to Jacob that made him prosper.  "And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THE TIME THAT THE CATTLE CONCEIVED, THAT I LIFTED UP MINE EYES, AND SAW IN A DREAM, AND, BEHOLD, THE RAMS WHICH LEAPED UPON THE CATTLE WERE RINGSTRAKED, SPECKLED, AND GRISLED. AND THE ANGEL OF GOD SPAKE UNTO ME IN A DREAM, SAYING, JACOB:...

Scriptures: Exodus 15:26, Isaiah 48:17-19 Topic: Labour for Revelation Instead of labouring to be rich, you must labour for revelation. Instead of striving for wealth, strive for revelation. Why work with all your heart to get money, when you can work with all your heart to receive revelation from God?  Revelation is the great gift that God gives to His children.  A revelation is a word from God. A revelation is light from heaven. This light will guide you into the very place that you need to be.  The Holy Spirit will give you ideas, wisdom, knowledge, understanding and counsel.  Revelation is what you need to seek for. Labour not to be rich! Labour for revelation of God’s word!  It is the revelation you have that will make you rich.  All through the Bible you see the effect of revelation.   "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandmen...

Scripture: Psalm. 100:4 Topic: How You Can Enter the Presence of God With Thanksgiving "Enter into his gates with THANKSGIVING, and into his courts with PRAISE: BE THANKFUL unto him, and BLESS his name."  Psalms 100:4  The presence must be entered with thanksgiving. You may approach God but you may not feel His presence. You may spend a long time praying but you may not feel His presence. It is important to know what to do in order to have the presence of God manifested in your life. The presence of God will be enjoyed by those who are thankful. Thanksgiving is a master key to enjoying the presence of God. Saying “thank you” and being thankful are some of the most important spiritual virtues that you must develop if you are to enjoy the presence of God.  "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE WITH THANKSGIVING, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms."  Psalm 95:1-2 "ENTE...

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: Prayer of Thanksgiving "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 God wants us to give thanks. Apart from the usual “Give me, give me, give me” prayers, God would love to hear some other types of prayers. He would love to hear you say “thank you”. Discover the power of thanking the Lord. As you thank Him you will experience many breakthroughs. Paul and Silas were in jail but they prayed and sang praises at midnight. They gave thanks to God at midnight. Suddenly, there was an earthquake and their chains were broken. This is the power of the prayer of thanksgiving. Even in the midnight of your life, a prayer of thanksgiving is appropriate.  There are times in which it will be the most powerful type of prayer you can offer. It is the prayer that leads to earthquakes and broken bands. Move into this type of prayer and experience God’s breakt...

Scripture: Hebrews 5:7 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: Loud Prayers    "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard that in he feared;" Hebrews 5:7 Jesus prayed with strong cries and so can you. There is a difference between meditation and prayer. Some people claim to pray in their minds. What is the difference between praying in your mind and meditation? I think there is no difference! I am not saying that you must always shout when you pray. Ninety per cent of the time you cannot hear me when I am praying. I usually pray very quietly. But there are times I pray with strong cries and tears. It is a dimension you must get into.  There are some things that will only happen in your life when you pray like Jesus did. Credit: Excerpt from  100% Answered Prayer Bishop Dag Heward - Mills

Scriptures: Luke 6:12, Mark 1:35 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: The Long Prayer   There are times that it is important to spend a long time in prayer. Jesus did this very often. "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."  Luke 6:12 "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." Mark 1:35 You will notice that in both cases Jesus spent long hours praying. A great while is a long time. All night is also a long time. Develop the art of praying for several hours. Start with one hour and graduate to three hours. Then progress to five and seven hours! Learn to pray all day and all night long. You will experience one hundred per cent answers to your prayers. There are times you need to spend many hours in prayer. If Jesus had to, then you will also have to. There are times you do not have to change the prayer to...

Scripture: Mark 4:36-39 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: The Short And Powerful Prayer  "And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." Mark 4:36-39 In this Scripture, Jesus found Himself in a crisis situation. He and His disciples were caught up in the middle of a very dangerous storm, and their very lives were being threatened. There was no time to find a quiet place to pray for the hand of God to move on their behalf. He just prayed a short but powerful prayer and the storm ceased! Also in John 11:41,42 , Jesus...

Scripture: 1 John 1:9 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: The Prayer of Confession of Sins "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 It is important for us to confess our sins on a regular basis. Prayer which does not include prayer for forgiveness is insufficient. We must always ask for mercy. We must pray for it! If we say that we are perfect, we are foolishly deceived. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  1 John 1:8 Credit: Excerpt from  100% Answered Prayer Bishop Dag Heward - Mills

Scripture: James 5:15 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: The Prayer Of Faith  "…And the prayer of faith shall save the sick…"                                                                                                                     James 5:15 The prayer of faith is a prayer which has a great expression of faith.  In Mark 11:24 , the Bible teaches us to believe that we have already received what we prayed for. Believing that you have already received is different from believing that you will receive it one day. Prayers of faith are especially effective against sickness and disease. As I said earlier, different types of prayer can be used to solve different problems. Credit: Exc...

Scriptures: Jude 20, 1 Corinthians 14:2 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: Praying In The Spirit  "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" Jude 20 What is praying in the Spirit? The answer is in the Bible. "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." 1 Corinthians 14:2 Every Christian can speak to God in mysteries. Praying in tongues is praying in the Spirit. God wants you to pray in tongues. A large per centage of my prayer is prayer “in the Spirit”. I can give you many reasons why you should pray in tongues. One reason is that when you pray in the Spirit, God directs your prayer Himself. He leads you to ask Him for what is necessary. In Acts 2 , the Bible says that the Spirit gave them utterance when they spake in tongues . When the Spirit gives you utterance, it means the Spirit is giving you the ...

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18 Topic: Praying With All Kinds of Prayer: Prayer of Consecration  "Praying always with all[kinds of]prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Ephesians 6:18 There are different kinds of prayer; different strokes for different folks, as they say. There are different types of prayers that must be used for different types of situations. In this life, you will experience a wide variety of situations. Thankfully, God has provided us with a wide variety of prayer types. In this series of our Quiet Time we will consider a few of these. 1. The Prayer of Consecration In this type of prayer you offer yourself to the Lord for His perfect will to be done. God loves children who want His will to be done. If you pray this prayer of consecration, God will be more likely to listen to your other prayers.  Some people know only “Give me, give me, give me” prayers. There are times God is not int...

Scriptures: James 4:3, John 5:1-8 Topic: Praying Amiss: Avoid Difficult Prayers "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…"                                                                                              James 4:3 Unfortunately, many Christians ask God for things He cannot give them. God does not answer prayers that have gone amiss. Praying amiss means that you pray unacceptable, unsuitable, inappropriate, inadmissible, unallowable, unsatisfactory and impossible prayers. God will not do things which are against His principles. There are several ways you can avoid praying amiss.  4. Avoid difficult prayers. Once Jesus visited a hospital. There were multitudes of sick people there. However, He prayed for only one person. "After this th...

Scriptures: James 4:3 Topic: Praying Amiss: Do Not Pray Illegal Prayers "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…"  James 4:3 Unfortunately, many Christians ask God for things He cannot give them. God does not answer prayers that have gone amiss. Praying amiss means that you pray unacceptable, unsuitable, inappropriate, inadmissible, unallowable, unsatisfactory and impossible prayers. God will not do things which are against His principles. There are ways you can avoid praying amiss.  3. Do not pray illegal prayers. You must realize that there are divine laws operating in the universe. There is no use praying about things which cannot be done legally. I am not talking about the laws of your country. I am talking about the laws of God. I hear some women praying that they will not experience any pain at all when they deliver their babies. Some do not even want to experience labour! If you read the Bible, you will discover that Eve and all women were cursed with having to ...

Scriptures: James 4:3, Micah 6:8 Topic: Praying Amiss: Do Not Pray Unscriptural Prayers "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…"                                                                                             James 4:3 Unfortunately, many Christians ask God for things He cannot give them. God does not answer prayers that have gone amiss. Praying amiss means that you pray unacceptable, unsuitable, inappropriate, inadmissible, unallowable, unsatisfactory and impossible prayers. God will not do things which are against His principles. There are several ways you can avoid praying amiss.  2. Do not pray unscriptural prayers . This is yet another step to gaining one hundred per cent answers to your prayers. God has given us His Word and ...

Scripture: James 4:3 Topic: Praying Amiss: Do Not Pray Foolish Prayers "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss…"                                                                                              James 4:3 Unfortunately, many Christians ask God for things He cannot give them. God does not answer prayers that have gone amiss. Praying amiss means that you pray unacceptable, unsuitable, inappropriate, inadmissible, unallowable, unsatisfactory and impossible prayers. God will not do things which are against His principles. There are several ways you can avoid praying amiss.  1. Do not pray foolish prayers. Faith is very different from foolishness. There are many Christians who exhibit silliness when they pray. Some people ask the Lord for...

Scripture: Mark 6:2-5 Topic: Dishonour Results In You Not Seeing The Power Of God.  "And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And HE COULD THERE DO NO MIGHTY WORK, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them." Mark 6:2-5 Almighty God refused to do mighty works and miracles in Nazareth. His great power was withheld in this city where He was dishonoured. Your dishonour and disrespect for Jesus will ensure that you never see great power, signs and wo...

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:30  Topic: Dishonour Results In You Being Lightly Esteemed. "Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and THEY THAT DESPISE ME SHALL BE LIGHTLY ESTEEMED."  1 Samuel 2:30  The reward for not honouring God was to lose all honour and to be lightly esteemed. Beware of dishonour! It is your seed for future dishonour and being lightly esteemed by others.  Many people dishonour God when they take His calling lightly. They prefer to work for unbelievers than to work for Jesus. They prefer to go for missions for the United Nations or the UNHCR, the WHO or the Red Cross. They are prepared to be in any country of the world for any of these organisations. Many people are happy that their children work for such organisations, even if it is in the most dangerous countries of the world. But ...

Scripture: Esther 1:15-20 Topic: Dishonour Results In You Being Replaced. What shall we do unto the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’s princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath. If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be ...