THE PRAYER GOD WONT HEAR!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE PRAYER GOD WONT HEAR!

Memory verse: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear." (Psalm 66 vs 18.)

READ: Isaiah 59 vs 1 - 3:

59:1: Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy; that it cannot hear.

59:2: But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

59:3: For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. 

INTIMATION:

Iniquity is sin, implying the perversion of heart and wickedness of purpose. Sin is defined as a moral offense or shortcoming. It is a rebellion against God's laws, a perversion of heart. Sin is a reproach to any people as well as to God. It offends our Holy God and separates us from Him. Because God is holy He cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it didn't matter, therefore, sin cuts people off from Him, forming a wall to isolate God from the people He loves. Our sins makes God angry and forces Him to look the other way. 

When we are involved in iniquity or sin, we build a wall separation between us and God. The Scripture says of God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness...” (Habakkuk 1 vs 13.) When we are involved in sinful and wicked deeds, we cause our separation from the Holy God, and our prayers are not heard by Him. These are times when we bear loads of grudges, resentment, envy, hatred, anger, un-forgivenesses , and like emotions. The loads of such emotions are very heavy and costly to our relationship with God, because they are iniquities before Him whose eyes cannot behold iniquity.

Our confession of sin must be continual because we continue to do wrong. But true confession requires us to listen to God and want to stop doing what is wrong. We may not be able to remember every sin we have ever committed, but our attitude should be one of confession and obedience. Though we may have been dragged into such emotions by wrongdoing to us by another, but these emotions hurt us more than they hurt the one who has wronged us. This is because, if our faith is strong and our prayer is persistent, there is only one thing that can stand in the way of answered prayer—getting what you say—and it is un-repented sin. What a terrible condition for a Christian to be in, to be unable to talk to God! 

When we understand what our resentment does to us, we see how much better it is for us to allow our enemies to get away with their cruelty, even murder, and forgive them, rather than hold a grudge and cut ourselves off from God. God knows the heart of our enemy, and repays accordingly without needing any helps from us. The Bible tells us that vengeance is God's business not ours: "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12 vs 19). God takes vengeance on our enemies because He is just, and because He loves us.

An unforgiving spirit is so destructive that we are warned that when God does take vengeance on our enemies, we ought not be happy that He did; "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him" (Proverbs 24 vs 17 - 18). 

Once you understand the destructiveness of "getting even," you will be able to ask God to keep you from resentment in all its forms. In Matthew 5 vs 39 Jesus commanded us, "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Jesus is suggesting that our response to injustice should not be demanding our right, but to give it up freely! According to Him it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.

Jesus said in Mark 11 vs 25; "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Only in so doing that you receive what you ask in prayers.

When you study the exploits of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch in Acts 13 where they preached and taught, how the two steadfast and spirit-filled servants of God handled the resentment of Jews against them. They preached and the Gentiles heard and were glad and glorified God, and all those who believed received the Spirit and were ordained to eternal life. The Jews, however, incited the devout men and women against Paul and Barnabas and drove them from the city. They left, and they were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit, and never had any desire for retaliation. The Spirit-filled life doesn't seek revenge but joyfully reflects the presence of God within.

Prayer: Abba Father, keep me from resentment of all forms. Cleanse me from secret faults, and keep me from presumptuous sins that they may not have dominion over me. Endue me with the spirit of forgiveness that I may forgive all that offend me and stand blameless before You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Authentic Faith Is Eager for Christ to Come

 Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

What must you do so that you may know that your sins are taken away by the blood of Christ, and that, when he comes, he will shield you from the wrath of God and bring you into eternal life? The answer is this: Trust Christ in a way that makes you eager for him to come.

The text says he is coming to save those who are “eagerly waiting for him.” So how do you get ready? How do you experience the forgiveness of God in Christ and prepare to meet him? By trusting him in a way that makes you eager for him to come.

This eager expectation for Christ is simply a sign that we love him and believe in him — really believe in him, authentically. 

There is a phony faith that wants only escape from hell, but has no desire for Christ. That kind of faith does not save. It does not produce an eager expectation for Christ to come. In fact, it would rather that Christ not come for as long as possible, so that it can have as much of this world as possible. 

But the faith that really holds on to Christ as Savior and Lord and Treasure and hope and joy is the faith that makes us long for Christ to come. And that is the faith that saves.

So I urge you, turn from the world, and from sin. Turn to Christ. Receive him, welcome him, embrace Christ not just as your fire insurance policy, but as your eagerly awaited Treasure and Friend and Lord.

Words for the Wind

 “Do you think that you can reprove words, when the speech of a despairing man is wind?” (Job 6:26)

In grief and pain and despair, people often say things they otherwise would not say. They paint reality with darker strokes than they will paint it tomorrow, when the sun comes up. They sing in minor keys, and talk as though that is the only music. They see clouds only, and speak as if there were no sky.

They say, “Where is God?” Or: “There is no use to go on.” Or: “Nothing makes any sense.” Or: “There’s no hope for me.” Or: “If God were good, this couldn’t have happened.”

What shall we do with these words?

Job says that we do not need to reprove them. These words are wind, or literally “for the wind.” They will be quickly blown away. There will come a turn in circumstances, and the despairing person will waken from the dark night, and regret hasty words.

Therefore, the point is, let us not spend our time and energy reproving such words. They will be blown away of themselves on the wind. One need not clip the leaves in autumn. It is a wasted effort. They will soon blow off of themselves.

Oh, how quickly we are given to defending God, or sometimes the truth, from words that are only for the wind. If we had discernment, we could tell the difference between the words with roots and the words blowing in the wind.

There are words with roots in deep error and deep evil. But not all grey words get their color from a black heart. Some are colored mainly by the pain, the despair. What you hear is not the deepest thing within. There is something real and dark within where they come from. But it is temporary — like a passing infection — real, painful, but not the true person.

So, let us learn to discern whether the words spoken against us, or against God, or against the truth, are merely for the wind — spoken not from the soul, but from the sore. If they are for the wind, let us wait in silence and not reprove. Restoring the soul, not reproving the sore, is the aim of our love.

THE PRAYER DUTY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 16, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE PRAYER DUTY!

Memory verse: "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18 vs 1.)

READ: Acts 12 vs 5 - 10:

12:5: Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

12:6: And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

12:7: Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off from his hands.

12:8: Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself, and tie on your sandals”, and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 

12:9: So he went out and followed him; and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

12:10: When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city; which opened to them of his own accord; and they went out, and went down one street; and immediately the angel departed from him.

INTIMATION:

Praying is a duty assigned to every believer. Apart from the specific functions God created us for in the body of Christ, one common function of all the members is communing with our Father in prayers. Therefore, every believer ought to take their place in the duty of praying always. 

Since prayer is a common denominator for all believers, we all should develop the lifestyle of prayer. The most effective way of developing a lifestyle of prayer is praying at all times. How can anyone pray at all times? One way is to make quick, brief prayers your habitual response to every situation you meet throughout the day. Another way is to order your life around God’s desires and teachings so that your very life becomes a prayer. You don’t have to isolate yourself from other people and from daily work in order to pray constantly. You can make prayer your life and your life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. 

It’s wrong to think you are not called or set apart to give your life to prayer. It’s a demand on all believers in the body of Christ. And it is for this reason that Jesus said in our memory verse, ‘Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.’ The apostle Paul advised all believers thus, “Pray without ceasing.” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17). You may not have been set apart by the Spirit for other special ministries, but not in prayers, because it’s one of the only two ways (the Word and prayer) of getting acquainted with the Lord. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Peter was arrested by King Herod and put in prison after he has killed Jame, and saw that it pleased the Jews. It was the Easter period, and he  intended to bring him to the people after Easter to be killed also. However, constant prayers was offered by the church to God. Consequently, God sent His angel to deliver him from the prison. If the church had failed in its prayer duty the King would have succeeded in his plot to kill him. 

It is noteworthy that believers need no specialized gifts to be functional in the body of Christ. The prayer duty requires no specialities. If anyone thinks that because of lack of training or for lack of one thing or the other, he or she has no place in the body of Christ, the fellow is deluded by the enemy. We all have a place, and with the place comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes a reward or demerit. Know it now that if you don't take your place in the body of Christ, and begin to function, the body of Christ is weakened.

Therefore, one duty that you will ever perform for your family, the church, all Christians, your nation, your friends, your enemies etc, is your prayer duty. Take up your responsibilities now! Do you realize that there are people who will be utterly lost unless you take your place in your prayer duty. Unless you do your part, some people will cry against you through eternity. There are men and women who are defeated and are breaking down in their businesses, homes, and spiritual lives because we haven't prayed. Or better still, you have been occupied with your pleasures and your dreams; while men and women, staggering under the burdens you should have carried, are breaking down.

It is for this reason that God said in Ezekiel 22 vs 30, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." The wall spoken of here is not made of stones, but of faithful people united in their efforts to resist evil. God is looking for us to take our places, stand in the gap for others, the nation, Church, our families and so on. He needs us to pray, to be in constant communion with Him, knowing that our requests are only made to Him through prayers. Give yourself to meditation, prayer, and study of the Word. The most important thing in life is to be in the Will of the God. Life will not mean much outside the Will of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of prayer and supplication at all times, that I may take my place in the body of Christ, communing with You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Freeness of Grace

 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6) 

The decisive act of God in conversion is that he “made us alive together with Christ” even when “we were dead in our trespasses.” In other words, we were dead to God. We were unresponsive; we had no true spiritual taste or interest; we had no spiritual eyes for the beauties of Christ; we were simply dead to all that ultimately matter

Then God acted — unconditionally — before we could do anything to be fit vessels of his presence. He made us alive. He sovereignly awakened us from the sleep of spiritual death, to see the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The spiritual senses that were dead, miraculously came to lif

Ephesians 2:4 says that this was an act of “mercy.” That is, God saw us in our deadness and pitied us. God saw the terrible wages of sin leading to eternal death and misery. “God, being rich in mercy . . . made us alive.” And the riches of his mercy overflowed to us in our need. But what is so remarkable about this text is that Paul breaks the flow of his own sentence in order to insert, “by grace you have been saved.” “God . . . made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him

Paul is going to say this again in verse 8. So why does he break the flow of his own sentence in order to add it here? What’s more, the focus is on God’s mercy responding to our miserable plight of deadness; so why does Paul go out of his way to say that it is also by grace that we are save

I think the answer is that Paul recognizes that here is a perfect opportunity to emphasize the freeness of grace. As he describes our dead condition before conversion, he realizes that dead people can’t meet conditions. If they are to live, there must be a totally unconditional and utterly free act of God to save them. This freedom is the very heart of grac

What act could be more one-sidedly free and non-negotiated than one person raising another from the dead! This is the meaning of grac

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6

The decisive act of God in conversion is that he “made us alive together with Christ” even when “we were dead in our trespasses.” In other words, we were dead to God. We were unresponsive; we had no true spiritual taste or interest; we had no spiritual eyes for the beauties of Christ; we were simply dead to all that ultimately matter

Then God acted — unconditionally — before we could do anything to be fit vessels of his presence. He made us alive. He sovereignly awakened us from the sleep of spiritual death, to see the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The spiritual senses that were dead, miraculously came to lif

Ephesians 2:4 says that this was an act of “mercy.” That is, God saw us in our deadness and pitied us. God saw the terrible wages of sin leading to eternal death and misery. “God, being rich in mercy . . . made us alive.” And the riches of his mercy overflowed to us in our need. But what is so remarkable about this text is that Paul breaks the flow of his own sentence in order to insert, “by grace you have been saved.” “God . . . made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him

Paul is going to say this again in verse 8. So why does he break the flow of his own sentence in order to add it here? What’s more, the focus is on God’s mercy responding to our miserable plight of deadness; so why does Paul go out of his way to say that it is also by grace that we are save

I think the answer is that Paul recognizes that here is a perfect opportunity to emphasize the freeness of grace. As he describes our dead condition before conversion, he realizes that dead people can’t meet conditions. If they are to live, there must be a totally unconditional and utterly free act of God to save them. This freedom is the very heart of grac

What act could be more one-sidedly free and non-negotiated than one person raising another from the dead! This is the meaning of grac

e.e.d?.”e.s.) e.e.d?.”e.s. of grace.

IN ALL THINGS TRUST GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 15, 2024.

SUBJECT: IN ALL THINGS TRUST GOD! 

Memory verse: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34 vs 19.)

READ: Psalm 34 vs 18 - 19; 50 vs 15; 71 vs 20:

34:18: The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

34:19: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

50:15: Call upon Me in the days of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

71:20: You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

INTIMATION:

Troubles or problems come to every member of the human race. Christianity doesn’t guarantee trouble-free life. They come in different magnitudes, some minor, and some big. Problems don't make any appointments before coming, they don't respect age, nationality, or levels of income, or success. They usually show up when you least expect them, and stay in your life much longer than you want them to.

We often wish we could escape problems; the pain of grief, loss, sorrow, and failure, or even the small daily frustrations that constantly wear us down. God promises to be our source of power, courage, and wisdom, helping us through our problems. Sometimes He chooses to deliver us from those problems. When troubles come, don’t get frustrated with God. Instead, admit that you need God’s help and thank Him for being by your side.

Problems and difficulties are painful but inevitable. Many people believe that Christianity should offer a problem-free life. Consequently, as life gets tough, they draw back disappointed. Instead, they should determine to prevail with God through life’s storms. You can’t prevail with God unless you have troubles to prevail over. They sometimes present themselves as opportunities for growth. As Christians, our reactions, and attitude when faced with problems determine how long we stay in the problem, and how we obtain the promises and provisions of God inherent in our proper conduct in those problems. 

Many Christians find out that when they determine to follow God, they immediately encounter great obstacles. Don't let any obstacles or problems you encounter in following God, make you miss His glorious destiny for you. Don't run away from problems, because that will not solve them, and they have the capacity of drawing you away from your promise land. It is wise to face them squarely, accepting God's promise of help (Psalm 50 vs 15), and act as we should. Remember, no problem is too complicated for God if you are willing to let Him help you. Of course, nothing is impossible with God (Mark 10 vs 27), and nothing too hard for Him (Genesis 18 vs 14; Jeremiah 32 vs 17 & 27).

When God is at work, troubles, suffering, setbacks, and hardship may still occur. We are encouraged to face the troubles or difficulties with happiness when they do come. Problems have a way of developing patience and character by teaching us to trust God to do what is best for us. Always look for ways to honor God in your present situation of problems, remembering that God will not abandon you. 

A case study of Joseph (Genesis 37 - 50) showed a man who encountered many troubles in his journey of life; he was betrayed and deserted by his family; he was exposed to sexual temptation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped. But his positive response and confidence in God transformed each set back into a step forward. He didn’t spend much time asking “Why?”. His approach was “What shall I do now?” Those who met Joseph were aware that wherever he went and whatever he did, God was with him. When you are facing setback, the beginning of a Joseph-like attitude is to acknowledge that God is with you. There is nothing like His presence to shed new light on a dark situation. 

Also, carefully watch out for His predetermined plan for you. His promise and provision awaits those who tarry to the end. Remember this always, "Blessed is the man that endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those  who love Him" (James 1 vs 12).

Prayer: Abba Father, in everything I give You thanks, for I know Your thoughts for me is of good, and not of evil. Your plan and purpose for me must prevail because I put my trust in You. In all things You remain my God, and I will stop at nothing in putting my trust in You in all circumstances, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Window of the Heart

consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (hebrews 12:3)

one of the most remarkable capacities of the human mind is the capacity to direct its own attention to something it chooses. we can pause and say to our minds, “think about this, and not that.” we can focus our attention on an idea or a picture or a problem or a hop

it is an amazing power. i doubt that animals have it. they are probably not self-reflective, but rather governed by impulse and instinc

have you been neglecting this great weapon in the arsenal of your war against sin? the bible calls us again and again to use this remarkable gift. let’s take this gift off the shelf, and dust it off, and put it to us

for example, paul says in romans 8:5–6, “those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit. for the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace” (my translation

this is stunning. what you set your mind on determines whether the issue is life or deat

many of us have become far too passive in our pursuit of change and wholeness and peace. i have the feeling that in our therapeutic age we have fallen into the passive mindset of simply “talking through our problems” or “dealing with our issues” or “discovering the roots of our brokenness in our family of origin

but i see a much more aggressive, non-passive approach to change in the new testament. namely, set your mind. “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (colossians 3:2

our emotions are governed in large measure by what we consider — what we dwell on with our minds. for example, jesus told us to overcome the emotion of anxiety by what we consider: “consider the ravens. . . . consider the lilies” (luke 12:24, 27

the mind is the window of the heart. if we let our minds constantly dwell on the dark, the heart will feel dark. but if we open the window of our mind to the light, the heart will feel the ligh

above all, this great capacity of our minds to focus and consider is meant for considering jesus (hebrews 12:3). so, let’s do this: “consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted

.”t.).)..”h.).e.t.e. or fainthearted.”