UNTAPPED POWER!

My wife sent me this article about prayer this morning, and really encouraged me to persevere in prayer, no matter how the circumstances may be.

When We Pray – God Works!
“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

(1) God listens when we pray. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Mark 11:24). You may not have much clout anywhere else, but when you pray God listens.

(2) We seldom pray. We've the greatest privilege imaginable - access to the control center of the Universe - yet we rarely use it. And our lack of prayer surprises God. Through the prophet Ezekiel He lamented: "I sought for a man among them who would . . . stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Ezekiel 22:30 NKJV). Upon learning that Sodom and Gomorrah were going to be destroyed, Abraham didn't rush to warn the cities. No, he chose to "[remain] standing before the Lord" (Genesis 18:22 NIV).

When God said the golden calf warranted a nationwide death penalty for Israel , Moses interceded and saved them. One translation of Exodus 32:11 says, "Moses soothed the face of his God." An obscure priest by the name of Phinehas begged God not to send the plague, and it was checked. (Psalm 106:30 NIV).

You say "Why place such a premium on prayer?" Simple. Because when we work, we work. But when we pray, God works! Scripture attaches breathtaking power to prayer. "When two of you get together on anything . . . and make a prayer of it, My Father in Heaven goes into action" (Matthew 18:19 TM). Does any other activity promise such results? Did God call us to preach without ceasing? Or have committee meetings without ceasing? No, but He did call us to "pray without ceasing."

HE DOESN'T LIE

The Bible is full of God’s promises. They are waiting for us Christians to tap into them by praying and believing. 2nd Peter 1:3-4 says “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” These are incredible words when you stop and read them and meditate on them. Read them slowly…. He has given us all that we need in the life to experience God and His character in our lives (godliness). We can experience Him by praying and believing God’s “precious and great promises.”

This is an amazing way of life, when we truly dip into God’s Word and through prayer, ask God to fulfill these promises in our lives according to His will. That’s what this passage means: “Ask anything in my name, and I will do it.” No just anything that we want, but anything that pertains to life and godliness, any of His promises; anything related to His Word, His will, everything that He wants. In His perfect time, He will answer.

Regarding God’s promises, the apostle Paul says: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2nd Corinthians 1:20. Let’s take a minute to practice this now: God promises “peace” to His followers. Now, how do we experience that peace? Take one of His promises; for example, Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” The promise is: perfect peace. Our action is: trust in God, fix our thoughts continually in Him. When we do our part, His perfect peace will fill our lives. It is His promise, and He doesn’t lie.

Now, go and do it!

TROUBLE: A BLESSING IN DISGUISE

The psalmist wrote: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn your statues. I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.” Psalm 119:71,75. I don’t know about you, but troubles always draw me closer to God. They make my prayer life come alive. They are the conduit for experiencing strength that comes from God through prayer.

Life in itself is full of problems. Everyone knows of the Bible’s greatest example of trouble: Job. “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Job 14:1. No one is exempt from it. The Lord Jesus said: “In this world, you will have trouble.” John 16:33. Notice that He said “you will,” not “you may.” Granted, some have more than others, but the issue is: what do we do when trouble comes our way? Do we curse God, get far away from Him and try to fix life our own way? Or do we bless God, get closer to Him and let Him fix our lives His own way? The choice is ours to make. Chose right.

Jesus’ complete statement in John 16:33 goes like this: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." His Word is given so that we may have peace, consolation, tranquility. Trust Him, He defeated the world.

THANK YOU FOR.....!

“The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.” Psalms 126:3 Thanksgiving is born from a clear understanding of God’s goodness to us. What great things has the Lord done for you? Well, let’s think about salvation for starters. Because of our sins, we deserve hell, being eternally separated from God in hell, but God in His goodness, provided a way for us to be eternally together with Him by forgiving our sins through His sacrificial death, the shedding of His precious blood on the cross, and His resurrection. Isn’t that big enough cause to be thankful?

Prayer and thanksgiving go hand in hand. Where there is true prayer, there is true thanksgiving. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; ” Colossians 4:2 And then in the letter to the Thessalonians, it is written: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. .” 1st Thessalonians 5:16-19. Wow! Here is the solution to the problem of anxiety: “Prayer with thanksgiving.”

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. .” Philippians 4:6-7

Now, don’t just read this; to make it work you need to try it; just pray to God and tell Him: “Lord, thank you for…..”