In The Word
Read: Revelation 4
Scene in Heaven
4 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
The Throne and Worship of the Creator
5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
We are called as Christians to look at the world through the eyes of God. The only way we can see from this perspective is to walk and live in the Spirit. In John 16:13, Christ says, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Through the eyes of the Spirit, we can see that the center of life is our King seated on the throne above all of heaven and earth. From His throne comes great counsel from the twenty-four elders. We are told that in the multitude of counselors there is safety. In our own lives, we should be surrounded by those mature in the Lord to help us understand God’s perspective. Mature counsel should flow from the seven spirits of God. These spirits are revealed to us in Isaiah 11: the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, the fear of the Lord, and discernment. In Revelations 4, we also see a key example of someone with God’s perspective. It was constant worship to the one true King of the universe. The activity of giving glory, honor, and thanks should never end in the life of a believer. We were created by God and for God. May we see life from His perspective so as to have the right perspective.
7 Days of Prayer & Fasting Devotional
Day Two Focus:
To Draw Closer to the Lord
Thought: Ask the Lord to reveal to you anything that would hinder your ability to come into His presence in a deeper way than you ever have before. Pray for the ability to see your sin as He sees it. Be brokenhearted over your sin and ask for forgiveness.
Scripture: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully.” (Psalm 24:3-4 NIV)
Scripture Reference: Psalm 51:10-12, Hebrews 12:1
Meditation: Praise God. He knows we have struggles and He has an answer. The very things in our lives that appear to disqualify us: sin, weakness, failure, flaws, etc…provide convincing proof of God’s love. Ask God to reveal to you what hinders you from spending more time with Him.
TCI Prayer Points:
- Pray for people to learn how to spend time with God and deepen that relationship.
- Pray for people to repent of any sin hindering this relationship.(Pray for our spiritual growth)