Skip to main content

OPEN HEAVENS WEDNESDAY, February 03, 2016.

By
THEME: REVIVAL THROUGH RETREAT.
MEMORISE: Wilt thou not receive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Psalm 85:6

READ:- 1KINGS 19:4-8
4. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

5. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

6. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

7. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

8. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
                   
All human beings have an intense desire to connect to God. One vital element that is required to connect to God is a nice quiet atmosphere, devoid of daily concerns, where one can ruminate over spiritual truths. Meanwhile, it is often difficult to create such within the unrelenting activities of one’s daily life. This is why a retreat comes in handy.

 A spiritual retreat could be defined as a sustained period of quiet, uninterrupted time for a person to be reflective and receptive in God’s presence. It offers a time to leave daily concerns, to connect with one’s spiritual self, and to be attractive to the needs of one’s soul and spirit. People seeking for a time of retreat often locate a retreat centre or a specific geographical place that offers an atmosphere conductive for quite reflection. The search for spiritual retreat has taken many to Prayer Mountains and remote solitary places.

Mount Carmel is best known as the site of Elijah’s battle against the prophets of Baal. However, the fact that Elijah and Elisha frequently returned to Mount Carmel is an indication that they were using the mountain for spiritual retreat. The overall purpose of a spiritual retreat is to be transformed in whatever manner God chooses. Withdrawing to a place of spiritual retreat offers a time for refreshment and nourishment of life, a time to experience a continual sense of God’s presence that could become a constant reality in everyday life. Acts 3:19 says,
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord”

Therefore, a time of spiritual retreat is a time for sober reflection, repentance, rededication, revival and rejuvenation. The book of 1Kings 18:20-46 showed us the structure and pattern of a spiritual retreat. First, Elijah rebuilt the ruined altar to Yehweh, symbolising repentance and rededication of Israel to God. Then, he dug a trench around the altar and poured 12 jars of water on the sacrifice, then the wood, and the altar, filling the trench, symbolising the activities of the Spirit. Finally, he called on Yehweh, who answered immediately by fire that consumed the whole sacrifice, including the water, the wood, and the stones of the altar. This was immediately followed by heavy rains after three and half years of drought. There was great celebration as the people rejoiced in the Lord for a time of refreshing. A spiritual retreat always leads to celebration.

A spiritual retreat is also used a pursue personal holiness and to stay connected to God. Several passages in the Gospels according to Saint Mark and Matthew, give the account of Jesus retreating to pray. This point out the importance of spiritual retreating to Christians. Every child of God, as a matter of necessity, must constantly create time for spiritual retreat, seeking the face of the Lord for cleansing, renewal, re-dedication, and spiritual empowerment. 

 PRAYER POINT:
Father, please revive me again, that I may experience a time of refreshing from above in Jesus’ name

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 
MATTHEW 23:37-25:30,
JOB 15:7-21

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

You've been blessed through this reading share with Others. Share the DO's and the DON'T.

Popular posts from this blog

Dominion Mandate Daily Devotional February 26, 2016

By
THEME: RETREAT TO REFRESH READ: Matt. 11:25-30 When some musicians want to release great songs, they retreat to secluded places where they can reflect, meditate and create. Some choose places overlooking the vast oceans, some choose where there are waterfalls, and some choose places with thick forestations.  As they observe the beauty of nature, the swift moves and songs of the soaring birds, the colourful flowering vegetations, the serene beaches and the unending waves of the nearby waters, they capture inspiration that helps them develop the hit songs they have been longing for. I met one of the world’s renowned musicians in Atlanta, USA a few years ago where journalist surrounded him and were asking what he had come to do and why his beards had grown so much. He said that his last album did not perform well enough and he was incubating another one he wanted to release that would perform better. He said that he needed to pull away from the Noise of New York and California ...
Post a Comment
Read more

A NEW MONTH OF DIVINE ANNOUNCEMENT

By
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. Luke 1:13 The Bible is replete of records on how God announced some events before they finally happened. Because you made it into the new Month, God will specially announce you in Jesus name.  Whenever God want to do something unusual, He first of all announce it, for instance, when He wanted to delivered the children of Israelite from the hand of the philistine whom He has delivered them to, He sent an angel to break the new to the parent of the deliverer - Samson. Judges 13.  When God wanted to turn the hearts of men back to Himself, He sent angel Gabriel to announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father, Zacharias. Also when God was fully ready for the redemption of man, He first announced it to the one whose body His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ will pass through to the earth. Luke 1:26-38. That was the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nothing To Do, Only Believe By Joseph Prince

By
Daily Grace Inspirations Thursday 11th August 2016 …“What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” - John 6:28–29 When I was a young Christian, I attended a seminar on what we must do to “work the works of God”. I was told that we had to pray more, fast more, know our enemy and so on. I came away from the seminar confused. Then one day, I found the same question in the Bible. But the answer was very different! In the Gospel of John, we find Jesus being asked the same question by the multitude who had been awed by His miracles—“What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” The people had seen Jesus healing the sick, and feeding 5,000 men with only five loaves and two fish. Notice how Jesus answered them: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” My friend, the greatest doing is believing—believing in Jesus the sent one, who has done it all ...
2 comments
Read more