We are trying to receive from earthly sources what we should be getting from God. Jesus explained that we are "receiving glory" from one another and are not seeking the glory that is from God (John 5:44). It is clear from other scriptures that we are also receiving a sense of being refuged and of being strong (Psa. 52:7,8; Jer. 17:5-8).

The "benefits" we receive are feelings of having glory, of having a safe place of refuge, and of feeling strong. The benefits are what happens as a result of "drinking." It is the "benefits" that keep us in bondage to trying to drink from earthly sources. You can replace the earthly benefits because when you depend on the closeness of God as your refuge and strength it makes you feel secure and confident—in ways that are far beyond what earthly sources can supply.

The Bible says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits" (Psa. 103:2). The benefits of turning to God and "drinking" are far more filling and real than when you try to fill your desire for God by depending on earthly substitutions.

Replacing the benefits is of critical importance. The Bible says, "Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and was strong in his evil desire. But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God..." (Psa. 52:7,8). If you forget the benefits of depending on the closeness of God—if you don’t depend on Him so as to be soothed, reassured, loved, and strong, your tendency will be to turn back to earthly things.

Let me give you some examples of how you can direct your heart to turn and replace what your are trying to receive by earthly means with God. Thank Him that, "The reassurance I need is not from getting and having more ‘stuff.’ Receiving and having God’s presence is always new and soothes me far more. Lord, I love that it is because of grace that Your presence is always so readily available—not because I have to deserve it." Thank the Lord with great delight that, "My glory is not to achieve a sense of my being a sovereign king. Lord, I love that You are God and not me—my confidence and thrill is to have You close to me. Lord, I praise You because You are the sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords." Turn your heart to God by thanking Him that, "I delight that I don't have to feed myself by comparing myself to other people. Lord, I love that I don’t have to pride myself when I see someone who doesn’t have money—someone who doesn’t look good, or someone who doesn’t go to my church. Lord, You are God—You are the standard, not me."

Remember that it is your birthright as Christians to experience the presence of God as your refuge, your glory, and your strength. God wants to be your God.

Replace earthly ways of feeling secure with God. Let Him be your refuge and your defender. Thank Him that, "The security I need is not from how well I defended myself in conversations with people. God is my defender. Lord, I praise You for Your abundant grace to lavish Your presence onto me." Thank Him that, "The security I need is not from the smiles I get from other people. I love the radiance shining on me from Your face." Thrill your heart that "The reassurance I need is not from soothing myself with how nice I am to people. It is God that soothes me best. Lord, I love your presence as my good." Thank God with great delight that you can trade the glory of what you are trying to get from earthly sources with Him. Thank Him that, "The protection I need is not from using self-contempt as a tool to keep me shut down and avoiding You Lord. Heart hear this—the Light of God as my defender and shield is far better way to find the protection I long for." You can find more of these kinds of statements in the Heart-training! material.

If you want freedom from sin, then drawing near to God is not an option. You have to train your heart about why you can drop your guard and allow the Holy Spirit to draw near to you. But you also have to enjoy Him as your reason for feeling secure, reassured, confident.

If I could stand on a table and shout this I would. "Drinking" from God isn’t just about experiencing His presence! It is also about enjoying the benefits of having Him close—while keeping the praise going toward Him. Soak in Him and love Him for being able to refuge in Him. Love the closeness of all His living attributes as reason why you should feel strong. Remember again that David said, "But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head" (Psa. 3:3). Let God be the lifter of your head. Soak in Him and enjoy it!

Like King David, we have to "strengthen" ourselves in the Lord. Since the substitutions we make are so balanced in categories related to what God is like, the way we strengthen ourselves needs to be consistent with all of who God is.

Replacing the benefits you normally derive from earthly sources means that you reassure your heart by praise toward God because of the closeness of each of His attributes. I find it works best to use the diagram in the short version of the Heart-training and praise Him while seeking to apply the principles you are reading here in this section. 

Jesus said, "The sower went out to sow his seed..." (Luke 8:5). He explained that the seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11). We need to sow the seed of God’s word into our heart. But sometimes when you plant the word of God into your heart it doesn’t take root very well. One reason for this is because of the hardness of our own heart. Another reason might be because you didn’t understand what you were trying to hear.

Still at other times, what we sow into our heart gets stolen away. Jesus talked about birds coming and eating the seed so that it couldn’t take root (Matt. 13:4). Later He explained, "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road" (Matt. 13:19). The "birds" in the parable are demonic beings trying to keep the word of God from taking root in our heart.

There are three things that you should be doing to solve this problem. The first is that you need to do is to keep sowing more seed. By that, I mean you should keep going back and reviewing the scriptures and thanking Him for the truth. Keep thanking Him for why you can turn to Him and drink.

The second thing you should do to keep the enemy from stealing what you are sowing into your heart is that you should disagree with demonic pressure to protect yourself with disbelief. Disagreeing with demonic pressure is a very powerful approach to spiritual warfare.

Thank the Lord that, "I delight that I don’t have to agree with demonic pressure to harden my heart when I hear God’s voice. I can obey—what He says is good and right." Thank God with great joy; "I love that I don’t have to agree with demonic pressure to live in dullness or apathy. It is realistic for me to quench my thirst for God with a river of the Holy Spirit. Lord I love Your abundant grace."

Purpose to hear that, "I don’t have to agree to live within ‘religious’ boundaries put on me by demonic pressure: it is right and good for me to stand before the Lord, praise Him, and welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit." Thank Him because, "It is thrilling to me that I don’t have to drink from a cup of hopelessness or find refuge in despair because of spiritual intimidation from demons. Lord, I love that I don’t have to avoid putting my hope in You."

In our natural state, our tendency is to harden our heart in order to feel protected. But, the Bible tells us, "Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me" (Heb. 3:15a). Thank the Lord that you don’t have to agree with demonic pressure to harden your heart when you hear His voice.

Don’t be too quick to assume that the problem is always with the beliefs and loves of your own heart. It may well be that you are being pushed in the wrong direction by outside spiritual forces. If you have sought to train your heart in an area and you are not responding, it is wise to address the problem this way. Stand firm by thrilling your heart that you don’t have to agree with demonic pressure and the enemy will flee.

The third thing you need to do in order to stop the enemy from taking the truth away is to hold on to what you are seeking to believe. John recorded that our Lord spoke to His church saying, "So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent..." (Rev. 3:3). Repentance requires that you remember and hold on to what you have heard. Make it your intention to let the truth send roots down deep into your heart.

Our Lord also said, "I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown" (Rev. 3:11). Your reward in heaven is dependant—in part—on how well you hold onto the truth that has been sown in your heart. Pray that the enemy wouldn’t be successful at robbing you of your reward.

Let your intension be to hold on to the truth so that the word of God can send it’s roots down deep, grow strong, and produce a result that bears fruit for the kingdom of God.

It isn’t always the "evil one" that is snatching the word away from us. Often it is the hardness of our heart because of self-protection. The word of God can’t take root in us when we are trying to protect ourselves with disbelief. For this you need to "dig deeper." Jesus told us,

"Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock..." (Luke 6:47,48).

By "digging deeper" I mean you uncover your fears—you should soften your heart by addressing your distrust and disbelief toward God.

Observe your fears. Does it feel like you are afraid that God might abandon you? Speak the scriptures into your heart. Address these fears directly. Thank the Lord that He is kind and will not abandon you (Psa. 9:10; 94:14; 1 Sam. 12:22). Does it feel like He might not approve of you enough to want you near Him? Don’t hesitate to begin to address this fear either. Thank Him that the cleansing you received at salvation was powerful for making you acceptable. He does not despise you—He is not hiding from you (Psa. 22:24). His cleansing is strong enough to keep you clean (Eze. 36:25, Isa. 4:4). He does not condemn you because you want to refuge in Him (Psa. 34:22; John 6:37). By addressing your fears directly, you will be softening your heart toward God.

You will also have to address your fears about yourself. Thank the Lord repeatedly that, "I can turn from believing that there is something so desperately wrong with me that I should avoid turning to God and drawing near—what is wrong is staying away from God and quenching my thirst for Him by drinking from earthly sources." Thank Him assertively that, "I don’t have to feed myself with the glory of my humanity—I don’t have to stay away from God because of my lack."

Sometimes the reason for our hardness is because of our past. Awaken your heart into hearing with great joy in your tone of voice. Listen to yourself as you praise Him, "Lord I praise You that what did to me doesn’t prevent me from being fully forgiven and accepted by God. Lord, I love that what happened doesn’t prevent me from being able to enter and receive Your presence—with great abundance." Thank the Lord that, "I don’t have to stay away from God because of fear of being hurt—if it hurts it is always because of His passionate love for me. God is just being faithful to His relentless intentions about helping me toward what is best for me." Delight your heart into hearing that, "I don’t have to blame myself for what happened that I couldn’t control—Lord, I love that I don’t have to stay away from You because of shame about what happened. I love your grace and power to burn away all that makes me feel so dirty (Isa. 4:4)."You may have to work hard to get your heart to hear, but it is worth it. Statements like these may be exactly what your heart needs to hear. Or, you may need to address several different related areas. Just keep at it. You can direct your heart toward God. He will help you. Pray that God will show you what issues you need to address.

When your righteousness depends on God—and not on yourself, you are much freer to ask yourself probing questions. Ask yourself if you are believing you are in the throne room and are close to the fountain of God. Ask yourself if you are drinking from the Lord so as to experience the river of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would flow out from inside of you. When God is your righteousness questions like these don’t make you feel guilty, they make you grow.

Answer the questions by observing yourself. What you observe will give you clues about what truths your heart needs to hear. Remember that our mind thinks with words. Our heart thinks with emotions. No two people are the same. Some think almost exclusively with words. Others think almost exclusively with emotions. Both are important. Words help you to verbalize what your heart needs to hear.

Maintaining confidence that you can glory in God’s presence—here and now, may be another one of those things that are almost as basic as the principle of getting your heart to hear.

The greater your confidence that you can receive and thrill your heart with God—at any moment, the greater will be your motivation to "abide" in the throne room of God and continually receive from Him. When you are confident to receive God’s presence at any moment, you won’t be nearly as prone to settle for having to depend on earthly sources. God will be honored and you won’t have to put up with the pain, emptiness, despair or the hopelessness that goes along with trying to live by earthly means.

Hope directly affects your pursuit toward God. The more confident your certainty to be able to glory in God, the more you will set your heart on entering and staying before the Lord.

Nurture a greater ability to abide in Him by getting your heart to hear that earthly things and sin are not the best you can hope for. Your glory is not to protect yourself from confidence to glory in God now because of fear. You want God and He wants to be your one and only refuge and strength. Let Him lavish His presence upon you so you can refuge and soothe yourself in Him.

Thank the Lord often that you don’t have to dull your thirsty desire for God by too much television. You don’t have to distract yourself in order to sabotage your pursuit toward God. Thrill your heart into hearing that you don’t have to loose confidence to glory in God and then punish yourself for it. You don’t have to turn and find refuge by drinking from the cup of despair and hopelessness. Thank the Lord as often as needed that you don’t have to loose hope to glory in God when other Christians seem so set on disbelief. It is your birthright as a Christian to enjoy the presence of God with you intensely.

Receiving from any source teaches you to keep coming back to the same thing—God or "gods." Turning to God so as to quench your thirst for Him has to work. It has to work or staying turned toward God will be difficult.

Since we receive the Holy Spirit by faith (Gal 3:5,14), what we receive from God depends on what we believe He is giving. Speaking about God the Bible tells us, "...the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life..." (Psa. 36:7,8). You can receive from God because He is a fountain (Jer. 17:13, Heb. 1:2,3).

But you also have to be close to Him in order to receive the Holy Spirit that He is radiating. The Bible says that "for through Him we...have our access in one Spirit to the Father." (Eph. 2:18). It also says to "...draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). And again it says, "...we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him" (Eph. 3:12).

Everything you receive from Get, you receive by faith. Get your heart to confidently believe the strong intensity of the fountain shining upon you. The Bible says, "...it is very tempestuous around Him." (Psa. 50:3). When you draw near to God it is like being in a storm of rain, wind, and flooding rivers. Get your heart to believe the intensity of the radiance of God upon you because that is what will help you to receive. Abide in that.

Our tendency apart from Him is to try to achieve glory in each aspect of what He is like. That is the problem. The solution must address this problem. Addressing this problem means you have to see the radiance of God upon you as His love, His power, adequacy, kindness, power, protection, wisdom, beauty, goodness, His holiness. Enjoy God. The word of God is living and active, so are all the attributes of God in the radiance that shines from Him.

Strongly encourage yourself to maintain a confident faith that you can thrill yourself with God’s presence—anywhere, anytime, and as much as you have faith to believe that God is radiating upon you.

What you read in this section is a review of the principles we have just covered about how to help your heart to hear better. Only, this time we will consider the principles as they are normally applied—in a negative sense.

After extended study of the scriptures about repentance, consecration, and how to change I was surprised to learn that the Bible was also describing principles that are normally applied in a negative sense. Our heart has "heard" and we learned to depend on earthly sources. In many respects, the ways we come into bondage to our earthly ways are related, but directly opposite in direction to the ways we find freedom and direct our heart toward God.

We learned dependence on earthly sources by drinking from something that we believed had glory. The repetition combined with strong emotions involved in quenching our thirst taught us about what to avoid and about what it was least painful to trust. Over and over we tried something. Our appearance. Friends. How smart we were. How much we made people laugh. Anything we could do well. Our parents. Emotions helped us learn. If we felt reassured, secure, pleasure, or we found confidence, we tried it again, and again. If it hurt we learned to try to find security and refuge by other means—often in damaging ways.

Over a period of time, the least painful ways for us to quench our thirst were repeatedly impressed on us. The ears of our heart opened up and we heard what to keep drinking from. We believed. Over time, our soul became habitually turned toward that way of quenching our thirst. Our heart became "set" on how to quench our thirst. In time, we came to treasure, love, and cling to the sources we depend on to quench our thirsty desires. Rather than God, earthly sources became our delight. Without realizing we came into bondage to worship toward "other gods."

But just as surely as what you learned resulted in bondage, what you re-learn can result in freedom. You only have to use these same principles in order to turn your heart toward God and begin to actually experience His quenching your thirst. After that, the thrill of enjoying God and love toward Him will pull you forward. Dependence will deepen. Habits will form. Your heart will becomes re-trained.

Just as our thirst drives us forward until we "cling" to earthly things, our thirst can drive us forward until we cling to God. Re-training your heart to depend on God is not as difficult as you might think. You just have to re-apply principles that you already know—principles that have been helping to teach you for years. It is time to take control of what your heart learns to depend on. You can do it.

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