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 James 5:16-17 NKJ The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. |
Prayers That Availeth Much The Bible says we should always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1 NKJ). How do we keep from being overcome by life's circumstances? The answer is earnest sincere prayer to the Lord. Elijah was a man just like us. He had his mountain top experiences and his valley experiences. One day he was a powerful man of God accomplishing great miracles. The next day he is running away in fear from a woman named Jezebel. He was just like us; one day strong in the Lord and the next wondering why we are feeling so weak. We are supposed to look at God's prophets as examples of suffering, affliction and patience (James 5:10). When God touches us with His power, we become stronger than natural circumstances. When His hand is upon us, we have more than enough power to go through sufferings, afflictions and trials.  We do not
know how effective and important our prayers are. If we did, we would all be
praying more. Our prayers have a long range effect. Since God lives outside
the time realm, what we pray about today can have an effect on us and others
twenty years from now. God is a discerner of the heart. A sincere heartfelt
prayer goes straight to heaven. Jesus said, "Ask that your joy may be full."
(John 16:24 NKJ) Prayer produces supernatural peace and perseverance. "Do
not fret or worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and asking
with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God,
which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, Amplified Bible). "Trouble and perplexity
drive me to prayer and prayer drives away perplexity and trouble." (Philip
Melanchthon) Prayer Lord, we pray for your wisdom and your guidance in everything we do. Guide us and lead us in all our decisions. In Jesus’ name. Amen. . Additional Scripture Matthew 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 26:41
Charlie Morgan
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NOTE: This page contains 5 devotions. Pick
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| Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV) "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." |
If It Gets Bad Enough . . The fresh smell of lilacs in the infancy of Spring. The smell of wet leaves in early Autumn. The taste of warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven. The sound of family laughing and children giggling during a family get-together over the holidays. A wonderful word from the Lord during a dry-spell in your life. The beautiful sound of a beautifully played worship song. The sound of your first tape recorder when you were little. A warm hug from a good friend. Candles flickering in a dimly lit, freshly cleaned living room. Warm towels from the dryer. The sight of a wonderfully clean refrigerator that you just cleaned - and you keep opening and shutting the door so you can open it again and say, "Good job, me!" Fresh coffee brewing, and you didn't have to get up out of your winter-bed to make it. Seeing your kids coming around the corner on their way home from school. The feeling of accomplishing something that has been very hard for you to do. A whisper of "thank you" from the Lord. The sound of "I love you" from your child for the very first time. Puppy breath - mmmm, one of my favorites! Turn off
the television, please. Think on lovely things. Fill your mind with the
beauty and awe of your life. "Turn off the television," someone once told
me. "If it gets bad enough, someone will call." This is true. Ask a friend
to let you have a week away from the television; to call you if they feel it
is something that you need to know. Give your mind, soul and relationship
with God some much needed peace.Prayer O God, how our minds and hearts are full. Take away the guilt that we feel when we look away from the news for a moment or two. Let us know that you are in control, and that our watching will not make it better but worse for us, because we will only see and hear the world's view on it all. Thanks for the rest. Amen. Additional Scripture Genesis 21:7; Psalms 62:3-6; Psalms 3:5
Cheryl D. Wyatt |
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| John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." |
Day Of Faith It is another weekday morning. I'm getting ready for work and I can hear the sounds of life beginning to awaken outside my window. The rustling of the leaves on the trees, the scattered purring of traffic out on the streets and the screaming of an ambulance rushing to an emergency - all signal the beginning of a busy day ahead. In just a short while I am going to take a step out into that jungle. I am going to be meshed into that hustle and bustle. Will I make it? Sure I will. There has been quite a bit of preparation put into this upcoming day. Just this past week alone I have been eating well, exercising enthusiastically, meeting with friends, helping others and connecting with our Father on a daily basis. I am indeed ready for the worry, fret and anxiety of the day. Bring it on! I am basing my life today on faith. I am going out to do my Father's bidding. Strangely
enough, while I strive to live a day for God, I am simultaneously preparing
for tomorrow. Each day touches another. Each day must be about short-term
and long-term action. The circle of life revolves around my constant
devotion to God. This is the only choice. Even though my thoughts and
feelings may drift astray, I must pull them back to the source of life. It
is not my walk with God that matters as much as God's walk with me. I must
be open enough to let Him lead the way. This will catapult my possible day
of fret into a triumphant day of faith. Fret or faith? Which do you choose?Prayer Lord, control me. Heal me. Mold me. Use me. I am Yours so that Your will be done. Amen. Additional Scripture Psalm 19; 1 John 3:5
Jim Schul
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| II Corinthians 7:6 “But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.". |
Stand By Me When Paul arrived in Corinth, he met with conflict from every direction. His letters to them had caused great uproar, and he was beginning to doubt his actions. He was fearful that his letters had caused pain and sorrow and he expressed remorse at the reactions. However, he held firm in his faith and let God do his work. Knowing that God would stand by him, Paul continued along with his mission. Then God sent Titus to speak with Paul and Titus shared with Paul that the Corinthians wanted him to know they encouraged him to continue in his mission and how much they were looking forward to his visit and how sorry they were about what had happened and how loyal their love for him was. This was a tremendous relief to Paul and he was filled with joy and thanked God for showing him, through Titus’ words, that he was on the right track. (II Corinthians 7:7) The war
against evil is, and always will be, fought one on one, face to face, word
for word. “For we are not fighting people of flesh and blood but against
evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers
of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly
realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) So we must be prepared to fight this battle by
nourishing ourselves with His word, educating ourselves with the many
accounts in the Bible of those who have gone before us and succeeded and don
God’s armor of “truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, spirit and prayer”
(Ephesians 6:13-18).Even
though we are Christians, we sometimes doubt ourselves because it feels like
we are being cruel or mean spirited. But God will show us if we are on the
right path as long as we keep our eyes, ears and minds open to Him at all
times. His mighty power and strength of reassurance comes to us in many
forms; people’s words, letters, inner knowing, literature, sermons, and on
and on.Prayer Father God, as your mission, plan, vision for us picks up momentum, please give us the strength to continually feed our souls with your Word and the courage to stand in the face of evil with our heads held high. Help us to see that You are there at all times and to hear Your coaching words of encouragement. As we stand by you and for you, so we know You stand by us. Additional Scripture II Corinthians 7:8-13; Galatians 6:9-10
Kate Geiger
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| Matthew 10:16-18 "Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and as harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be hauled over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me, yes, to witness to the world." . |
There Is Nothing To Fear . . But Fear Itself! These are scary times. People are buying gas masks and stockpiling antibiotics. Travel has dropped in half. It seems like every time you turn on the television, they're talking about biological warfare and the movement of troops. However, in the midst of the chaos and fear arises an opportunity like never before. We, as Americans, can show the world our true spirit; that of compassion and ceaseless dedication to making our world great. Our people have come together as they have not done in a long time. What Jesus asks us to do now is to witness and demonstrate to the people of the world that they do not need to fear us. If we minister to the needs of the people of starving nations such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, then the world will not breed hostility and terrorism. Of course,
we should bring the criminals who committed the most violent crime in U.S.
history to justice. However, once that is accomplished, where will we
concentrate our efforts? If we spend our time and our energy teaching the
children of the world to love each other, finally there will be no need to
fear.
Prayer Lord, let us not fear the evil that men do. Let us instead work to turn it to love. Help us to bring about peace through prayer and by spreading your message. Forgive us of our sins and heal those who have been wounded both physically and spiritually. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Additional Scripture Hebrews 11:1
Ruth Moorman
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