The Miracle of Prayer

Prayer is communication between God and His people. The Bible encourages us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We do not need a kneeling position in order to pray. We can pray throughout every activity of our day.

When we do, we find that we are communicating with God's Spirit on the best way to perform the task at hand. We walk in the Spirit rather than in the flesh, and we find our self in the center of God's will all day long.

Miracles happen when we pray. Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still so the Israelites could win the battle, and God did just that. Gideon prayed for the animal skin to be wet and then dry, and God used that prayer to confirm His call on Gideon's life.

Daniel prayed and the angel Gabriel appeared in less than three minutes as an answer to that prayer. But another time Daniel prayed, and due to spiritual warfare, it took weeks before the angel was able to deliver his answer (Daniel 10:12). 

Satan attempts to hinder the answers to our prayers; but Matthew reminds us that everyone who asks receives, those who seek will find; and if we knock, God will open every door that we need in order to perform His will for our life (Matthew 7:8).

God always answers prayers, even if His answer is "wait" or "no"; and we can be assured that His answer has our best interest at heart. With faith in God's faithfulness, nothing can stop us from accomplishing God's will for our life.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that when we build our life on the rock of Christ, no storm shall prevail against us. We know that even if our enemies fight against us, or if Satan turns out all the demons of hell to stop us, greater is Christ within us than the god of this world (1 John 4:4). You have a perfect plan for our life, and we flourish with success and fulfillment as we walk in Your will (Ephesians 2:10).

We may fight a formidable enemy; but You triumph in every instance by making us overcomers who enjoy the victory of a life spent in Your presence, regardless of where we live or the circumstances around us. Remind us to pray without ceasing and to stand still and wait on Your salvation (Exodus 14:13).

Thought for the Day:

Prayer is not therapy for the soul, but a connection of our spirit to the Spirit of God; prayer transcends human power, wisdom and ability and moves mountains in the spiritual world, and if necessary, in the physical world as well. 

Perfect Strength in Weakness

There are times in life when we beg God to help us because of some physical illness, emotional turmoil or trial in our spiritual life. Paul did this too. He had a “thorn in the flesh” and begged God to remove it from him. There is much speculation about what that thorn was, but it does not really matter.

The crux of the issue is that God’s grace was sufficient for Paul to excel in life in spite of it (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). Paul actually learned to brag about his imperfections and infirmities, so that the power of Christ in him would give him rest for his soul. God’s power, strength and ability are perfected in our weaknesses.

All we need to flourish in this life is His grace. Whenever we are weak, Christ in us is our strength (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). The prophet Daniel relied on God’s strength in his times of weakness too (Daniel 10:19). The warrior and national leader of Israel, Joshua, found strength and courage in his times of fear (Joshua 1:9).

If we have personal power, we would not need God; and we could boast in our abilities and accomplishments (2 Corinthians 12:1). However, our life in Christ is not about us at all (Ephesians 2:8-9). That is why God uses the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the mind of those who consider themselves wise (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Our faith does not rest on human abilities but on God’s power within us (1 Corinthians 2:5). A surrendered life is the successful life. Out of God’s glorious riches, He empowers us by His Spirit, which abides within us (Ephesians 3:16). We can excel in the will of God and live a fulfilled Christian life, because He lives in us (Philippians 4:13).

Prayer:
Father God, You remind us not to be anxious about anything, but to come to You in everything, letting You know what we need. We start from a place of gratitude for all You have already done for us, and then we make our requests known to You. This results in a shower of Your peace on our life, which transcends every negative aspect that we are experiencing (Philippians 4:6).

Thought for the Day:

God’s peace guards our mind and heart in Christ Jesus, in spite of what life throws at us. - Philippians 4:7

How to Know the Bible is True

We know without a doubt that the Bible is true, because it’s prophecies are true. Bible prophecies are exact predictions of future events, and they have a very slim chance of occurring by coincidence. No other predictors, such as Nostradamus, were ever as exact in their predictions as Bible prophecy. Even in archeology and historical records, we see the exact details of the Bible confirmed.

Discoveries such as the Tel Dan Stele (900-850 BC), the Meesha Stele (846 BC), the Nabonidus Cylinder (550 BC) and the Caiaphas Ossuary establish the veracity of the Bible. No archeological find has ever invalidated the Bible. In fact, proper research of Biblical references constantly leads to startling archeological discoveries. Even people, formerly considered as fictional, are proven to have lived just like the Bible stated.

The Bible is full of prophetic utterances recorded for all posterity. Daniel foresaw the exact lineage of the four empires from Babylon to Medo-Persia to Greece to Rome. He predicted the spectacular rise of the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great to power, as well as the final division of his Greek empire by four of his surviving generals (Daniel 7:6, 8:5-8, 11:2-4).

Ezekiel’s prophesied about the destruction of the Phoenician city Tyre (Ezekiel 26). Isaiah predicted the coming reign of the Persian King Cyrus — two hundred years before his birth (Isaiah 44:28). God even prophesied to Isaiah that He would predict distant future events and bring them to pass Himself (Isaiah 41:21-23, 48:3-5). The exactness of the multitude of ancient texts also prove the veracity of the Bible.


Jesus fulfilled over three hundred Bible prophecies with unerring accuracy (Isaiah 11:1-Matthew 2:6; Genesis 35:19, 48:7; Ruth 4:11; 1 Samuel 23:23; Exodus 18:25; Psalm 90:2-John 1:1). Consider His life (Isaiah 7:14-Matthew 1:18; Micah 5:2-Matthew 2:1; Isaiah 35:5–6-Matthew 11:5), His death (Isaiah 50:6-Mark 14:65; Isaiah 53:12- Mark 14:65; Isaiah 53:9-Matthew 27:57–60), His resurrection (Psalm 16:10-Mark 16:6), His ascension into heaven (Psalm 68:18; Mark 16:19) and His exaltation at God’s right hand (Psalm 110:1; 1 Peter 3:22).


In the end times in which we live, the news consistently reports another fulfilled Biblical prophecy (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9:1). Record-breaking weather, world events such as the new nation of Israel, the revised Roman Empire in the European Union and the World Council of Churches, along with mounting Israeli-Arab hostilities and the coalition between Russia and the Middle East fulfill a major portion of end time prophecies (2 Timothy 3:3-17; Ezekiel 35-39).


Are you ready to meet King Jesus face-to-face? The Bible is true. Jesus is coming again. Be on your guard so that you many not be deceived by the error of lawless people, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom we owe all glory and honor (2 Peter 3:17-18).


Prayer:
Father God, I pray that You will open the eyes of the understanding of everyone who reads this post, so that they can see and comprehend the wonderful love You have for all of mankind. You did not just speak the world into existence (Genesis 1:1) and then leave us to function on our own (Colossians 1:17; Psalm 18:35, 20:6, 138:7; Isaiah 41:10, 48:13). You are constantly involved in the lives of anyone who will give You the time in their day (Proverbs 3:5-6). Draw us ever closer to Your heart.


Thought for the Day:
Fulfilled Prophecy proves that the Bible is true.

 

 

 

Sources:

Dr. Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert [New York, Grove, 1960], p. 31).
©2014 Answers in Genesis
©2011 Zev Radovan, www.BibleLandPictures.com
BiblePlaces.com/Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
©2011 The British Museum
©2011 Zev Radovan, www.BibleLandPictures.com
©2011 Zev Radovan, www.BibleLandPictures.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, You Want to Give Up?

Read: Habakkuk 3:17-19
 
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 Sometimes it is easier to escape than to endure. Life gets so difficult that there seems to be no way out our troubles. The torturous events go on and on. One negative experience follows on the tail of the previous one until we are covered with an avalanche of destruction all around us. People say, “Trouble comes in threes”, but sometimes, that is an understatement!

I wrote a song that speaks to this topic:

When my ship is all but sunken,
And my treasure’s lost at sea,
When my crew has all deserted
And I know not the fate of me.

When the paycheck’s always shrinking,

And the landlord upped my rent.
When my friends all turn against me
And my motorcycle’s bent.

I will put my trust in Jesus.

I will call upon His name.
And I know my battle cry
Will still remain,

The battle is the Lord’s. Hallelujah!

The battle is the Lord’s. Praise the Lord!
The battle is the Lord’s. Glory, glory!
The battle is the Lord’s forevermore.

In God’s economy, it is never time to give up. Remember what He did with so many of the Biblical saints? He waited until Job lost everything before He gave Job more than he had to start with (Job 6:8-9). He sent angels to rescue Daniel only after he was in the lion's den (Daniel 6:19-21). God rescued Peter from prison the night before he was to be executed (Acts 12:4-11). Paul says God rescued him after he had the "sentence of death" within him (2 Corinthians 1:9).

He works like this in all of our lives. He waits until the last minute according to our timetable. That is why people call Him “The God of 11:59”.  He is actually always on time, according to His time schedule. He always rescues us right on time and with an abundance of blessings that follow. We find joy in hope and peace in times of trouble, when we immerse all things in prayer at all times (Romans 12:12).

Habakkuk really had a rough time too. His fig trees refused to blossom. His vines produced no grapes. His olive crop failed and his fields yielded no produce. Even his livestock dwindled until there was nothing left. But, he had a battle cry similar to mine. He said, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, and be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights" (Habakkuk 3:17-19). We can always set our hope in God, because He will deliver us continually (2 Corinthians 1:10).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when I see nothing but shadows all around me, Your Word shines a light on my path and gives me a lamp for my feet (Psalm 119:105). It keeps me from stumbling in the darkness. Therefore, even in this dark time, I can grasp Your hand and hold on. You alone are my hope (1 Timothy 4:10).

Thought for the Day:

God always brings us victory out of defeat.



(Thank you, Ann Hill, for sharing your lovely photo.)

Man of Conviction

Read: Daniel 6:22-26

"I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever." - Daniel 6:26

Daniel chose to be different rather than to dishonor his vows before God. All of those around him watched with skepticism and derision, yet with an inkling of respect too. His work ethic and respectful submission to authority gained him favor in the eyes of the kingdom authorities. Jealousy in his fellow officials eventually got him thrown into the Lion’s Den; but Daniel’s faith in God miraculously delivered him from these ravenous beasts.

After this, God used Daniel to encourage his Jewish kinsmen. By living as a man of conviction, Daniel also rose in the ranks of government and ended up ministering for seventy years as a trusted counselor in Babylon. As he increased in power and influence, God also utilized him as a witness to an entire nation, who’s King eventually decreed that they all worship the one true God.

Though our current circumstance may be less than desirable, we can take courage from Daniel. He lived for God with total devotion, even through the dark night in the Lion’s Den. Let’s be men and women of conviction and trust and serve our Living God with our whole heart. He will make use of us as salt and light in a dying world of darkness, just as he employed Daniel in his day and time.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us to walk down the straight and narrow path, even when all of our friends or family members want us to take the easy road. Help us to live up to our convictions on a daily basis and please provide for our needs abundantly above all we could ever ask or think.

Thought for the Day:

Regardless of your current situation, determine to live for God with committed conviction and dedicated devotion.