Persistence in Prayer May 7, 2013

From Streams in the Dessert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings by L. B. Cowman

May 7

Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1)

The failure to preserve is the most common problem in prayer and intercession. We begin to pray for something, raising our petitions for a day, a week, or even a month, but then if we have not received a definite answer, we quickly give up and stop praying for it altogether.

This is a mistake with deadly consequences and is simply a trap where we begin many things but never see them completed. It leads to ruin in every area of life. People who get into the habit of starting without ever finishing form the habit of failure. And those who begin praying about something without ever praying it through to a successful conclusion form the same habit in prayer. Giving up is admitting failure and defeat. Defeat then leads to discouragement and doubt in the power of prayer, and that is fatal to the success of a person’s prayer life.

People often ask, “How long should I pray? Shouldn’t I come to the place where I stop praying and leave the matter in God’s hands?” The only answer is this: Pray until what you pray for has been accomplished or until you have complete assurance in your heart that it will be. Only when one of these two conditions has been met is it safe to stop persisting in prayer, for prayer not only is calling upon God but is also a battle with Satan. And because God uses our intercession as a mighty weapon of victory in the conlict, He alone must decide when it is safe to cease from petitioning. Therefore we dare not stop praying until either the answer itself has come or we receive assurance it will come.

In the first instance, we stop because we actually see the answer. In the second, we stop because we believe, and faith in our hearts is as trustworthy as the sight of our eyes, for it is “faith from God” (Eph. 6:23) and the “faith of God” (Rom. 3:3 KJV) that we have within us.

As we live a life of prayer, we will more and more come to experience and recognize this God-given assurance. We will know when to quietly rest in it or when to continue praying until we receive His answer. from The Practice of Prayer

Wait at God’s promise until He meets you there, for He always returns by the path of His promises. selected

I did not really understand growing up how important prayer is in life. Until I met my husband, I rarely prayed. When I did pray it was one of those emergency prayers when something wasn’t going my way.

Recently it was revealed to me that in order to have a relationwhip with God, prayer is a must. A life without prayer is not an option. We are especially called to pray for others. I think that it’s important to do whatever we can to ensure that prayer becomes a habit for us in our lives. It’s important for us to pray casually throughout the day and for us to set aside time for intense, intimate prayer time with God. And when prayer becomes a natural part of our day, we will wonder what we ever did without prayer.

I challenge anyone who reads this to pick something specific, no matter how big, to pray about. Pray for it every day until you have an answer.

-TMS

Liberty on the Abyss of the Gospel May 6, 2013

Cover of My Utmost for His Highest

From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

May 6

Liberty on the Abyss of the Gospel

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Galations 5:1

A spiritually minded man will never come to you with the demand – “Believe this and that”; but with the demand that you square your life with the standards of Jesus. We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One Whom the Bible reveals (cf. John 5:39-40). We are called to present  liberty of conscience, not liberty of view. If we are free with the liberty of Christ, others will be brought into that same liberty – the liberty of realizing the dominance of Jesus Christ.

Always keep your life measured by the standards of Jesus. Bow your neck to His yoke alone, and  to no other yoke whatever; and be careful to see that you never bind a yoke on others that is not placed by Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us out of the way of thinking that unless everyone sees as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God’s view. There is only one liberty, the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.

Don’t get impatient, remember how God dealt with you – with patience and with gentleness; but never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples,” not “make converts to your opinions.”

This is already so perfectly said but I will try to simplify it even further. We shouldn’t consume ourselves with things that don’t matter. We should follow the example of Jesus. By following the example of Jesus, we are setting an example for others who don’t know Jesus. And always stay true to the Word of God. Pretty simple, huh?

I won’t overcomplicate this any further because I think it’s so beautifully put.

-TMS

 

Disharmony April 29, 2013

Cover of God Calling

From God Calling by A. J. Russell

April 29

Disharmony

Seek and ye shall find. Shall find that inner knowledge that makes the problems of life plain.

The difficulty of life is caused by disharmony in the individual. There is no discord in My Kingdom, only a something unconquered in My disciples. The rule of My Kingdom is perfect order, perfect harmony, perfect supply, perfect love, perfect honesty, perfect obedience – all power, all conquest, all success.

But so often My servants lack power, conquest, success, supply, harmony, and think I fail in My promises because these are not manifested in their lives.

These are but the outward manifestations that result from the obedience, honesty, order, love – and they come, not in answer to urgent prayer, but naturally as lifht results from a lighted candle.

I never lack feelings of peace and beauty when reading from God Calling. This message is so simple yet so profound. There is no disharmony in God’s Kingdom! Disharmony is something we created ourselves; it’s not from God. Seeking God is seeking harmony.

-TMS

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving April 6, 2013

Cover via Amazon

From Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young

April 6

Bring Me the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Take nothing for granted, not even the rising of the sun. Before Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, thankfulness was as natural as breathing. Satan’s temptation involved pointing Eve to the one thing that was forbidden her. The garden was filled with luscious, desirable fruits, but Eve focused on the one fruit she couldn’t have rather than being thankful for the many good things freely available. This negative focus darkened her mind, and she succumbed to temptation.

When you focus on what you don’t have or on situations that displease you, your mind also becomes darkened. You take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, flowers, and countless other gifts from Me. You look for what is wrong and refuse to enjoy life until that is “fixed.”

When you approach Me with thanksgiving, the Light of My Presence pours into you, transforming you through and through. Walk in the Light with Me by practicing the disciplne of thanksgiving.

Psalm 116:17 (NKJV); Genesis 3:2-6; 1 John 1:7

Guilty!

I have so many things with which I should be content. Not just content but thankful. I’d be lying if I said I don’t understand why Eve wanted the fruit from the forbidden tree. It’s the same reason why I have a closet full of clothes and still want to shop for more. Some things that I crave actually do fulfill a need or desire and I am thankful. At other times, the desire was strictly superficial and the craving was only temporarily satisfied.

While I am fully aware of how blessed I am, I do need to make a conscious effort to be thankful and greatly limit any unecessary wanting. After all, God alone is all I really need. If I seek Him alone, everything else will fall into place.

-TMS

Judgment April 3, 2013

I think that we, as Christians, sometimes miss valid points made in the Bible. For instance, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) This statement might be the most overused and misunderstood of Jesus’ teachings. Leave the judgment to God because Jesus calls us to love. But then in 1 Corinthians Paul teaches us:

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside, but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

Paul teaches us, as Christians, to remove ourselves from situations where we might interact with unrepentant sinners. This brings me back to Matthew 7:1. How are we to know one’s spiritual condition unless we use judgment? What I have found, when faced with interpretations, is that motives are usually key. When commanded to judge not, we are still expected to use good judgment or discerning. We are expected, as Christians, to look at ourselves and ask the reason to discern. Is it to point out someone else’s shortcomings in order to elevate ourselves to a righteous position? In that case, “let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.” (John 8:7) This is a significant example of scripture that teaches forgiveness and compassion. But Paul makes it clear in his teachings that the only way to protect ourselves and our church from rampant and continuous sin is to use our good judgment for unselfish purposes thus honoring God.

Unfortunately, there is a situation in my church – quite possibly a church-dividing situation – and when the situation was addressed many of my fellow believers chose “tolerance” over conviction. For the purposes of writing this piece I looked up tolerance or toleration in the back of my Bible and this is what I found. “’I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.’” (Revelation 2:2) Here is what the footnotes say in conjunction with that passage:

Over a long period of time, the church in Ephesus had steadfastly refused to tolerate sin among its members. This was not easy in a city noted for immoral sexual practices associated with the worship of the goddess Artemis. We also are living in times of widespread sin and sexual immorality. It is popular to be open-minded toward many types of sin, calling them personal choices or alternative lifestyles. But when the body of believers begins to tolerate sin in the church, it is lowering the standards and compromising the church’s witness. Remember that God’s approval is infinitely more important than the world’s. Use God’s Word, not what people around you are willing to accept, to set the standards for what is right and wrong. (Footnotes to Revelation 2:2 NLT)

I took a hard look at myself and decided that perhaps I am a little intolerant. But if I’m to compare my tolerance to sin as it stands now to what God’s Word calls us to tolerate, I am far too tolerant. We as a society are too tolerant. And as a church, to allow flagrant sin or (as in my case) the refusal to indentify a sin as being as such, we are compromising the spiritual health of our church and we have a responsibility to our congregation as well as other believers to not tolerate deliberate, unrepentant sin.