| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net "Pray without ceasing"; What? Really? There are those whose gift or ministry is prayer. They seek excuses to pray. Not for show, (those are easy enough to spot), but they have too often tasted the result of a confident, relationship born in prayer, and can't seem to get enough. For most of us though, prayer is like physical exercise. We know there are benefits, but it's hard to make ourselves participate on a sustained basis. There is no formula for prayer. We have some guidelines, and some "Absolutes of Scripture" which can/do help to motivate us. Truth: God limits Himself by our prayers. "How come preacher?" I don't know. Prayer is a mystery. If God is sovereign, omniscient and omnipotent, then why not just do it before we ask? Why include us at all? Bottom line = we have been commanded to pray. To fail to do so is sin. God is saying to you now: "There are certain things I will not do until you pray". Like what? 1) Only after prayer is Christ's victory over Satan enforced in your life. When Satan asked to sift Peter like wheat, What did Jesus do? "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when though art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Luke 22:32 2) Through prayer, lost people get saved. Luke 18:11-14 3) Wisdom is available no other way. James 1:5 4) Prayer is God's way of getting laborers into the mission field. Matt. 9:38 5) Prayer is one of the ways God established for the sick to be healed. James 5:13-15 Spiritual Switch: "It is not the Father's will that any should perish" (2nd Peter 3) "but that all should come to repentance". Yet in Ezekiel, Judah had sinned greatly. The dam of mercy is about to burst with wrath and anger. God says (paraphrase) "I want to show mercy, I want to hold back my judgment, but I'm waiting for someone to stand in the gap. Someone to pray". see chapter 22:29-30. John Wesley wrote: "God does nothing on earth save in answer to believing prayer". Next week we'll explore our role in this. Nugget: You are not some insignificant cog in the machine that is eternity. You are His poema or masterpiece - Eph. 2:10. Hell's foundations quiver, and you are a Huge part of that if you haven't been sold the bill of Satanic goods relegating you to a bench warmer. Join us next week and you will be screaming - "Put me in Coach". God bless. |
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