whats the most important thing with god?

[endure]

whats the most important thing in a new or old beleivers life?

Luke 10.38-42
38. Now it came to pass as they went that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat as Jesus’’ feet, and heard his word. 40. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said Lord, does thou not care that my sister have left me to serve alone? Bid her therefor that she help me.
41. And Jesus answered and said unto her <B>Martha, Martha thou art careful and troubled about many things:</B> <B>42. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chose that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

</B>
Time in Gods presence is needed more than trying to serve God. You cannot serve God, until you’ve been in his presence and been equipped and sent to serve him. Everything flows from the secret place. That is the one needful thing, time with God and his word.
It is more important that you hear his word and voice in the word and in prayer than you trying to please God and serve God with your works. You cannot effectively meet the needs of the church until you’ve been in endued with power and wisdom that comes from communing with him.
The first and most important thing is a prayer life and meditation on the word of God. The other things are important as well, but you are not qualified or able to meet those needs until you have a prayer life and have been changed by meditating on his word. God has to put his word and anointing in you, to change you into a tool that is fit for his work before he can use you.<B>
</B>you must dwell in the secret place, your greatness will be determined by your time alone with God. everything flows from and depends on that area of your life.

 

[ZiSunka]

Ah, but I would say from this scripture that the MOST important thing is a close, loving relationship with Christ! All the other stuff like meditation and prayer come from that relationship. Mary KNEW Christ and loved HIm, and found her joy and meaning in that relationship. Martha knew Christ, too, but found her meaning in her work, not in that relationship.

Good lesson for all of us women today. Find your joy and meaning in your relationship with Christ, and not in your job!

 

[Angelo]

AMEN, indeed the most important thing is that you love God above all else. We don't need fancy idols or worldly things. For what is 100 years in comparison to eternity?

 

[carmen]

Thanks for the post amen.

 

[endure]

lambs love,
well, really, the entire meaning of my post was the greater importance of your relationship with god, i agree.

but&nbsp;i think, that its the other way around.
mary was doing something very particular, it said she was hearing his word. not simply, being in relationship. that was the foundation of her relationship with him becuase that is what she was doing, and that is what caused her to come into relationship with him.

relationship with god, does not bring forth meditation and prayer, meditation and prayer create a relationship with god.
like anyperson you know,
it is your interaction and communication with them, that causes a relationship and determines the quality of the relationship.
in order for you to love god, you have to know god in some form or fashion, and in order for you know god in anyway, you must have come into contact with him in some form or fashion.
if you never read or pray, then you will not have a good relationship with god, becuase you will no longer know him, becuase you are no longer in contact with him.

like...saying you have a relationship with a person who youve never talked to, and when you do talk to them, it was becuase of your relationship? no, relationship starts with time invested with the person.
relationship with god is the most important thing,
but the upgirding or foundation for a good&nbsp;relationship with god, is time in the word and prayer, or simply quality time in his presence.

the church of christ today, does not lack a self stated love of god, or a self proclaimed commitment to god, or self stated good relationship with god.
what it lacks is prayer and meditation in the word.
there is a statistic that i once heard, that said
99% or pastors in america pray less than 5 mins a day.
and im sorry if this seems rude, but anyone whos actually gone anywhere with god, or knows the lives of the men in the bible,
know, that you cannot have a good relationship with him like that.
prayer is the breath of the church, and the word of god is its food.

it awes me, we expect to do the works of jesus and other men, but we do not expect to have to live the lives they lived.

 

[JesusIsLife]

Yes, thank you for posting that.&nbsp; I realized I am going about it all wrong.&nbsp; I have been getting so frustrated trying to serve and not spending enough time in His word.&nbsp; I need His wisdom, and He needs my total attention&nbsp;before I can serve!!!&nbsp; Our old pastor use to use a phrase to be a "mighty soldier" for the kingdom of God.&nbsp; I have been so eager to do that, that I just lost sight of where I need to start first!

Thanks Again and God Bless

 

[endure]

yes! praise god, im glad i could be of some help to you.
it reminds me of a scripture in ps&nbsp;127.1&nbsp;i
"except the lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. except the lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh in vain!"
2. it is vain for you to rise up early, and sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sheep."

my god, that just said that unless its god that builds your house, then your working for nothing! and unless its god watching over your house, you might as well not even wake up!
(referring to the old watches of the night, watching for enemies and stuff when it was your turn to stand watch)

but he gives all this stuff to those he loves and that love him!
its about relationship!
but god commanded&nbsp; us many times in the bible to be people of prayer and of the word.

he told joshua to meditate on the word "day and night" joshua 1.8

and jesus said that we should always pray and not faint luke 18.1
1 thess 5.17 says pray without ceasing.
ephesians 6.18 says&nbsp;pray always!

those are keys to a healthy relationship with god, and that is the fulcrum for all god works and success in the ministry or walk with god. it all swings and revolves around the relationship.

 

[JesusIsLife]

Can I ask you a question??

How do you know when you hear from God? So many people have told me, but I still don't really understand. I believe you do, with out a doubt. I just want to make sure I am on the right track with Him. I am going through some tough times and I don't want to miss anything He has to say!

 

[endure]

oh friend, thankyou, and it humbles me that you would choose to ask me that question, and esteem me like that.

well, i find god so simple, hes so simple. hes like my daddy. and people sometimes act like you have to do this and that, and all these other things in order to hear his voice.
but, he said his sheep here his voice. they just do.
i know this is simple but this is how i talk with god.

when your dad, mother or sister talks to you, do you have to try and figure out how to hear them?
no.
and i beleive god, in general is the same way if your relationship is right.
when he speaks, you hear him.&nbsp;you do not have to try to hear your friends voices, and when they speak to you, you&nbsp;know it and you cant help but hear it, you dont have to think "did i just hear their voices?" and try to figure anything out.

i beleive this..., and im sorry if this seems proud or arrogant or naive, but when people have to try and force themselves to hear god, or hearing god is a struggle, then there is something wrong.
becuase his sheep hear his voice.&nbsp; they just do.
when he speaks to you, if your in the right place with him, youll know it, and their will be no confusion.

i remember the first time i ever heard gods voice very very clearly
i was deep in worship in my room at about 3 am. and god said to me "stop, i want to speak to you" and i was like huh?
and again he said "i want to speak to you, stop" and i stopped worshipping, i got on my knees and just listened and what came to me was so clear, and almost loud, i couldnt help but understand everyword and meaning. and i was like OHHHHH MYYYY GOSH! I JUST HEARD GODS VOICE! YEEEEESSSS!
it wasnt audible, but there was no doubt in my mind about what happened, and there was absolutely no confusion.
god spoke, i heard him.
just like my mother speaks, and i hear her. unless there is a wall between us or something.

in the bible we read of many conversations between god, and a man. so it is clear, hearing his voice can be done, and can be done in such a way that you can actually have conversation with god.

im sorry this so long,&nbsp;i just have so much i want to say.
if your in the right place with god, he will, without a doubt speak to you and if you are free of hindrances, then you will without a doubt hear and understand.

though let me say this, hard times come, and sometimes it seems like god wont&nbsp;talk and you just dont hear his voice at all for a long time. at times that will happen, but when&nbsp; it does (get this)
YOU LIVE OFF THE WRITTEN WORDS INSTEAD, YOU LIVE OFF THE BIBLE, WHEN YOU CANT HEAR HIS VOICE.
and sometimes you wont be able to.

but in general, the big picture, if your in the right place with god, praying and reading and spending time with him, and you ask god something, and you stop and listen, then youll hear his voice and youll understand, and their wont be any confusion.

if there is confusion then something is wrong, he is not the author of confusion, there is something there that should not be.
and their are also&nbsp;certain troubled times when you cant hear him, but those times come and go as you are pressed upon and are going through the valleys.

BUT IN GENERAL
"you cannot spend quality time in Gods&nbsp;presence without hearing his voice"
jill anthony
becuase
"god wants to speak to us, more than we want to hear him"
smith wigglesworth

please understand this
his sheep hear his voice. they just do.
if not, then your either going through a valley and it will pass.
or something is wrong in your relationship with god, and you need to go into prayer and the word and ask god to search your heart and reveal the evil in you, so you can be cleansed from it.

im sorry that was so long, i just have so much to say, and this isnt quick to cover issue.

 

[JesusIsLife]

Please, dont apoligize! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer.

Take today for example, as I mentioned I am going through some times right now (a season). I haven't been giving it all to God until today. I was ready to talk with Him, and I usually do so quietly or not out loud. I have discovered when you talk quietly you open the door for satan to come in and remind you of everything since they day you were born. My mind gets so jumbled and before I know it, I leave God, and get off track on something else. Someone had suggested to pray out loud, and that it is more powerful that way. It's not that I don't believe that God is there, again I know he is there but it's not a way that I am use to. Sorry, I am making this longer than I probably need to. So, today when I was really struggling I felt a little tug, kinda like God was saying "let's talk" but not quietly, out loud. So I tried and I just couldn't do it. I was so mad at myself, and I just didn't get it. I just tried to relax, and went back again. This time I did, oh but I felt so stupid (sorry, but thats how I felt) I started talking and I don't think I made a bit of sense! I was studdering, oh it was pathetic.

I cant even imagine what God was thinking. I kinda laugh now, and I try to look at it on the positive, that I made a start...and hopefully it will only get better from here! So, now that I made my short story long, I have been wondering if that was from God. Inside I feel that it was, and I don't want to doubt everytime I think it was Him.

 

[endure]

hear read this
god tells us about hearing his voice.
Numbers 12.6-8
6. and he saith, hear now my words,
if there be a prophet amoung you, I the lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
7."MY SERVANT MOSES IS NOT SO, WHO IS FAITHFUL IN ALL MY HOUSE".
8.with him will i speak MOUTH TO MOUTH, EVEN APARENTLY, AND NOT IN DARK SPEECHES; AND THE SIMILITUDE OF THE LORD WILL BE BEHOLD......

here god tells miriam and aron, that usually he speaks to prophets through dreams, visions, dark speeches, things that can be hard to understand. but not moses he speaks to moses, like a normal person, mouth to mouth, like we do people, becuase moses was faithful in all his house.
if god has to give you a dream to talk to you, then hell use that. but it is not the utmost greatest will of god, it is gods will that he doesnt need to use those things all the time, hed like to be able to speak to you himself. but moses was faithful in everything, there was no sin, no hindrances keeping him from god being able to do that. the reason people cant and never hear gods voice, is because they are not in the place to hear him, their either far away figuratively, or they have covered their ears, or sins or something has made walls, sound barriers around them.
but, in general, if you are in the right place with god, he wants to and will speak, to you himself, mouth to mouth.

the word (that scripture) just said that, not me.

and i say this, if you never hear gods voice, then somethings wrong. that is a good way to check yourself, when was the last time you heard his voice? you can look at that, and realise what the quality of your relationship with him is. in general.

 

[endure]

i also beleive sometimes its better to pray outloud, because you cannot think and talk at the same time. and when the devils attacks your thoughts, you SPEAK, and that just wipes out the struggle in your mind, becuase you cant think and talk at the same time. always counter the mind struggle with your words, speaking the word of god, speaking how you will not do that thing.

when you speak, your whole attention goes to that thing.
and if you talk to god in prayer, then your mind cannot go off into these other places. its very effective.
i find that after youve spent sometime talking to god, or worshipping god verbally, and putting your concentration there, that is much easier to then stop talking and wait on god to speak to your heart.
when those times in prayer time come, when you feel him trying to say something to you, trust your heart and spirit, trust what you feel, time in gods presence will give you the ability to discern what is god and what is not, and it just takes time, dont beat yourself if your a child, and cannot yet take leaps and bounds. sometimes you will have to be able to "sense" the will of god, and that is just developed by experience.
it takes time.
when you feel god telling you to talk to him, dont speak quickly, wait, and just say what you feel. whats inside you at the moment, its when you try to think of something to say that messes you up. but say whatevers on your heart at the moment, becuase that is what he wants to deal with, thats what you came to prayer for.

maybe its ".........god i love you,............god i need to hear your voice.........god i need you to help me do this......"
those things, come from inside you, and thats your heart, and its in those quiet times with god, that you just pour yourself out before him from the inside, that he loves so much, and he delights so much in responding to you and giving you rest.
and dont just talk nonstop, stop and listen, sometimes you must "be still" and know that he is god. and his word can come in quiet whisper and if your moving to fast or being to busy, youll miss it.

dont fret, you learn these things from experience mostly, and when ever you seem to be up against a wall and dont know what to do.....stop, and say "holyspirit, help me to pray"&nbsp; and be still, and hell lead you onward.
you learn how to pray, by being lead through it, by the holyspirit.
and you just have to learn it a peice at a time, as he leads you.

 

[paulewog]

I never hear His voice.

He doesn't speak directly to us like that.

This is the OT you know. God dealt with men differently.

I don't walk around talking with Him like Adam did, and I'm not a mediator type person like Moses.

 

[Auntie]

Originally posted by endure

and i say this, if you never hear gods voice, then somethings wrong. that is a good way to check yourself, when was the last time you heard his voice? you can look at that, and realise what the quality of your relationship with him is. in general.

hmmm......are you talking about an audible voice? It is the rarest of cases that anyone would ever actually hear, with their ears, the audible voice of God.

We can "hear" God speak to our heart, by reading His Word. God uses the Bible to "speak" to us.

 

[endure]

ok, i can give you many referrennces to people in the new testament hearing his voice even audibly.
paul heard his voice on the road to damascus.
jesus heard gods voice when baptised. matthew 3.17
god spoke verbally to john,&nbsp;james and peter on the mountain.
luke 9.35,36
john,&nbsp;james and peter were not specail people. paul even considered himself less than an a&nbsp;real apostle.

god did that for moses, and he is no respecter of persons, there is no reason that he will not do that for us. and the bible does not tell us that he ever changed his ways on that issue. many things never changed, from the old-new test.
what you say simply isnt biblical friend.
please, i dont want to aregue with you, lets not do that.

 

[endure]

auntie belle umm
no mam, i am not speaking of only hearing his audible voice.
but hearing his voice in general. i agree it isnt always audible.

to everyone
jesus said this
"man&nbsp;shall not live by bread alone, but by everyword that proceedeth out of the mouth of god"
this is refering to his written words, and much more.
but that is how we christians are supposed to live, a christian is supposed to hears gods voice naturally. that is the way god programmed it, and desired it, planned it to work for us.

you cannot look at yourself, and say "but i dont hear gods voice" and think that is authority to prove you dont need to or cant. it is not.
when something isnt working right, you change, becuase god will never change.

 

[endure]

and before god ever made the old testament laws and the things that&nbsp;he did away with later, there was a man named job who lived with god before all that, and he had full conversation with god in person, he actually saw god and heard his voice. job 42.5
it is clear he had conversation with god by the last chapters, but that verse says he saw god with his eyes.
god spoke to people, before the law, during the law, and after the law, hearing the voice of god is a gift to all peoples, not something done away with with old testament ways.