YOUR PRAYER CAN CHANGE EVENTS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 28, 2021.

SUBJECT : YOUR PRAYER CAN CHANGE EVENTS!

Memory verse: "Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them." (Psalm 106 vs 23.)

READ: Exodus  32 vs 9 - 14:

Exodus 32:9: And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!

32:10: Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."

32:11: Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?  

32:12: Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.

32:13: Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"

32:14: So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

INTIMATION:

In response to fervent prayer God may change the course of our lives or His attitude toward us. Although we do things that deserve God's anger, we receive God's forgiveness from sin by asking Him in prayer for it. When we pray He is always willing to forgive us and restore us to Himself because His mercy endures forever. 

God is just, and there is no injustice with Him. He is also, a merciful God, and His mercy endures forever. These two natures of God came to the fore when the children of Israel angered Him. God was ready to punish them to remain consistent with His nature of justice. But when Moses interceded for the people, God relented in order to act consistently with His nature of being a merciful God. He changed His behavior to remain consistent with His nature.

This is one of the countless examples in the Bible of God's mercy. Although we deserve His anger, He is willing to forgive and restore us to Himself. We can receive God's forgiveness from sin by asking Him. Like Moses, we can intercede in prayer in any circumstances, and God may use us to bring the message of His mercy by forgiving others. In the passage we read today, God was ready to destroy the whole nation of Israel because of their sin, but Moses interceded and pleaded for mercy and God spared them. 

In Second Kings 20 vs 1 - 6, Hezekiah the king was sick and near death. God sent Isaiah the prophet to him telling him to set his house in order, for he shall surely die. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly, reminding God how he has walked before Him in truth and with a loyal heart, and has done what is good in God's sight. God heard his prayer and saw his tears. Not only did God spare his life and added more fifteen years to him, He also healed him of his sickness and saved his city from the Assyrians. His faith and prayer changed the course of events. 

You too can make a difference, even if your faith puts you in the minority. Faith and prayer, if they are sincere and directed toward the one true God, can change any situation. Never hesitate to ask God for radical changes if you will honor Him with those changes. God has asked us to bring forth our strong reasons for whatever we ask Him in prayers. He is a just God, and ready to reason with us. He is also, ready to grant our prayers if our reasons are strong, convincing, good enough, and in consonance with His Will:

"Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD....."Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forth your strong reasons," says the King of Jacob......"Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted." (Isaiah 1 vs 18; 41 vs 21; 43 vs 26.)

Prayer: Abba Father, hear me O LORD, and attend to my cry. Let my prayer come to You as sweet smelling savor, and give me an answer of peace. There is nothing impossible nor difficult with You. You are the God that listens to the cry of Your children. Thank You Lord for You have heard me. To You be all the honor and glory for the great things You have done, is doing, and will do, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Radical Recompense

 “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30)

What Jesus means here is that he himself makes up for every sacrifice.

If you give up a mother’s nearby affection and concern, you get back one hundred times the affection and concern from the ever-present Christ.

If you give up the warm comradeship of a brother, you get back one hundred times the warmth and comradeship of Christ.

If you give up the sense of at-homeness you had in your house, you get back one hundred times the comfort and security of knowing that your Lord owns every house.

To prospective missionaries, Jesus says, “I promise to work for you, and be for you, so much that you will not be able to speak of having sacrificed anything.”

What was Jesus’s attitude to Peter’s “sacrificial” spirit? Peter said, “We have left everything and followed you” (Mark 10:28). Is this the spirit of “self-denial” commended by Jesus? No, it is rebuked.

Jesus said to Peter, “No one ever sacrifices anything for me that I do not pay back a hundredfold — yes, in one sense even in this life, not to mention eternal life in the age to come.”

WHEN WE PRAY FOR OTHERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27, 2021.

SUBJECT: WHEN WE PRAY FOR OTHERS!

Memory verse: "So I sought for a man among them, who should make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”  (Ezekiel 22 vs 30.)

READ: Psalm 106 vs 23:

Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. 

INTIMATION: 

Intercessory prayer is a never-ending opportunity to join God in His work while, at the same time, a chance to be transformed both in heart and circumstance. Not just a few are called to pray for others; we are all called to pray unceasingly for all of God's people. Are you wondering if praying for others makes a difference? Here are eight amazing things that happen when you pray for others: 

1. When We Pray, we participate in God's work.

There are many people in our lives who need prayer. At times their needs are clear. Other times we may not know what to pray. Either way, when we pray for others, we join God in His work in their lives. If you are not sure what to pray, follow First Timothy 2 vs 1 - 4:

“Therefore I exhort first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercession and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 

Being obedient in prayer for others clears the way for God's work and will to be done.

2. Praying for others we emulates Jesus.

In the book of Luke, we find Jesus praying often. He goes to His Father in prayer as His ministry begins. As we can see in Scripture, Jesus prayed about everything. By bringing petitions of prayer on behalf of others, we imitate our Savior. 

3. When we pray for others, we share in their  burdens. In Philippians 2 vs 3 - 4, the apostle Paul reminds us to put others ahead of our needs and to consider the needs of others more important than our own. Our nature is to do the opposite. Our first thought is to pray for our burdens to be lifted or erased altogether. It is humility that allows us to pray for others earnestly. And by offering prayers for the relief of others and sharing their burdens, our burdens seem lighter. 

4. By praying for others, we join the ministry of reconciliation. The apostle Paul said that God made our relationship with Himself through Christ, and then gives us the ministry of reconciliation, or working to help others know Jesus, salvation, and God's love. (First Corinthians 5 vs 18). Our first tool is prayer. Praying for others puts us in the middle of God's work to bring everyone to Himself. By praying for others, we are ministers in the work of salvation, opening the gospel to those in our prayers. God wants everyone to be saved, and we are invited to be part of the work. (First Timothy 2 vs 3 - 4.)

5. When we pray for others, we learn to trust God. If we depend on our strength and abilities, we cannot accomplish God's will. Only through surrendering to God is He able to work through us to accomplish His desires in our prayers for others. When we offer intercessory prayers, pleading with God on behalf of loved ones and friends, we are trusting in His ability to answer, and He does. We are giving up our capabilities to answer and depending on God to keep His promise to answer our prayers.

6. When we pray for others, we are also changed. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person's inner nature. While we pray for others, we plead with God to intercede in their lives, perhaps to bring healing or strength in difficult times. But we are also opening our hearts for change. When we pray for others, we connect to the One who has the power to transform the hearts of others and bring change to their circumstances. At the same time, it amends our hearts.

7. Praying for others glorifies God. When we practice intercessory prayer, we glorify the only One who can answer prayers. Our prayers display trust in God, our belief in Christ, and when prayers are answered, we praise Him for his faithfulness. Our prayers glorify God. Praying is not just a conversation. Prayer is praise for the work God will do through our prayers.

8. God answers when we pray for others.

As Christians, our prayers do not bounce off the ceiling or dissipate like fog. God hears when we pray for others, and He answers. The answer may not come quickly, nor may the reply be what we expected. Or, because God is gracious, we receive much more than we asked. Either way, God answers our prayers when we pray for others. Our prayers are powerful, and our loving God wants us to know through His answer to our plea that He has the power and authority to answer whatever we ask.

Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the excellent spirit of prayer and supplication with thanksgiving in all things, and giving myself to praying for others, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Possible with God

 “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” (John 10:16)

God has a people in every people group in the world. He will call them through the gospel with Creator power. And they will believe! What a power is in these words for overcoming discouragement in the hard places of the frontiers!

The story of Peter Cameron Scott is a good illustration. Born in Glasgow in 1867, Scott became the founder of the Africa Inland Mission. But his beginnings in Africa were anything but auspicious.

His first trip to Africa ended in a severe attack of malaria that sent him home. He resolved to return after he recuperated. This return was especially gratifying to him because this time his brother John joined him. But before long, John was struck down by fever.

All alone, Peter buried his brother in African soil, and in the agony of those days recommitted himself to preach the gospel in Africa. Yet his health gave way again, and he had to return to England.

How would he ever pull out of the desolation and depression of those days? He had pledged himself to God. But where could he find the strength to go back to Africa? With man it was impossible!

He found strength in Westminster Abbey. David Livingstone’s tomb is still there. Scott entered quietly, found the tomb, and knelt in front of it to pray. The inscription reads:

OTHER SHEEP I HAVE WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD; THEM ALSO I MUST BRING.

He rose from his knees with a new hope. He returned to Africa. And today, over a hundred years later, the mission he founded is a vibrant, growing force for the gospel in Africa.

If your greatest joy is to experience the infilling grace of God overflowing from you for the good of others, then the best news in all the world is that God will do the impossible through you for the salvation of the unreached peoples.

Medicine for the Missionary

 “All things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)

Sovereign grace is the spring of life for the Christian Hedonist. For what the Christian Hedonist loves best is the experience of the sovereign grace of God filling him, and overflowing for the good of others.

Christian Hedonist missionaries love the experience of “not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). They bask in the truth that the fruit of their missionary labor is entirely of God (1 Corinthians 3:7; Romans 11:36).

They feel only gladness when the Master says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). They leap like lambs over the truth that God has taken the impossible weight of new creation off their shoulders and put it on his own. Without begrudging, they say, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

When they come home on furlough, nothing gives them more joy than to say to churches, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience” (Romans 15:18).

“All things are possible with God!” — in front the words give hope, and behind they give humility. They are the antidote to despair and the antidote to pride — the perfect missionary medicine.

THE SIN OF NOT PRAYING FOR OTHERS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE SIN OF NOT PRAYING FOR OTHERS!

Memory verse: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.” (First Samuel 12 vs 23.)

READ: Ephesians 6 vs 18; Colossians 1 vs 3. 9 - 12:

Ephesians 6:18; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints—

Colossians 1:3: We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

1:9: For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

1:10: that you may walk worthy of the Lord. fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

1:11: strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 

1:12: giving thanks to the Father who has  qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

INTIMATION:

Prayer is the master key we use to free ourselves from the bondage of all form of afflictions of the enemy, and for the restoration of our beauty in Christ. It’s the kingdom’s force of deliverance from afflictions, and restoration of our glorious destiny. Necessity is laid on us to pray, not only for ourselves, but also for others, both believers and unbelievers, that is interceding for others in prayer. Consequently, we are enjoined to pray or intercede for others’ needs—physical, spiritual, and/or material.

Is failing to pray for others a sin? Samuel’s words in our anchor Scripture seem to indicate that it is. His actions illustrate two of God’s people’s responsibilities: (1)!They should pray consistently for others, and (2) they should teach others the right way to God. Although Samuel didn’t agreed with the Israelites’ demand for a king, but he assured them that he would continue to pray for them and teach them. We may disagree with others, but we shouldn’t stop praying for them. 

There is a misconception that only certain people are called or gifted to be intercessory prayer warriors. There are people in our churches and our lives who seem to have that special intimate connection with God. They are relentless when it comes to praying for others. The truth is we are all called to pray for others.

In Ezekiel 22 vs 30, God is searching for those who would stand in the gap, to intercede for others. The invitation is for all Christians to serve through intercessory prayer. Praying for others is not a choice; it is our privilege.  

Whether we believe it or not, we are all equipped to be prayer warriors on behalf of others. We are heirs with Christ. We are adopted sons and daughters and therefore possess the same power and access to God that our Savior enjoys. We can whisper, or cry out, and offer our requests to our Heavenly Father, and He hears us. Sharing in the inheritance of Jesus, we are called high priests with a direct connection to God and an opportunity to offer up prayers on behalf of family, friends, neighbors, government officials, and our nation. The words do not have to be perfect, only spoken through love and trust in a God who hears and answers. 

It is easy to pray for those we know, and chances are that we might know the needs of people we know. But sometimes we wonder how to pray for those we don’t know and have never met. In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul had never met the Colossians, but he faithfully prayed for them. His prayers teach how to pray for others, whether we know them or not. We can request that they: 

(1) understand what God wants them to do, 

(2) gain spiritual wisdom, 

(3) honor and please God, 

(4) produce every kind of good fruit, 

(5) learn to know God better and better, 

(6) be strengthened with God’s glorious power, (7) have great endurance and patience, 

(8) be filled with joy, and 

(9) give thanks always. 

All believers have these same basic needs. When you don’t know how to pray for someone, use Paul’s prayer pattern for the Colossians. Now, imagine how many people in your life could be touched if you prayed in this way? Actually the best way to influence someone is to pray for him or her. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the excellent spirit of prayer and supplication with thanksgiving in all things, give me the grace Vic interceding for others in prayer that I may not sin against You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

I WILL DO A NEW THING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY OCTOBER 25, 2021.

SUBJECT: I WILL DO A NEW THING!

Memory verse: "Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43 vs 19.)

READ: Revelation 21 vs 4 - 7:

21:4: 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.

21:5: Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And he said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

21:6: And he said to Me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to Him who thirsts.

21:7: He who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. 

INTIMATION:

Christianity is not a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act. We must contend earnestly for the faith we profess; we must have an active faith, training hard, sacrificing, and doing what we know is right. As Christians, our calling from God is to become like Christ (Romans 8 vs 29). This requires our work of faith, being patient, and enduring to the end, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things” (Revelation 21 vs 7).

Christian life may involve a lot of challenges; hardships in many forms: persecution, illness, imprisonment, and even death. The apostle Paul mentioned such challenges in Romans 8 vs 35 as tribulations (trials and suffering), distress (extreme danger and troubles), persecution (oppression, torment, harassment), famine (lack and want), nakedness (bareness, exposure, state of being uncovered), peril (danger, hazards), sword (death). But he said, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8 vs 37).

God that loves us says, "Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43 vs 19.) God, who makes all things new, has promised to do a new thing. Therefore, no matter the situation you are in right now, I have a good news for someone today, God says He will do new things in your life, even those things that seems impossible, in Jesus’ most wonderful name. Just hold tight to Him, and the former things will pass away, if you endure to the end. 

When the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, God led them around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. Pharaoh changed his mind, came after the children of Israel with his army, to bring them back to Egypt to continue their service to the Egyptians as slaves. The Israelites, who were camping by the sea, lifted up their eyes and saw them coming after them. Trapped against the sea, the Israelites faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. They thought they were doomed.

Then Moses, who held tight to God, said to them in faith, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” ( Exodus 14 vs 13 - 14.) God commanded the sea to go back by a strong east wind all through the night, and made the sea into a dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. What happened to Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea is well known to us.

God is saying to someone reading this message today, “Are in a situation that is over your head, and seems impossible for you to conquer?” I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert for you.” Therefore, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”  

All God requires from us is to strive to work out our faith in Him. We may not be chased by an army, but we may still feel trapped in the circumstances of life, instead of giving in to despair, we should stand still, holding on to God tightly, and see the Lord arise for us, and His glory shall be seen upon us, in the mighty name of Jesus. The God that makes all things new will do a new thing in your life, for you who overcomes, will inherit all things. Hallelujah! 

Prayer: Abba Father, my complete trust is in You. In You I live, and move, and have my being. There is nothing impossible with You nor difficult for You. Do a new thing in my life, that the world will see Your glory shine upon my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!