Sword of the Spirit

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 677

“I Love My Wife”

Eph 5:25-33 (ESV) Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.? In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body … let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Col 3:18-19 (ESV) Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
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The Christian Church is the Bride of Christ. Jesus gave Himself up in order to sanctify His bride and make her holy. The Bride of Christ must be pure through and through beginning at the cellular level which is the individual families that comprise the Christian Church.

The sanctification process and purity must begin at the family cellular level. This is why God’s Word exhorts husbands to love their wives ‘In the same way…’ as Jesus loves His church.

“Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day.” – Nicholas Sparks

Giving ourselves up for her – Jesus died for His bride. Are we willing to ‘die little deaths’ for our wives? Are you willing to put down the newspaper or magazine in order to maintain eye contact and listen to her and engage in conversation with her? Are you willing to turn off the TV to do the same? Are you willing to set aside your agenda in order to address her ‘honey-do-list’ and deal with the things that are important to her? Are you willing to give up your desire for expensive ‘toys’ that you cannot afford in order to preserve the integrity and stability of family finances?

Sanctify her – Jesus is the Living Word of God, pure and holy. Do you keep yourself – your mind, heart, and soul – pure before God? Do you allow impurity to defile your home through internet pornography, and immoral TV, books and magazines? Do you keep your marriage bed pure? Does your wife have to wonder deep in the recesses of her heart if you have remained faithful and pure? Do you pray the Word of God over your wife, speaking blessings over her? Are you the spiritual leader of your home, its priest and pastor?

Expressions of love are much more than an annual Valentine’s Day card and box of chocolates. Expressions of true love are constant and continual. To love your wife is to see her through the eyes of Jesus Christ. To truly love your wife is to allow Christ’s love for her to manifest itself through you.

It is easy for wives to submit to a husband who is first submitted to Jesus Christ. Men, God has called and ordained you to be His faithful steward of your family. He expects you to be yielded and submitted to Him and in so doing to love your wives as He loves His church. The purity of His church stems from the purity of the individual families that comprise the church. Let this purity begin in your heart, mind and soul.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God.

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 676

“Authority”

Matt 10:1; Luke 10:1-19 (NIV) He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness…

John 14:12-13 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

Acts 19:13-16 (NIV) Some Jews … tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”…One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.
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Several years ago the news media reported an incident that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia where several youth were attacked while fishing along the Chattahoochee riverbank. Their attacker was a naked man who overpowered one teenage girl while the other youth fled. The girl also escaped unharmed after she commanded her attacker to stop in the Name of Jesus Christ. The Bible records numerous events of how evil was overcome by the power of the Name of the Lord. For many of us however, these are just stories from the past and we do not feel that they have relevance for today.

Why would the power of God not be relevant for today? Has God changed? Not at all! The recent event in Atlanta as well as the miraculous events that occur throughout the world illustrates that God is the same today as He has always been. The problem is that we have changed. We have traded intimate spiritual communion with Jesus Christ for a counterfeit ‘feel good’ religiosity that appeals to our flesh. Some practice meditation to get in touch with their inner child. Others would rather walk a labyrinth than walk with Jesus. Many have compromised their Christian moral world view and embraced much of the impurity and immorality of the world.

Is it any wonder then that we have no authority over the attack of the enemy? Like the Jews who attempted to use the Name of Jesus by proxy, the enemy overpowers us when our personal relationship with the living Word of God, Jesus Christ is nonexistent or weak at best. Spiritual authority is not a matter of weaponry; it is a matter of relationship. With God’s authority, David slew Goliath with a small stone. With God’s authority we too can overcome the evil of the enemy.

You are under attack. Your work place is also under attack as is your family, church and neighborhood. Satan seeks to establish strongholds for all types of addictions, anger, rage, materialism, envy, sexual immorality and the list goes on. How much ground are you willing to give to enemy to establish his strongholds in your life? How much impurity are you willing to allow in your heart to chill your relationship with a Holy God?

Purity comes before spiritual power and authority. It is high time for the Christian Church to rise up and renew a right relationship with their Lord and move in the power and authority of the Holy Name of Jesus Christ to destroy the strongholds of the enemy. Seek first His kingdom and seek first His righteousness. Don’t wait for your Pastor to initiate a five step program… Let it begin with you right now.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 675

“His Righteousness”

2 Cor 6:18, 7:1 (NIV) “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
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Morality deals with the right and wrongness of human actions. It deals with how these actions affect the individual person, others, and society as a whole. When the definition of right and wrong is no longer based upon the absolute foundational truth of God’s Word, morality becomes gray and indistinct. God’s Word remains steadfast, clear, solid, and true in spite of the changing societal norms for moral living. God will hold His children accountable to His standard of morality and purity. This is why He exhorts us to seek first not only His kingdom but also His righteousness. God expects us to keep ourselves from becoming polluted by the world.

The world environment is given to rationalizing moral infractions based upon the accepted norms of the day. Some things are considered to be ‘little white lies’ or ‘petty theft’ or ‘everyone is doing it’ behavior. God’s Word, however, makes no such distinction. ‘Do not steal’; ‘Do not lie’; ‘Do not commit adultery’. It is either theft or it isn’t. You have either lied or you told the truth. Even our secret lustful thoughts are not exempt from God’s absolute standards for purity and moral living. There is no in-between or gray area for wiggle room rationalization with God.

God calls our attention to the ‘little things’ of impurity and immorality because it is in these areas of compromise that Satan begins to poison our hearts and draw us away from intimate fellowship with a Holy God. If we cannot be trusted with the little things, God will not entrust us with the true riches of His Holy Spirit and we will be robbed of the immense blessing and spiritual authority and power that comes from the abiding presence of Jesus Christ.

Be honest with yourself and be aware of the temptation to compromise your morals in the little things of life: Taking a newspaper from the vending machine before the door closes on someone else’s purchase; Grazing at the salad bar or in the grocery store before paying; Taking office stationary or supplies for personal use; Avoiding taxation through ‘under-the-table’ cash deals; Falsifying time cards or working on personal matters on company time; Padding an expense report; Enjoying that lustful second look at a member of the opposite sex; Being entertained by internet, television, movies, books, or music that exhibit sinful practices with impunity … and the list goes on and on. Our world society seems to value purity in everything from water to precious metal. Why is it not equally valued in our personal relationship with God?

Call out to God to rekindle the fire in your heart such that you will have an intense desire to be pure and holy in His presence. Submit yourself to the Holy Spirit’s refining fire and let Him show you the impurities and dross in your life that you need to cast away so that in the day of the Lord’s coming, you can be presented to God without blemish and free from accusation (Col 1:22).

Through prayer and fasting learn to discipline your flesh to be subject to God’s moral law for purity and righteousness. Seek first His kingdom and seek first His righteousness. Be sanctified and set apart for God. Make this your year of purification.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER
Pray Week 674
“Come Near to God”

James 4:8 (NIV) Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Matt 11:28-30 (NIV) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

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I remember playing a game with my Dad on cool summer evenings after he had mowed my Grandfather’s lawn. I would approach him slowly and come close to him only to run away quickly, narrowly avoiding his grasp when he reached out to me. “Come to me”, he would say and I would approach him again only to once more escape his grasp.

While this child’s tag-like game may have been fun, it is a sad truth that many of us continue to play this game with God the Father. ‘Come to Me’, Jesus says and we attend church services only to be there physically while our minds and thoughts are elsewhere. We came close but remained out of the Lord’s reach and avoided His loving embrace. Is it any wonder we make comments like,‘I didn’t get anything out of the church service’?

When we are tempted, God says, ‘Come to Me’ and we hear Him but we also hear the call of the passions and lust of our flesh. Sadly, many of us escape the Father’s embrace of love and choose instead the bondage and chains of sin. Once again we avoided His loving arms of protection from the evil of this world.

When we are weary and burdened with significant trials,God says,‘Come to Me’ and yet we avoid Him once more, refusing to let go of our stubborn pridefulness. We choose instead to struggle on in our own strength and refuse to make a priority of prayer.

We may be visibly moved and touched by God’s Holy Spirit during a worship service and the preaching of the Word of God. Yet when given the opportunity to step out of the anonymity and comfort zone of our seat and come forward to the altar of God to be ministered to and receive from God we refuse to get close. Our pridefulness becomes a stumbling block and a barrier. The passions and desires of our sinful nature resist the change that is sure to come from the touch of God and once again we came close only to escape the Father’s loving embrace.

How many people do we know that are in need of salvation through Jesus Christ… people who hear the Gospel… people who hear God’s call ‘Come to Me’ and yet choose to remain distant, just out of reach of God’s forgiving and sanctifying embrace?

Why do we play this ‘game’ with God? What does this temporal world have to offer that can even begin to compare to the eternal relationship we can have with God Almighty?

You are not a valueless pawn in a game. The stakes are real and eternal. This ‘game’ of life is for keeps. Stop toying with God and when Jesus says ‘Come to Me’ … run to Him… do not walk… do not hesitate … run headlong into His embrace and never let go.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 673

“Standing on Faith”

John 6:5-9 (NKJV) Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” … Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

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Jesus knew what He was about to do yet He chose to teach His disciples through an object lesson. He gave them a problem to solve: ‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ He asked. The bible tells us about Philip and Andrew’s response to the question. Their responses can be categorized in a couple of ways that we can all relate to:

The Practical Response: Phillip spoke up in much the same manner as most of us would today. He seized on the operative word ‘buy’ in Jesus’ question and realized from a very practical point of view that their cash reserves were no where near the amount required to purchase bread for them all. It did not occur to Phillip at that moment to pray or seek God. He approached the problem first from his human perspective and capabilities.

It is natural for us to approach everyday problems from what we know how to do. After all it is God who gave us the knowledge, skills, and abilities to solve everyday problems. It is up to us to give Him the glory for this ability. This is where we can get tripped up. The pridefulness of our flesh begins to edge God out of the equation and we become puffed up and seek the glory for ourselves for what we are able to accomplish. Scripture teaches us that this pride will bring about our fall. In order to remain standing firm we must always stand on faith in God and not in our own abilities.

The Faith Response … BUT: In the same context, Andrew spoke out with a bold faith statement: “There is a boy here with a few loaves and a couple of fish.” Andrew was on a roll. If only he had stopped speaking then. But in the next breath, Andrew knocked the legs out from under his bold faith statement with: “But what are they among so many?”

When we are faced with impossibility and helplessness it is natural that we pray to God trusting that nothing is impossible with Him. Yet again our human intellect is vulnerable to attacks from Satan who rises up in the next moment and seeks to undermine our faith. I recall praying with a dear sister in Christ for her son’s healing. Sometime later that day she told me that her son was all right and the doctors could find nothing wrong. I responded aloud with ‘Praise the Lord!’ However, the thought immediately entered my mind that perhaps there had been nothing wrong with him in the first place. How easy it was for the enemy to rise up and knock the legs out from under my faith.

Pray for the spiritual strength of faith that comes from close communion with Jesus Christ. It is in His abiding presence that our faith grows over time. Pray to keep your faith legs under you, standing firm and confident in God.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 672

“Splitting Maul”

Mat 12:25 (NIV) Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

Rom 12:18-21 (NIV) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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Severe snow storms in recent days have reminded me of the years that my family lived in the northern climate zones. I recall heating our house with firewood and in particular the work involved in splitting cut logs of hardwood. As with most things that I do, I made a game of the work seeking to split each log in one stroke using a splitting maul. What was once part of a tall majestic tree trunk able to withstand the assault of decades or more of storms was now easily divided and conquered under the force and weight of my splitting maul. That is of course until I met a piece of rock maple that refused to allow the penetration of my axe maul sending shock waves deep into my lower back that took months to heal.

‘Divide and Conquer’ is an age old military tactic that has remained highly effective over the centuries. Whether it is in a church, family, military or business entity, dysfunction and disunity within any corporate body becomes a cancer that destroys it from within. If you have dedicated your life to Jesus and seek to glorify God in all that you do, you have an enemy called Satan that actively seeks to divide your family, church and place of work. He will even seek to shake your confidence in Jesus and attempt to divide your relationship with Him. He will seek to hinder you from fulfilling the purpose God has ordained for you from before you were born.

The intent here is not to alarm, but to inform. Too many of us are well into an internal battle at home or at work before we even realize what is happening. Be alert and aware. Pray for a discerning spirit so that you can pray specifically and not give the enemy of your soul a foothold.

God will help you see the signs. Perhaps you and your spouse have exchanged harsh words over a period of time. The flame of intimacy is flickering between you and about to go out if not refueled. These are signs that the enemy is driving a wedge between you. Identify the wedge: Is it money? An addiction or unhealthy habit? Child rearing methods? Identify the point of contention and you have identified the point of the splitting maul. Now you can resist it together in the unity of the Spirit of God and in the power of the Name of Jesus Christ.

Is there a wedge being driven between you and Father God? Is it a sin issue you struggle with that the enemy is using to cast doubt in your mind about forgiveness and salvation? Is it anger and rage over life circumstances that the enemy is using to cast doubt in your heart about the Father’s love for you? Identify the wedge and reinforce your faith to resist its divisive force through reading, meditating and praying the Word of God. Seek His abiding presence and you will have His power to resist the attack of the enemy.

Act boldly and quickly in love and seek to live in peace with others. Remove the wedge of disunity and dysfunction before it is allowed to take root in your relationships. Be the first to reach out in Jesus’ love even to those who persecute you. In prayer by the power of the name of Jesus, come against and destroy the strongholds of division and dysfunction in every area of your life.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER
Pray Week 671
“Regift”

John 3:16 (NIV) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
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Have you ever received a gift that you later gave to someone else? Perhaps it was a gift that you neither wanted nor needed. You graciously accepted it feigning joy and then regifted it to someone else later. For many, this regifting practice is considered to be in poor taste.

However, there is a gift that God gave us that He expects us to regift. God expects us to regift the gift of His love that He has given us through Jesus Christ, His Son. An acrostic for ‘LOVE’, Listen, Overlook, Value, and Express has been used to describe it in practical terms. These are learned behaviors that come as we grow in our relationship to God.

Learn to Listen sacrificially – Most of us, if we do listen at all, listen selfishly. We are tuned into the radio station WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). With God’s help we can learn to actively listen to others, seeking discernment to hear what is not being said but lies at the heart and root of their spoken words. Sometimes it is not for us to speak at all – only to listen to their heart and to be a comfort to them only by our caring presence. The gift of listening tells your spouse, child, friend, stranger or co-worker that they are more important to you at that moment than your personal agenda and that they are loved.

Learn to Overlook – God loved us when were unlovable, steeped in sin. How many of us harbor bitterness for an offense from years past? How many of us remain estranged from family and friends because we refuse to forgive and overlook an offense? It is not enough to say that we will forgive them if they reach out to us. In order to regift the gift of God’s love, we must reach out first as He did when He gave His Son, Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. Remember, He will forgive us as we forgive others.

Learn to Value – All human life is sacred. Our world society has sought to indoctrinate us in the lie that we are merely an evolved animal and that our unborn children are an expendable choice. The selfish desire for the good life and the material things of this world are at the root of the argument for choice. Our value system has been corrupted so that it is inwardly and selfishly focused. We value ourselves before we value others, even to the point of euthanizing the elderly and murdering the unborn. In a more subtle fashion, Jesus taught that if we harbored hate in our heart for another human being that we are just as guilty as the one who murders another. In order to regift the gift of God’s love we must get rid of our prejudices based upon social class, religion, nationality or skin color. We must become socially active in our elections and vote based upon Biblical moral values, not the values of economic gain. We cannot justify the trade off of valuing economic growth and prosperity over the value of human life.

Learn to Express Love – Love is expressed in action as well as words. We can tell our spouse or children that we love them repeatedly but if our actions do not demonstrate it then our words are empty and hollow. Love expressed is that ‘cup of water’ given to a thirsty stranger that Jesus talked about. Can we love as Jesus loves? Can we sacrifice our selfish desires, even for a moment and put a priority on meeting the needs of others over our own?

Receive the gift of God’s Love and continually regift it to others as He continually pours out His grace and love through Jesus into your life.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 670

“Reason to Rejoice”

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Romans 7:18-25 (NIV) …I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out …So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me … waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! …
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Jesus was born to die.

Jesus’ birth was for a specific purpose: He was born to die in our place for our sins.

He was born to die so that we may be born again and have eternal life with our Father in heaven.

During the Christmas season people shop for gifts and take advantage of sale prices. The world hustles about to prepare for parties and other festivities. Songs are sung with lyrics about a holy night, joy to the world, Emmanuel-God with us and many others that have become merely traditional background noise – a sort of Seasonal lip service.

What is our reason to rejoice? Is it because we got that flat screen TV at a ridiculously low bargain price after waiting in line in the cold the night before black Friday?

Perhaps during the Christmas season we should reflect upon our sin nature and how utterly impossible it is for sinful mankind to be reconciled and have fellowship with a Holy God. Perhaps during this season we should allow the oil of the Holy Spirit to soften our calloused hearts so that we can acknowledge our sin and repent before God. It does not matter how heinous or minor in the eyes of society your sin is. Once your heart becomes tender and you come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit with respect to your sin you will cry out as Paul did ‘What a wretched person I am! Who will rescue me? You will feel unworthy to be rescued at all. You will question whether you can ever be forgiven for what you have done. This is when the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls the Comforter will come along side of you and lead you to repentance and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

If you can relate with Paul’s lament regarding his wretchedness you need to also identify with his rejoicing in the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to die for all the sins of mankind, past, present and future until the end of time. He was born to bear the punishment for your sins and mine once for all on the cross. God offers each of us the gift of salvation and justification through His Son, Jesus. In His grace and mercy God offers us the free gift of eternal life if we will but repent and turn from our sin and accept Jesus’ sacrifice and declare Him as our Lord and Savior.

Jesus was born to die for your sins and mine. Now that is the reason for the season. Now that is reason to rejoice.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER
Pray Week 669
“I Need a Drink”

Jer 2:8-13 (NIV)… “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
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I am a high functioning alcoholic. Alcoholism runs in my family. It is in my genetic makeup and I am physiologically disposed to it. I didn’t drink and drive. I didn’t drink on the job. I was an upstanding, church-going, regular pillar of the community that drank alcohol with the purpose of ‘getting numb’ every night.

After a particularly stressful day on the job, I recall saying to myself as I fought the traffic home: ‘I need a drink’. It was at that very moment that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and brought me to the realization that I was just like my father and his father before him. I realized that I was an alcoholic. It was almost as if God had spoken to me audibly in the car that day – it was so clear: ‘You do not need a drink, you need Me …you shall have no other gods before Me’. It has been 25 years since that moment following which I went home and poured every last drop of alcoholic beverage down the drain and with God’s help, I have not been drunk again.

The temptations, however still come on occasion. The enemy of our soul, the devil, is a good study of each of us and he tempts us along the lines where we are weakest. But God is faithful. He never allows the enemy to tempt us beyond what we are capable to withstand and He always provides for us the means to withstand and escape. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” – 1 Cor 10:13

Throughout time, humankind has sought numerous alternatives to that of total and complete reliance upon God. How foolish we become when we exchange the Truth of God for the lies of this world. In ancient times idols were made out of wood, stone, or precious metals and were worshipped. Today, the idolatry continues to exist but in different forms. When you need peace or strength, where you turn to first to fulfill that need, if it is not God, it is an idol, and that idol stands between you and God.

How do you deal with the pressures of life? Do you have a favorite method or habit that calms you and strengthens you? Perhaps you choose to ‘wind down’ with a few stiff drinks as I was in the habit of doing. Others find that tobacco, in its various forms, helps them through situations. Still others resort to the abuse of prescription and illegal drugs.

Secular stress management seminars teach ‘positive affirmation’ techniques where through positive self-talk you find the inner strength to deal with whatever is challenging you. You can buy special steel balls and crystals that you roll around and rub in your hand seeking to find peace and strength or perhaps you can repeatedly chant a mantra. These are all empty, broken cisterns.

Jesus calls to us to come to Him and be refreshed by the spring of living water that never runs dry and that continually gives us power and strength for living. What cisterns have you dug to quench your thirst? They are all broken, aren’t they? What little refreshment any of them may offer is only fleeting, isn’t it? Before long you are thirsty again and frustrated with the utter futility of the process. Yes, you do need a drink … from the wellspring of God’s Holy Spirit! Let the Holy Spirit show you what ‘idol’ stands between you and God and remove it by the power of the Name of Jesus.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 668

“Persistent Petition”

Luke 11:5-13 (NASB95) Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; … “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. …

John 15:7 (NASB95) “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

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‘Dad, can I have a mountain bike?’ ‘Daddy, can I have that doll house?’ ‘Mom, can I have a sports car?’ We were not shy or timid in letting our parents know what we needed or wanted. If you are a parent, I am sure that you can vouch for the fact that your children are not shy in this regard as well. Why then do we neglect to ask our heavenly Father for what we need? Do we not want to bother Him with what we perceive to be an insignificant thing? Do we believe God to be too busy with the major issues of running the universe to be bothered with our petty needs?

When we do ask, why do we ask in a timid, beat-around-the-bush fashion? God wants us to be specific and confident rather than timid and fearful in our prayers. God loves us immensely more than our parents ever could and He desires that His children have what they need.

A word of caution: God is not a magic genie in a bottle in that our sole relationship with Him consists of making demands of Him. Do not expect God to hear those ‘prayers’. Jesus’ parable spoke of a persistent friend – not a stranger. If a stranger knocked on my door and demanded a mountain bike, my first question would be, ‘Who are you?’ We need to have a personal, abiding relationship with God as His children. An abiding relationship is characterized by our obedience to His Word. It is personal and conversational. It is intimate and loving. It is continual – it is where we live – it is home.

My son wanted a sports car as a teenager. I helped him buy a 4 cylinder Suzuki subcompact sedan. I knew that with his temperament, my son would most likely have killed himself or others with a sporty high horsepower vehicle. God loves us enough to also not give us everything we ask for. The test of our faith and trust relationship with God is evidenced by our reaction when God says ‘No’ to some of our requests.

Jesus demonstrated a lifestyle of abiding with God. He was specific when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for God to spare Him from the crucifixion that He was facing. Jesus also prayed for God’s perfect will to be done and remained obedient to His death on the cross.

Seek to obey and continually abide with God. When you pray, be persistent and specific about your desires and needs. Pray confidently with the certainty of God’s sovereignty. Nothing is impossible with God. Have faith and trust that God hears you and that His answer will be in accordance with His perfect love and will.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God