PRAY FIRST
James Banks- "Jack was a rough-spoken plumber who worked on our church building project several years ago. After he learned I was praying for him, he sometimes asked me to pray for his friends. I prayed daily for seven years for God to draw Jack near and save him.
One Saturday during my morning devotional time, I was convicted about a need for more people to come to Christ at our church, and I prayed a simple prayer: "Please, Lord, just give us one!"
That afternoon my cell phone rang. It was Jack. "I've just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and I'm not ready." We agreed to meet, and he consented to have others pray for him. At our church's prayer meeting that Sunday evening we prayed for Jack's healing and salvation.
The following week, Jack received Jesus as his Savior and was baptized the following Sunday.
Prayer emphasizes God's ability to make things happen. When we humbly admit we can't force others to come to Him, we open the door for God to accomplish what we could never do. When we pray for His Spirit to draw others near, we invite His power.
Because of God's kindness to us through Jesus, we can "approach God's throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16), as we cry out with compassion for those lost in darkness and facing eternity apart from Him.
And as we love others with our prayers, we can be assured that our Savior "is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:34).
"True happiness flows from knowing Jesus and obeying Him as a result. When we walk according to His ways, He protects us from making unwise choices and guards us from the fallout of misplaced priorities. When our relationship with Him is in order, everything else falls into place."
Let's pray:
Father, help us be ready to share our faith with others, especially with those who appear ready to listen. May we be willing to keep praying for them even for years, if necessary.
As prayer emphasizes Your Ability to make things happen when we humbly admit we can't force others to come to You, we open the door for You to accomplish what we could never do. When we pray for Your Spirit to draw others near to You, we invite Your power to move on them.
Today's verse: "Hear my prayer, o LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness."
Church Notes: COMMITMENT
- We need to cry out to know God better!
- Those who fear God love wisdom
- We need to study the Word
- Trust God and hate evil
- Have an abundance of the taste of heaven
Encouragement:
"Through Jesus, I'm a fellow heir of God's glory (Romans 8:16-17),so I'm confident in my eternal inheritance. It won't require an officious directive from some online barrister because the Lord already has all my contact information. Moreover, He won't be needing my bank routing number for me to receive my divine inheritance--eternal life with Jesus--because that is already secured." Cassandra Tiersma
#149 Hymn- Surrender All




