He knows my name

    In 1983 I had the privilege of visiting the monastery Saint Katherine at the foot of Mount Siani in the Siani Peninsula. The monastery is the oldest continuously occupied monastery in the world and is administered by the Greek Orthodox Church. It has been occupied since the the 4th century AD and contains in its library the oldest complete copy of the New Testament in the world. The prophet Mohammed (before he became the prophet of Islam) stayed there for a time and for that reason the monastery was not destroyed when the Moslem armies swept in to take over the region in the 8th century AD. According to the monks of the monastery, the bush that burned without being consumed by fire and out of which God talked to Moses, is within the compound of the monastery. 

       In chapter 33 of Exodus we read of Moses talking with God outside the camp of the Hebrews in the Sinai desert. God had told Moses that He would send an angel of the Lord with the people to help drive out the inhabitants of the promised land but that He, God, would not go with them. “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff necked people.” (Exodus 33:3) Moses pleads with God not to forsake his people even thought they are truly a stubborn and rebellious nation. “Then he said to Him, ‘If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are on the face of the earth.’ So the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing that you have spoken: for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.’” (Exodus 33:15-16)

If you are a born again believer, God knows you by name also and has promised to “never leave you nor forsake you.” Your name is written in the Lamb's book of life and nothing can separate you from the love of God. (Read Romans 8:35-39)

I reaffirm that my relationship with You is my first priority. Teach me to stay close to You like Jesus did, rejecting pride which leads to destruction, and embracing humility which leads to abundant life.

Pray:

1.     Lord help me to spend time with you today, in your Word, and in prayer.

2.     Lord I know that you have etched my name in the palm of your hand and that you are familiar with all my ways. Help me to know and follow you better.

3.     Lord help me to be obedient to what you show me in Your Scriptures and to be quick to obey within prompted by Your Holy Spirit.

Expectant prayer

"But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me." (Psalms 66:19-20)

         Several years ago The Free Church of Scotland held an important meeting in Aberdeen, Scotland. Many people for miles around walked or rode to get there and hear the speaker. Two such men, an elderly man from the country, and a young theological student, found themselves walking together. They stopped for a short lunch and the old man suggested they pray before eating. As he prayed the elderly man asked three specific requests of God. “Lord you know I am hard of hearing, can you get me a seat close to the speaker. And Lord you know that I need new shoes and do not have money to buy any. And finally Lord I need a place to stay tonight because I know no one in town.” The student was somewhat shocked at the specifics of the prayer and prayed a general prayer as elegant as he could make it. He was very doubtful that God was interested in the old man’s specific needs.

   When they arrived at the church it was already overflowing. The elderly man was able to just squeeze inside the door and stood there with his hands to his ears. Just as it happened, a young lady in the first pew turned and saw the old man standing at the door. She turned to the usher and said, “My father told me to save a seat for him but if he was detained to give it to another. It appears he will not make it, so could you go back to the door and bring that elderly gentleman that is holding his hands to his ears? In a few moments he was sitting at the feet of the speaker. His first petition granted.

   During the service the old man went to his knees to pray during the prayer time and the young lady remained standing. She couldn’t help but notice the old man’s shoes were in bad shape. After the service she delicately mentioned to the man that her father was a shoe dealer and could he accompany her to his shop and she would be happy to provide for him a new pair of shoes. Petition two was answered. While he was trying on the shoes she asked him where he was staying for the night. He replied, “My Father has a room for me but I don’t know where yet” She rightly understood he was talking about his heavenly Father and said. “We were saving our guest room for Reverend ____, but he sent a telegram saying he couldn’t make it, so you must now be our guest.” Petition three was answered.

    The next morning he met up with the young theologian and he was shocked to learn that God had answered all of the man’s petitions quickly and precisely. (Life’s Ultimate Privilege, DeVern Fromke, pp 45-46)

Change my mindset so that prayer becomes my first response in every situation. May I seek you in all things.

Pray

1.     Help me Lord to come to you first with all my petitions and needs. You are my God and the “lifter of my head.”

2.     Lord, forgive me of my many sins against you. Help them to come to my mind right now so that I may confess each one to you individually and seek your forgiveness.

3.     Help me to know who I have wronged and to go to them and ask for their forgiveness today.

Moses's song

In the book of Exodus chapter 14, we read the marvelous account of God rescuing the Hebrew people from pharaoh and his army at the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army. (Read Exodus 14:1-31)

  In chapter 15 we read Moses’s magnificent prayer/song of thanksgiving and praise to God for all that He has done.  “I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and the rider He has thrown into the sea! The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God and I will praise Him; My father’s God and I will exalt Him. Who is like you, O Lord among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. You in your mercy have led forth The people whom you have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to your holy habitation.” (Exodus 15:1,2,11-13)

Increase my faith in Your ability to intervene supernaturally in my life and in the world. Would you do miracles by Your Spirit in, through, and around me?

Pray

1.     Lord help me to spend time in your Word this week and to be reminded of just how awesome and glorious you are.

2.     Lord we ask you to fill us with your Holy Spirit that we may be used by You and that our speech and actions will reflect your holiness to those we come in contact with.

3.     Help us to see clearly that we need You in our lives and cannot survive in this world without Your guidance and help.

Our duty is to pray!

  "The key to all our work for God is in that one word....'Pray.' Oswald Chambers

     Dr. Helen Rosveare was a missionary doctor in Zaire, Africa. One night a mother gave birth to a premature baby, but despite all they could do, the mother died leaving the baby and a 2 year-old girl orphaned. The doctor instructed the nurse to get a hot water bottle to put next to the baby to protect the baby from the cold night, as there was no electricity or incubator. While filling the water bottle it burst and there were no more available and no store to go buy one from. The doctor instructed the nurse to put the baby as close to the fire as possible and to sleep between the baby and the door to protect it from drafts.

  The next morning Dr. Rosveare called the orphans together to pray for the baby and the little girl who was crying because her mommy had died. One little girl named Nammy prayed: “Please God, please send us a hot water bottle—be no good tomorrow the baby’ll be dead. Please send it this afternoon. And while you’re about it God, would you send a doll for the little girls so she will know that You still love her?” Dr. Rosveare was not sure God would respond to that prayer.

  Midway through the afternoon a big box was delivered to the front door of the makeshift hospital. Dr. Rosveare summoned the orphans to open the box and with great excitement they tore it open. They pulled out several things and then suddenly they pulled out a water bottle. Dr. Rosveare started to cry. Nammy rushed forward saying, “If God sent a water bottle, He must have sent a doll.” She dived into the box with both hands and pulled out the dollie.  Looking at the doctor she said, “Can I take the dollie to the little girl so she will know that God loves her?"

  The package had been on the way for 5 months from England. A Sunday school teacher had been prompted by God to send a hot water bottle to the equator! A little girl had been prompted by God to send a doll 5 months before the prayer had been uttered by a little girl in Africa! God wanted to answer that prayer even before it was expressed! (Life’s Ultimate Privilege, DeVern Fromke, pp39-40)

I bow before You as God. You are in charge of everything. Please give me the desire and power to obey You in every moment.

Pray for:

1.     That our children and grandchildren will see that we serve a prayer-answering God who listens to our petitions and answers.

2.     That our parents will be able to take time today and everyday in the coming weeks to spend time in prayer with their children to demonstrate the importance of prayer.

3.     That our children and grandchildren will have tender hearts toward the things of God and will learn to walk closely with our God.

Revival in South Africa

  Rees Howells and his wife Elizabeth were called to the mission field in South Africa in 1915 and joined Mr. and Mrs. Hatch who had labored on the field for many years already. Normally, they would have spent much time studying the language and getting used to the culture, but because both Mr. and Mrs. Howells had been involved in the Welsh revival, the Hatches desired that they should work immediately for the goal of bringing revival to Gazaland, where they were posted. They asked Mr. Howells to preach with an interpreter about the revival to all the churches and he agreed.

   After about six weeks of preaching the Spirit began to move among the Christians and one night when a dozen of them had gathered at the Howells house to pray he taught them the chorus, “Lord send a revival, and let it begin in me.” The Spirit was upon them when they sang and they continued singing in the coming days. Mr. Howells recognized a sound he had heard in the Welsh Revival and said: “You know it when you hear it,” he said, “but you can’t make it, and by the following Thursday I was singing it too. There was something about it that changed you, and brought you into the stillness of God.” (Rees Howells, Intercessor, Norman Grubb, p. 186)

    Rees Howells goes on to describe what happened next: “The Sunday was October 10—my birthday—and as I preached Sunday morning you could feel the Spirit coming on the congregation. In the evening, down He came. I shall never forget it. He came upon a young girl, Kufase by name, who had fasted for three days under the conviction that she was not ready for the Lord’s coming. As she was praying, she broke down crying, and within five minutes the whole congregation were on their faces crying to God. Like lightning and thunder the power came down. I had never seen this, even in the Welsh Revival. I had only heard of it from Finney and others. Heaven had opened and there was no room to hold the blessings.

     I lost myself in the Spirit and prayed as much as they did. All I could say was, ‘He has come!’ We went on late into the night; we couldn’t stop the meeting. You can never describe those meetings when the Holy Spirit comes down. The next day He came again and the people were on their knees until 6 p.m. This went on for six days and people began to confess their sins and come free as the Holy Spirit brought them through. They had forgiveness of sins, and met the Savior as only the Holy Spirit can reveal Him. Everyone who came near would go under the power of the Spirit. People stood up to give their testimonies, and it was nothing to see twenty-five on their feet at the same time.” (Rees Howells, Intercessor, pp.187-188)

   The revival meetings continued twice a day for 15 months and all day meetings were held on Fridays. Hundreds were converted and they were looking for more! The revival then spread to other mission stations in South Africa as Mr. Howells was commissioned to preach to all of them over a two-year period. Revival broke out in every single one, although each one was different in one respect or another. Over the two-year period, and the traveling of 11,000 miles, over 10 thousand people we saved and thousands more Christians were revived to live for Jesus more faithfully!

How about you and I? Do we desire to see the power of the Holy Spirit come down on our church? Who is the one that will fast and pray for God to bring His Spirit down among us like “Thunder and lightning?” Who is the one who will stand up in the congregation and confess their sins publicly and repent in abject sorrow for sinning against the Almighty God of the Universe?

Pray:

1.     For God to do a mighty work in my heart. To give me the desire to fast and pray until He comes to me and fills me with His Spirit with power and glory.

2.     That our church will be serious about praying, and that it will become our life breath.

3.     For the power of the Holy Spirit to fill us daily and that we will be obedient to the Spirits leading every day.

4.     That God will continue to be with us and to guide us individually and corporately to be unhesitatingly obedient to all He tells us.

More prayer from Jesus!

    Jesus gave us a wonderful example of how to pray in chapter 17 of the book of John. First He prays for himself for 5 verses and then He uses the remaining 21 verses to pray for His disciples.

     “And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work You have given me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.” (John 17:3-5)

“For I have given to them the words which You have given to Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” (John 17:8,12)

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. (John 17:14, 17-18)

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one as We are one.” (John 17:20-22)

Read all of chapter 17 if you have time today. What a magnificent prayer for us to read on a continual basis to be instructed and guided by our Lord in our prayer life. If we know the one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, then we have eternal life! Jesus gave us the very words God wanted Him to give us and He has proven that He will keep every disciple that was given Him by the Father. He prays not only for the eleven remaining disciples but for us too! He has sent us out into the world and He has made us one with Him. How can we do anything but praise His name day and night!

Pray:

1.     That God will be glorified in everything you do today and throughout the week.

2.     That we as Christians will remember to be in the world but not of the world. Lord, show me those worldly things that are messing up my life.

3.     That we will be faithful to read God’s Word today so that He can speak to us through His Holy Bible that has been preserved for our benefit.

The Prayer of Jesus

     The best examples of prayer that we can find in the Bible, are given to us by Jesus Himself. He often went out alone to pray and would pray all night. He prayed before healing someone, feeding the five thousand, before calling Lazarus out of the grave, and knelling in anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew Chapter 6 He gives us the model prayer so that we don’t have to guess how He wants us to pray, but we have a formula to use as a guide. Before giving us His model, He gives some other instructions: Don’t be like the hypocrites. Don’t stand and pray where people will see you. Go into your room and pray in secret. Don’t use vain repetitions.

   “In this manner, therefore pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13)

Let this simple model become your model too! Take time out right now and pray along these lines the things that God has put on your heart. Use simple words, your words, not fancy, spiritually sounding words, but simply the cry of your heart to His heart.

Pray that:

1.     God will fill you with a desire to pray more and more everyday.

2.     God will be glorified in your life and your faithfulness to seek His guidance in all that you do or say.

3.     Other members of our church will become more and more in love with the Savior and desire to spend time with Him in prayer. 

God's Faithfulness

      Rees Howells was a precious man of God and prayer. He was born in Wales in 1879 and was saved in the United States where he had gone to make his fortune. He returned to Wales just in time for the Welsh revival, which began in 1904. He was used by God to pray and bring many to salvation as he worked by day in a coal mine and walked two miles, one way, to attend gospel meetings every night for several years. He learned to rely upon God to meet all his needs and to always give what he had for someone in need and worry about his needs later.

    In 1910 he was married and shortly after that he and his wife felt a call to the mission field in South Africa. As the day approached they were short the money to make the trip to London where the mission organization would outfit them and put them on a boat for South Africa. They had prayed for God to provide the necessary funds but they only had enough to get them to the next station on the route! They trusted that funds would come through the mail, as it had on many occasions previously, but it did not. Then they thought someone saying good-bye to them would hand them enough money for the tickets, but no one did. So they said goodbye to family and friends and then, with everyone still there singing songs and waiting to see them get on the train, they got in line to buy the tickets.

    There were twelve people in front of them. As they slowly moved forward toward the ticket booth they still did not know how they were to purchase their tickets. When there were only 2 people in front of them, a man in the crowd said he had to leave and open his shop. He placed 30 shillings in their hands and bid them farewell. That gave them enough to buy their tickets! As soon as they had bought the tickets several other people gave them money also but Mr. Howells said: “The Lord held them back until we had been tested. We were singing all the way to London.” (Rees Howells Intercessor, Norman Grubb)

Who are you really trusting to take care of you today? Who is it that you think will provide your daily bread and your earthly needs? “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Pray:

1.     That those around us, our family, neighbors, coworkers, and friends will see that we serve a prayer-answering God who meets all our needs.

2.     That parents will take time today and all this week to spend time in prayer together as a family.

3.     That everyone in your church will have tender hearts toward the things of God and to walk closely with Him.

Jehoshaphat's prayer

    In the 20^th chapter of 2 Chronicles we read the story of King Jehosaphat of Judah and what he did when his kingdom was invaded by the armies of Ammon and Moab.  A messenger arrived and told him that a great multitude was coming against them and they were already at En Gedi near the Dead Sea. King “Jehosaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” (2 Chron. 20:3)

   He stood before the assembly of the people in the temple and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?” O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chronicles 20:6,7,12)

    As all the people of Judah stood before the Lord with their king, they had with them their wives and their children. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the priests and he gave the answer of the Lord to Jehosaphat and the people. “Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chron. 20:15b)

    Then God instructed them that they would not have to fight this great army. They would only need to go out and stand still and watch their salvation by the Lord. So the next day the army of Judah marched forth and as they sang praises to their God, God set ambushes against the armies of Moab and Ammon and they killed themselves! When the army of Judah arrived on the scene there was nothing but dead bodies in the Valley of Berachah. They returned to Jerusalem, everyone of them, with joy and singing with stringed instruments because the Lord had triumphed over their enemies.  (Read the entire story in 2 Chronicles, chapter 20)

What great challenges are awaiting you in the coming weeks and months? Who is it you are relying on to defeat your enemies and to carry you through the day of battle? Put your trust in the One who has already won the victory on Calvary and who will be your shield and protector! (“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:7)

Pray that:

1.     You will cast all your cares upon Jesus because He is the one who will help you weather the storm or storms that are coming.

2.     You will have the courage and the desire to fast for one day or for one meal this week so that you can concentrate on your prayer to God.

3.     Husbands and wives will pray together this week with one accord for their marriage to be strengthened and that they may be one in Spirit and will.

4.     That the children see that their parents are sincerely seeking God to direct their families and their individual lives.

5.     Pray that the Lord will make it clear that the enemy will be defeated because He is the one who will fight for you.

Pray with faith

    

 "The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16b

     George Mueller was an awesome man of God. Born in Germany in 1805, God called him to help the poor children of Bristol, England. He started out as a pastor of a small congregation where he received no salary, just the voluntary gifts of his constituents to supply his needs. After a few years God lead him to establish a home for orphans. He firmly believed that he would never ask anyone to help supply the needs for the home. He took his requests directly to God and God always met those needs through those that God chose to send funds or food to support the orphanage which began with one house and grew to one hundred and seventeen more over the years. He believed that “God’s faithfulness to him would encourage other believers to develop faith like his own—the faith without which it is impossible to please God…the faith that moves mountains of obstacles out of our path; the faith that takes hold of God’s strength and is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Autobiography of George Mueller, pp 5-9)

   In 1877 Mr. Muller was traveling in the U.S. and Canada and had booked passage on a ship to take him to Quebec. It was a trip of several days and at some point in the voyage they were unable to proceed because of heavy fog. It was a cool August day and the ship had not moved for 24 hours. He knew that if they didn’t get going soon, he would not make his engagement on time. He approached the bridge to speak to the captain. When he entered the bridge he addressed the captain. “Captain, I have come to tell you that you must be in Quebec by Saturday afternoon.” The captain replied that that would be impossible. Mr. Mueller then said, “I have never broken an engagement in fifty-seven years; let us go down to the chart room and pray.” The captain thought he had lost his mind. “Do you know how thick the fog is?” he responded. No George replied, “My eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of my life.”

   George simply knelt down and prayed for God to lift the fog. Before the captain could open his mouth Mr. Mueller told him not to even attempt to pray because he obviously did not believe that God would answer. And since George did believe there was no need for him to pray. The captain’s eyes widened, then Mr. Mueller said, “I have known the Lord for fifty-seven years and there has never been a day when I have failed to get an audience with the King. Captain get up and open the door and you will find the fog gone.” The captain arose and opened the door to see that nothing remained of the fog. Captain Dutton told and retold that story to anyone who would listen for many years to come. (Prayers That Changed History by Tricia Goyer, pp 151-152.)

   What about you and I? Do we have the faith to go to our Lord first for every need or request for another? How about trying it today. What are your needs or the needs of your immediate family? Take them to the Lord today.

Pray for:

1.The needs of your immediate family and friends. Especially those who need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

2. The faith to bring all your needs and wants to Jesus first. To trust Him to provide for you, and give you guidance, and not to trust your own knowledge or intellect.

3. God to give you the desire to be used by Him to pray for the needs of those in physical, financial, or emotional crisis.

4. God to guide your every decision, not just the big ones and to trust Him with all you wishes and dreams.

5. God will do a work that will last in your life and the life of His church, both your local church and the church universal.

       

Daniel's prayer

  Almost everyone knows the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den. He had been thrown in there because he refused to follow the Kings decree to pray to no one but the king for 30 days. He was a prayer warrior who spent time with his God three times a day and was not going to obey an earthly king forbidding him to pray to the Creator of the universe (Daniel chapter 6). Perhaps you may have wondered how Daniel prayed during these prayer sessions. Check out chapter 9 of his book and see! Daniel’s prayer for his people in exile in Babylon can be found in chapter 9 of the book of Daniel and is a great example of how we can pray to our Father and Lord.

    “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, and said, ‘O lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. O Lord righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. (Daniel 9:3-5,7)

     “Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Daniel 9:17,19)

    O that we would pray like that! With humility and passion Daniel cries out to the Lord and asks for forgiveness, not only for himself, but for his people. We need to cry out for our people too! We need to ask forgiveness for our nation, our leaders, and our church as we ask forgiveness for ourselves also. (Read all of chapter 9 of the book of Daniel.)

Pray that:

1.God will forgive our nation and our leaders for leading us down a path of disobedience and rebellion against His laws and precepts.

2. God will forgive us for not being obedient to His words and commandments.

3. We are more faithful in praying for revival in our own hearts and the hearts of the members of our church.

4. The Lord will let revival begin in me.

Missionary wisdom

    “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17

  On the first medical/dental mission trip to Ecuador that Miriam went on with another church as a translator she encountered several dangerous moments when God kept her safe from harm and also a couple of days where she could clearly see the hand of God guiding the team. One scary moment was the first day! They had landed at Quito and then took a long bus ride up higher into the mountains on a winding dirt road with no guardrails and a steep precipice on the side of the road. As most of the team was asleep around midnight, she was awake and witnessed the driver of the bus steering the bus with one hand around a tight curve and with the other hand putting eye drops into his eye! On another occasion they had boarded a raft to cross a swollen river and as she was standing next to the end of the raft that had no guardrails, they backed a truck to within 6 inches of her face before it stopped.

        But the rest of that day ministering to a tiny village deep in the jungle turned out to be one of the most awesome days of the trip. They had ministered to 3 or 4 villages already and as was the custom they always presented the gospel to every patient prior to them seeing a doctor or a dentist and each person on the team had a gospel bracelet to help tell the story of salvation if anyone asked about the colorful bracelets they were wearing. The local missionary explained to them the night before that they were going to visit a small village that he had been trying to gain access to for many years but had been blocked by the local Catholic priest who had told the mayor of the town that we were a cult. He had been able to persuade the mayor that this accusation was not true, but knew that we would have to tread lightly, so he said that we would only provide medical help and would not present the gospel to each patient. Perhaps at a later time that might be possible but that we would only mention the gospel if someone requested it.

    There was much murmuring and complaining among the team members that night. Each person knew that the medical/dental help was just a vehicle to present the gospel and they were not happy. The next day, after traveling for 2 hours through winding jungle roads and making a river crossing by raft over a rain-swollen river, they arrived at the village school. There were very few children in the school and even less adults in the village as they opened up shop. The principal told them that a lot of people were sick. By lunchtime the team had seen everyone that showed up and the team leader decided they would eat lunch in the village and then depart even though they had planned to work until 4PM.

    Miriam approached the principal and asked her how many children were missing. She said 30, so Miriam told her that they would but together 30 packets of vitamins and crafts for those children for when they returned to school. The principle asked: “Why are you doing this?” Miriam replied, “ We love Jesus and He has called us to minister to the people of Ecuador and it is our joy to do it.”

Before the team could finish their lunch they witnessed hundreds of adults and children coming out of the jungle and lining up for the doctors and dentists. The team quickly jumped into action and before the first patients could be seen several villagers were asking what the colorful bracelets they were wearing meant. Immediately small groups of children and adults were hearing the gospel message

    The mayor explained that the local priest had told the villagers that if they accepted any medical help from us they would be forced to worship the devil so they were afraid. When they heard how friendly and loving the team was they knew it was not true. The mayor even agreed for the local missionary to come back next week and show the Jesus film to the village!

   Miriam was thrilled to see that God had a much better plan than they had had to impact the village for Christ and His kingdom. Even though it did not make sense to not present the gospel initially, the whole team learned the wisdom of listening to the local missionary who knew the situation better than they did and to be obedient to the spiritual leaders who God had entrusted to this part of Ecuador.

     “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

PRAY:

1.     Lord help me to look to You first and to study to know how to talk to others about You whenever the opportunity arises.

2.     Help me to submit to the spiritual leaders You have provided for me in my church and for leading us in the path that You want us to take.

Help me to spend time today in Your Word so that I can know you better and that You can lead and direct my day for me on the path You wish to guide me.

Who is Lord?

         Dr. Robertson McQuilkin is a man that God has used greatly in his life. He and his wife, Muriel, were missionaries in Japan and he served many years as the president of Columbia International University in Columbia, SC before resigning to take care of his bride, who had Alzheimer’s. His book, “A Promise Kept,” is a wonderful testimony of his faithfulness in marriage to her. In his book, “Life In The Spirit,” he tells the story of a young girl he had spoken to after a youth conference in Birmingham, AL. She had told him of her failed Christian life where she had continuously consecrated her life to Christ only to fall back into her sinful lifestyle a week or so after. Their conversation went like this:

   “‘Debbie, who’s in the driver’s seat of your life?’ I asked.
    ‘Jesus is….’ She paused and then added,  ‘Most of the time.’

   ‘Oh, no, I said. It doesn’t work that way. You don’t let Him drive down the road to the first intersection and then grab the wheel. I think this is what you are saying.’ On a piece of paper I wrote two words: No and Lord.

   ‘Well, yes, sometimes I do say that.’

    ‘But you can’t,’ I said.

    Debbie bristled a little, ‘But I do.’

   ‘But you can’t,’ I insisted. ‘What does Lord mean?’

   ‘Savior?’ she queried.

   ‘The Savior is Lord, but what does the word Lord mean?’ I asked. After a few more guesses she gave up. I tried again. ‘How about king? What does king meant?’

  ‘That’s easy. A king is the big boss.’

   ‘Do you say no to the king?’

   ‘It wouldn’t be healthy.’

   ‘Right I said.  ‘And Jesus is King of all kings, Lord of all lords. You can’t say no to Him! It’s either ‘Yes, Lord’ or ‘ No, Jesus.’ No cancels out the meaning of Lord.’ I tore the paper in half, with No on one piece and Lord on the other. ‘Which will it be?’ I asked? ‘No or Lord?’

   She dropped her head and her long hair covered her face as she wrestled with the choice. Minutes passed. Finally, she threw her head back, tears streaming down her face. She reached out to take the paper with Lord written on it, but I pulled it away. ‘How long do you want Him to be your Lord, Debbie?’ I asked.

    “I want Him to be Lord forever!’ she said. At that moment Debbie experienced something the Bible describes as being filled with the Spirit.”

   A year later Dr. McQuilkin met Debbie again. She had gone back to her high school and started a prayer meeting where dozens came to Christ. A spiritual awakening spread over the entire school. “The entire campus had been affected by her decision.” (Life In The Spirit, by Robertson McQuilkin, p. 135)

Who is the Lord of your life? Is it the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? If so, be filled with the Spirit; be controlled by the Spirit, and let Him lead you every hour of every day.

Pray:

1.     That you will seek the Lord today and ask him to direct your life every day. That you will be obedient to all that He shows you to do.

2.     That you will be full of your Spirit today and that the Love of Jesus will permeate everything you say or do.

3.     That our hearts will be receptive and our feet quick to respond to whatever the Lord and His Holy Spirit reveal to us today.

4.     That the Name of Jesus will be lifted up and glorified in our lives and in our church.

A centurion's faith

   
       "Now when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.' And Jesus said to him,  "I will come and heal him.' The centurion said,  'Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another,  'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.' (Matthew 8:5-9)

       It would probably not surprise you to know that since I spent 21 years of my life as a U.S. Army infantry officer, that some of my favorite people in the bible are centurions. There are five that get some ink: The one you just read about in chapter 8 of Matthew; The one in charge of the crucifixion who says: "Truly this was the Son of God!" in Matthew 27:54;  Centurion Cornelius, who was he first Gentile convert to Christianity in Acts chapter 10; Centurion Claudius Lysias who rescues the Apostle Paul from the Jewish mob and Sanhedrin in Acts chapters 21- 23; and finally Centurion Julius who escorts Paul to Rome in Acts 27 & 28.

     However, it might surprise you to know that even though a centurion commanded a century, the actual number of soldiers in a century was not 100, even though we have 100 years in a century. In the Imperial Roman Army, there were 80 or 160 soldiers in a century, depending on which Cohort of the Legion you were assigned. (160 in centuries of the First Cohort, and 80 in Cohorts two though six) During  this time in the history of the Roman Army a centurion was a man who had risen from the ranks and had distinguished himself as a leader and a man of courage and valor.

     Needless to say, my favorite centurion is the one we read about at the top of the page from Matthew chapter 8. He was located in Capernaum and his mission was to control the flow of traffic and exact the taxes from those traveling from Judea, through Galilee to Syria and beyond. He was to keep the peace and to represent the conquering power of Rome and its Emperor. We are not told too much about this centurion, not even his name, but we are told all we need to know. He was a man of faith that understood that Jesus was the Son of God and that he had the power to heal the sick.

    He also understood authority. If he told a soldier or servant to do something, he could be sure that they would do it. If he received orders from his commanding officer, then he would be quick to obey also. He knew that Jesus had the power and authority to heal and He needed only to speak the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus responded to this man of faith and the Scripture says that he "marveled."

       "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Then Jesus said to the centurion,  'Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be  done for you.' And his servant was healed at that same hour." (Matthew 8:10-13)

    The centurion knew who had the power to meet his needs. He knew that Jesus need only speak the words and His command would be carried out. Just as Jesus, together with God and the Holy Spirit spoke and the world came into existence. (Genesis Chapter one) What kind of trouble or situation are you in right now? Do you need  Jesus to come to your rescue? You need to go to Him and ask in faith for Him to meet your need. He said He would do it. Do you believe Him? Do you have the faith like this Roman Centurion?

       Pray:

1. Lord help me to come to you with all my needs and to lay them at your feet. I believe you will answer my prayers and grant my petitions if I come to you with faith and great expectancy to see you act on behalf of your Kingdom and Your children
2. Lord I praise you and lift my eyes to You. You are my source of strength for this day and for every hour of the day.
3. Lord thank you for loving me first, for saving me from death, and planting my feet on solid ground.  I was headed for the outer darkness that Jesus mentioned but you rescued me and adopted me as your precious son or daughter.

Prayer for the prodigal

     

      Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City talks about a desperate time in his life when his oldest daughter, who had been a model child, became very rebellious at age 16 and eventually left the church and the family to live with her boyfriend. His wife, Carol, at one point heard the devil whisper in her  ear that even though she and her husband were making a great impact for Jesus in  their church and community, he had their oldest child and was going to take the rest. She threatened to take the children out of NYC if he remained there. Pastor Cymbala and his wife went through a long time of anguish and suffering for their daughter but nothing changed. He was impressed by God to cry out to Him only and to not involve other members of the congregation in their struggle.

    One Tuesday night prayer meeting he preached from Acts chapter 4 about the church boldly calling out to God in the face of persecution. A young woman whom he considered spiritually sensitive sent him a note, which read: “Pastor Cymbala, I feel impressed that we should stop the meeting and all pray for your daughter.”  Hesitantly, he decided that the note was good advice from the Lord so he stopped the meeting and addressed the congregation. “The truth of the matter,” he said, “although I haven’t talked much about it, is that my daughter is very far from God these days. She thinks up is down, and down is up; light is dark, and dark is light. But I know God can break through to her, and so I’m going to ask Pastor Boekstaaf to lead us in praying for Chrissy. Let’s join hands across the sanctuary.”

     What happened next can only be described as “the church turned into a labor room.” “There arose a groaning, a sense of desperate determination, as if to say, ‘Satan, you will not have this girl. Take your hands off her---she is coming back!’ I was overwhelmed. The force of the vast throng calling on God almost literally knocked me over.”

Thirty-two hours later, on a Thursday morning, Chrissy returned home and asked her mother if she could talk to her father. When he came down from upstairs where he had been shaving, he cautiously spoke her name: “Chrissy?” She grabbed his pants leg and spoke in anguish. “Daddy---Daddy—I have sinned against God, I’ve sinned against myself. I have sinned against you and Mommy. Please forgive me.”

    After hugging his daughter and crying for a while, Chrissy spoke again. “Who was praying for me? In the middle of the night, God woke me and showed me I was heading into the abyss. There was no bottom to it—it scared me to death. I was so frightened. I realized how hard I’ve been, how wrong, how rebellious. But at the same time, it was like God wrapped His arms around me and held me tight. He kept me from sliding any farther as He said, ‘I still love you.’ Daddy, tell me the truth—who was praying for me Tuesday night?” (Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala)

Please increase the fervency and urgency of my prayers for spiritual awakening, and use me to make prayer contagious to others.

Pray

1.     For a desire to pray for the lost and those who know the Lord and are not walking close to Him daily.

2.     Pray for a sensitive spirit to discern who needs to be prayed for and to quickly obey God’s Spirit when prompted to pray for someone.

3.     Ask God to help you be more faithful in your prayer life.

Come to the banquet

     In chapter 14 of the book of Luke we find the parable of the Great Supper that Jesus gave at the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on the Sabbath. Jesus knew that their motives for inviting Him were wrong but He went anyway and shocked them not only with his healing of a man who had dropsy but also gave them a class on humility and how to entertain at home. But the longest discourse He gave that day was on what would happen when the Kingdom of God has come and who would be sitting at the table when it comes. Doctor Luke records it this way:

    “Then He said to him,  “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him. ‘I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘ I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ (Luke 14:16-20)

    Life is full of busyness, things that have to be done. Things that we want to do for one reason or another that take our time and we often have to make decisions on what is most important. These men decided that the normal day-to-day activities that they had on their schedule were more important than the invitation to the great supper.

     Jesus continued: “So the servant came and reported these things to the master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant,  ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Master it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and byways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ‘For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’” (Luke 14:21-24)

    Jesus told this parable to inform the Pharisees that He had come to them, and the Jewish nation, to give them the Good News of the Gospel but that they had rejected Him and now the message of salvation would be taken to the Gentiles. This coming week, at your church, Jesus has prepared another banquet for you and I. We all have busy lives and things that need to be done. But, think of it this way; the King of the Universe has prepared a feast for you and me at His table. Let us come with excitement and joy in our hearts to see and hear what He has prepared for us! Let’s not miss a single word that He has for you and I and let us come with joy in our hearts and great expectation of what He will do in our midst. 

Pray:

1.     That I will be faithful to attend each session that the Lord has prepared for us at His table.

2.     That I will come with faith in Him to provide the words I need to hear, and the desire to be obedient to His voice as He lovingly speaks to my heart.

3.     That I will invite others to my church this week, and even pick them up and bring them if they need my help.

4.     That God will be glorified in all that is done in His precious and Holy name this week and that we will never forget what God has done in our hearts and lives when we surrendered our wills to His.

      

The Insanity of God

    

      In the years that the communists ruled in Russia they were very hard years for Christians. In a small village in central Russia lived a man named Demitri, along with his wife and two sons. The communists had destroyed many of the churches and the family had a 3 day walk to get to the closest one. That meant they could go to church only once or twice a year. Demitri and his wife determined that the only way their sons could learn about the Bible was for him to teach them. So that is what he did. Once a week he would read and they would also sing the traditional songs of the faith and pray together. Nothing can be kept secret in a small village, so soon others found out and asked if they could come and hear the stories and worship also. The group grew to 25 and the authorities threatened to make life difficult for him and his family if he continued. When the group grew to 50 they made good on their threat. He was fired from his factory job, his wife was fired from her teaching job, and their sons were expelled from school. When it grew to 75, people were packed in like sardines and others listened at the window.

   One night an officer and soldiers busted in, grabbed him threw him against the wall, and slapped him around. The officer said that if they met again he would do much worse things to him and started to walk out the door. Just then a grandmother stepped in front of the officer and declared: “You have laid hands on a man of God and you will not survive.” That was on Tuesday evening. On Thursday night, the officer dropped dead of a heart attack. The fear of God swept through the  community and at the next meeting 150 people showed up. The authorities could not let that continue and sent Demitri to a prison 1000 kilometers away for 17 years.

   Demitri entered a prison of indescribable horrors. It housed 1,500 prisoners, none of which were Christians. He determined that he would do two things to keep himself faithful to God. He would rise every morning, face the east, and sing his heart song to Jesus. When he did, all the other prisoners would yell at him, curse, him, and throw refuse his way from their cells. Next, every time he found a scrap of paper he would try to write down all the Scripture or songs he could remember and then stick that piece of paper on a wet wall as an offering to God. Each time he did that the jailer would beat him.

  After many years of hard labor and regular torture the prison officials told him that his wife had died and his sons had been taken over by the state. He broke. He said that he would sign a piece of paper denouncing Christ the next morning. They said that they would release him if he did. That night Demitri’s brother met with his wife and sons and they all sensed that Demitri was in great distress and that they should pray for him. They gathered around the chair he had taught from and cried out to God. In his cell 1000 km away the Lord allowed Demitri to hear the prayers of his family. The next morning when the guards came back Demitri declared: “I am not signing anything. Last night the Lord allowed me to hear my family praying for me. My wife is alive and my sons are with her. So I am not signing anything!”

   On another occasion Demitri found a whole sheet of paper with a pencil next to it in the prison yard. He rushed back to his cell, filled up both sides of the paper with Scripture and placed it on the wall. He was beaten severely and then they grabbed him and told him they were going to execute him. As they were taking him down the corridor of the prison, all 1,500 prisoners stood at attention and started singing Demiti’s heart song. The guards stopped in their tracks and asked him. Who are you? “Demitri straightened his back and responded: “I am a son of the living God and Jesus is his name.” They took him back to his cell and released him a few days later. ) (The Insanity of God, Nik Ripken, pp.151-158. A portion of this book, including the story of Demitri, has been recently released as a full length movie!)

    

Are you going through hard times now. We do not have persecution in our country right now but thousands of Christians around the world are being persecuted for their faith and we need to be praying for them.

Pray:

1.     Pray that we, and our families will be as strong as Demitri and his family in the good times and bad.

2.     Pray that our country will return to its Christian roots and uphold God’s standards in our government and our courts.

3.     Pray that I will never forget how blessed we are to have the freedom to worship and read the Bible in our country.

4.     Pray that the glory of Jesus Christ will become our greatest passion and pursuit.