Quote of the Day

This is a section from a book by Graham Cooke called, "Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior." It's a bit long but has ministered to me and many others I have shared it with in the last couple weeks.



Pg 101-103
"If our spirituality matters, it matters most under pressure. The Lord is with us always; he never leaves us nor forsakes [Heb 13:5]. He is our rock, an ever present help in times of trouble [Psalm 27:5]. He lifts us up above our enemies [Psalm 27:6]. He sustains us. His willingness to help us is the foundation of our relationship with Him.
"Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
When we dwell on our circumstances, we become circumstantial. That is, we are drawn up in all of the tiny details of the situation, often telling Him things He already knows - like He is the child, and we are the parent - explaining everything. We try to develop peace in the situation. We attempt joy, but it mostly feels false. . .
We do not live in our circumstances, we live in Christ. Our capacity to receive depends on our position. We can sit in the circumstances or be seated in Christ in heavenly places. We cannot do both; so a choice is required.
When the Father draws us to Him, He seeks to separate us from our circumstances. That is why He tells us to come away into our prayer closet. We come into a confined space where we can confide in Him. A closet is restricted place where we are shut in with God and the enemy is restrained. We do not take our problems into the closet; we take our beliefs, our childlike simplicity, our uncomplicated trust. We come to worship and adore - to get into the face of Father and relax.
We need His strength in order to prosper. His nature is so inspirational; it strengthens us immeasurably. His delight is contagious, His joy unbounded. His peace is a deep, rhythmic rest that renews our mind. We feel lighthearted in His Presence. We joyfully cast all our cares onto Him.
In times of incredible assault, adversity and pressure, I have entered my secret place and become so confined with the Lord I forgot my reason for entry. I have discovered later that the enemy got tired of waiting around (he has no access to patience; it's impossible for him) and decamped.
Allow the Father to separate you from your circumstances Cast your cares on Him; then come away with Him. Let the Holy Spirit take you upwards to the Father. You are in Christ - you can go anywhere! In the place of intimate affection you receive a revelatory perspective that empowers you to be resourced from Heaven.
On earth a crisis is perceived as a threat to our well being. In Heaven it is an opportunity to discover something. The turning point for us is being confined with God - being in a space that He fully occupies. He surrounds us, fills us, overwhelms us. We are astonished, mesmerized. He lets us look through His eyes, feel His heartbeat. Joy becomes unconfined in that small space. We rejoice because His viewpoint is so amazing that we want to rush out of heaven into our circumstances and live out what we are seeing."