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. 

A Divine Relationship

Many people attempt to develop a relationship with Jesus and are not able to completely enter into this intimate union with Him (Luke 13:23-24). This is because they seek this relationship for all the wrong reasons.

They want the benefits of the fulfilled Christian life, but they do not want to live up to the commitment. Joshua encouraged Israel to choose to serve the Lord, and that is actually what it takes to have this coveted relationship (Joshua 25:15).

God's grace provides the opportunity for salvation to every person ever born (Titus 2:11). He is not willing for anyone to perish in the flames of hell for eternity, but for everyone to come to Him in repentance (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:18).

We do not earn this stature, because it is a free gift; but it does require a choice to commit to the Lord in wholehearted dedication to His ways and His Word (Romans 5:15).

Satan will fight our choice at every turn. He is used to having us in his service and he wants us back. Therefore, spiritual battle is an ongoing event in the Christian's life (1 Timothy 6:12).

Our power of choice is still alive and well in the heart of every Believer. We make choices every day either to serve God, our flesh, the world or the devil.

Satan tempts us as he did Adam and Eve, to make choices from our self-motivated will, independently from God's will for our life (Genesis 2:1-17; Ephesians 2:10). To draw us away from God's best, he uses legitimate needs we have as human beings; but they end up being lies.

God will convict us; but it is up to us to choose to totally surrender our body, soul and spirit to Him; so that His Spirit can heal our body, sanctify our soul and regenerate our spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that conviction does not save us, it simply humbles us and brings us to the point of repentance. The good news is that Christ in us is greater than any influences outside of us (1 John 4:4). The more we understand our new identity in You as an authentic Believer, the more quickly we grow in spiritual maturity.

With maturity, we find it easier to choose to live in dependence on You for all of our needs. We realize that it is not necessary for us to sin in an attempt to meet our basic needs. When we hunger and thirst for Your righteousness (Matthew 5:6), You supply everything for us according to Your glorious riches (Philippians 4:19).

Thought for the Day:

Conversion only comes through a heart-felt commitment to follow Christ with our life; and it stirs us to read our Bible, to attend worship services, to attend Bible studies and to praise God in every moment through every circumstance - the good, the bad and the ugly.

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

Fellowshipping with the Trinity

<!--[endif]-->Prior to salvation, we lived as slaves to sin and pawns in Satan’s plan (Romans 7). Even after salvation, our sin of omission or commission builds a wall between us and our fellowship with the Trinity. No matter how slowly or how high the wall goes up – we feel a separation and distance from our Lord and Savior (Romans 1:18). Our prayers hit the ceiling, our joy ebbs and our peace is overwhelmed by stress and negative emotions. Without righteousness, there can be no lasting peace and joy.

We are separated from God due to our rebellion and unbelief (Romans 14:17). This severance of our union with Christ bitters our soul. Then, resentment becomes the mortar we use to adhere the stones of willful sin in place. As the wall rises ever higher, fears riddle our soul. We gradually grow more anxious and hopeless. Eventually, some even feel animosity toward God and rail against Him, hurling accusations at Him and slandering His name to anyone who will listen. We end up punishing our self by removing our self from the protection and provision of our Heavenly Father.

One day we finally wake up, and with humility and grace we surrender our life to Christ. We live as slaves to righteousness and bondservants to Christ who lives within us by His Holy Spirit (Romans 1:1, 6:18). When temptations come our way, we draw near to God, resist the devil, and Satan has no option but to flee from us (James 4:7). If we happen to sin, God is faithful and just to forgive that sin (1 John 1:9). However, as we walk in the Spirit, the lusts of the flesh are no longer a temptation (Galatians 5:16, 25). If we are born of God, we cannot live in habitual sin (1 John 3:9).

God wants more for us than just to redeem us from our sins. He also longs for a Bride without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). That is why God was in Christ, reconciling us to Himself (Colossians 1:20). He showed us His love, even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Now, there is joy among the angels when every sinner repents (Luke 15:10). We are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As we keep our focus on Christ, He authors and completes our salvation as well as our perfection (Hebrews 12:2; James 1:4). By God’s Spirit, we are one with Christ and our life consists of doing our Father’s business instead of our own (Luke 2:49).

Jesus recognized that He could do nothing of Himself, and that He and the Father are one (John 5:19, 10:30). After salvation, we are also one with God through Christ. Jesus has the mind of God, and this mind is in us (1 Corinthians 2:16). Our union with Christ deepens as we focus on His work in us, through us and instead of us. We repent of our sins and walk away from our agenda of self-effort and good works. At first, we have to practice listening to God’s Spirit as He guides us through our day. Slowly, it becomes second nature for us to follow the Spirit’s direction for each moment.

Prayer:

Father God, Joshua is a good example to us of listening to Your direction. The walls of Jericho posed an impossible obstacle. As Joshua obeyed Your instructions, the walls fell straight down. Even archeology proves the accuracy of this Biblical account. Joshua did not use human reasoning to capture the city; but He followed Your will for seven days, and then the city fell before his eyes (Hebrews 11:30). The wisdom of man is foolish when compared to Your ways (1 Corinthians 3:19).

Thought for the Day:

Fellowship with the Trinity and listen to God’s Spirit within you to accomplish His will for your life moment by moment.
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Thank you, Amazing World and Shirley Kreamer for sharing this photo.