Knowing God
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Devi Susanto, from the CBC English Prayer Ministry, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
Watch full sermon here
Our Senior Pastor Paul Tan had a word that he believed God wanted to deliver today. This is a prophetic message and it is a word of caution, a word of warning, a word that we really need to pay attention to. We need to really grasp what He is saying at this moment in time.
God is going to prepare us in the midst of the shaking. The focus of the month of September is to "Position Yourself for Wonders." In the midst of the shaking, instead of being confused or afraid, you position yourself in such a way that you can expect wonders to happen in your life—breakthroughs, open doors, signs and wonders, miracles, provision, and so much more. God gives us peace in the midst of shaking. If you want to receive it, just take it, because God made this promise to you. There is only one thing that cannot be shaken, and that is the Kingdom of God.
Haggai 2:6-9 "For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place, I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.
The desire of all nations is not a material thing, but it is a person, and His name is Jesus Christ. When you read the Bible and there is a repetition, you need to pause, selah, meditate upon it, ponder, and ask for the revelation from the Holy Spirit so that you can understand. We need to pay attention when certain words or phrases are repeated in the Bible. God Himself, the Lord of Hosts, said that there will be a great shaking happening.
Haggai 2:4-5 “’Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts.’ According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’”
Based on these verses, there will be three shakings:
The government mountain will be shaken. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judea.
The religious mountain will be shaken. God spoke to the high priest to warn of the shaking coming. Just because you go to church and claim to be a Christian, you may not know the Lord and have no relationship with the Lord.
All the people of the world will be shaken. The words “be strong” is repeated three times. In the midst of the shaking, “work for I am with you.” Work means to be fruitful, be involved in the ministry, seek the Lord, reach out to your friends who do not know Jesus yet. You can have real peace and His presence in the midst of chaos, difficulties, and challenges, for God is with you.
In the midst of the shaking, we need to position ourselves for wonders. To position ourselves, we need to know God.
Daniel 11:32 AMP “… but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].”
Another translation states, the “people shall take action.”
The word “know” is not to know superficially but to know intimately.
The first part of this verse stated, “And such as violate the covenant he shall pervert and seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].”
Daniel wrote this by inspiration but he also experienced this during his captivity in Babylon. He experienced hardships and was put in a difficult situation. The shaking and the challenges he experienced were real, but God is real. Daniel stated, “The people who know their God shall stand strong and do exploits” in the midst of his shaking. The God we know and who we worship is real; and if you know God intimately, you will be strong, stand firm, will not be shaken, and you will do exploits and take action.
1. Beware of Deception
Deception in the Greek is planaō, which means a misleading falsehood, to roam, to go astray, seduce, wander, be out of the way, not fixed to a point but floating and drifting and wandering.
We need to be very careful so that we are not shaken or we can be deceived because deception is rampant. Pastor Kilmartin stated last week that the battle is won or lost in the mind. We must watch our minds and guard our hearts diligently. Proverb 4:23 “Guard your hearts with all diligence because out of it flows issues of lives.” Jesus gave us many warnings and many verses in the Bible to show us how to not be deceived.
Matthew 24: 4 “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Take heed (pay attention) that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
Matthew 24:11 “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”
Matthew 24: 24 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
This is not just for unbelievers but even the elect can be deceived. Note the word “deceive” was repeated several times. If you do not know God or have a have a close relationship with God, if you do not allow the Holy Spirit speak to you, you may follow signs and wonders, especially in times of distress. Jesus did not tell us to follow signs, wonders, and miracles, He stated that “These signs shall follow you who believe.” The signs will FOLLOW you. If God is powerful and awesome (and He is), and you are His children, you are powerful and awesome too.
Luke 21:8-9 “And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He.’”
You may be captivated by the manner, the gift, or the charisma of the person. Be careful, use the filter of the Word of God and have a close relationship with the person of Jesus Himself.
Ephesians 5:6 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Those who can deceive you is a person, not just the devil, so, be careful of what you hear and what you watch or read in social media, news, YouTube, text messages, because many empty words can deceive you. Take heed and be careful.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.”
Shaking can occur in the mind. The shaking is not only on the outside, not only through earthquakes, the government, socially, financially, or relationally. The shaking can happen right inside of you. Your feelings are being challenged and the enemy can whisper things to you. Your soul, your faith, your health can also be challenged. Bad news can shake you. This can be the condition of your heart right now and you have no peace. May you know real peace, Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
2 Thessalonians 2:11 “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie. “
Delusion is the weakening of truth because you do not spend enough time with the truth, Jesus is the Truth. It is not about knowledge. Your truth has been watered down and you become compromised, become lukewarm, and become diluted. The Word of God states, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” The truth that can set you free is the Truth that you know. You shall know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. So, you will be set free when you know the Truth.
There are three deceptions we must be aware of:
1. Statement Deception
The enemy has been using this strategy since the book of Genesis. Satan would whisper or make a statement in the form of a question that makes your mind become shaken or become tested. When the serpent came and tested Eve and Adam, he just asked questions and they became confused. The enemy does not have many strategies but often repeats himself. Satan came to Jesus, tested him three times using the same strategy saying, “If you are the Son of God”—a statement deception. Jesus knew who He was and utilized the same strategy by stating, “It is written.” In order to position yourself for wonder, you need to know the Lord and have a hunger for the Lord. As you have a hunger for the Lord, you will have a hunger for the Word. Is it possible the enemy has been trying to deceive you by statements and asking you questions?
2. Influence Deception
Satan reminds you of your past to influence your decisions in your future. He will cause you to be captivated by those who might have charisma, but that person has been used by the devil to pull you down and bring you back to your failures, past, and mistakes. Influence deception is when you are carried away by your emotions and you begin to be attracted and worship a personality. You may idolize worship leaders, a pastor, an organization, and you do not focus on God. You need to be grounded in and know the Word of God so that you do not worship a person.
3. Appearance Deception
Appearance deception is when they appear to be something they are not. They are real problems, challenges, and situations, but actually, there is something behind it and it is not what it seems. You have to be able to look at the enemy and not be afraid. To position yourself in wonder, you need to know your God and when you know your God, you shall be strong and do exploits. When you know your God, you can look at your enemy and not be afraid. Daniel was not afraid of being thrown into the lion’s den when he was forbidden to pray. Another example is David. When he saw Goliath, he did not see how big the giant was but he saw that Goliath was an uncircumcised Philistine (no covenant with Jehovah) who mocked his God and that he can beat him. David saw the giant and saw beyond. What are your challenges now? Can you see beyond that? Can you see that the God you worship is bigger than your problems? His presence is always with you for God says, “I am with you.”
2. Hungry to Know God More
You have to be hungry to know God more. Three things that indicate that you have life in Jesus is that you have fellowship with Him and you will have hunger, and your faith and love will grow. Hunger for the Lord produces hunger for His Word, not the other way around. Some do not understand about being hungry for the Word, they study the Word and doctrine so they become hungry for knowledge and not for God. Many Christians are “saved” but are not “converted.” When you get converted and allow the Holy Spirit to transform you is when your soul comes in compliance with the Word of God and you submit yourself to the Lordship of Christ. He is your God and will guide you on what to do and what not to do, what to say and what not to say. The Lordship of Christ is when the conversion happens. There are Christians today who do not even know the Lord. They know His Word, but they do not know Him. The Bible is the only book that when you read, you can meet with the author.
The presence of God is not evident in their lives. 2 Corinthians 3:6b states, “For the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.” Sadly, these people end up worshiping doctrines and become legalistic. The Pharisees know the Word, but when the Word becomes incarnate (made flesh) in Jesus, they crucified Him. Saul was the pharisee of pharisees and knew the Word but persecuted the Christians until he met the Word--Jesus Himself. He had a personal encounter with Jesus and was never the same.
1. Be Still and Know that I Am God (Psalm 46:10)
The Bible does not say to be quiet. Being quiet involves your soul but being still involves your spirit. If you are quiet long enough, it will lead you to be still. Pastor Paul encourages us to worship; not just listening to the music, but to worship the One who created the music. He provided practical applications on how he worships himself. The time comes when Pastor knows in his spirit that there is a breakthrough and that is when he turns off the music so that it does not become a blockage for what the Spirit wants to say to him. When you engage in the throne room with Jesus, you do not need anything from earth, it is between you and Jesus.
Isaiah 40:31 “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
We often think that being still is hard because it seems that we are doing nothing, but we need to change our way of thinking. We are not waiting on nothing for we are waiting on the Lord. The Lord is not nothing, He is a very important someone. It is an action when you wait on the Lord, it is an act of faith. Waiting on the Lord requires you to believe that while it seems you are idle, you are not wasting your time—you are actively communicating with the Lord. To pray over your prayer list is good but you do not wait to hear back from Him. The Holy Spirit wants to talk to you but you do not give a chance for Him to speak to you, it was just a one-way communication. The One who cannot be shaken actually wants to speak to you, so let Him.
2. Oh, Taste and See That the Lord is Good; Blessed is the Man Who Trusts in Him! (Ps. 34:8)
When you are hungry for God, your hunger opens the way for God’s presences. God will allow you to taste and see how good He is. Your hunger leads to fellowship and the atmosphere opens up and can begin to know the way He thinks and how God sees life from His perspective, not from ours. You will be able to see how God sees you. The devil may be tormenting you saying that you are not “good enough,” but the Word of God says, “I have created you according to my image and likeness.”
3. He Made Known His Ways to Moses, His Acts to the Children of Israel (Ps. 103:7)
Moses knew the Lord, and the Lord knew him too. After all the signs and wonders and miracles he experienced, Moses stated that he wanted to see God’s glory, to have more of Him, and prayed, “God, if Your presence doesn’t go with us, don’t bring up out from here!” Many Christians right now only focuses on the acts of God and what He does for them. The disciples saw Jesus multiply the bread and fish, the acts, and Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life.” Jesus raised Lazarus to life after four days and said, “I am the Resurrection.” Thomas asked Jesus to show them the way and Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Phillip asked if they could see the Father and Jesus said, “If you see me, you see the Father.” It was amazing when Moses asked God, “Show me your Glory.” The glory of God is His presence and when God did that, Moses received a powerful download of the past and future. God only showed His back while Moses hid in the cleft of the rock. He wrote the first five books of the Bible because he received a revelation of the past (the creation of the world) and a revelation of the future (Jesus). In Hebrews 11:26 “Moses thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.” Moses received a revelation of the past (creation) and lived 1400 years before Jesus but was able to foresee Christ in the future.
Prayer Points:
Pray to be aware of deceptions (statement, influence, appearance)
Pray for hunger to know Him and to know His Word, hunger opens up for His presence
Pray to be still—an act of faith
Pray that we can “taste His goodness”
Pray for God to help us see things from His perspective
Pray for God to show us His glory like Moses
Pray to be submitted to the Lordship of Christ and in compliance to His Word
Pray to position ourselves for wonders in the midst of shaking by knowing Jesus intimately
Pray for breakthroughs, open doors, signs, wonders, miracles, and that provision will happen in our lives
Pray to be strong to do exploits (work)
Pray for Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].