Partakers Christian Podcasts

Developing Intimacy With God - 1. The God Who Speaks

Developing Intimacy With God

1. The God Who Speaks

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16

Today we are starting a new series where we will seek to help our relationship with God, to develop our intimacy with Him. We will start with 8 studies about reading and understanding the Bible, where God speaks to us. Then we will go on to prayer, where we speak to God but He also, again, speaks to us.

We start today by looking at the God who speaks and the basis on which we are to develop our relationship with Him through reading the Bible and praying to Him, listening to Him.

Let me know what you think! I won't mind what you say...

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Bible Reading - Psalm 114

Psalm 114

As read by Heather aged 8

1 When Israel came out of Egypt,

the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

2 Judah became God's sanctuary,

Israel his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled,

the Jordan turned back;

4 the mountains skipped like rams,

the hills like lambs.

5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled,

O Jordan, that you turned back,

6 you mountains, that you skipped like rams,

you hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8 who turned the rock into a pool,

the hard rock into springs of water.

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Bible Reading - Psalm 27

Psalm 27

By David.
27:1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation.
Whom shall I fear?
Yahweh is the strength of my life.
Of whom shall I be afraid?

27:2 When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh,
even my adversaries and my foes,
they stumbled and fell.

27:3 Though an army should encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear.
Though war should rise against me,
even then I will be confident.

27:4 One thing I have asked of Yahweh,
that I will seek after,
that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life,
to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.

27:5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me secretly in his pavilion.
In the covert of his tabernacle he will hide me.
He will lift me up on a rock.

27:6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me.
I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent.
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.

27:7 Hear, Yahweh, when I cry with my voice.
 Have mercy also on me,
and answer me.

27:8 When you said, “Seek my face,”
my heart said to you,
“I will seek your face, Yahweh.”

27:9 Don’t hide your face from me.
Don’t put your servant away in anger.
You have been my help.
Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me,
God of my salvation.

27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
then Yahweh will take me up.

27:11 Teach me your way, Yahweh.
Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.

27:12 Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
such as breathe out cruelty.

27:13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living.

27:14 Wait for Yahweh.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage.
Yes, wait for Yahweh.

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Bible Reading - Psalm 135

Psalm 135

¹ Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord,
² you who serve in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his lovely name with music.
⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.
⁵ I know the greatness of the Lord- that our Lord is greater than any other god.
⁶ The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths.
⁷ He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.

⁸ He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home, both people and animals.
⁹ He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his people.
¹⁰ He struck down great nations and slaughtered mighty kings-
¹¹ Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.
¹² He gave their land as an inheritance, a special possession to his people Israel.
¹³ Your name, O Lord, endures forever; your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation.
¹⁴ For the Lord will give justice to his people and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵ The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.
¹⁷ They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell.
¹⁸ And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.
¹⁹ O Israel, praise the Lord! O priests-descendants of Aaron-praise the Lord!
²⁰ O Levites, praise the Lord! All you who fear the Lord, praise the Lord!
²¹ The Lord be praised from Zion, for he lives here in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

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Click or Tap here to visit our page to download all 150 Psalms as mp3 files

Bible Reading - Psalm 144

Psalm 144

A psalm of David.

¹ Praise the Lord, who is my rock.
He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.
² He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me.
³ O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them,
mere mortals that you should think about them?
⁴ For they are like a breath of air;
their days are like a passing shadow.
⁵ Open the heavens, Lord, and come down.
Touch the mountains so they billow smoke.
⁶ Hurl your lightning bolts and scatter your enemies!
Shoot your arrows and confuse them!
⁷ Reach down from heaven and rescue me;
rescue me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies.
⁸ Their mouths are full of lies;
they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.
⁹ I will sing a new song to you, O God!
I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.
¹⁰ For you grant victory to kings!
You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.
¹¹ Save me! Rescue me from the power of my enemies.
Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.
¹² May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants.
May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.
¹³ May our barns be filled with crops of every kind.
May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands,
¹⁴ and may our oxen be loaded down with produce.
May there be no enemy breaking through our walls,
no going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares.
¹⁵ Yes, joyful are those who live like this!
Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.

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Bible Reading- Psalm 129

Psalm 129

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

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From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me.
Let all Israel repeat this:
From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,
but they have never defeated me.
My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.
But the Lord is good; he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.
May all who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shameful defeat.
May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,
turning yellow when only half grown,
ignored by the harvester, despised by the binder.
And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing:
"The Lord bless you; we bless you in the Lord's name."

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Bible Reading - Psalm 148

Psalm 148

¹ Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies!

² Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven!

³ Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars!

⁴ Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!

⁵ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.

⁶ He set them in place forever and ever. His decree will never be revoked.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths,

⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him,

⁹ mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

¹⁰ wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds,

¹¹ kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth,

¹² young men and young women, old men and children.

¹³ Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!

¹⁴ He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones- the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!

 

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Prayers for the Global Persecuted Church

 

Partakers Prayers

Persecuted  Church Worldwide

 

According to Open Doors UK, over 360 million Christians—1 in 7 believers—face severe persecution worldwide. In the past year alone, 5,621 Christians were killed for their faith, 2,110 churches attacked, and 140,000 displaced. Yet, countless believers continue to worship in secret, holding firm to their faith in Jesus despite immense risk. We stand in solidarity with our persecuted brothers and sisters, honouring their courage and remembering those who have lost their lives. Wednesday 20th November is Red Wednesday - a day to give voice to the plight of groups and individuals who are victimised for their faith in Jesus.⁠ ⁠

We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray together!

 

Prayers for the Global Persecuted Church

Sovereign God, we worship you and acknowledge that you know all of those who suffer in your name because they follow you. We remember those who are imprisoned for their faith and ask that they would join with the Apostle Paul to see that even though they remain captive, their chains have furthered the gospel, not frustrated it. May they inspire and embolden their fellow believers to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Amen

God of all comfort, for those who are tortured both in body and mind, give them the grace to endure and to see their suffering as part of following in Christ’s footsteps. Merciful God, for those asked to pay the ultimate price; who are martyred because of their love for you, may they truly know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
Amen

Father God, for those who are widowed and orphaned may they know the comfort that comes from your promised presence even when they walk through the valley. May they be strengthened by your Spirit, enabling them to rejoice with the psalmist as they proclaim that the LORD will not abandon them in death.
Amen

Heavenly Father, we ask that you would make us ever mindful of our brothers and sisters around the world who need us to stand with them as they suffer in your name. Teach us what it means to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony; we pray that we would not love our lives so much as to shrink from death.

We ask these things O Father, through the name of Your Son, Jesus

and in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
Amen

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Bible Reading - Psalm 11 to 15

Psalm 11 to Psalm 15

Often we hear the Psalms one by one, but today we offer you the chance to hear a group of Psalms read as a collection and meditated upon and prayed!

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Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

1 In the Lord I take refuge.
How then can you say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?’

4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.
5 The Lord examines the righteous,
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.
6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulphur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.

7 For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice;
the upright will see his face.

Psalm 12

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

1 Help, Lord, for no one is faithful any more;
those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2 Everyone lies to their neighbour;
they flatter with their lips but harbour deception in their hearts.

3 May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue –
4 those who say,
‘By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us – who is lord over us?’

5 ‘Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,’ says the Lord.
‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’
6 And the words of the Lord are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.

7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us for ever from the wicked,
8 who freely strut about
when what is vile is honoured by the human race.

Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me for ever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.

Psalm 14

For the director of music. Of David.

1 The fool says in his heart,
‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the Lord.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one whose way of life is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbour,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honours those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things will never be shaken.
 

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Psalm On Demand - Psalm 32

Psalm 32

32:1 Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven,

 whose sin is covered.

 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn't impute iniquity,

 in whose spirit there is no deceit.

 32:3 When I kept silence,

 my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

 32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me.

 My strength was sapped in the heat of summer.

 Selah.

 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to you.

 I didn't hide my iniquity.

 I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh,

 and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

 Selah.

 32:6 For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found.

 Surely when the great waters overflow,

 they shall not reach to him.

 32:7 You are my hiding place.

 You will preserve me from trouble.

 You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

 Selah.

 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go.

 I will counsel you with my eye on you.

 32:9 Don't be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding,

 who are controlled by bit and bridle,

 or else they will not come near to you.

 32:10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,

 but loving kindness shall surround the one who trusts in him.

 32:11 Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous!

 Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

 

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