Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: PHP
Program Code: PHP000004S
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00:00 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Please join us today on Pressing in to His Presence 00:05 as we learn the value 00:07 of starting our prayers with thanksgiving. 00:32 Welcome to Pressing in to His Presence. 00:34 Today, we are going to learn the value 00:37 of starting our prayer with thanksgiving 00:40 and why this is such a vital thing. 00:43 If you have been following along 00:46 in your program companion book 00:48 "Pressing in to His Presence" 00:50 we're beginning on chapter three today. 00:53 Now, on previous programs 00:56 I have shared how God impressed me 00:59 to spend an hour with Him each day in prayer 01:02 to overcome backsliding. 01:04 But what God taught me 01:06 I'm going to be sharing with you 01:09 and it is just as valuable for a shorter prayer. 01:12 So don't think that it has to be an hour long prayer. 01:16 And although its not necessary to write out our prayers 01:21 I was trying this process which is called journaling 01:24 and on that first morning 01:26 I-- that I was trying to pray the first time 01:29 for an hour journaling 01:31 I typed the date at the top of my page 01:36 and stared my computer screen. 01:39 That blank white screen glared back at me 01:42 and it was intimidating. 01:44 So I prayed Father, where do I begin? 01:48 Teach me how to pray. 01:49 Teach me how to press into Your presence. 01:53 And the verse that came to my mind 01:56 was Psalms 100:4, 5 and there Bible says 02:02 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving 02:06 and into his courts with praise. 02:08 Be thankful to him and bless his name." 02:13 That was the answer. 02:15 I was to begin my prayer with praise and that's what 02:19 we are going to be discussing today. 02:21 But first let's consider God's plan to have a people 02:26 who are a royal priesthood. 02:28 The Old Testament reveals that before God established Aaron 02:32 and his descendents along with the tribe of Levi 02:37 before He established them 02:38 to carryout the duties of the priesthood 02:41 God had called all of His people 02:44 to be a kingdom of priest. 02:46 The setting was the wilderness of Sinai 02:49 where the Israelites were encamped before the mountain. 02:52 And God instructed Moses to tell the people 02:56 in Exodus 19:4-6 these words. 03:01 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, 03:05 and how I bore you on eagles' wings 03:08 and brought you to Myself." 03:10 Can you hear the language of love 03:13 God is bringing His people to Himself 03:16 delivering them out of Egypt? 03:19 Bearing them up like on eagles' wings. 03:22 And He says "Now therefore, 03:24 if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, 03:29 then you shall be a special treasure to Me 03:31 above all people for all the earth is Mine. 03:35 And you shall be to Me 03:38 a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." 03:44 Well, we know they didn't obey. 03:48 Although the Israelites of all 03:50 do not follow God's original plan 03:53 the same call is issued for God's New Testament people 03:58 under the lordship of our Savior Jesus Christ. 04:02 We are called to fulfill this role 04:04 of being a kingdom of priest. 04:06 1 Peter 2:9 say-- 04:12 if I can find it here says this. 04:15 "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 04:21 a holy nation, His own special people, 04:25 that you may proclaim the praises of Him 04:28 who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, 04:33 you who once were not a people but are now the people of God, 04:39 who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 04:45 Do you see that Christians are a royal priesthood, 04:51 a fellowship of priests who are to come boldly 04:55 into God's presence through the new and living way 04:59 open for us by the blood of Jesus? 05:02 You know, as ancient priest entered into the courtyards 05:09 they had to enter into God's presence in a specific order. 05:13 First they entered through a gate 05:15 and when they did 05:17 they were doing this to reach the outer court 05:19 they walked through with thanksgiving. 05:22 I thought about this that first morning 05:23 as I was preparing to journal my first prayer 05:27 and as I did I pictured the heavenly temple 05:31 described by the apostle John in Revelation 11:19. 05:36 It says there, then the temple of God was opened in heaven 05:42 and the Ark of His Covenant was seen in the temple. 05:46 The priests of old drew near to the Lord 05:50 in the earthly sanctuary. 05:52 Now I was preparing to draw near to Him 05:55 in His heavenly sanctuary. 05:57 God was leading me press into His presence 06:01 through the heavenly portal of thanksgiving. 06:03 This would be the first portion of my prayer 06:06 and would be followed by praise. 06:08 Now, since thanksgiving is a form of praise 06:12 I just combine thanksgiving and praise 06:15 under the one label of praise. 06:18 So what is thanksgiving? 06:21 Why should we begin our prayer in this way? 06:25 Thanksgiving is a joyful expression of gratitude to God 06:30 for His goodness toward us, recognizing Him as the giver 06:34 of every good and perfect gift. 06:37 God wants us to recognize, appreciate 06:41 and acknowledge His goodness 06:43 so that we may proclaim all of His wondrous works 06:46 with a voice of thanksgiving. 06:49 Why? 06:50 Why does God want us to give Him thanks? 06:53 It took me some time to realize how faith building this is. 06:58 God prescribed the practice of thanksgiving 07:01 to open our hearts like receptacles 07:04 and to be open vessels ready to be filled 07:09 with a greater measure of trust and faith. 07:12 Let me illustrate this with a story. 07:15 The Sunday morning after my 2004 car accident 07:20 the problems I confronted set me up 07:22 as the perfect candidate for complaining. 07:26 Just 24 hours earlier I had that typical ration of troubles 07:29 that accompany more to life 07:31 but good health had made it easier to give thanks. 07:36 My pastor was out of town so I had been scheduled 07:40 that Saturday to present two church services 07:43 in two different towns, my home church 07:46 and then another church that was 30 miles away. 07:49 One service began at 9:30 am and the other at 11 am. 07:54 So when I concluded the first service 07:56 I departed for the next without delay. 07:59 And traveling down a four lane 08:01 divided highway driving southbound 08:03 at the speed limit of 70 miles an hour 08:06 I saw a white van 08:08 who pulled out from a dirt road. 08:10 He crossed the northbound lines 08:13 and then he came into the median and he stopped. 08:15 He appeared to be looking my way so I didn't slow down. 08:19 I was in the outside lane 08:21 but just as I approached his location 08:25 he soared across the first southbound land 08:28 and into the second outer lane 08:30 just about 12 feet directly in front of me. 08:34 There was no time to hit the brakes 08:36 and that wouldn't have prevented the collusion anyway. 08:39 I knew that I broadsided that van someone would die. 08:44 So instinctively I yank the steering wheel 08:47 sharply to the right and then I saw 08:51 there was a deep, deep dirt ditch 08:54 that ran parallel to the road. 08:56 But I was careening directly toward a concrete culvert 09:00 which had two steel rods just judging out from its center. 09:04 And I cried out and I said, Lord, save me. 09:07 But that's the only words of prayer 09:09 that time would permit. 09:11 And honestly details from that moment 09:15 are a little bit blurry but my SUV I know slammed 09:21 nose down into the dirt ditch missing the concrete culvert 09:26 and I went from 70 miles to 0 on impact. 09:30 So contents from the back 09:32 catapulted to their front floorboard 09:34 brick is shaking like a bullet 09:36 my SUV lurched into the air, made a quarter turn 09:40 and bounced violently to its landing. 09:43 I momentarily lost consciousness 09:45 and when I open my eyes I was surprised to see 09:48 that I was actually straddling this V shaped ditch. 09:53 I shut at the door repeatedly 09:56 against the earth and side of the ditch 09:58 and I managed to open it just a crack, 10:01 just enough to squeeze through. 10:04 So stumbling upward to the weeds 10:06 I saw the white van he had pulled off 10:08 to the side of the road 10:09 just a couple of hundred yards at the highway. 10:12 But when the driver spotted my head coming up 10:16 he hopped into his van and sped off. 10:19 So there I was dazed and I saw a couple of cars pass by 10:23 and I was desperately 10:24 trying to wave them down but apparently 10:27 they weren't able to see me down in the ditch. 10:30 I couldn't find my cell phone to call for help 10:33 so I noticed that ditch actually 10:37 became shallower as it went further south. 10:41 That appeared to my best option 10:43 was just to try to maneuver my vehicle 10:45 out of its landing place. 10:46 So with the car straddling the sloping sides 10:49 I cautiously drove a quarter of a mile onto the ground 10:53 graduated in elevation enough to allow me 10:56 to actually return to the highway. 10:58 And unaware of how seriously 11:00 I had been injured I reached the second church 11:03 as the song service was finishing 11:05 and I delivered the message God had given me 11:08 but boy, now on the morning after 11:12 I knew my injures were significant. 11:15 Throbbing pain had robbed me 11:17 of even a wink of sleep all night 11:19 and my neck seemed hot and swollen 11:22 and I couldn't turn my head. 11:24 The slightest moment of my arms 11:27 caused nerve pain that just shot 11:29 from the base of my neck through my fingertips. 11:32 And my fingers were jammed 11:34 and swollen twice the normal size 11:36 and they were throbbing. 11:37 And I had a torn ligament in my shoulder 11:42 and it mimic a knife just being thrust 11:44 through the shoulder blade. 11:46 My feet bottoms were bruised, 11:48 I had an egg size bump on my forehead 11:50 and that explain my headache. 11:53 There is one thing I knew 11:54 I wouldn't be writing my prayer this day. 11:58 You know, I could have murmured against the Lord. 12:03 Wasn't I working in His harvest fields 12:05 when it happened? 12:07 Hadn't I prayed for traveling mercies? 12:10 Why would He allow such a tragic accident to happen? 12:14 My husband JD was out of town and I was home all alone 12:19 and I was parched and thirsty 12:20 and I couldn't even get out of bed for a glass of water. 12:24 In my mind I tried to calculate 12:26 how on earth we'll repay for the medical costs 12:30 that are sure to come. 12:31 I knew that benefits from our auto policy 12:35 would be questionable. 12:36 There had been no collusion, no police report 12:40 and no witnesses to step forth. 12:43 Now, on our health insurance policy 12:45 we carried a $5,000 purposed deductible 12:48 that was gonna be a big hit to our pocket 12:52 and actually neither policy seemed too promising 12:55 to help us out of the situation. 12:58 And I realized it could result in massy medical expenses 13:02 at a time that we could ill afford it. 13:05 Perhaps, I would have murmured had I know than 13:09 that it was gonna ultimately cost us $18,000 out of pocket 13:13 because our health provider insisted 13:16 the auto insurer should pay 13:18 and auto insurance it sought otherwise. 13:23 So neither one paid but the point is 13:26 I didn't murmur and in that's no glory to me. 13:31 God had so changed my heart 13:34 through the practice of thanksgiving 13:36 that I sensed His blessing in every situation. 13:41 He had filled my heart with trust and faith 13:44 through the experience of acknowledging His goodness. 13:50 So instead of murmuring I prayed thank you, Father, 13:54 that I didn't collided with that van 13:56 and killed someone. 13:58 Thank you Father, for saving my life. 14:00 Thank You for sending angels to carry me 14:04 beyond that concrete culvert. 14:06 Had I hit it I would probably had died. 14:09 Oh, I said Father, I'm so thankful 14:11 that the impact was in the dirt ditch. 14:14 Thank You for preventing my SUV from rolling over. 14:18 Thank You that I wasn't injured by the tools 14:22 or impaled by the T posts. 14:25 We had fenced T post in the back. 14:27 And I said oh, Lord, 14:28 I praise You for your protection. 14:32 Thank You that I can still walk. 14:35 Thank You for blessing me. 14:37 With so many other blessings I give thanks for I know 14:41 You will work this out for my good. 14:44 You have a plan for my life, hallelujah. 14:49 So here I was the following morning Monday 14:54 and I woke to a severe post concussion syndrome 14:59 and uncontrollably raising thoughts. 15:02 They seem true although they weren't. 15:05 Eventually I learned that 15:06 I had cracked the access of my spine right here 15:10 where your head sits on your spine 15:12 and I had two badly bulging discs in my neck. 15:15 So surgery to repair the damage 15:17 would have left my head with no range of motion. 15:20 I would have been turning like this. 15:24 So for the next-- they wanted to operate but I told them no. 15:29 So for the next 42 months constant pain was my companion 15:34 yet I rarely murmured about my condition 15:38 and again that's no glory to me. 15:41 Because I was tempted to murmur 15:43 but when I was tempted the Holy Spirit reminded me 15:47 to continue thanking God 15:49 for His mighty hand of protection. 15:52 Here is our wake up call. 15:55 If we murmur and complain against our circumstances 16:00 we are actually murmuring and complaining against God 16:05 and forgetting all of His benefits. 16:08 In Psalm 103:2-4 this is what King David wrote. 16:15 He said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, 16:19 and forget not all His benefits 16:23 who forgives all your iniquities," 16:26 and boy, that's enough for thanksgiving right there 16:28 if we didn't go any further. 16:31 "Who heals all your diseases, 16:34 who redeems your life from destruction, 16:38 who crowns you with loving-kindness 16:41 and tender mercies." 16:44 You know, that Bible passage was my constant prayer. 16:49 Thanksgiving had made my heart like an open receptacle 16:54 into which God could pour out His blessings. 16:58 And one morning three and half years 17:00 after my accident 17:02 there was a stunning reversal of my situation. 17:05 I woke up and the pain was gone, completely gone. 17:09 I had trusted in God's goodness 17:11 and He and His delight of mercy removed my torment. 17:17 It's never returned. 17:18 So I agree with what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. 17:23 He said in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. 17:28 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, 17:33 in everything give thanks 17:36 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 17:41 And then David said in Psalm 95:2, 17:46 "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. 17:51 Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms." 17:57 It isn't easy to give thanks 17:59 in everything as Paul had many issues to do. 18:01 It's not easy but it is their beauty. 18:04 You may have heard the story of the man who was complaining 18:08 because he had no shoes until the day 18:09 he saw a man who had no feet. 18:12 In every situation 18:14 you and I have something more for which to be thankful 18:17 than does about 90 percent of the world's population. 18:21 You know, I have a long standing friendship 18:22 with a dear sister in Christ 18:24 whom I've never met but we Skype weekly 18:28 and she watch 3ABN for years to improve her English. 18:33 And so a number of years ago this resulted in her conversion 18:36 from the Muslim religion she lost her prestigious job, 18:40 she lost-- she suffered abuse from here husband. 18:44 He eventually divorced her and unfortunately 18:46 he got custody of their children. 18:48 But through it all she learned the lesson 18:51 that you and I need to, she keeps her heart open 18:55 before the Lord through thanksgiving. 18:57 She recognizes and acknowledges God's goodness 19:01 and therefore she approaches her loving heavenly Father 19:04 with a heart filled with expectation. 19:07 And God daily gives her evidences of His love 19:11 and presence in here life. 19:13 This trusting daughter is just like Job. 19:17 She is saying though he slave me 19:22 yet will I trust Him. 19:25 Her faith serves as a spiritual telescope that 19:29 lets her look ahead to a better day 19:31 and such faith inspires me. 19:34 Thanksgiving is a faith builder. 19:36 It takes our eyes off self 19:38 and puts them-- our vision on the Lord. 19:41 And as we contemplate His love for us it awakens our awe. 19:45 The act of thanksgiving alters our attitudes, 19:48 it prevents the poor pitiful me party. 19:51 Are you in emotional turmoil right now? 19:53 This is how concepts seem pouring to your mind. 19:56 I understand because I have shared 19:58 your feelings in the past. 20:00 Have you lost a loved one, 20:01 it is difficult to discover reasons for thanksgiving 20:05 when your heart is gripped with grief. 20:08 But consider thanking God for being capable of loving 20:11 which means, you're capable of grieving, 20:14 you're capable of loving consider thanking Him 20:17 for the time shared with that special person. 20:20 Perhaps you've been victimized suffering cruelties 20:24 at the hands of the unsympathetic abuser. 20:27 I can tell you from personal experience 20:30 I know this can scribal the heart 20:32 and stifle thanksgiving. 20:34 But if this is your case please consider 20:36 thanking God for His mercies which are new every morning 20:40 and for the better plan that He has for your life 20:43 which He will reveal as you seek His face. 20:48 Maybe you've been diagnosed with a fatal disease 20:51 causing your heart to squeeze like a wise with fear. 20:56 Consider thanking God 20:57 for the blessed hope of eternal like 21:00 and for the opportunity to know in advance 21:03 so you can put your fears in order. 21:06 Thank Him for the peaceful rest ahead of you 21:09 as you will wait resurrection morning 21:11 when you hear His voice and come forward 21:14 from the grave to everlasting life. 21:17 Thanksgiving can quell your feel adding joy 21:20 and quality to each remaining moment. 21:23 Learning to live with your condition 21:25 is better than learning to die with it. 21:28 Maybe you are facing serious but more mundane problems, 21:32 Perhaps, there are financial problems 21:33 or someone is spreading malicious rumors about you. 21:37 James 1:2 says count it all joy 21:41 when you fall into various trials. 21:43 Now that's difficult counsel 21:45 but learning to heed it has its reward. 21:48 Why should we give thanks for fiery trials 21:51 the apostle James continues by telling us 21:54 that trials produce patience 21:56 and when patience is worked out in us 21:58 we are perfect and we lack nothing. 22:01 Crises reveals character. 22:04 So God sees a greater potential on us 22:06 and He trust us with the trial 22:08 in order that He may polish our potential. 22:11 He engineers our circumstances for our eternal benefit 22:15 working all things together for our good to conform us 22:18 to the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus. 22:22 As we are tried in the fiery furnace of trial 22:26 our faith is purified and it's used with patience. 22:31 Faith eliminates the fog of circumstances 22:34 and we see God's goodness more clearly 22:37 and it is something 22:39 that establishes peace in our hearts. 22:42 Ephesians 5:20, Paul says, 22:45 "Giving thanks for all things to God the Father 22:50 in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 22:54 You know the luster of our faith life is mod 22:59 when we murmur about our circumstances. 23:02 Did our circumstances escape the attention of the one 23:04 who know the end from the beginning? 23:07 Instead of focusing on the problems 23:09 we should be focusing on the goodness 23:11 and mercy of the problem solver. 23:14 He will hear from heaven and will reward your faith. 23:17 He will keep you in perfect peace. 23:20 The obvious point here is to develop 23:22 and maintain a thankful heart. 23:24 Make a list of your blessings 23:27 and at the top of your list should be thanksgiving 23:30 for His perfect indescribable gift 23:33 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 23:35 and the gift of salvation. 23:37 Thank Him for strengthening you with the power 23:40 through His Holy Spirit living in you. 23:42 Thank Him for the transforming power of His word 23:45 which implanted in your hearts, 23:47 James says is able to save your souls. 23:50 Remember thanksgiving build faith. 23:54 And Hebrews 11:6 says, 23:56 "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, 24:00 for he who comes to God must believe that He is, 24:03 and that He is a rewarder of those 24:06 who diligently seek Him." 24:10 When we enter His gates with thanksgiving 24:12 remembering His rewards 24:15 we will pray more boldly with increased assurance. 24:19 Building on the foundation of trust 24:21 our faith mounts up on wings 24:23 and we are ready to approach the Lord 24:26 in a manner that pleases Him 24:28 and we won't risk being guilty of grieving the Lord 24:31 through ingratitude and disbelief. 24:34 You know, just consider this for a moment. 24:37 Have you ever given good things 24:40 and perform special favors of-- for someone 24:43 who repeatedly takes your generosity for granted. 24:47 How do you feel with little to know 24:49 appreciation is expressed? 24:51 Be honest. 24:52 If you've come into contact 24:54 with an ungrateful wretch like this the day arrives 24:58 when you weigh the benefits of withholding your faith 25:01 or to teach the good lesson of gratitude. 25:04 Isn't that true? 25:05 It grieves the heart of the giver of every good 25:08 and perfect gift when we fail to thank Him 25:12 for His undeserved goodness toward us. 25:15 In Luke 17:17, 18, 25:19 Jesus healed ten lepers and only one a Samaritan 25:24 returned to offer the thanksgiving to him. 25:27 "And Jesus asked, 'were there not any found 25:31 who returned to give glory to God expect this foreigner.' 25:35 " I wonder if God delays answering our prayers 25:38 because of our lack of thanksgiving 25:41 just to teach us a lesson of showing appreciation for all 25:45 He has done for us through Christ Jesus. 25:49 Though provoking, isn't it? 25:51 Hebrews 13:15 says, "Therefore by him 25:56 let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, 26:03 that is, the fruit of our lips, 26:07 giving thanks to His name." 26:11 oh, thanks is something-- that thanksgiving is something 26:17 that we sure take for granted. 26:22 Today, we have learned the importance 26:26 of being like the priests of old 26:29 who entered into the gates of-- 26:33 I say they were pressing into the presence of God 26:36 they entered into the gates 26:39 with thanksgiving in their hearts 26:42 and if we would just do this what it will do for us 26:48 is it will change our attitudes. 26:52 We won't be having that pity party 26:55 and remember self pity is straight from the pits of hell. 27:00 But as we start off our prayer with thanksgiving 27:05 it changes the way we think, it changes our attitude, 27:09 it opens up our heart before God 27:12 and we can receive from Him and we are pleasing Him 27:18 because we are coming before Him with faith 27:22 and without faith it's impossible to please Him. 27:26 It is so important 27:28 that we learn to be like the priests of old. 27:32 You and I we were called as the people of God 27:36 to be a kingdom of priest so as we approach our Lord 27:41 let us enter into His gates with thanksgiving. 27:46 Let us find plenty of reason. 27:50 We can always find reason to thank God. 27:54 Now, I pray that you will be joining us next time 27:58 as we will be learning how to enter 28:02 after entering through thanksgiving 28:04 we will press into His presence 28:06 and enter His courts with praise 28:09 and that will change our mental purpose. |
Revised 2025-04-23