If this email was forwarded to you; please click here to sign up for the free monthly newsletter of Lowell Snow Ministries. You will not be solicited for money, your information will not be given or sold to anyone, and you can unsubscribe at any time. |
|
|
---|---|---|
In this Issue:Article - Hearing God Speak- Part 3Ministry News - Spiritual Awakening Conference, Survey, Blog searchThings you can do to helpNewsletter Special - Free Shipping on book comboFree Helps for prayer leadersSnow Pictures |
||
Hearing God SpeakMaster the MinorsIn previous newsletters; we completed the first two segments of this series on Hearing God Speak. You can read them by clicking on the titles.
In the introduction, Examine Your Expectations, we realized that God speaks to all of us, but may not be saying what we expect or want to hear. In Come to Christ, we looked at salvation as the first step of a conversational relationship with Him. Today we’ll consider some issues that may seem ‘minor’, but must be mastered before you proceed to higher plateaus.
To receive a clear signal, a radio must have a good antenna. In 1935, the famous Hotel Waldorf-Astoria in New York City installed an antenna between the two spires on their roof that was so high and so big that it could receive radio programs from Europe.
Now that’s a big antenna and you may wish that you could install an antenna on your roof to hear God, but of course it doesn’t work like that. However, there are some ways to extend your spiritual antenna so you can hear God more clearly. When you surrendered your life to Christ; the Holy Spirit moved into your soul. That’s part of the process of sanctification. The Holy Spirit doesn’t kick you out of your soul. It’s still you. In fact; it’s the real you. It’s the part of you that is now in harmony with God. Most people have a hard time identifying their soul. More importantly, they have a hard time recognizing the difference between their soul and their subconscious mind. That’s the reason you struggle to know for sure if you’ve heard an instruction from God in your soul or just a suggestion from your own reasoning. Think about your conscience for a moment. It’s not your soul, but was likely your first experience hearing the voice of God. Let me be clear. Your conscience is not your soul. I’m just saying that you’ve already heard God speak to you, but you may have thought of it as your conscience. Keep in mind that we’re trying to learn to recognize the voice of Jesus apart from all the other voices that crowd our minds. That’s the reason it’s so important that you train your conscience. It's where your conversational relationship with God is most likely to grow. To train your conscience and thereby extend the antenna of your spiritual radio; you need to master three basic disciplines: obey willingly, pray habitually, and learn continually. Obey Willingly
The Bible teaches that we’re born with a rebellious spirit that must be subdued if we’re to experience the blessed life God created us for. A person who never learns to obey is a danger to themselves and everyone around them. That’s why disrespect to parents was a capital crime (Leviticus 20:9) in Old Testament law and honoring parents is the first commandment with a promise attached (Exodus 20:12). Pray Habitually
Who were the greatest men in the Old Testament? What criteria would you use to decide? Methuselah lived the longest. Abraham is the patriarch of three world religions. Moses wrote laws that are still the foundations of civilized society. King David was the most powerful. King Solomon was the richest. These men were used of God to do great things, but they also had glaring faults and huge moral failures. What if you make Jesus the criteria? Who were the most Christ-like men in the Old Testament? The list begins to change doesn’t it? Now men like Joseph, Joshua, Samuel, and Daniel populate that list. These men lived their entire lives in faithful obedience to and conversational relationship with Almighty God. How? They started hearing and obeying God in childhood and continued in habitual prayer all their lives. That’s not just motivation for your church to have a great children’s ministry. It should motivate you to the importance of habitual prayer at every stage of your life. There will never be a day when you don’t need to pray. Learn Continually
“You learn everything you really need to know in kindergarten - wait your turn and share the toys.” Did you ever hear someone say that? I went to high school with some guys who believed it and if that’s all you want in life; maybe it’s true for you, but I don’t think so. I know for sure that God's not satisfied with that. He has big plans for you that require that you continue to mature and learn. There’s just no place for stagnation in the Kingdom of God. There’s another saying that goes like this, ‘An idle mind is the devils workshop.’ Now there is some truth in that. Cultivating a good conscience should be accomplished in childhood, but many adults still struggle with it. These three basic disciplines help keep your spiritual antenna up and ready to hear from God so you can’t skip them. No matter your stage of life - if you haven't mastered these minors - you need to go back and do them now. So the radio’s on and the antenna’s up, but there’s still the issue of tuning in to the right channel. We’ll talk about that next time. |
Items from our store to help your prayer life and ministry:
New Ministry BrochureWe have a new brochure that's not just for the prayer conference. Feel free to print some up and give them to anyone who could benefit from our message on prayer.
Prayer Guide eBookThe Prayer Guide book that you can download to your computer or electronic reading device. $4.95 (no S&H) Click Here for more information.
Conference CD SetThis CD-Set has the Five main sessions of the Journey Into the Presence of God Conference of Prayer, plus five prayer times. Click here to go to our store.
Conference on DVDHere's everything you need to help your congregation or small group experience prayer that encounters God. DVD Viewing GuideThis is the Viewing Guide that comes with the prayer conference DVD Kit on sale below. It walks you through the preparations and presentation of the video conference in your church or small group. Click Here to see all sixteen pages of the DVD Viewing Guide. |
|
Ministry news:Prayer for Spiritual Awakening Conference(follow up to the 'Journey' conference)I’ll be leading this conference for the first time March 12-14, at Sang Ave. Baptist in Fayetteville, Ark. where Dr. T.O. Spicer is pastor. He has been an enthusiastic encourager since the early days of this ministry. God used him to help me finalize the vision for the 'Journey' conference and now for this Spiritual Awakening Conference. Thank you T.O. You might want to do the schedule differently in your church, but here’s what we’re doing at Dr. Spicer's church: Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Session Contents:
If your church has already hosted the Journey Into the Presence of God conference of prayer; consider this as the next step. Click Here if you’re interested in hosting the Spiritual Awakening Conference.
Conference Attendee SurveyI’m often asked about the long term effectiveness of the Journey Into the Presence of God conference of prayer. Numerous pastors have told me that they’re still using what they learned, but I need a more definitive answer so I’m conducting a survey of folks who’ve participated in the conference. I’ve sent an email to those who I knew had attended, but I’m sure I missed many. If you attended the conference, but haven’t filled out the survey; please do so now. It will be a great help to me and it's anonymous and easy. Click Here to take the survey.
Prayer Leaders Blog – Do you have suggestions?Do you use blogs when you need help? I do. I had a camera problem not long ago and went to the manufacturer’s web site. I typed in my problem and sure enough they had an answer to my camera’s symptoms – send it in for repair. It did seem like some kind of internal problem, but I decided to dig a little deeper before I spent all that money. I Googled my problem and came up with several blogs. On one of them I found instructions, complete with photos, on how to fix the problem: remove this little thingy, blow the dust out of this spot, be sure this little button moves freely, put the little thingy back on. Less than five minutes and my problem was solved. I’m looking for blogs that serve the needs of prayer leaders like that. Basic how to stuff that I can link from the help pages on my web site. I’m not looking for blogs where somebody like me publishes articles about prayer. I’m looking for blogs where Sunday School teachers, worship leaders, etc. blog back and forth about practical how-to stuff. ‘How to deal with someone who talks too much; how to involve a brand new Christian, etc, etc. Click Here if you have found a blog like that and give me there web address. Thanks |
Dr. T.O. Spicerpastor Sang Ave. Baptist Church, Fayetteville, AR
Pictures from our recent 'snow' days:Click on pictures to see enlargements Peggy in back yard Me taking video of kids sledding Grandchildren Natalie and Kale Daughter Meredith & her husband Keith
Our daughter's family and others sledding by our house on 1/30/2010 Click Here for larger format. |
|
Please forward this email to every praying person you know. |
||
Things you can do to help us:
|
||
Newsletter Special |
Prayer of Jesus JournalThrough this 7-week experience, Ken Hemphill, author of the best-selling book The Prayer of Jesus, offers you his daily insight and encouragement, as well as Scriptures and journaling questions to help you keep the Lord's Prayer top-of-mind all the time. Click here for more information. |
|
Get the Prayer Guide and a devotional book for one great price! Only $16.95 - total retail value - $30 Pray better privately and corporately. Along with the Prayer Guide book you'll recieve one of two great devotional books. Choose from: Returning to Holiness by Gregory Frizzell or The Prayer of Jesus Journal by Ken Hemphill (see devotional book descriptions at right) Free Shipping/Money back Guarantee Click Here to choose your devotional book and receive this Special offer. This free shipping offer is not valid outside the USA! There is no limit on quantity. |
Dr. Frizzell has given every believer and pastor a tool for doing that most important of all works - purifying the church at this crucial time in her history. T.W.Hunt This is not your typical five week devotional book. If you're serious about a daily encounter with God and desire to be filled with the Spirit; here's a great starting place. Lowell Snow Click Here for more information. |
|
Please forward this email to every praying person you know. |
||
Prayer Conference Promotional VideosThe Journey Into the Presence of God conference of prayer is so unique that many struggle to understand what it is. If you're considering hosting the conference or purchasing the DVD Set; the following videos should help.
These are the videos from the Promo DVD which is available at the web site and comes with the DVD Set. |
||
Header picture taken by me out the window of my office when temps were below 10. |
||
![]() |