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Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Start at the 1 hour and 8 min. mark, very good sermon.
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Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
In 2 Chronicles 18, we find King Jehoshaphat faced with a choice to either follow the policies of almost every king before him or enact a policy that was hardly ever followed. Even though it makes him unpopular with the people, he joyfully chooses the latter option as an act of obedience to the Lord.
Before this, we read in 2 Chronicles 17:6 that Jehoshaphat was committed to the ways of the Lord, removing the pagan shrines, and teaching God's law. He also chose to send his officials out to teach in the cities of Judah. (vs.7-9) We learn that Jehoshaphat made choices that gave him favor so that other kingdoms did not make war against him. I encourage you to read on in Chapters 19 and 20. You will find the prayer of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:6-13, as well as the reminder from 2 Chronicles 20:15 that the battle is the Lord's. The takeaway for us today is the reminder that:
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Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
God Has Not Forgotten You
God has not forgotten you! He knows exactly where you are and what you are going through right now. He is monitoring every step along your path, but we are just like the children of Israel who doubted God’s daily care for them, even though prophets were sent to deliver wonderful promises from heaven. We forget in our hour of need that God has us in the palm of his hand. Instead, like the children of Israel, we are afraid we are going to blow it all and be destroyed by the enemy. Could it be that we continue in our hurting, living in defeat and failure, simply because we really do not believe God answers our prayers anymore? Are we as guilty as the children of Israel in thinking God has forsaken us and turn to our own devices to figure things out for ourselves? Do we really believe our Lord meant it when he said God will act just in time in response to our prayer of faith? Jesus implies that most of us, even though called and chosen, will not be trusting in him when he returns. Some of God’s people have already lost their confidence in him. They do not believe in the deepest parts of their souls that their prayers make any difference. They act as if they are all on their own. Be honest now. Has your faith been weak lately? Have you almost given up on certain things you have prayed so much about? Have you grown weary with waiting? Maybe you have thrown up your hands in resignation as if to say, “I just can’t seem to break through. I don’t know what is wrong and why my prayer is not answered. Evidently God has said no to me.” God has not forsaken me nor you! A thousand times no. He is right now wanting us to believe he is working all things out for our good (see Romans 8:28). Stop trying to figure it out; stop worrying and doubting your Lord. The answer is coming. God has not shut his ears, and you will reap in due season if you faint not. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).AMEN |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
He Understands Completely
I take great comfort in knowing that my Savior understands my feelings. He relates to all I am experiencing. He truly understands every feeling and never condemns me for suffering attacks from the enemy. Instead, he tells me to hold on and not to be afraid. He lets me know he too is familiar with this kind of struggle, then he offers me a gracious audience at his throne with a promise of mercy and grace in my hour of need. Whether my negative feelings have been a result of a physical or spiritual battle, our Lord offers comfort and help when most needed. Scripture declares, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16, NKJV). What does our Lord mean by this? He is encouraging all his dear children to quit fretting when under the influence of negative thoughts. No more accusing yourself of failure and wickedness. Despair and fear can be caused by sin, but not always. Don't just lie down and take it! Don't go to bed at night until you shut yourself in with him, approach his throne boldly and claim the help he has so clearly promised. Claim mercy, forgiveness and grace to expel all negative feelings. That is Christ's formula, not mine. Having claimed victory, having used the authority of his name, having come to him with faith to lay hold of forgiveness and the promises, ride out your storm in a state of rest. Let God dissipate the negative feelings at his own pace. “For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). “…weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). You can lie down to sleep with this prayer on your lips: “Oh, Lord, I reject these negative feelings. I disown them. I don't know where they came from or how, but I commit them all to you. Give me a new assurance and take away all fear. Amen.” |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Beam in Our Own Eye
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye” (Matthew 7:3-5, ESV). We all have a shocking level of awareness when it comes to noticing even the tiniest flaws in those around us. You know, that little speck in someone else’s eye that bothers you so much? It’s usually our brother, sister, wife, husband, parents or in-laws. We can gossip about other people's specks for hours that will turn into months and years, never even thinking about our own problems. Jesus was politically incorrect and outright confrontational when talking about our responsibility in a dispute. “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly…” In other words, start by acknowledging your wrongs, taking responsibility for your own issues. Unfortunately, the unhealthy, dead-end mentality of “It's not me; it's the other person's problem” continues to destroy friendships, couples and entire families. In my 35 years of pastoring, I have seen so many families break up simply because one person flatly refuses to acknowledge their part in a conflict. I have even seen this stubbornness, pride and hard-heartedness abort the future of young leaders with extraordinary potential. Don't get me wrong. I am aware that the roots of a conflict are almost always deeply complicated and that everyone has their share of responsibility. However, we must recognize the danger of getting bogged down in the quicksand of “It’s their fault. It's the speck in their eye that caused all this.” Can you imagine the rivers of blessings that could flow into our lives, marriages, families and churches if we put Jesus’ teaching into practice? Imagine the peace revolution that would take place if we all said, “It is my responsibility to move towards reconciliation. It is up to me to examine my heart. I have to ask God to change me. I have to start by acknowledging my faults and sins. I am not solely responsible for the conflict, but I must first remove the beam from my own eye.” |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
This is a continuation of last weeks sermon. Start at the 55 min mark. If you are interested in watching these sermons you can go to friedberg.church and watch previous sermons or catch the live sermon every Sunday at 11:00 am EST. Much love and may God bless ya all.
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Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Way Out of Despair
I have known of great Christians who have experienced a trial so dark and deep that life itself seemed almost not worth living. In his very darkest hour, Jeremiah discovered a glorious truth that brought new hope and assurance to his mind. It was something he already knew about God, but it hadn’t touched his soul until he came to the end of himself. He discovered that at the very bottom, God was there! The farther down he went, the more God was to be discovered. God was not to be discovered up there in some blissful soaring into untroubled skies but in the shadows of grief and despair. When Jeremiah hit bottom, he fell hard against the faithfulness of a compassionate God. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NKJV). Jeremiah came to realize great truths. Listen to his discoveries.
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Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
On the Verge of Giving Up
Today, I was impressed to speak to those who are emotionally and intellectually bending beneath a burden too heavy to bear. The promises of God do not seem to be working for you or your family. You have tried to please God; you pray; you truly love him, but you are right now at the end of your strength and endurance. Your trials increase as you hold on to your faith. It seems to you that God is silent toward you. Beloved, you are not alone. Multitudes of godly people are suffering in like manner, and Satan whispers, “God’s Word is not true!” We know that is the devourer speaking. Don’t fear the powers of hell. Go to Job 19, and read the whole chapter. Job said “He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; and he has set darkness in my paths. He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; my hope he has uprooted like a tree” (Job 19:8-10, NKJV). In the midst of this satanic attack, though, Job cried out, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27) When you feel weighed down by your trials, remember that God said, “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone” (Hosea 4:17). No trials or tests for that tribe, but you are not given to idols. You are still the apple of the Lord’s eye. God sees something in you worth working on, and we know “For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Hebrews 12:6-7). It is not pleasant, and it hurts, but it is the Father saving you for his own glory to be revealed in years ahead. He has never loved you more than now. Take heart! God is still speaking to you. AMEN |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Liberated Life
Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a deliverer who would liberate mankind. Jesus himself stood in a Jewish synagogue one Sabbath and reminded the world of this prophecy. “And when he had opened the book, [Jesus] found the place where it was written [by Isaiah], ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.’ …Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:17-21, NKJV). Jesus was telling the whole world, “My mission on earth is to liberate every oppressed life.” To liberate means to set free from all bondage, to release from all slavery, to do away with everything that makes desolate. If you believe Christ is telling the truth, then you must believe he is saying to you and me, “I am sent to liberate your life, to release you from all oppression and bondage. I come to set your spirit free.” Paul said that Christ came to call every believer to a liberated life. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1), and he preached about "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). If Christ came to liberate us from a miserable life, why do we go on living the same old, miserable way? We think a life totally free of fear and guilt is too incredible. We cannot imagine life with 24-hour-a-day rest and peace, life without a heavy burden of condemnation or depression, life in the presence of a loving Savior who cares about all our needs. This may sound too good to be true, but this is exactly the kind of liberated life Christ wants every one of his children to enjoy. Not just a few of his children but all! This life is not just for those who break some kind of theological code, but it is for all who simply trust him for it. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Awakening Our Souls to God
John Bailey A lot of us look at God’s Word, then we look at our lives and say, “God, you have some really great sounding promises in the Bible, but when I look around, all I see are impossibilities. I don’t see where my life is matching up with your promises.” I want to tell you, if you want God to awaken your soul, give him your impossible circumstances. We see this in the Bible. “And [God] brought [Abram] outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:5-6, ESV). Now, there have been times over the length of my ministry where I have seen people supernaturally touched and healed. I want to follow that, though, by saying that God does not always work precisely in the way that we ask him to; sometimes the supernatural manifestation of God’s presence or power doesn’t come in the way that we planned for it. Too often, we take our impossibilities to God, and then we tell him how he’s supposed to deal with it. You have to take what is most precious to you and give it to God, totally hand it over. You can only truly do this if you trust that he is a God who can not only do the impossible but also who loves what you care about even more than you do. We tell people, “Hey, if you want to serve God, you’ve got to let go of things.” Most people don’t let go, though. Most people hold on and try to handle their impossible situations themselves and control their future. Most people take what’s most precious to them and cling to it. When you cling to what’s precious to you, you hold up the blessings and power of God in your life. If you want your soul to awaken to God, you have to let go of what’s precious to you and give up trying to control your uncertain future. Your impossibilities belong to a God who does the impossible. :yahoo: |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Same Faith
Jesus said, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32, NKJV). God wants to give me a kingdom? Where is it? “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). It is something you possess in your inner man. It is a liberated life! Scripture also says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10). You may wonder, “What does it mean to enter this promised rest? What should it look like in my life?” I pray that God will remove the scales from our eyes and allow us to grasp this. Simply put, entering into his promised rest means fully trusting that Christ has done all the work of salvation for you. You’re to rest in his saving grace by faith alone. This is what Jesus means when he urges, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It means the end of all your fleshly striving, all your human efforts to obtain peace. It means relying totally on Jesus’ work for you. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. It takes place in the spiritual realm. The Old Testament makes this crystal clear. Time after time, Israel made empty, futile promises to God. “We want to serve you, Lord. We’ll do whatever you command us.” History proves they had neither the heart nor the ability to follow through on their word. God had to strip them of all faith in themselves. Everything we need is to come from our precious Lord’s presence. Paul states, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This speaks of uninterrupted fellowship. Through the victory of the cross, our Lord has made himself available to us every hour of the day or night. We have to make a decision. “I want Christ in my life. I want to be set free from all flesh. I’m going to move forward into his presence and claim my possession. I want Jesus to be my only source of satisfaction.” |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Out of the Darkness into the Light
What is it going to take to get us out of our miserable lives of guilt and depression? Aren't you tired of living a life of fear and mental torture? Haven't you yet learned there is a better way? What will it take to make us see that a far more glorious life awaits us? Do you want this glorious, liberated life? Paul said, "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light" (Colossians 1:12, NKJV). Do you now believe it is your inheritance? Do you now believe God wants desperately for you to have it? Accept it by faith, and move into it! Claim it as your own. “The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). You simply put your faith in what God said he would do for you. This liberated life of righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost is a gift. You can't work for it. The greatest joy of all is knowing you are no longer "guilty" before God. It is the joy of knowing your faith makes you right before him. "Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried. Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him” (Romans 4:7-8, AMPC). Abraham became the father of nations simply because he took God at his Word. He could have doubted and lost everything. “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to perform. …Now it was not written for his sake alone…but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:20-24, NKJV). God forgives us in order to save us; we must believe that he will keep us. The faith that brought Christ into our lives keeps us from falling. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Be Ye Holy
Three months after Israel left Egypt, they arrived at the base of Mt. Sinai and set up camp. Moses climbed the rugged mountain to commune with the Lord and God called to him saying, “I am going to come to you in the form of a dark cloud so the people can hear when I talk to you. Then they will always believe you. Go down and get them ready for my visit. Sanctify them.” On the morning of the third day, an awesome thunder and lightning storm descended on Mt. Sinai. As a cloud covered the mountain and Jehovah descended in fire, the earth shook with a violent earthquake. A trumpet sounded loud and long, Moses spoke, and God answered. His message that day to Moses and the children of Israel was clear: “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation...” (Exodus 19:6). Just as he did that day on Mt. Sinai, God promised to speak once more. A prophecy recorded in Hebrews says, “See that you do not refuse him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven...'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.'” (Hebrews 12:25-26). Today God is speaking from heaven with the same powerful message that he spoke in Moses’ day: “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16). How do we stay holy in this wicked age? Who can keep himself from being contaminated by it all? No one — in his own strength, that is. Only God has the power to keep us holy, to present us to himself a holy people without spot or wrinkle. The God who gives us his holiness has the power to keep us in it! The safest place on earth is at the foot of the cross, humbled before God’s throne. The more wicked the times, the more we need to stay yielded to him! AMEN |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Bible Prophecy Update – November 6th, 2022
by Pastor J D Farag This is a very good video to watch so please take the time to listen starting at the 31 minute mark. God bless and love to ya all. Code:
https://www.jdfarag.org/bible-prophecy?sapurl=LytkNmtjL2xiL21pLytoZzRxd3JkP2VtYmVkPXRydWUmcmVjZW50Um91dGU9YXBwLndlYi1hcHAubGlicmFyeS5tZWRpYS1zZXJpZXMmcmVjZW50Um91dGVTbHVnPSUyQjgyeXhwOGY= |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Boldness to Enter God’s Presence
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for us, through the veil. …Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…” (Hebrews 10:19-20, 22, NKJV).There are two sides to Christ’s work at Calvary. One is to the benefit of man, and the other is to the benefit of God. We are well acquainted with the benefit on the human side. The cross of Christ has provided us with forgiveness of our sins. We are given the power of victory over bondage and dominion over sin. We are supplied with mercy and grace, and we are given the promise of eternal life. The cross has given us the means of escape from the terrors of sin and hell. I thank God for this benefit of the cross and for the wonderful relief it brings. I rejoice that it is preached in churches all over the world, yet there is another aspect of the cross, one that benefits God. We understand very little about the delight of the Father that was made possible by the cross. Many Christians have learned to come boldly before God for forgiveness, for supply of needs or for answers to prayer. Yet they lack boldness to come before him with the intent of simply communing with him, an aspect that is just as crucial in their walk with the Lord. He is delighted when a prodigal comes home or when his people just want to spend time with him in worship and meditation. His delight brings us liberty, rest, peace and joy. The most glorious moment in history was when the temple veil was rent in two on the day that Christ died. It was at this moment that the benefit to God burst forth. In the instant that the temple veil separating man from God’s holy presence was torn asunder, something incredible happened. From that point on, not only was man able to enter into the Lord’s presence, but God could come out to man. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Hope of Restoration
The days of the Gentiles are almost over. God has given us plenty of warning that the Spirit will not forever strive with the rebellious. But before this generation comes under the retribution of almighty God, a great restoration is prophesied. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25 NKJV). The psalmist David said the righteous shall “be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit...whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3). However, that promise is only to those who refuse to walk in the way of sinners and are devoted students of God's Word. “The ungodly are not so,” said David (v. 4). They become weak and withered, blown about by every wind of doctrine. The compromisers are like withered trees, diseased and corrupted with every kind of worm. This is a picture of many professing Christians in God's house today. They neglect their Bible reading; they become too preoccupied to pray and build themselves up in the faith; they become cozy with the ungodly and take their seat among the scornful. An army of cankerworms has been eating away at the lives of these backslidden Christians. Outwardly they appear as trees planted by the water, but inwardly they are corrupted, weak and diseased. They are drying up spiritually and no longer bear fruit. Sin is eating away deep within those who have strayed from the presence of the Lord. God has told us how he is going to bring about this great restoration. First, he will pour out his Holy Spirit in abundant ways that will bring health and strength back to all the trees in his forest. The worm of sin will begin to lose its power as God's people get back to Bible reading. A powerful revelation of the Lord's new covenant will make God's people as bold as lions. Yes, believe it! A revival of spiritual strength and divine health is going to be poured out from on high. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Healing for Hidden Hurts
It’s interesting that every sin in the Bible is a relational sin, even the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with our relationship with God: "Have no other gods before me. Don't take my name in vain." The other six address our relationships with other people. Throughout scripture, every sin that's mentioned — greed, pride, lust, anger, strife — is relational. When we don’t understand and follow the ways God wants us to view our relationships with him and others, we know something is missing. There is a hollowness, a separation from God, because sin is following our own ideas and not his plan. We seem to always measure fulfillment by external circumstances. If our lives fall short of those expectations, and it almost always does, we feel that emptiness. For some, life may be especially traumatic. A person may have come from an abusive situation in childhood, or experienced divorce or addiction. Wherever that disappointment with life comes from, we feel it keenly at our core. Let's say somebody grows up without a sense of being loved. Their father never once said to them, “I love you,” and they were never held or hugged. They feel that constant ache and longing. For some, the measurement might be money or admiration. “Once I make my first million, or get to this place on the corporate ladder, everybody will love me.” A guy who feels insecure about his masculinity might chase women. If it doesn’t work out, we feel like a failure. Here is the problem. Out of that pain comes a sense that there is something wrong with us. “I am incomplete. I am defective because...” We start blaming ourselves. We say, “The reason my father rejected me, or my mother left me, or my marriage fell apart is that I am insignificant, unworthy, unlovable. I'm not smart enough. I'm not good looking enough.” We build what I call false constructs. We’re building our whole life based on our wounds. You could call it “wound speak.” Our wounds have a subconscious voice, and they tell us, "Go get this, get that." It's very subtle but very powerful. God’s plan is that we measure our worth by his love and grace. He paid the ultimate price to silence that wounded voice, to wipe away our past through forgiveness, and to redeem us into wholeness in him. His voice is the only one that matters. Listen to His voice. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Last Outpouring
I do not believe we have yet seen the glory and fullness of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as prophesied by Joel. What we have seen are just a few sprinkles! The power and love of the Holy Spirit have brought many together throughout the world, yet it is just a foretaste. God has much more in store for us. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit will not be just a renewal of love and praise; it will be a restoration of holiness unto the Lord. God will permit nothing to hinder what he plans to do, and his intent is to raise up a standard against the enemy when he comes in “like a flood” (see Isaiah 59:19). What is that standard? It is a holy people who are pure, undefiled and delivered from the corruption of the world. We will not have the fullness of the Spirit's outpouring, and we will not be able to stand against the enemy, until God’s people separate themselves completely from the world. Tragically, too many people have an initial encounter with God but do not try to live a holy life afterward. They may speak with tongues, but then they live like the devil. Sin is not uprooted from their hearts, and all they receive is an experience of ecstasy. You are not truly baptized with the Holy Spirit until every hidden part of your soul has been exposed, and every sin confessed and forsaken. We must emphasize separation and purity of heart. The purpose of the Spirit's coming is to sanctify and prepare a people for the Lord's return, a people without spot or wrinkle. He will “convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8, NKJV). This is the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s work: renewal and sanctification! God wants us to be led by the Spirit into a deeper, more mature life that is consecrated to him. When we seek this sanctified life, we will be mightily used by God to shine forth as lights to this wicked and perverse generation. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
The St. Philip's Boys Choir |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
God Is Able to See You Through
The most important question facing God's people in these last days is “Do you believe God is able to see you through? Do you believe he can do all that is necessary to answer your prayers and meet your needs?” Jesus asked these same questions when he was on the earth. In Matthew 9, before healing two blind men who begged him for mercy, he tested their faith. “‘Do you believe I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ And their eyes were opened…” (Matthew 9:28-30 NKJV). Today, he reminds us that our faith and trust in him turn the tide. “Do you believe I can direct and guide you and am still at work on your behalf? Or do you harbor secret thoughts that I have forsaken you and let you down?” God is not primarily interested in us doing some great work for him. Rather, he wants us to simply trust him. He desires full dependence on him. God doesn’t want our possessions either. He is not after your house, your land, your car, or any other worldly belongings. He wants your trust! He wants you to be firmly established in your confidence in him. An American soldier in Germany once wrote to me. He offered me his coin collection because he felt it was an idol in his life, and he thought getting rid of it would free him. I wrote him back and said, “God wants more than your coin collection. He wants your trust.” We keep wanting to do things, to give up things, to sacrifice, work and suffer, when all the while what God desires most is our obedience and trust. His Word is clear that he will be pleased with nothing short of our faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God has not forsaken you. Your prayers have been heard, and he will work things out according to his perfect will. Have faith and hold on! God will never let us down. I myself can't count the number of times I've let my God and Father down. Yet He is always willing to forgive. Thanks be to God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and yes our Holy Spirit. AMEN |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
God Who Redeems Our Past
Claude Houde Whatever the circumstances of your life, God is able to change them for his glory. This biblical principle is not just a theory for me. I have met many people who were transformed by God despite horrors in their past. I know a young man from the poorest neighborhood of Montreal particularly well who experienced this magnificent and radical transformation. Most of the men in his family were violent alcoholics. His father was depressed, perpetually out of work and showed all the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Night after night, this boy protected his little brother from his father's violence. As a teenager, however, he became what he had always hated. Alcohol, drugs, anger, delinquency, lies and violence were his lot. Until he was seventeen, he was completely out of control, disappointing and hurting everyone who came into contact with him. How many mornings had he woken up in a filthy Montreal ditch after spending the night drinking and fighting? More than he could count. One evening, a policeman told his mother, “Don't worry, Madame. One day you won't have him on your hands anymore. Cases like him end up in prison or the cemetery.” I was that boy (Claude Houde). My circumstances predisposed me to reproduce the evil that had made me suffer so much. However, God in his grace came to find me. He took my heart, broken by beatings and rage, and changed it into his image. Our God transforms lives! Years later, I still consider myself very imperfect, but scripture promises, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, ESV). God made me a faithful husband, a committed dad, a love-struck grandpa and a man of God devoted to his service. God transforms circumstances and hearts. Do not limit yourself to what you once were. Do not limit your children to who they are today. God is greater than all of that. Your family has no pain that the Lord cannot heal. Declare this truth in your heart for your spouse, your family, your children and your future. If it is true that all our traumas are relational, then so are our healings. In our relationship with God and his people, let us be renewed. What might have been for our harm, God can and will ultimately turn into good. |
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"In that day you will say: "I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: "Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you." Isaiah 12:1-6
When we read Isaiah 12, we see that our focus in the midst of trials ought to be on God. Isn't it telling that when we get our eyes off ourselves and look to God, we begin to see a way through whatever circumstances we face? I recently visited with a friend who had to have a foot amputated because of a health issue. While going through this season, he has not taken on an attitude of self-pity but instead has found it in his heart to give praise to God. He has begun using his recovery and physical therapy sessions as an opportunity to love and share Jesus with those helping him and others he has met in the medical facilities. My friend is living out his trust in the Lord. Today, whatever you are facing, I urge you to trust God. Amid news that comes out of the US Capitol, the White House, or your State Capitol that goes against the very heart of God, we can continue to trust God. May you take time to worship and praise God today. May your eyes remain fixed upon Him because He is the way, the truth, and the life. Here is a part of a hymn written by Fanny Crosby that I trust will encourage you today: Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim! Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory; Strength and honor give to His holy Name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children, In His arms He carries them all day long. May you have a blessed week and remember to: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
God’s Promised Rest
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10 NKJV). You may wonder, “What does it mean to enter this promised rest? What should it look like in my life?” Simply put, entering his promised rest means fully trusting that Christ has done all the work of salvation for you. You're to rest in his saving grace by faith alone. I pray that God will remove the scales from our eyes and allow us to truly understand this. When Jesus urges, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), he invites us to stop all fleshly striving and human efforts to obtain peace. He wants us to totally rely on him and his work for us. Our battle is not against flesh and blood; it takes place in the spiritual realm. The Old Testament makes this crystal clear. Time after time, Israel made empty, futile promises to God: “We want to serve you, Lord. We'll do whatever you command us to do.” History proves they had neither the heart nor the ability to follow through on their word. God had to strip them of all faith in themselves. Everything we need comes from our precious Lord. Paul states, “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us;for in him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’” (Acts 17:26-28). This speaks of uninterrupted fellowship. Through the victory of the cross, our Lord has made himself available to us every hour of the day and night. We have to make a decision and say, “I want Christ in my life. I want to be set free from all flesh. I am therefore going to move forward into his presence and claim my possession. I want Jesus to be my all, my only source of satisfaction.” AMEN |
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A New Creature in Christ
God’s Word boldly declares, ”I am crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20 NKJV), and “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You may say, “I know I’m in Christ by faith. I realize I am a new creature, but I still struggle terribly with a habit. It makes me so discouraged.” Satan would love to convince you that God has given up on you. He wants you to think God sees you as dirty, filthy with sin. It's all a lie. What you're experiencing is the flesh battling against the Spirit in you. This battle is common to all believers, and when you're in the middle of it, Satan wants to convince you that the “old man” is still in control. Here is the truth. No matter what your condition, God does not waver in his love for you. He never stopped loving Adam's race, despite all its wickedness, idolatry and lustful ways. He has preserved us throughout history to the last days when he stepped in with his rescue plan. God made it possible at the cross to redeem every one of us, Adam and all his descendants. We must stand firm in the knowledge that our standing with God is based on one thing: we are victorious because of the cross. This victory doesn't come through any good thing you or I do. As Paul says, “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:8-10). Our victory comes solely through repentance, faith, belief and trust in God's care for us. Our part is to stand firmly on the position he has graciously given us in Christ. His Word assures us, “You may fail at times. But when I look at you, I see only my Son, Jesus. You're going to come through this battle victorious, with no guilt and no condemnation.” |
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God's Gift to His Son
I can scarcely take it in when I read these words, “And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one: I in them, and you in me; that they may be made perfect in one…” (John 17:22-23, NKJV). Think of it. We have our Lord's word, confessed before his own Father, that he has given himself to us as fully and completely as his Father gave himself to him. He has given us the same intimate love his Father gave him, and that is his glory manifested in us. We have been brought into the same kind of special love relationship he shares with the Father; even more, he opens up the circle of love between them and brings us into it. We are made partakers of a glory beyond comprehension. How incredible that Christ should bring us to the Father and plead, "That they may be one with us!" We share completely in the fullness of God's love for his Son by being in Christ. In a true sense, it may be said that God so loved his Son that he gave him the world. Did you not know we are God's gift to his Son, a gift of love? “They were yours; you gave them all to me.” Yet Christ was so in oneness with the Father that he brings the gift back to him and says, “All mine are thine, and thine are mine...” (see John 17:10). Is it not comforting to know we are the object of such a love between Father and Son? What an honor to have Christ place us in the palm of his great and loving hand, for him to present us to the Father and say, “Behold, Father! They are ours! They all belong to us! They are the object of our love! I will love them, Father! You will love them! We will make our abode in them and show them how much they are loved.” As we grasp this, we will be able to say confidently, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Power of Humility
John the Baptist's definition of his ministry was blunt and simple: “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness’” (John 1:23 NKJV). Who was John the Baptist? The scriptures says that this most blessed of all prophets was the greatest “among them that are born of women” and a revered preacher of righteousness. Crowds flocked to hear John's scorching messages. Many were baptized and became his disciples. Even royalty came under his mighty influence. Some thought he was Christ; others considered him to be Elijah raised from the dead. However, this fearless man of God refused to be exalted or promoted. He was emptied of self, and he continually withdrew from center stage. In his own eyes, he wasn’t even worthy to be called a man of God. He was simply a wilderness voice, modest, retiring and unconcerned about honor or usefulness. He didn't care about having a ministry or being “mightily used of God.” In fact, he considered himself unworthy to even touch Jesus’ shoes. His entire life was devoted to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). What a powerful rebuke to us in this age of self-occupation, promotion of personalities, influence-grabbing, ego-tripping and seeking of honors. John could have had it all, yet he cried, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The secret of John's happiness was that his joy was not in his ministry or work, not in his personal usefulness or widespread influence. His pure joy was to stand in the presence of the Lord, hear his voice and rejoice in it. His joy was in seeing others, his own disciples included, flocking to Jesus, the Lamb of God. The greatest fulfillment a child of God can know is to lose self and all desire to be somebody, and simply rejoice in being a son or daughter who lives in the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Being totally occupied with Christ is what satisfies the heart. May we, like John, understand that our worth comes from Christ alone. May our souls find their sustenance and joy in him, the author and finisher of our faith. |
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The Unrelenting Love of God
Let’s talk about the word “unrelenting.” It means undiminished in intensity or effort, unyielding, uncompromising, incapable of being changed or persuaded by arguments. Unrelenting, constant, sustained, never-ending — what a marvelous description of God’s love! Nothing can hinder or diminish his loving pursuit of both sinners and saints. The Psalmist put it perfectly: “You have hedged me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me…Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there” (Psalm 139:5, 7-8 NKJV). David is speaking of life’s highs and lows. “Sometimes I feel so blessed and filled with joy. At other times, I feel condemned and unworthy; but no matter how I feel or where I am, Lord, you are with me. You never accept my arguments about how unworthy I am. Even when I am disobedient, you never stop loving me. Your love for me is relentless!” Consider the testimony of the apostle Paul. Here was a man bent on destroying God's church. Paul had a fierce hatred for Christians. He breathed out threats of slaughter against everyone who followed Jesus. He even sought the high priest's authorization to hunt down believers so he could charge into their homes and drag them off to prison. God’s fervent love for Paul never wavered, even during those hate-filled years. In a letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He was saying, “Even though I wasn't conscious of it, God was pursuing me. He kept coming until he caught up with me and literally knocked me off my high horse. That’s the unrelenting love of God.” Throughout the rest of his life, Paul’s confidence in God’s faithfulness only grew. “For I am persuaded,” he wrote, “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
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Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
What Holds Us Down
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, ESV). The Lord desires to bestow his favor and blessing upon you to lift you above what limits you, so that you become the person he sees in you. There is a call that only you can fulfill on this earth, in your generation and within your family. To achieve this, the Lord is ready to pour on you a special grace and his strength on a daily basis. However, another force acts in us and opposes this process. It is our pride. God's favor is blocked by your pride, for God resists the proud as the Bible tells us. The expression ‘resist’ comes from the Greek word antitassomai and means to line up in battle against or oppose someone. In other words, when we choose to stand in our pride, we are literally going to war with God. When we choose pride, we reproduce on a small scale, Satan's rebellion against God. The secret thoughts of pride that led Lucifer to his downfall are revealed in Isaiah 14:12-14: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God… I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” To choose pride is to elevate our own ‘thrones,’ rights, opinions, plans, desires and decisions above those of our husband or wife, our children or grandchildren, above even God. Therefore, we abort the divine process of elevation that he intended to accomplish in us. Dear friend, I plead with all my heart and might, stop choosing pride, stubbornness, arrogance, harshness, coldness, self-centered bitterness and unforgiveness. Stop denying your part, blaming others, wallowing in self-pity, elevating your suffering or disappointment above God's promises and infinite redemptive ability. Choose instead to walk in humility before God. Choose to be honest about your sins with yourself, God and other people. Choose to have the courage to ask for forgiveness. Recognize your need for God to break that pride that has kept you limited for too long. God desires to lift you up. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Acknowledging Our Helplessness
One of the most important verses in scripture is in the apostle Peter’s first letter. He speaks of the necessity of having our faith tested. “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” (1 Peter 1:7 NKJV). This passage suggests that God is saying, “Your faith is more precious to me than all the wealth of this world, which will one day disappear. When the enemy sends all manner of evil against you, I want you to be able to stand strong with unshakable faith. I will keep you through every dark day. Your part is to simply have faith in me. I will keep you by my power.” God wants to help us stand strong, but he also wants us to move ahead. The apostle Paul writes, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Why would he be interested in keeping us mired in temptation and affliction? He doesn’t get any glory from testing his children. His glory comes from the results. The children of Israel were brought to the Red Sea for a reason. God had led them to the very brink of destruction. They were surrounded by mountains on two sides, a sea on the third, and an approaching enemy on the fourth. Why? Because he wanted his people to acknowledge their helplessness. He wanted to hear them say, “We remember how God delivered us from the plagues, and how he brought us out of terrible affliction where we made bricks without straw and had no rest. God delivered us then, and he will do it again!” Our Lord wants to hear the same from us. He will protect us from every enemy that comes against us. When we are trapped and helpless, let's rejoice in his faithfulness. He is God, and he will keep his promises! |
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Right Song, Wrong Side
When the children of Israel went through times of testing, were they really supposed to express gratitude and thanksgiving in the middle of them? When they were surrounded and in a hopeless situation, did God really expect them to have that kind of reaction? Yes, absolutely! That was the secret to getting out of their difficulty. You see, God wants something from all of us in our times of trouble. He wants us to offer him a sacrifice of thanksgiving. I believe James discovered this secret when he admonished, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2 NKJV). He was saying, “Don’t give up. Make an altar in your heart and offer up joyous thanksgiving even as you are going through the storm.” Of course, the children of Israel did offer the Lord praise and thanksgiving, but they did it on the wrong side of the Red Sea. Yes, they rejoiced all night, but God had no pleasure in it. Anyone can shout in gratitude after a victory. The question God put to Israel was, “Will you praise me before I send help, while you’re still in the battle?” I believe if Israel had rejoiced on the “trial side” of the Red Sea, they wouldn’t have had to be tested again at the waters of Marah. Had they passed the Red Sea test, the waters at Marah wouldn’t have tasted bitter, but sweet. And Israel would have seen water springing up everywhere in the desert, rather than having to go thirsty. May God help us to sing the right song on the testing side of trials. May we understand how much delight a song of thanksgiving brings to the heart of our heavenly Father. Are you going through a difficult time right now? Then sing! Praise! Say to the Lord, “I praise you because I know you can do it. You delivered me before, and you can deliver me now. I rest in joy.” |
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Read once and then read again and again if needed....
Acceptance through Christ For anyone to enjoy settled peace, he must cease from self and harken to God’s Word and rest without a single question on its pure, precious and everlasting record. God’s Word never changes. I change; my frame, my feelings, my experience, my circumstances change continually, but God’s Word is the same yesterday and today and forever. It is a grand and essential point for the soul to apprehend that Christ is the only definition of the believer’s place before God. This gives immense power, liberty and blessing. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17 NKJV). This is something perfectly wonderful! Let us ponder it; let us think of a poor wretched, guilty slave of sin, a bondslave of Satan, a votary of the world, exposed to an eternal hell. Such an one is taken up by sovereign grace and delivered completely from the grasp of Satan. He is freed from the dominion of sin, the power of this present evil. He is pardoned, washed, justified, brought nigh to God, accepted in Christ and perfectly and forever identified with him so that the Holy Ghost can say, “As Christ is, so is he in this world!” All this seems too good to be true. Most assuredly, it is too good for us to get, but blessed be the God of all grace and blessed be the Christ of God, it is not too good for him to give. God gives like himself. He will be God in spite of our unworthiness and Satan’s opposition. He will act in a way worthy of himself and worthy of the Son of his love. |
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As He Desires to Be Known
Jesus said, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9 NKJV). We must see Jesus not as man teaches, but as the Spirit reveals him to us, as God wants us to know and see him! We are to get God’s vision and testimony of Christ, then we will know God as he desires to be known! Here is how I believe God wants us to see his Son: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Jesus was a gift! God wrapped all his resources up in Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Christ is God’s good and perfect gift to us, come down from the Father. Do you see Jesus as God’s perfect gift to you? Do you see him as all you need to live joyfully, victoriously, righteously, full of peace and rest? Ages ago, before you were created, God saw what your hurts and needs would be. He knew ahead of time what you would need to solve all your problems. He did not wrap up his answers and send them to you as a rule book or as an army of “answer men.” No, he gave us all one solution to all our crises and needs: one man, one Way, one answer to everything we need in Jesus Christ. God says to you, “I don’t want you to live for tomorrow. You’ll only look back and see that today could have been your very best time. Jesus can’t be any better or stronger to you than he is right now. Why won’t you let me be God to you today?” |
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An Experience Versus an Encounter
John Bailey People who are spiritual leaders can look and act in very different ways because God made his people with enormous variety — we’re called the body of Christ for a good reason — but they will all share certain qualities. All spiritual leaders also have the same starting point, and this is key because the starting point is where those qualities are planted. Let’s start with a familiar story. It’s the beginning of Paul’s journey with Christ. “Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’” (Acts 9:3-6, ESV). Some people have an experience with Jesus, and others have an encounter with Christ. What’s the difference? People who experience Jesus are the ones who take a selfie with the Savior. People who encounter Jesus fall to their knees, and their lives are never the same afterward. Paul’s response to Christ is the essence of an encounter. He didn’t ask Jesus, “What’s my calling? How do I achieve this dream I have? What’s my next step?” Paul, and every spiritual leader throughout history, asks, “Who are you, Lord?” Brothers and sisters, we have to grasp the significance of this. We must capture this in our hearts. How often do we go to the Lord and pray, “Show me what it is that you want me to do. Help me be obedient to my calling.” Nothing wrong with those prayers. Jesus promised Paul that he would tell him what he was meant to do. We jump to that step too quickly, though. We need to start with “Who are you, Lord?” God’s presence will change us and give us the strength to do things that we could never do on our own. |
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How to Navigate Doubt
Does doubt make us stronger? Is it ‘Christian’ to have doubts? There is very little I don’t doubt. Throughout my life and its many twists and turns, I have often been filled with doubts. The good news is that doubt isn’t going to rob you of the goodness of God. He won’t withhold himself from you just because your faith is mixed in with questions and uncertainties. Jesus still healed the child of the father who cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (see Mark 9:17-27). God is a holy God, and we should always approach him with reverence; but doubt is not irreverence, and God understands our questions. He doesn’t diminish his relationship with us or his miracle-working power in us if our faith is sometimes mixed with doubt. Believe it or not, doubt can promote a greater revelation of God within us. We can see more of God’s glory when we are willing to wrestle with our conflicts and get to the other side of our questions with a more solid faith and deeper knowledge of him. There are three steps to working through doubt. First, approach your doubt with an honest heart. If we say, “I want truth and life,” we will find truth and life. If we’re trying to simply prove a point or avoid obedience to God, we aren’t being honest. Next, take time to meditate and study the scriptures. We live such busy lives that many of us are holding on to doubts that we have simply ignored for years. We don’t take the time to quietly contemplate and enter those doubts. I use a notepad and write down things that I'm wrestling with. I reach for my Bible and seek out the harmony of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Finally, find a good Christian friend to talk to. If you're in a church environment where you can't express your doubts, you need to find a person of faith who will listen with an open heart. Even pastors face doubts, and they especially need a trustworthy friend or counselor. Don’t be afraid to take your questions to God. He loves your honesty, and he has provided a clear path from doubt to faith. It’s a lifelong process of meditation, searching the scriptures and seeking God; but it will always yield a stronger, more robust relationship with him. If you're like me, you’ll enjoy the journey. |
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Knowing God Begins with Jesus
You cannot know God in fullness until you see Christ as God wants you to see him. Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 NKJV). We must see Jesus, not as man teaches, but as the Spirit reveals him to us, as God wants us to see and know him. There are many volumes in my library about Jesus, written by good men. Yet, I believe many of these men have never seen Jesus as God would have us see him. We are to get God’s vision and testimony of Christ, then we will know God as he desires to be known. Here is how I believe God wants us to see his Son: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Jesus was a gift! God wrapped all his resources up in Jesus, and “He gave His only begotten Son” (see John 3:16). Do you see Jesus as God’s perfect gift to you? Do you see him as all you need to live joyfully, victoriously, righteously, and full of peace and rest? God gave Israel many wonderful gifts in the wilderness: A cloud to shelter them from the desert sun, fire at night to assure and lead them, water out of a rock, a branch to heal bitter waters and a brass serpent to heal the snake bitten. Yet all of these good things were only shadows. Who was the rock from which water came? Who was the fire? The manna? The brass serpent? Everything God did for Israel was through Jesus Christ. That’s right—Jesus was every one of those gifts. “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). Today we have much more than the shadow. We have the actual substance, Christ himself! And he lives in us. AMEN |
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Secure in Your Father’s Love
Jesus said that when the prodigal son came home, he was welcomed back into his father’s house. He received a new robe, ate at his father’s table and had full forgiveness. But that didn’t make him an angel. On the contrary, I believe the prodigal’s father experienced a lot of problems with him before it was all over. However, the one thing this son had to know was that he was secure in his father’s love. He had to know his father would bear with him, work with him and love him. That’s how our heavenly father is with us. He loved us before we were even born! Yet, we keep telling ourselves, “One of these days, I’m going to be so perfect and right before God that it will be easy for him to love me.” No. He loved you when you were a sinner, a reprobate, an enemy to him. How much more does he love you now that you’re reconciled to him? God has already said to you, “I loved you when you were an alien to me, when you were in rebellion and sin. Will I not love you even more now that you have committed to sonship?” We don’t rest confidently in his love as we should. The Lord says of himself that he is love. John wrote, “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 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. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:15-18 NKJV). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Ever-Increasing Revelation of Jesus
Since the cross, all spiritual giants have had one thing in common. They were in close communion with the Lord; they became lost in the glorious vastness of Christ, and they died lamenting they still knew so little of him. So it was with Paul and the disciples; with many early church fathers like Luther, Zwingli and the Puritans; with the pious English preachers; and with many godly leaders today. Every one of these giants shared the same ruling passion: an ever-increasing revelation of Jesus Christ. They cared nothing for success, ambition or worldly fame. They prayed not for things, physical blessings, to be used or for anything of self. They prayed only for a fuller revelation of the glory and vastness of their Lord. Satan is displaying greater power, and hell is unleashing its fury on this generation. The enemy strongholds are much more fortified, powerful and entrenched than in any past generation. Without a doubt, Satan is revealing himself to the world as never before; and he is becoming better known, less feared and more accepted. A basic Bible knowledge of Christ will not be enough in this final war! Knowing about him is not enough. We must seek a greater revelation of the Holy Spirit. That requires spending time at his table. You get to know him only by being in his presence, sitting with him, hearing his voice and waiting on him for divine wisdom. Busy, preoccupied people seldom get to know him. Paul was committed to an ever-increasing revelation of Jesus Christ. All he had of Christ came by revelation. He said, “By revelation he made known to me the mystery” (Ephesians 3:3 NKJV). The Holy Spirit knew the deep and hidden secrets of God, and Paul prayed constantly for the gift of grace to understand and preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). Paul said we have access to these glorious riches in Christ. In speaking of God's eternal purposes, he said, “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him” (Ephesians 3:12). God is looking for believers who will seek a revelation of him that is all their own, a very deep personal intimacy that unlocks “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Nothing but Christ
What is it that our Lord wants most from those who claim to be devoted to him? What would bless and please him? Shall we build him more churches? More Bible schools? More homes and institutions for hurting people? These are all worthwhile and needed, but he who dwells not in buildings made by hands wants much more than that. Solomon thought he had built an everlasting temple for God, but within years, it was in decay, and in less than four hundred years, it was destroyed. The one thing our Lord seeks above all else from his people is communion at his table. He desires a place of oneness and time of intimacy, a continual coming to him for food, strength, wisdom and fellowship. This generation has a limited revelation of the Lord Jesus because so many are missing from the feast of communion with the Lord. Few know the grandeur and majesty of such a high calling in Christ Jesus. We mistakenly get our spiritual joy out of service rather than communion. We are doing more and more for a Lord we know less and less about. We run ourselves ragged, burn out and give our bodies to his work, but we seldom keep the feast. We are too casual about the Lord's table, not serious enough about taking our place to learn of him. Paul speaks of spending three separate years in the Arabian desert. They were glorious years, sitting in the heavens at the table of the Lord. It was there that Christ taught Paul all he knew, and the wisdom of God was made manifest in him. Conversion was not enough for Paul. A one-time supernatural vision of Christ and miraculously hearing his voice from heaven was not sufficient! He had caught a fleeting vision of the Lord, and he wanted more. Something in Paul’s soul cried out, "Oh, that I might know him!" No wonder he could say to an entire Christian system, "For I am determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2 NKJV). He was saying, “Let the Jerusalem Judaizers keep to their legalism. Let others argue their points of doctrine. Let those who seek to be justified by works wear themselves out. But as for me, I want more of Christ!” Beloved, we should have the same desire. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Cornelius Saved His House
“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:1-2 NKJV). The life of Cornelius proves that God seeks full-hearted devotion, obedience and ceaseless prayer. Consider how this man of God saved his house and the miracles his devotion brought about. Cornelius was so determined to lead his household into God’s fullness that he neglected to eat in favor of seeking God. Food was secondary to his deep spiritual hunger and longing for God. Days of fasting without a corresponding hunger and thirst for God avails nothing; in fact, it is better to eat than to fast to earn a blessing from heaven. However, hunger after God takes the edge off the desire for food for a man with a heart in pursuit of him. Cornelius should put us all to shame. He had no sermons or online instruction. He didn't even have a teacher! He was not a Jewish proselyte but simply a man desperate for God. What he had learned had come the hard way with no seminars, no conventions, no how-to-get-it-from-God books. Even though he hadn’t yet received the Holy Ghost urging him to pray and seek God's face, he fasted and prayed continually. His prayer life made him a giver of alms. At that point, God had not answered his prayer for his household, yet he gave generously to those in need. He was not so wrapped up in his own need that it took all his time, attention and money. Praying men and women always get God's attention, and the praying person hears the voice of God. It's been that way since the beginning. You can save your house the same way Cornelius saved his. In a single day with one glorious miracle, his entire household was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. In one day, his house was transformed from spiritual blindness to marvelous light and life. All of this happened because one man set out with great determination to save his house. May God help us get serious too about praying for our lost families and friends. AMEN |
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