Prayer That Works

“To him whom my soul loveth, who wakens me morning by morning and helps me rise with “wings as an eagle.”

It takes prayer and it takes work to meet with God.  Prayer and Work seem to be an oxymoron.  What are they doing in the same sentence?  The two words together seem so contradictory, like jumbo shrimp, civil war — or child safe!  Prayer and Work seem to be opposite concepts.  Yet we have discovered that prayer that doesn’t work, doesn’t work!

Think about it:  it takes work to step out of time to enter into eternity.  It takes work to learn the art of leaving things undone so that the greater thing can be done.  It takes work to miss a meal to take special time to pray.  One might even lose some sleep to learn that prayer is work.  Prayer that works is work, and those who work at prayer realize that prayer works.  That’s not just a play on words, it is the concept of what it means to pray.

Prayer itself is a gracious gift of God.  He made it possible for us to walk right into his presence and talk to him as our Father.  Every child of God has the right and the privilege to come into His presence.  God is available and ready to meet with us at the drop of a hat.  But Satan has a way, for he desires to get into your devotional life, for he wants you to let go of your devoted life to God.  As the little couplet says, “The devil trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.”

He will do anything to keep you from loving your Savior.  He wants you to stay in bed until the last moment and he wants you to rise not with the “wings of eagles” but with the “forlorn look of a tired soul.”  Find in Jesus your all in all.  Develop your fellowship with Him through your prayer conversation with your God and your Father.

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  • The Waywardness of Sheep

    “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

    Why do sheep have the desire to leave the shepherd’s side and travel to places of danger and distance?  There is an inward pull that sheep have that tend to lead them away.  They follow the tract of land that looks greener and more desirous, leaving behind that which is safe and filled with contentment by the shepherd’s care.

    Why does God give Pastors to the local congregation?  So that they may instruct and teach the little flock to the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry that edifies the body of Christ.  It is God who gives the pastors and teachers so that they may equip the saints for the work and for the building up of His church.  It is God who gives the Shepherds.  It is the under shepherds who are led by the Chief Shepherd.

    As in that day, the Old Testament days and the New Testament days, shepherds were looked down upon.  Many people looked and pick out their words, mannerisms, and ways and accosted them for not being the smartest people in town.  But the Shepherds were important in the eyes of God.  Sheep can’t just get along anywhere.  There is no other class of livestock that requires more careful handling, more detailed direction, than do sheep.

    The Pastor Shepherd keeps the sheep on the move.  They are shifted from one pasture to another.  The habits sheep form and the desires that sheep have, when left to themselves, are dangerous.  So the Pastor Shepherd is always leading them to go forward.  Let us listen, not only to the voice of the Good Shepherd, but to the leadership of the kind, prayerful, life of the under shepherd.  Why?  Because he cares for your soul.

  • Ask Yourself, Are You REALLY Praying?

    “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
    A much needed group of people do not attend the prayer meeting because it’s–forgive me for saying it–boring. They pray about the same things the same old way. We believe as Christians that our prayer life ought to be Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based praying. Yet, why do we not sense and see greater praying and great pray-ers?
    The observation of many is that the evangelical church does a great deal of complaining about the decay and demise of our culture, the low level of political discourse, and the advancement of religious darkness. Helpless as we are to stem these ominous tides, yet incredibly as it sounds, we still do not humble ourselves and pray. We lament that we have not seen revival, but we are not yet desperate enough to seek God for such an outpouring of God’s Spirit.
    I want to ask you to open your Bible and read its truth. As you study the passage begin to seek God in prayer. Offer to God these Scripture truths back to Him in prayer. Pray the Scripture back to Him. Concentrate in your efforts to use the Scripture as you pray.
    Don’t allow the “ministry of the Word” to become shallow to you. And please do not allow prayer to become superficial. The foundation of what we are and what we do is “prayer and ministry of the word,” even as the early church leaders did, according to Acts 6:4. We can change our church and our world! When we learn to pray effectively and fervently.

  • The Dark Day of Redemption

    “And they shall scourge him, and put him to death. And the third day he shall rise again” (Luke 18:33).

    Three pronouns, one scourging, one death, and One to rise again. Who is this person? Who is Dr. Luke describing? Or better yet, Who is this who is describing himself?

    It is none other than the Son of man. He came to save and to seek those who are lost. What does it mean to be lost? It means to understand that God loved you, satisfied His own righteousness by judging His own Son to death upon a rugged tree for you and for me. He went to the desk of Calvary and paid the bill for you with His own blood, the payment of sin which leads to death.

    To be found means to know that God’s love (His Son) was given to die as you. His mercy will forgive you if you recognize that you are THE Sinner and ask Him. It is His mercy you and I need today. Are you willing to understand that Jesus was scourged in your place, put to death in your place, and rising again proving He died for all your sin and mine.

  • Values are Timeless, not Temporary

    “And these words , which I commanded thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7a).
    As parents, we need to see our kids at the age of the twenty- or thirty-year-olds they will one day become. This is not trying to grow them up before their time. But it is a vision that says to the world and to the culture that your children will not be had by them. We are talking about placing before them and within them the vision of training them into adulthood, growing them into disciples.
    One of the values of Scripture, for instance, that has always been before us is this matter of being not “yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14), especially in the terms of the marriage relationship. Of course, this wasn’t an issue when they are only ten, twelve, and fourteen. But since this issue would arise in their lives in a short period of time, as Christians who love our God, we as parents place these values of the sanctity of Christian marital vows before them as they grow.
    It is imperative that Christian parents know their core values and express them along the way. Before you know it the child has grown before you in a manner that is faster than a speeding bullet. God has taught us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto His wisdom. Don’t start tomorrow. Begin today to make those choices that will change and bend the hearts of your children toward Christ and His Word.

  • To Boast of Your Gifts Is A Sin

    “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:10).

    Satan can use spiritual things to make you proud: It could be your ability to teach or preach the Word; your prayer life; your success in witnessing; soul-winning; your talents and good works.

    A famous Christian businessman was visiting a church and was asked to give a word of greeting. He got carried away telling all that God had done for him. “I have a successful business, a large house, a lovely family, a famous name, enough money to do the things I want to do and able to give to Christian works. I have health and opportunities unnumbered. There are many people who would gladly exchange places with me. What more could God give me?” From the back of the auditorium a voice called, “A good dose of humility!”

    To boast is a sin, because God gave the gift and we cannot take credit for what God has given. Satan attacks with pride and we need to surrender immediately to the Holy Spirit and let Him in to work that He may produce humility and submission before God.

    A sign that one is not submissive to God or to one another is to willingly judge or quickly respond in a manner unbecoming of Christ. When one is continually confrontational with those of like mindedness then we can be sure we have locked God out. Sins of the flesh are bad but sins of the spirit are worse and cause more damage.

  • A Great Faith

    “Fight the good fight of faith”

    (I Timothy 6:12).

     

    If you could hear Jesus say that one thing in your life was “great,” what would you want that to be? Would it be that you have a great faith? Would the Lord of the universe ever compliment your faith as “great”?
    For faith to work, we must expect God to move, even in a moment when we least expect him to move. We must believe that He can change our life’s game in 15 seconds. That’s how great faith looks at life.
    A great faith in God is key to experiencing His miraculous power, being great in his eyes, and moving from superficiality to significance. Familiarity can and does breed contempt. When Jesus visited Nazareth, his hometown, the Bible tells us he couldn’t perform many miracles at all. Jesus marveled at their unbelief. That is not what we want our Creator to marvel at, for we want Him to marvel at our great faith.
    Does your faith trust the Sovereign God of the universe no matter what? The Lord Jesus wants us to trust Him no matter what, even when bad things happen. Sometimes when we find ourselves wondering at the strong winds that have been allowed to blow our way, it really becomes the testing ground to see how “great” our faith really is.