|
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
What the World Needs Now
is God’s Agape Love Greek, the language in which the NewTestamentwasoriginally written,ismoreprecisethan modern day English. For instance, where English has only one word for love, Greek has four: agape—spiritual, self-giving love storge—love between family members philia—love between friends eros—sexual love In our culture, especially around St. Valentine’s Day, it is eros that gets the most emphasis. Yet it is agape that is most needed in our world. And it is agape thatismostemphasizedintheNew Testament. Note these familiar words from the Gospel of John: For God so loved(agape)the world, that HegaveHisonlybegottenSon,that whoeverbelievesinHimshouldnot perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, NJKV) Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’sagape. He is God’s only Son, yet in humility He came from the throneofHisFathertothewombofawoman.He became the Son of Man that we might become sons and daughters of God. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived in poverty and for most of his life was unknown outside the town of Nazareth. He had neither wealth or political influence. He laid aside His heavenly raimentin exchange for a peasant’sgown.Hewasrich,yetforoursakeHe became poor. He was born in a borrowed manger; He rodeonaborroweddonkey;Hewasburiedina borrowed tomb. History has never known one such as Jesus. In infancy He troubled a king; as a boy He stunned theologians with His knowledge and wisdom, for He possessed the mind of God. In manhood He ruled over the elements and quieted the raging sea. He healed without medicine and fed thousands with a boy’s lunch. He gave back life to those who were dead and even the demons obeyed Him. Yet He suffered and sustained in body and soul the righteous anger and wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race. He was despised and rejected of men. Though He was innocent of any crime or sin, He was condemned by a civil judge and sentenced to death on a cross. By His suffering and death, He paid the penalty for the sins of all who believe in Him and set us free from the judgment and eternal condemnation of God that would was to fall on us. Some have given their lives for others and great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not stop Him. Death could not destroy Him. Thegrave could notholdHim.HavingfullysatisfiedGod’s perfect justice, He conquered death and rose on the third day as He said He would. After showing Himself alive to His disciples and many other witnesses for a period of forty days, He ascended into heaven. He now sits at the right hand of the throne of God where He pleadsour causetoHis Father,defendsus and keeps us safe from all enemies, and pours out His gifts upon us. One day He will return, not as a suffering servant, but with glory and power to judge the world. Then every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. His true followers will confess His name with joy and confidence. All others will seek to hide from His face in terror and shame. He is the Perfect One—the only One who can satisfy the soul. When we believe in Jesus, God graciously grants to us the holiness and righteousness of Christ. This is the true story of God’s great agape-love for you and me and all the world. It’s a love story to celebrate. It’s a love story to share. Blessings, Pastor Jim Friedberg Moravian Church Celebrating our 250th anniversary in 2023 here in North Carolina, U.S. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Spend Time with God!
We are what we eat. It's true. Jesus said his flesh is our meat [food]: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53 NKJV). People who relegate this eating of the Lord to the communion table alone do not understand what Jesus meant. The Lord's Supper isn’t just symbolic. It is a reminder to us that he became our source of life through death. We are to come daily to eat and drink of him. When sheep are not fed, they grow skeletal and weak, becoming easy prey for the enemy. I see a remnant of people emerging in the land, though, who are strong and robust because they are acquainted with God’s heart. They are bursting forth with life because they have been in the presence of the Lord so often. God has provided a way to make every child of his strong enough to resist the enemy! This strength comes from eating the bread of God sent down from heaven. Our spiritual health depends on this. Hear the words of Jesus: “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me” (John 6:57). Jesus was in such union with the Father that the Father's words became his very food and drink, the result of spending much time alone with him. Jesus once told his disciples, “I have food to eat of which you do not know. My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:32, 34). Moreover, he said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27a). We dare not miss this secret of strength! Our sustenance comes from the Lord. Get alone with him and spend quality time in his presence. He wants to feed your hungry soul and guide you through these perilous times. God will always manifest himself when you seek him with all your heart. Also feed on His Word, the Holy Bible. Amen |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
God’s Pure Mercy
Isaiah had a revelation of God’s great delight in us. He prophesied, “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you’” (Isaiah 43:1-2 NKJV). Isaiah wasn’t talking about a literal flood or fire. He was talking about what people go through spiritually and mentally. Israel was in captivity at the time. Their floods were trials; their fires were temptations; their rivers were times of testing. These were all Satan’s attempts to destroy and overwhelm God’s people. Isaiah’s words were a message of pure mercy for Israel. The people were in captivity because of their own stupidity and foolishness, but God sent them a brokenhearted prophet who said, “God wants me to tell you that you belong to him.” The prophet continues this theme in that same chapter. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25). Our Lord pleads with us again to come to him no matter what is happening in our lives. His unending grace and mercy are ours; all we need to do is call on him. Right now, you may feel like you’re drowning in swirling waters. You may feel overwhelmed by a trial or temptation that threatens to consume you. You’ve got to understand from these biblical examples that the Lord does not always calm the waters. He does not always keep the floods from coming or put out the fires. Yet he does promise, “I will walk with you through it all. This trial or circumstance will not destroy you. It won’t consume you. So, walk on. You’ll come out on the other side with me beside you.” |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Finishing the Race Well
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’” (Luke 14:28-30 NKJV)? Jesus spoke these words near the close of his ministry on earth to warn followers that good intentions wouldn’t be enough to see them through hard times. Many would not have what it took to finish the race! I believe the most tragic condition possible is starting out fully intending to lay hold of Christ and grow into a mature disciple, and instead slowly drifting away and becoming cold and indifferent to him. God, help us understand that we are always changing; we are either changing daily into Christ's image or we are changing back into our old, carnal ways. Paul said to those who have determined to lay hold of Christ at any cost, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). What a joy to meet those who are finishing the race. They are growing in the wisdom and knowledge of Christ, becoming more distant from this world and its pleasures, and becoming more heavenly-minded. Their spiritual senses are highly exercised, and their discernment of what is of God and what is of the flesh is ever-increasing. They are cutting away all earthly attachments. With growing intensity, they long to be with him. You can be sure that when Christ returns, he will have a glorious church. It will be made up of those who have become so unattached to this world that moving from the corruptible to the incorruptible will be but one last love step into his presence. You may have fallen down in the Christian race, but you can get up and run again. Jesus will not fail you. He will not let you lie down by the track, exhausted and broken. He will lift your weakened knees and give you his supernatural strength. He will be there at the finish line to say, “Well done!” |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Key to All Deliverance
The Holy Spirit gave David a revelation that is the key to all deliverance. David could say, “The reason God delivered me from all my enemies, from all my sorrows and the powers of hell is that I am precious to him. My God delights in me!” Do you need deliverance from lust, temptation or trial? From a problem that’s mental, spiritual, emotional or physical? The key to your victory is in this verse. “He also brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19). God delights in you. You are precious to him! In Song of Solomon, the Lord says of his bride, “How fair and how pleasant you are, O love, with your delights” (Song of Solomon 7:6). Three of the Hebrew words in this verse are synonymous: fair means precious; pleasant indicates pleasure and delights. These words describe Jesus’ thoughts toward his bride as he beholds her. He looks at her and says, “How beautiful, sweet and delightful you are. You are precious to me, O love.” In turn, the bride boasts, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me” (Song of Solomon 7:10). The meaning here is “He runs after me with delight. He chases me because I am so precious to him.” Our Lord also reminds us that although he is the God of glory, the creator of the universe, he loves each one of us completely and will never fail to care for us. “For your maker is your husband,” he says, “the Lord of Hosts is his name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; he is called the God of the whole earth” (Isaiah 54:5). We belong to almighty God! These thoughts are found throughout the psalms. “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy” (Psalm 147:11). “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he will beautify the humble with salvation” (Psalm 149:4). May your heart find comfort today in his unending love for you! |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
An Otherworldly Compassion
Carter Conlon Paul faced a choice when he found himself in the midst of a storm. He was most likely chained in the bottom of the ship, as was the common practice for transporting prisoners. When he warned the people not to undertake this journey, he was scoffed at and scorned. The voice of truth is constantly set aside as bigoted and out of touch. Eventually it is locked away in the same way that Paul was relegated to the bottom of the ship. Imagine the unspeakable hardship that Paul once again faced. Nevertheless, in the midst of it all, Paul chose in his heart to forgive these men. He stood before them and said, “For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told” (Acts 27:23-25, ESV). Isn’t that amazing? Paul, once an intolerant Pharisee who hauled people out of their homes and tortured them to get them to blaspheme the name of Christ, was now moved with compassion for his oppressors! We must have the compassion of God flowing out through us. How do we get to such a place? Not merely by study. We might wish we could take a Bible course somewhere and come out compassionate, but it just doesn’t work that way. Compassion comes by allowing the one who already won the battle for kindness to do his work in and through us. I am well aware that I cannot forgive or love with that kind of divine love, and neither can you. Human effort cannot produce the kind of compassion required to reach a perishing world or the kind of forgiveness that the greatest depths of depravity demand. It is supernatural and must be worked in us by God. Try as you might to love people in your own strength, you will find that words of grace and forgiveness will not be in your mouth unless they are supernaturally put there by Almighty God. Learning to love the unlovely requires a change of heart and a molding of character that God must work into your life by the Holy Spirit. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Wind of the Spirit
The men and women who were headed for the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 1 and 2) loved Jesus dearly. They had been taught in the school of Christ by the Lord himself. Some had performed miracles, healed the sick and cast out demons. They were compassionate and soul-loving, but they weren’t yet qualified to be his witnesses. They had been nearby when he sweat drops of blood, seen him hanging on the cross, and stood at his empty tomb. They had even watched in awe as he ascended into heaven! Yet they still were not ready to represent him. Why? Because they needed the power of the Holy Spirit to face down the fearsome, corrupt religious leaders of the day. The Upper Room experience – the day the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles and other followers of Jesus – made all the difference. Hear Peter’s powerful statement to the chief priests: “And we are his witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32 NKJV). Through the words of the Holy Ghost speaking through Peter, the priests “were furious and plotted to kill them” (Acts 5:33). Stephen came next, filled with the Holy Ghost, confronting the Sanhedrin court just before his death. “’You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you’…When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth” (Acts 7:51, 54). When you emerge from seeking God full of his Spirit, you can stand boldly before anyone, and your witness will provoke one of two reactions. They will either cry out, “What must I do to be saved?” or they will resist and challenge you. You will speak words that cut to the heart. Miracles don’t reside within the walls of a church building. The mighty wind of the Spirit blew all the people out into the streets, into the marketplace. Had we been in the Upper Room looking for revival, supernatural wind and tongues of fire, we would have been directed outside to 120 witnesses on the streets, preaching Jesus in the power of the Holy Ghost. That's where the revival is. That's the outpouring. The wind, the fire, the Spirit — it's now in God's witnesses! |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Joy of Sharing Your Faith
Many Christians in the Western world feel uncomfortable sharing their faith. Some don’t evangelize because they feel like everyone more or less knows about Jesus. Others say that they live out their faith without needing to preach it. However, Jesus told his followers, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15, ESV). Jesus’ disciples actively preached the gospel. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they prayed for strangers, accomplished miracles and shared Jesus with everyone in every circumstance. They were radical and relentless. How can we follow the disciples’ example in today’s world? We who live in Christ walk even as he walked. The Acts of the Apostles aren’t just inspirational stories and historical record. Neither are they a dry template for evangelism. They are just the beginning of the story, and now it’s our turn to write our chapter. Jesus knew this when he said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Our desperate, anxious world wants to hear what Jesus has done for us! They want to know that today, two thousand years after the apostles lived, they too can know the joyful, transformational love of Jesus. There is something contagious about being around people who love Jesus so much that his love just flows out of them. I call it a baptism of love. They don’t feel obligated to share the good news. They have been spending time in the presence of God and they can’t help but share the joy of their salvation. People with this contagious love have decided, “I'm not going to just read my Bible anymore. I want to live it.” They realize that the Book of Acts never really ended; it is meant to continue today. They have had a literal “come to Jesus” moment where they were finished with clinical, academic approaches to evangelism. No more how-to instructions and formulas, no more sweaty palms and stilted conversations, and no more being attached to the results. It’s just you — my neighbor, co-worker, Uber driver, friend — and me, someone who woke up excited to share the joy of knowing Jesus with you. “As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:15). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Rise and Walk with Christ
“Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’” (John 5:8 NKJV). The crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda had likely heard some of the stories about a man named Jesus healing people throughout the region. What he didn’t know was that Jesus knew about him too. He came to this poor man, lying by the pool in his misery and sorrow, and was moved with compassion. All Jesus asked was that the man believe his words and act on them. “Rise! Take up your bed. Walk away from this scene.” Now this man, helpless and in despair, faced the biggest decision of his pain-filled life. A word of resurrection hope had come to him, and he was being challenged: Rise by faith and be made whole, or lie there in self-pity and die alone. He could have refused to move, thinking, “It won't work. Out of this multitude, why would God heal little old me? I'm destined to die in this condition.” He had to believe because Jesus could not have raised him up against his will. It was now or never! When people around questioned why and how Jesus did this, he answered, “‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself does; and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel’” (John 5:19-20). It was God's will, love and desire to make this man completely whole. It is difficult to believe God still loves you when you are down and weak or when you feel worthless and wonder why he even cares. It takes childlike faith to accept that love and say, “Lord, on your word alone I will arise and walk with you.” You don't have to understand all the doctrines about sin and righteousness. You may not even know Jesus in a deep and meaningful way. Don’t worry. Those things will come later. All you need to do today is take the first step of obedience, rise and turn to the Lord. “If anyone wills to do his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority” (John 7:17). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
He Will Restore Your Wasted Years
How many years did you waste before you repented and surrendered all to Jesus? How many years were eaten up by the cankerworm of sin and rebellion? Now you know you are forgiven, but wouldn't you love to get back those years and live them for the glory of the Lord? In his final days, Paul looked back over his life and testified, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NKJV). Paul says, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). In other words, “Forget your past and press on in Jesus!” Satan's favorite form of harassment is bringing up your past to scare you. He will try to persuade you that an old addiction or lust is going to rise up in your heart and take you back to the old life. He’ll use every weapon in his arsenal to bring you down with fear. It’s true that you may feel the pangs of remorse as long as you live. Yes, the memories will keep you humble, but in God's eyes, your past is a dead issue. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25 NKJV). As far as condemnation and guilt are concerned, God says, "Walk with confidence and freedom into the future!” We see a picture of such restoration in the New Testament when Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. “Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other” (Matthew 12:13). You see, when Jesus restores you, he also heals the wounds. Beloved, take those old wounds — the worries and regrets about your wasted years — and let God restore to you all the years that were taken away. Press on toward the prize of your high calling in him! |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
God is Hope "Call to me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." - Jeremiah 33:3 While in confinement, Jeremiah heard from the Lord. Yes, even when he was thrown into a cistern (chapter 38), he heard from the Lord. He heard a word of hope and encouragement from God: "Call to me, and I will answer you." He heard a message of action: "Call to Me, and I will show you great and mighty things -- which you do not know." These words found in Jeremiah 33 are at the center of Jeremiah's writings and serve as a reminder that God gives hope, and He is the hope of all who follow Him. He is where I place my hope and trust. He is the hope of this world. Yes, even in troubles, Jeremiah heard a message of hope from the Lord. Is He your hope, too? Amid the message of hope, God speaks in Jeremiah 33:5-9 of the wickedness in Jeremiah's day. It is a warning we ought to also heed concerning the evil we face today. We have a spiritual battle before us, and we must guard our hearts and clothe ourselves in the armor of God even as we live out of the hope He gives. May you be faithful, turning to God first, no matter your circumstances. Today, may you listen to God, open His Word, and read Jeremiah 33-38, inviting the Holy Spirit to work in your life. I urge you to: Commit all your ways to the Lord! Read your Bible daily! Be Still and Listen to the voice of the Lord! Pray! As you take time with the Lord, may he show you that He alone is your hope! Invite Him to show you how you can respond to whatever comes your way so that you may glorify God and put all your hope in Jesus. Heavenly Father, thank you that You are our hope. Lord, may you lead each person who reads and prays this prayer to trust you and know their hope is only in You. Thank you, Lord, for listening and hearing as we plead for help. Lord, we thank you for sending Your Son to die on the cross for our sins. May we confess our sins and live our lives lifting your name above every other name. In Jesus' Name, Amen. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Just for the Family
“Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there” (Genesis 43:30 NKJV). This is the heart of our Savior, even toward the sinful. Joseph and his brothers were eating and drinking in the same room, but he sat alone. We dare not pass lightly over this statement. These men were taking a meal in Joseph's presence without being fully restored and without a revelation of love and grace. We can be in the Lord's presence and still feel unloved. Many Christians will go to God's house to sing and worship, then go home to the same old lie: “God doesn't show me any evidence that he loves me. My prayers go unanswered. He doesn't really care about me the way he cares for other Christians.” Joseph’s brothers had acknowledged their sin, but they needed to be totally at the end of their bitterness and human resources before Joseph could reveal his love to them. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart – these, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). The brothers were not yet brokenhearted (see Genesis 43:34) so he put them to a final test. As they were leaving for Canaan, Joseph told his steward to slip his personal silver cup into the sack of Benjamin, the youngest brother. They were hardly out of the city when Joseph's men overtook them and accused them of stealing the cup. They were so certain of their innocence that they said, “With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves” (Genesis 44:9). There was no more fight in them. No more pride. They were humbled, broken; they cried out, "We give up! We surrender." Then came the revelation of love. “Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Make everyone go out from me!’ So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers” (Genesis 45:1). They now had a sense of family, of unconditional love and acceptance. The world can hear about God's love, but only family can experience it. Beloved, God dwells within the humble and brokenhearted. He delights in his family. He has loved us all these past years, even when we were sinners. Rest in his love for you. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Practicing the Presence of Christ
Many Christians are intimidated by the idea of sharing their faith, myself included. We’ve been taught that there is a set of rules on how to lead people to Christ. We’re worried sick that sharing our faith means “cold calling,” like we’re God’s sales force, buttonholing perfect strangers with sweaty palms and awkward conversation. The result is that most Christians clam up. “I don’t want to share my faith.” “I’m not prepared.” “I’m an introvert.” “I haven’t shared my faith in ten years.” People everywhere are seeking peace; the world is in chaos, and they want and need God as never before. Many are surrounded by Christians, but the Christians are too timid to share God’s goodness! Why? Because we’re trying to formalize a spiritual, human, connective experience. We are focused on method and outcome when we are supposed to be focused on people. Jesus challenged the rule-makers. He showed us that sharing the gospel isn’t a formula; it is a connection between the human and the divine. We have to begin by practicing God’s presence, becoming intimate with him through time spent in prayer, worship and the Word. As we are infused with his presence, it will naturally flow out to someone in our sphere of influence. Jesus, our example, spent time with people and got to know them; he just waded right in. They could feel his love and compassion toward them and his attentiveness to their needs. This connection, then, is how we share our faith. We practice the presence of God, and we practice the presence of people. The Holy Spirit is vigorous and dynamic, constantly moving among us. You may not be a “people person,” but the Holy Spirit most definitely is. God seeks out hurting, lost, discarded people, and we are the link. Ask yourself this as you go about your day: Do I feel God’s presence? Do I even notice the people around me who would love to feel it too? Will I partner with God and reach out to them, or will I turn away, pull out my phone and check the latest newsfeed? Jesus embodied the simplicity of the Great Commission. God and man, together, embracing a lost world. “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15 NKJV). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
When Sifting Comes
“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat’” (Luke 22:31 NKJV). Satan sifts only those who threaten his work. He goes after the tree with the most potential to bear fruit. Why was he so anxious to test Peter? Well, for three years Peter had been casting out devils and healing the sick. Satan had heard Jesus promise the disciples another baptism, one of Holy Ghost power and fire, and he trembled! Now the devil knew God’s ultimate plan for Peter. He realized that the past three years would be nothing compared to the greater works to come. Satan was searching for a weakness in Peter to build on that would destroy his faith. Perhaps, like Peter, you are being shaken and sifted right now. Don’t despair! Rejoice that you have such a bad reputation in hell. Satan never would have asked God’s permission to sift you unless you were a threat to him. He is sifting you because you play an important part in God’s kingdom in these last days. The greater your gifts and potential, the more severe your sifting will be. When someone is going through the fire of sifting, what should those around him do? What did Jesus do about Peter’s imminent fall? He said to him, “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32). I look at this wonderful example of Christ’s love and realize I know almost nothing about how to love those who fall. Jesus saw both the good and the bad in Peter and concluded, “This man is worth saving. Satan desires him, but I desire him more.” Lord, give us that kind of love! When we see brothers and sisters heading for disaster, let us love them enough to reach out and say, “I am praying for you.” Today we have yet another “It is written” with which we can do battle against Satan. It is this: “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” You can tell the devil, “You may have gotten permission to sift me, to try to tear down my faith, but you need to know this: My Jesus is praying for me!” AMEN |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Start Small, Trust God
We live in an age of ‘Big.’ With one click, we can take a global tour and become immersed in the world’s problems. Think about the catastrophic headlines that flow through your phone. It takes your breath away, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. We may rightly ask, “Why doesn’t God sweep in and save those poor people?” We think big problems require big, dramatic solutions, but God doesn’t think that way. In his world, it happens the other way around. My friend John Bueno and his wife, Lois, were missionaries to El Salvador for more than 25 years. Late one night during their first year, John was driving home from a meeting when he saw a young boy selling newspapers on the street. “That’s odd,” he thought. “It’s nearly midnight.” Then it hit him. The boy couldn’t go home until he’d met his quota, so there he was at midnight, trying to sell the last three papers. John bought them all, and the boy ran off, elated. The Holy Spirit wouldn’t let John forget about this boy and the hundreds of other children working on the streets of the city. He felt the Spirit say, “If someone doesn’t help them, this will be the story of their lives.” John initially pushed back. “But Lord, I don’t have enough money or ability to make a difference.” God persisted, and today, more than 60 years later, the school for disadvantaged children that John and Lois founded has 37 campuses. They estimate that nearly one-sixth of El Salvador’s six million people have passed through their school. You may think, “I’m not a missionary; I’m just an ordinary, unremarkable person.” Good! This is an attitude God can work with. Think of our heroes of the faith. Men and women like Moses, Daniel and Esther were ordinary people who simply stepped up. Many were poor and felt like they didn’t have much to offer, but God didn’t need their resources or resumes. He used their willing hearts and hands to accomplish his purpose. Mother Teresa understood that every kindness, every act of mercy, matters. “Never worry about numbers,” she once said. “Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” Jesus says, “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40, ESV). Give God your loaves and fishes, and he will feed the world. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Examine My Heart "Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven." - Lamentations 3:40-41 As a follower of Jesus, my heart desires to be right at the center of where God is working, but if my heart and life are not in sync with God, I will miss the invitation to join Him where He is working. In reading and studying Lamentations 3, specifically verses 40-41, I see a call to action and a prayer that can keep my heart in the correct posture toward God. The call to action is for a Christ follower to invite the Holy Spirit to reveal whether his or her life honors God. Recently, I visited with a man who has been discipling a new follower of Jesus. He told me that God used the joy and excitement of this person to bring him to a place of examining his own spiritual walk and revealed that his love for Christ was not where it should be. We hear people around us calling for revival and for America to return to God, but first, we need to examine our hearts just as we read in Lamentations. As we go before the Lord and ask Him to search and forgive us of our sinful ways, we must turn our hearts to Him and His ways. If those in Christ are not placing Christ first, how can we ever expect a nation to return to God? It begins with you and me. In Lamentations 3:41, we find a prayer describing the process of lining our hearts up with God. Is your heart aligned with God or overloaded with worldly desires and cares? Please allow me to summarize Jeremiah's clear path to right standing before the Lord found in Lamentations 3
Heavenly Father, I praise you for your love and your desire to have fellowship with us. I invite you to examine my heart and the hearts of all who read this devotional. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, show us those things in our lives that hinder us from being entirely devoted to You. As you reveal our sins, may we confess and turn to You. Renew our hearts with purity and prepare us to worship and serve You. May we be found obedient to the Great Commission to share the Gospel so others will come to a personal relationship with You. In Jesus' name, Amen. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Lesson of the Prodigal
We often approach God with preconceived ideas of how he will receive us. For example, if we have done something to grieve his heart, we may feel that he loves us but will be slow to forgive. Jesus clears this up with the parable of the prodigal son. The story goes that the young man “arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NKJV). I believe the prodigal came home because of his history with his father. He knew his father’s character. He had been a much-loved son and was desperately hoping that he would not be upbraided or condemned for his sins if he returned. Notice how the prodigal’s father received him in his pitiful condition. The young man was intent on offering a heartfelt confession to his dad. Yet when they came face to face, he didn’t even get a chance to fully confess. His father interrupted him by running up to him and embracing him. The young man was only able to blurt out the beginning of his speech. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son’” (Luke 15:21). His father didn’t even wait for him to finish. To him, his son’s sin had already been settled. The father’s only response was to issue orders to his servants. “Put a robe on my son, a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. Prepare a feast! We are going to celebrate. Everyone rejoice! My son is home.” He knew his son’s heart. He knew he had fully repented. Sin wasn’t the issue to this father. The only issue in his mind was love. He wanted his boy to know he was accepted even before he could utter a confession. That is the point God wants to make to us all. His love is greater than all of our sins. “The goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
To Die Is Gain?
Paul said, “To die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). That kind of talk is absolutely foreign to our modern spiritual vocabularies. We have become such life-worshippers that we have very little desire to depart to be with the Lord. Paul was torn. He honestly wrote, “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23). That said, he thought it best to stay here and “live in the flesh,” knowing the new church needed more teaching and encouragement. In saying “to die is gain,” was Paul being morbid? Did he have an unhealthy fixation with death? Did he not respect the life God had blessed him with? Absolutely not! Paul lived life to the fullest. To him, life was a gift, and he had used it well to fight a good fight. He had simply overcome the fear of the “sting of death” and could now say, “It’s better to die and be with the Lord than to stay in the flesh.” Those who die in the Lord are the winners because resurrection is the ultimate healing where we are ushered into our Father’s presence! The passage of death can be painful, but it cannot compare to the unspeakable glory that awaits those who endure the passage. Talking about death bothers us. We try to ignore it, avoiding even thinking about it. Occasionally we will talk about what heaven must be like, but most of the time the subject of death is taboo. Instead, we hear messages on how to use our faith to acquire more things. Death is considered an intruder that cuts us off from the good life we have become accustomed to. We think, “I love the Lord, but I need more time to enjoy my life.” What a stunted concept of God’s eternal purposes. No wonder so many Christians are frightened by the thought of death. How different the first Christians were! Paul spoke frequently about death. In fact, our resurrection from the dead is referred to in the New Testament as our “blessed hope.” Christ calls us to die without worrying about how we should be remembered. Jesus left no autobiography, no headquarters complex, no university or Bible college. He left nothing to perpetuate his memory but the bread and wine. By his death, though, we gained everything. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Palm Sunday
On this day long ago, our Lord Jesus Christ entered the city of Jerusalem to joyous shouts of “Hosanna” (a phrase which means “save”). The people who shouted those words did not understand the kind of Savior Jesus would be. They assumed He would proclaim Himself king, assemble an army and overthrow the oppressive forces of Rome. When He failed to do that, they turned against Him in anger and hate. Within a few days of their shouts of “Hosanna” became shouts of “Crucify Him!” What the people of ancient Jerusalem could not understand, God has clearly revealed in the pages of Holy Scripture. Jesus rode into that city knowing that He would be rejected and nailed to a cross. He willingly gave His perfect life to save us from our sins. Today, we proclaim “Hosanna” knowing that Jesus Christ is indeed the only source of salvation – for us and for our fallen world. As we worship Him with joy on this holy day, let us also recommit ourselves to serving Him with gladness! Let us tell the world about our Savior, so that more and more people can experience the joy of salvation and join us in serving Him! |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.'" - Ezekiel 14:6
In this Holy Week when we remember the death and burial of Jesus and celebrate His resurrection, conversations continue about the outpouring at Asbury University that began on February 8, as well as lament over shootings, overdoses, family difficulties, finances, and so much more. We hear of prayers for Jesus to awaken His people and bring salvation to those without Him. The cry for revival to come to our nation, states, cities, and towns is coming from the north, south, east, and west. But while we cry out for revival, we cannot ignore our own lives. We must personally confess our sins to the Lord to be part of receiving His outpouring. In His Word, the Lord has made it clear that we must repent before revival comes to an individual or a nation. It is no secret that the United States needs to be awakened to the Holy Spirit and that our country desperately needs to turn back to God. We must stop and ask the Lord what we personally must turn away from before revival comes. As the Israelites sought the Lord, He said, "Repent." In Ezekiel 14:6, He defined repentance as "[turning] away from idols and [turning] your faces away from all your abominations." Repentance is often described today as someone driving down the road, realizing they are going the wrong way, and making a U-turn. In Ezekiel, we see that Israel turned their back on God when He had called the nation to be set apart. You and I can relate to Israel as we have created idols out of finances, sports, careers, technology, relationships, and material possessions, all while we who are in Christ are called to live our lives free from a tie to the things of the world. It isn't wrong to have these things, but we must have balance and accountability in our lives so that we do not make them our idols. When we acknowledge our sins to God and confess that without Him, we cannot do anything about our sins, we experience biblical repentance; a turning from our ways to God's way. Today, I plead with you to go before God and ask Him to reveal any unconfessed sin in your heart. As the Lord reveals the sin, own and confess it to Him. To personally experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we must come clean. We must do as the Scriptures instruct us: repent, turn away from idols and abominations, and turn entirely to Jesus. We can believe God's Word: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Heavenly Father, we invite you to work in our lives today and throughout this Holy Week. Lord, help us spend time with You so that the Holy Spirit can reveal the sin in our hearts. When He does, we will confess our sin, turn to You, and recommit ourselves to You being our first love, as You remove all idols and abominations from our life. In Jesus' Name, Amen. Family Research Council |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Invitation into Faith
Faith is a command. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. It is written, “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38, NKJV). Unbelief is a bottomless pit of fear and discouragement. It begins with fearing what we cannot see. One fear leads to another, then we begin fearing everything present and future. The result is uncontrollable anxiety and despair. This is not a small issue with God. It is a matter of life and death. Today, if you are tormented by fear, I have a word for you. The opposite of fear is faith, and faith is an invitation to partake of the great goodness of the Lord. I refer you to one of the most encouraging promises in God’s Word. Let it sink deep into your soul. “Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have prepared for those who trust in you in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of your presence from the plots of man; you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psalm 31:19-20). Hold tight to your faith! God has a bold and glorious promise: “Trust me and I will pour out my goodness upon you. I will hide you in my presence and will not allow strife and fear to overwhelm you.” It is also written, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward” (Hebrews 10:35), and “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). The rewards of faith are strength, peace and calm in the storm. God rejoices in our faith, and the decision is ours to make. Right now it is within our power to choose to trust him in our present and future trials. May God help us all hold fast to our faith. Do not give up. We are too close to the end of the race. “You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye” (Psalm 32:7-8). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Giving Thanks Always “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20 NKJV). We are all pressed down by problems and distress, but Paul has given us the answer when he tells us to “do it unto the Father.” The great preacher John Calvin said that singing and giving thanks always is all feigning and hypocrisy unless we are fully persuaded that God is our Father. Often we don’t feel like giving thanks, and we can’t sing. Dire circumstances shatter our spirits. There are times the heart cries, “Lord, do you really expect me to sing and make melody when I hurt so badly? I am so burdened down with cares that I can barely lift my head. It’s hard to praise and speak hymns in my heart. There is too much fear, grief and doubt.” God is not severe with us when we hurt. We are his children, and these words are given us to find solace and relief in such times. We become so focused on our difficulties that we lose more than our song. We drift further and further away from God’s eternal promises. In spite of all we face, our Lord says, “Give thanks always.” It is easy to become ungrateful for all he has done in the past. We get swallowed up in praying only for ourselves, our needs and our families. We cannot lift up our eyes and see those who are suffering much more than we are. I am convicted when I think about this. I want to face tomorrow determined to sing to the Lord and give thanks each day for all things and in all things. It may be a weak, inaudible song, but there is a divine, supernatural power in doing it. God has heard your cry, and he is working out the solution even now! Continue giving thanks always and never stop singing love songs to our precious Lord and Savior. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Sharing in Christ’s Great Goodness
“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14, NKJV). We show the measure of our Christ by what we ask in his name. We are told to ask large and to expect great things. We show forth the greatness of Christ by the greatness of our requests. We have so little of Christ because we ask so little. We limit our petitions to material things. It’s true that we are to make our needs known, but to ask only for food and shelter is to diminish our vision of his greatness. The kingdom of God is “joy and peace in the Holy Ghost!” We serve a triumphant Christ, and we are called to share in the triumph. Do you have joy and peace in the Holy Ghost? Do you go to his throne and ask the Father “in the name of Jesus?” God wants us to think big and ask big. Asking “in Jesus’ name” is an invitation to share in God’s great goodness laid up for those who believe. What about the hungry crowd of 5,000 in the New Testament when Jesus asked his disciples what they should do? He said, “Show me your plan to feed them. What can be done to meet this crisis?” Jesus already had a plan, but he was testing their faith. Who could have conceived of feeding that mass of people with five loaves of bread and two fish? God will not tell us what his plan is. He will not even give us a hint. He insists on our having faith in his promises, his majesty, his past miracles on our behalf. His word to us is “Believe!” Your Lord has a way prepared, and he has the power to fulfill his plan. Faith is evidence that cannot be seen. There can be no rest for us in our fiery trials until we believe he stands ready to do the unthinkable, the impossible. Our part is to simply trust that he will perform what he has promised. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Mighty Hand of God “Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces” (Exodus 15:6, NKJV). Even though some Christians know they are forgiven and safe, they lack a sense of power against the flesh. They have not come into the knowledge of ‘full deliverance’ from their evil nature. By his blood, he secures us; then by his mighty hand, he breaks the power of sin in us. Sin still dwells in us, but it does not rule! What an incredibly encouraging word in these days of disillusionment and super-human efforts to be free of sin's power! Yet we are so reluctant to acknowledge the work of God's hand. It goes against our pride, our sense of justice and even our theology to accept the truth that our deliverance from sin's dominion comes from a power other than our own. However, look at our example: Israel went out armed, but all the battles were the Lord's. “…the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47). The blood secured Israel from divine judgment, but the high hand of God delivered them from the power of the flesh. They had experienced security and rejoiced in it; now they needed power. Power to once and for all do away with the old enemy, and power to arm them against all the new enemies to come. That power is in the Lord's high and mighty hand. We have been given great and precious promises surpassing those given to Israel. God has promised to deliver us from all evil and seat us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, free from the dominion of sin. However, first we must learn to hate sin. No agreements or compromises. Coddle your sin, play with it, let it remain, refuse to demolish it, and one day it will become the most painful thing in your life. Do not pray about victory over the sins of the flesh until you have cultivated a hatred for them. God will have nothing to do with our excuses and appeasement. Are you enslaved by a secret sin that causes turmoil and anguish both physically and spiritually? Do you hate it with a passion? Do you feel God’s holy wrath against it? Until you do, victory will never come. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Path of Surrender God begins the process of surrender by knocking us off our high horse. This literally happened to Paul. He was going his self-assured way, riding toward Damascus, when a blinding light came from heaven. “He fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Acts 9:4, NKJV). Paul knew something was missing in his life. He had a knowledge of God but no firsthand revelation. Now on his knees, he heard these words from heaven: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:5). The words turned Paul’s world upside down. Scripture says, “He, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’” (Acts 9:6). Paul’s conversion was a dramatic work of the Holy Spirit. Paul was being led by the Holy Spirit into the surrendered life. He had no other ambition, no other driving force than this new life. “Indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). By today’s standards of success, Paul was a total failure. He didn’t construct any buildings. He didn’t have an organization. The methods he used were despised by other leaders. In fact, the message Paul preached offended large numbers of his hearers. At times, he was even stoned for preaching it. When we stand before God at the judgment, we won’t be judged by our ministries, achievements or number of converts. There will be but one measure of success on that day. Were our hearts fully surrendered to God? Did we lay aside our own will and agenda and take up his? Did we succumb to peer pressure and follow the crowd, or did we seek him alone for direction? Did we run from seminar to seminar looking for purpose in life, or did we find our fulfillment in him? I have but one ambition, and that is to learn more and more to say only those things the Father gives me. Nothing I say or do of myself is worth anything. I want to be able to claim, “I know my Father is with me because I do only his will.” |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Family Research Council
The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." - Ezekiel 37:1-3 It's easy to get distracted by things we want only to realize that the greatest gift we have outside of our salvation through Jesus is the very breath we take. Take a moment to praise the Lord for the breath you take, which we so often take for granted. In today's Stand on the Word bible reading, we read the most familiar verses of Ezekiel, which can be found in chapter 37, verses 1-14. This passage gives Ezekiel's vision, in which God revealed that only He could give life to dry bones. We read in verse 8, "I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them." In verse 10, we see why we ought to praise the Lord for the very breath we take. "So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army." Praise the Lord, for it was when God breathed upon these dry bones that they could live again. Ezekiel's vision reveals God's promise to restore Israel and reminds us that we can do nothing apart from Him. If you have been in a spiritually dry season, I encourage you to ask the Lord to breathe fresh upon you today. If your life is full and everything is great, take a moment, list your blessings, and give thanks to God. I often begin prayer times by taking a deep breath and praising the Lord. The hymn "Count Your Blessings" opens with this verse and then the refrain: When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Take another moment to count your blessings and give praise to the Lord. Your day will be changed as you take time to acknowledge and thank Him for what He has done. Heavenly Father, we praise You for every breath we take. May we never take it for granted. Lord, I ask you to breathe fresh upon anyone who is in a spiritually dry season today. As you raise them, may they run the race before them with a sense of urgency and be about the work you have commanded and commissioned them to do for your glory and honor. In Jesus' Name, Amen. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Here's a great 15 minute video.....
|
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Tears of the Righteous
The Bible declares emphatically that not one tear of his children falls to the ground. David wrote, “You number my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle; are they not in your book? When I cry out to you, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me” (Psalm 56:8, NKJV). The tears of the godly are so precious to him, he preserves them. If God preserves my tears, will he not preserve me? It is almost too fantastic to take it all in. What strikes me in such a word is that if he counts every tear of mine, then how precious is my blood to him, my livelihood, my needs? Christ assured his disciples, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7). Until we are persuaded in our minds that God takes special notice of each and every affliction which we endure, it is impossible we can ever obtain such confidence so as to believe that he would put our tears into his bottle. Can we believe that truth — that the God who numbers every hair on our heads and bottles every tear — will he not then interpose on our behalf? Hear this word in your spirit: Every tear you have shed over past sins, every tear shed in times of afflictions and stress, every tear shed over lost souls is written in his book. You may say, “I don’t weep. I seldom shed tears.” I believe in soul tears, which only God sees, inward, silent tears shed often in times of trouble and need. Not one of your tears has been wasted. Not one is in vain. Even at the end of time, God will attend to our tears once more. “I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation. 21:4). To believe in God is to believe this incredible truth! |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
In Luke 11:1, we read that Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."
In Luke 11:2-4 we find the response of Jesus to his disciple: "So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." Then in Luke 11:5-13, we find additional instruction on prayer that helps us see that persistence and expectancy in praying is vital to our prayer life. "And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" I encourage you to do as one of the disciples did and ask the Lord to teach you to pray. When you do, He will open doors of instruction for you. The opportunities will be different but each time, He will provide you with instructions on what to pray for and how to pray about it during your prayer times. As you begin this time of instruction, I encourage you to pray the Lord's Prayer over the next forty-five days asking the Lord to give you a spiritual breakthrough in your life and for our nation. Ask the Lord to put the Lord's Prayer on your heart and mind so that you begin praying it before you even get out of bed. Another way to grow in your prayer life is by meeting and praying with others. This week I want to make you aware of one opportunity where you can gather and pray. This week we observe the National Day of Prayer, an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May to invite people to pray for our nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. You can visit https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/ to find prayer events near you. "Jay" Johnston, frc.org |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Day of Prayer Task Force.
Let us pray: We come with fervent hearts to praise You, Lord. You are the Word, the Way, Truth and Life. You are the Alpha and Omega, Lion of Judah, and Almighty God, who was, and is, and is to come. You clothed Yourself in flesh and dwelt among us, to remove our sin and clothe us in Your righteousness, that we might dwell with You forever and ever. With broken, humbled hearts we repent of our sins. Confessing to You our faithlessness, prayerlessness, and disobedience. Forgive us for our doubt, our prideful and quarrelsome words that reveal our unclean hearts. Cleanse us and renew a right and steadfast spirit within us, we pray. With grateful hearts we thank You fervently for the blessings in our life and throughout America; they are more than we are able to count. We will remember Your grace and testify to Your goodness in all generations. Help us to refrain from complaining, but instead be prompted to pray faithfully in every circumstance. Teach us to have a content heart, knowing You are always enough for our every need. As the church, we commit to pray and love our neighbor and nation as You loved us, that our reputation in this world would be rooted in Your love. Holy Spirit, work and overflow through us in every prayer, thought, word, and deed. May our character, conversations, and conduct reflect the righteousness in which You clothed us and commanded us to live. With an obedient heart we put on the full armor of God; Your breastplate of righteousness guards our heart from which flows the springs of life. We pray fervently for our communities and country; the people who are in the church, family, education, business and workplace, military, government, arts, entertainment and media. Every person is Your workmanship, fearfully and wonderfully created and loved. With hopeful hearts we pray that all would choose to receive Your love and follow You. We pray that America would confess, “Jesus is Lord,” and reflect Your righteousness in every sphere of influence and every aspect of our lives. We ask that heavenly hope would flood our hearts, silence hate, and that You will heal our land. Believing You –– all You are, all You said, and all You have promised –– we pray fervently in the righteousness that avails much. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen! Tim Wildmon, President American Family Association |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Coming of Jesus I believe Jesus is coming soon. We see the Lord moving in astonishing ways around the world, and events are rapidly moving toward the day of his return. “So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:33,36, NKJV). Those who know the scriptures have a Holy Ghost inner sense of the Lord’s return. We hear the call of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, crying, “Even so, Lord Jesus, come.” Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns” (Matthew 24:42,44, 46). Beloved, do you feel or sense that these are the last of the last days? Do you share the longing for his appearance? You are in good company! There are millions of people around the world who are also looking up, waiting with great anticipation for our Lord’s return. Until then, God wants us to stand out as believers, as messengers of hope in our hopeless world. We do not despair because we know that Jesus Christ’s triumphant return will bring an end to the evil and hopelessness that have poisoned mankind since the serpent spoke to Adam. When the Lord comes back to earth, he wants to find us hopeful, ready and working hard to spread his message of hope to the world. Even though we don’t know the day or hour, we know he can come at any time. Let us gather the harvest with joy as we await that great day. What a day that will be! “The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Look up, and be encouraged; our redemption is drawing near. AMEN |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
https://www.moravian.org/wp-content/...1-810x1215.jpg
Friedberg Moravian to celebrate 250th Anniversary Friedberg Moravian Church is celebrating the congregation’s 250th Anniversary in 2023. Special services and activities will be held throughout the year, including a Singstunde April 23, Anniversary Lovefeast May 7, Walk to Adam Spach’s homesite September 23, Praise and Worship Conference October 20-22, a commissioned choral anthem and historical reflections. Our activities will be guided by scripture, Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” We are praising God for all the blessings and comfort He has provided for us over the years. We have so much to celebrate! God has surely been the rock of our salvation from generation to generation. Our history began in August 1754 when Adam and Maria Spach came to what is now the Arcadia Township in Davidson County. While living in Maryland, Adam came to know the Moravians and helped found the Graceham Church. Based on his association with Moravians, he wanted to live near the new settlement in the Wachovia tract. Adam first visited Bethabara in September 1754. He and his family visited frequently, seeking safety in the settlement during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Within a few years, Spach and his neighbors had established a new community south of the Ens Creek. They continued to request that Moravians hold worship services there. Finally on November 24, 1759, Ludolph Gottlieb Bachhof held the first public service in Spach’s home. On May 6, 1766, Brother Peter Frey, Sr. became the first person laid to rest in “God’s Acre”. During 1770, a Moravian Society was organized, Bachhof became the first minister, Sunday services began, and a school was started. The first lovefeast, Easter service and Christmas lovefeast were also held. In 1771, the name “Friedberg” (Hill of Peace) was approved by the congregation. In 1772, the Society was consecrated as a Moravian Brethren’s Congregation. On April 4, 1773, Friedberg officially became a congregation of the World Wide Unity of the Brethren after action by Synod in Herrnhut. This is our anniversary date. Friedberg has always been grounded in Biblical Truth. We honor our heritage and deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by proclaiming the Gospel openly through worship, witness, Bible study, missions, fellowship, and community service. Though we are certainly thankful for our past, we are most focused on our future. Please join us in celebrating 250 years! Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
It Was Settled on the Cross
We must once and for all understand what Christ did for us at the cross. He forever took away the sin which separated us from God; from here on, we will always have the right to enter his presence without hesitation. We are accepted in God's sight. There is not a single thing in his heart against us! Stop and consider the sublime efficacy of Christ's blood. We are fully pardoned because the cross cleared us in God's eyes. We may lose sight of that, but God never does. The veil was torn to allow us to enter directly into God’s presence. He says, “You are accepted! Come boldly to my throne, for you are my beloved.” Settle this in your heart. If God is satisfied, we should also be satisfied. Is there anything between you and your Father in heaven? You may say, “My heart condemns me! I've said and done things that would grieve the Spirit. I feel unworthy, and the heavens seem closed off to me.” To all this, you can answer, “But God is greater than my thoughts or feelings, and he has accepted me!” Do you hate your sins? Have you confessed them? Do you believe that “that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38 NKJV)? Many Christians falter when it comes to accepting forgiveness. They live with unnecessary fear and bondage because they don’t understand the victory of the cross. There is now nothing blocking access to God except our fear and lack of knowledge. When the veil was split, he came out of the holiest of holies to directly commune with you and me. How incredible! God was so anxious to forgive us that he made himself a sacrifice for our sins. Sin was judged and the offense was removed. Now God can say, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). He has closed the distance between us! God does not desire to impute sin against us. Instead, he seeks to reconcile us to himself. He longs for us to live in the blessedness of knowing the sin question was forever settled at the cross. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Turning Your Anxiety into Healing
Jesus didn’t mess around when he talked about fear. His core message was “I, not your fear, am in control.” Are fear and anxiety part of our God-given makeup? Oddly, yes. Fear alerts us to danger, and anxiety is our physical response to those alerts. Life from birth to grave is filled with such moments. While on earth Jesus felt the anxiety of those to whom he ministered. His words about fear were designed to not only calm them but also to help them grow in their spiritual walk. We are all plagued by fear at one time or another. In my younger years, most of my life decisions were in some way tied to my fears. Yes, I wanted to please God, but it was my own expectations and standards for success that I focused on. I was driven by a mighty fear of failure that threatened at times to consume me. Your fears may be about a relationship, money or illness. You might suffer from depression, or maybe you just carry around a general anxiety about the state of the world. No matter the battle, Jesus invites us to view life through his divine lens. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). Peace and freedom from fear come only when we disconnect our hearts and minds from the values of the world. This is a conscious, deliberate act. It is interrupting the endless stream of harassing thoughts to say, “Lord, give me your perspective, right here, right now. Help me to let go and see that it is all in your control. I will worship you, not my fears.” Being attentive to what lies beneath our fears clues us in to what matters to us, and therefore what needs adjusting. “He’s got the whole world in his hands,” says the song. Do you believe it? Or are you mired in needless worry and fear? It is when we seek the face of God our creator, when we turn our attention fully to him, that we find rest and safety. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Daniel 9:4-19 (Daniel's Prayer)
"I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants, the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven, there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. "O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem, and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name." |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Marvelous Grace
What in us attracts the marvelous grace, mercy and pardon of our Savior? Is it beauty, goodness or strength? Is it a unique potential or special gift? No! It is our great need and utter helplessness that attracts his grace. It is our weakness that attracts his strength. Our helpless condition is exemplified by the man in Mark chapter two: “Then they came to him bringing a paralytic…” (Mark 2:3, NKJV). Here is a picture of absolute helplessness, a man without an iota of strength or power. Observe this trembling, weak, helpless creature fated to spend the rest of his life imprisoned in his own bed. He is you and me before we knew anything of Christ's power. Jesus stood before this helpless man and did not even mention his physical condition. The Lord brought him into the Father's presence clean and cleared. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you’” (Mark 2:5). What a beautiful picture of the love of God in Christ Jesus! Here is a helpless man, too overwhelmed by his infirmity to even whimper. Show me the child of God who struggles against a hated, intractable sin, one who is crushed beneath a load of guilt and despair, who feels helpless and weak; and I will show you the one who is the object of abundant grace. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (see Romans 5:20). When you have repented, stand by faith on the finished work of the cross. Through faith in him, your sins are under the blood. You now live on the other side of the veil, seated with Christ in heavenly places, fully accepted and one with Christ and the Father. You are no longer separated from God by sin. You are more than a conqueror, living and moving in the Spirit. You are the apple of his eye, renewed in your mind and made an heir to all that belongs to Christ the Lord! |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Expressing the Completeness of Christ
Romans 11:17-19 says that we are grafted as wild olive branches into Christ, the holy tree and root. The same Spirit and power that was in him enables and quickens us. We sit like Christ at the right hand of God by faith. How do we know our sins are forgiven? By faith alone. We take God's word for it and are in turn blessed with peace of mind. So it is with God’s power. We must take his word that his power is now at work in us, causing us to will and to do of his good pleasure. He empowers us to face our weakness with faith that he will help us walk in obedience. The paralyzed man who stood, walked and carried his bed is a type of the believer who has mastery over sin. What an expression of Christ's power he was! Just think of the hope his faith and healing must have given to all who were helpless and in need. Isn't this what God is after today? Is he not seeking triumphant believers who will show the world how Christ completely delivers us from the clutches of sin? Those around us should see believers who live above the lusts and pleasures of this world. Our society desperately needs more men and women who love their spouses and are faithful, parents who nurture and train their children in the ways of the Lord, and young people who practice purity and separation from all that defiles. We have enough Christian resources. What we do not have enough of are Christians who truly show who Jesus is. There is a shortage of those of whom it can be said, “There goes a Christian who really expresses who Jesus Christ is! There is one who has nothing to promote and nothing to prove but Christ, risen and glorified. There stands a person who shines with the beauty and simplicity of the Lord. There is one who has what I'd like to have, a reality that cannot be denied.” This should become the one and only goal of our lives: to fulfill God's intention, to be a witness who expresses the fullness and completeness of Christ. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
He Makes Wars to Cease
“He makes wars to cease...” (Psalm 46:9, NKJV). What welcome news this is to the child of God shattered and torn by warfare of the soul. The battle in my soul is his battle, and he alone can end it. My loving Father will not permit the flesh or the devil to bully me into defeat. My war is clearly defined by James, who wrote, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1). These pleasures include covetousness, pride and envy, enemies of the soul that are common to us all. Throughout the ages, holy men of God have asked, “Will the lust-war in me ever end while I am alive?” That question sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It is the same question we who love the Lord still ask today. The war, of course, will end. It will inevitably be followed by the greatest peace ever known. How will it end, though, and who will end it? Sometimes it is our battle and our obligation to enforce godly discipline in our lives. If it is a battle beyond our control, God will end it in his time and way. Until then, he will give us patience and the assurance that he loves us to the end. The Greek word used by James is stratenomai, which suggests a battle against carnal tendencies, a soldier at war. It is derived from stratia, which means a host, or army encamped. Didn't David speak of hosts encamped against us? Our carnal inclinations come against us as a powerful force determined to undermine and keep us in turmoil in hopes of shipwrecking our faith by attacking our minds with fear and unbelief. However, if you study the Hebrew word for war used by David in Psalm 46:9, there is cause for great rejoicing. It is milchamah, which means to feed on, consume and devour. What the Word says to us here is simply marvelous. God is going to stop the enemy from consuming us, from devouring us. He will no longer permit lust to feed on us or overcome us. Be encouraged! God will cause our inner war to cease. This is his battle, and he never loses. Amen |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Discouragement
When we are hurt, lonely, afraid and overwhelmed, we are often prone to turn aside from our true source of peace and look to human resources. How tragic! We know God is still on the throne, waiting for us to call on him. We know the answer to our needs is to be found alone with God, shut in with him. We will even confess to our spiritual friends, “I know I need to pray. I know God has the answer, and I need to turn to him.” It is discouragement of the worst kind to give in to fear and despair while ignoring the majesty and faithfulness of a loving Father. God said to Israel, “...I have talked with you from heaven… In every place where I record my name I will come to you, and I will bless you” (Exodus 20:22, 24 NKJV). Sadly, Israel answered, “God has forgotten; he hides his face: he will never see” (Psalm 10:11). “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’” (Isaiah 49:14). Are you a discouraged Christian? You are if you ignore the Lord's majestic promises and doubt that he will fulfill them. He means it when he says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15-16). We will be downcast if we keep carrying unnecessary burdens of guilt, fear, loneliness, anxiety and turmoil simply because we refuse to rest on the Lord's great and precious promises. These words from Romans remind us to rest in him: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). David reminds us in the psalms, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. …The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles” (Psalm 34:15,17). Let us not become impatient and act according to our feelings. When we get into trouble and cry out to God, all of heaven goes into motion on our behalf. If we could see into the spiritual world to behold the good things he is preparing for us, it would be an incredible sight for our eyes. |
Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
Faith Founded on the Word
God is concerned that we are being shaken in our faith, that we don’t trust him during a crisis. Beloved, our worst sin is our unwillingness to believe he will do what he promised. That offends him more than adultery, fornication, drug or alcohol abuse or any other sin of the flesh. He desires – he requires – trust in him. His Word says, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:9 NKJV). “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13). These verses are either the gospel or they are lies. If they are the gospel, it is vital that we stand on them. God wants us to be able to say, “Lord, if I die standing here, trusting you to see me through, then let me die in faith. Live or die, I’m yours.” Now, I admit that’s radical. Could you go that far to say, “live or die?” Many of Jesus’ followers did. They and countless others through the centuries had that uncompromising faith, many even unto death. They weren’t superhuman or endowed with special gifts. What they did have was the real deal, a faith that subdued every doubt and fear. They stood solid on the promises of God. They said, “Let all the winds and waves of hell come at me. I stand in the shadow of his wings, and that’s all I need.” God yearns to bring you into that place of trust. He wants you never again to fear but to truly rest in his power and ability. He knows how to deliver you from all snares, trials and temptations. There is peace unlimited in that place. When we fully trust in the Lord, we can say with songwriter Thomas Chisholm, “Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. Great is thy faithfulness!” |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 22:20. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2026, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
SEO by vBSEO 3.5.2