So Eric, as we're talking about a communion with the Lord and previously we talked about
abiding, in the presence of the Lord, in other words sort of like continual thing
throughout the day, how does a person keep the world from coming in and kind of stealing
that abiding, stealing that awareness, that sensitivity?
Because that happens a lot of times, things that we encounter in life sort of jar us out
of that place. How do we keep that from happening?
Well Madam Guyon said, um, "Anytime the passions are turbulent a gentle retreat inwards unto
a present God easily deadens and pacifies them."
Which I think is a great way to put it together. You know, the secrets of the abiding place
are learned in the secret place. So the more we learn how to be with Him alone
we do those things that we do alone in length and real quick.
That's how we be with Him and that's how we abide with Him.
How you found him, alone, which, you know, it took time and you take time to do it, you
do that in the public place quickly, you know? So, even as she said that, "That gentle
retreat inwards unto a present God easily deadens and pacifies it.
So to me that's how, you know, the lusts of the world, all the pressures of, of this
life, relationship issues is probably one of the biggest ones is relationships with
people. But, that's where it all starts and ends:
practicing the presence of the Lord that you found alone in public; that's what abiding
is. So I think that's the secret.
So you're taking some of the, the things that you've learned to do in the secret place and
you apply them, then, throughout your whole life?
Yeah, quickly. So what are some of those things that you
learned to apply? Well for me I say this sometimes hundreds
of times a day because the soul is constantly needing to be stilled, and so we must constantly
look at Jesus so He can calm, the soul, especially when pressures start coming up
and things start -- you start getting scattered; you can feel it, you know.
And so what happens is a man must choose in that moment to begin to look to the Lord.
So I'll say this sometimes hundreds of times a day: "Lord, I give You all my attention
and I worship You." Sometimes I'll steal away, if I feel myself
getting scattered in a meeting or something I'll say, "I've got to use the restroom."
I'll go to the restroom and I'll close my eyes and I'll say, "I give You all my attention
and I worship You." Or you can do it without even saying anything.
Just while you're talking to someone you can do it.
You know, one of the things I had to learn when I was driving all the time for construction
was how to address the Lord with my eyes open because I was driving.
Because I used to always close my eyes: "Lord, I give you all my attention, I worship You."
But while I was driving I had to look at the road, and I would have my eyes open at a stop
light or something. At the stoplight was actually where I could
close my eyes, but as I was driving I would say, "Lord, I give You all my attention."
"And I worship You." You know, just letting the heart go up to
Him, you know. And, I would sense -- everything would
switch; everything would change. The terrible day -- it didn't matter anymore.
It doesn't even matter. Everything in Him matters, then, at that moment.
You know exactly what I'm talking about. When you're pressured and you have all kinds
of stuff, and it feels like, "This is never going to get done, I'm just -- I just want
out of this life." Then all of a sudden you turn to Him, that
gentle retreat inwards, and all those things are deadened and pacified.
Now they don't matter anymore, you know. They'll still get done, but they don't matter
anymore, you know. They have no bearing on you.
You are removed from them. They don't have power.
Now you have power over them, you know.