Bethlehem (1 of 5)

Mike Connell

Page 5 of 9
Some people, they look at the little jobs, and say: I want something bigger and better than that. Listen, just celebrate the little jobs. Celebrate the little things. Give yourself to the little things, and while you're doing it, develop a heart to worship God, and be grateful to Him. David developed a heart that just loved the Lord, worshipped Him, and enjoyed His presence. Over a period of time, he was gradually discovering the anointing of God coming on him, as he learnt to worship.

He learnt what it was to experience God's presence. He learned how to play chords that would open his heart, and open heaven, and the presence of God would come upon him. He learned how to passionately express himself. The whole of psalms are written out of that overflow of David's relationship with the Lord. They express feelings. They express what he was facing. They express his life. He didn't just write them when he was older; he developed a worshipping heart when he was a young person - and you can't have anyone do that for you.

That's the one thing you can do yourself - develop a heart that is passionate towards God; learn how to be alone, and worship Him, and encounter Him. When I started out in ministry, I was literally just thrust into it. I had no training. I had less than any of you here have, really, in terms of teaching in the word of God. The one thing I did have, I had a piano accordion, and I learned how to worship God. I learned how to just come, and spend hours, until I learned how to unlock my heart and spirit, and just begin to worship the Lord, and begin to feel His presence. Sometimes Joy and I, we'd just have a fire going in Dannevirke, we had no TV, and I'd begin to play the music, and the presence of God would come.

You can learn in the place where no one sees what's going on, you can learn to bring the presence of God. The Lord spoke to me and lead me away from teaching in a public school. We had hundreds of people, and I had 25 kids to look after, a little flock. I said: Lord, I want to do this; but He said: no, this is the place of training. This is the place where you learn. This is the place where I teach you. It's just with these young children, its equivalent to working in the kid's church all the time.

What I learnt was how to get before God, and to bring His presence down from heaven, around my life, until I could feel His presence, and bring His presence wherever I went. You have to learn how to do that! People can teach you, but you've got to learn how to do it, and value that. If I've got God coming on my life, then it doesn't really matter if no one knows what I think, or I'm doing, or whatever's happening. At that point, I came to a place where: Lord, if You want me to be here for the rest of my life, with just this, then I'm really happy. That is a great place to be, where you're happy to be in love with the Lord and positioned where He wants you. You are preparing yourself for enlargement.

The first thing was a devotion to the Lord, and you can learn that now. You're in a church that teaches how to encounter and experience God. Why don't you make it the passion of your heart to learn how to pray in such a way that you begin to feel God's presence coming around your life? Become a carrier of the presence of God!

We know that David was able to do that, because shortly after, he went from this place to the next place - with the king. He could play his instrument, and the presence of God would come, and demons would flee! So, we know in that secret place, where no one saw him, he was developing his personal life with God.