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The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, Father-sent and Christ-given. The Greek word parakletos, used repeatedly by Jesus for the Holy Spirit (John 14:15, 26; 16:7), is very full of meaning. It is variously translated as Comforter, Helper, or Counselor. (Let's pray, Google image)
He is our Counselor in all of life. He is specially our Helper-Counselor in prayer (Rom. 8:26-27). The Spirit always prays in accordance with God's will. He will never guide and empower us to pray contrary to the Father's will.
It gives us tremendous confidence and strength to prevail in prayer when we know God's will in the matter about which we pray. God rejoices when we unite our will with His in prevailing prayer.
This is what we actually pray for in the Lord's Prayer when we pray, "Your will be done on earth."
What are the steps to assurance that you are praying in harmony with God's will?
1. Be totally surrendered to God's will for the remainder of your life. This position requires a definite act of absolute surrender of your whole being—your personhood, ambitions, desires, and possessions and your present and future.
Make the commitment so total and so permanent that hereafter you need only reaffirm the full surrender you have already made.
Can God do with you whatever He likes? Can He change your plans, goals, or ambitions? Can He veto your plans without explaining to you? Can He move you from one situation to another without protesting? Is your will so surrendered that God can ask of you whatever He will?
Some people will have God's second best through much of their life because they failed to make and maintain full surrender. God prefers His first plan for us.
But if we insist on our own will, there will be place after place where God has to give us second or third best. The more unsurrendered we are, the less we will be able to prevail in prayer.
2. Be active in your daily surrender. Once you have made your total surrender, do not resign yourself passively to whatever God may bring to pass. Seek actively to discover His will and to endorse His will in each situation.
When you pray, "Your will be done on earth" (Matt. 6:10), you are committing yourself to seek to enforce God's will actively by prayer and obedience.
You are reaching out to God's will so that you can join your will with His. After full surrender, we are not spineless, indifferent creatures. We become militantly involved in bringing God's will to pass on earth. Eagerly grasp God's will for you.
Eagerly surrender to God's will in you, and eagerly give yourself to God's will through you. God's will is not done automatically by a surrendered person. It must become the passion of your soul to do and ratify God's will in everything.
3. Be expectant of God's revealed will for your prayer life. When you live in the sphere of God's will, you can expect the Holy Spirit to unfold to you step by step the acts of obedience He desires from you and the prayers He desires to pray through you.
Harry Jessop says,
"The will of God is a sphere with distinctive boundaries
within which souls consciously dwell."
God wants us to understand what that will is (Eph. 5:17). "Test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will" (Rom. 12:2).
Samuel Chadwick wrote,
"The humblest follower of Jesus may know the Diving Will
first hand. It is every man's privilege to be fully assured in
the will of God.... Come straight to God. Do not bother other
people. Lay all questions naked before him, and He will
make plain to you what is His will. When God speaks, His
is easily understood." (Chadwick, THE PATH OF PRAYER)
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana (With Jean's impressions added)
Mighty Prevailing Prayer
#95 God's Will and Prevailing Prayer
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 163 -165) Zondervan
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| Stop the worship! Let's pray! |
Father, "this life can be so, so hard sometimes. And the scariest part is that we never know what the next day will bring.
This can cause great anxiety, but it also draws us to place our trust in you. I know that you are working every little thing together for your purpose and plan.
Let each and every day bring me word of your steadfast love, because I place my trust in you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
(Prayer is from What My Brain Tumor Taught Me About Trusting God
Tayler Beede March 3, 2017)
Today's Bible verses-
(Prov. 12:25 KJV) "Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."
(Prov. 2:10, 11 KJV) "When wisdom entereth into thine hear, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee."
(Prov. 12:25 KJV) "Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."
(Prov. 2:10, 11 KJV) "When wisdom entereth into thine hear, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee."
~ George Muller: "The weaker we are, the more meditation we need to strengthen our inner man. Meditation on God's Word has given me the help and strength to pass peacefully through deep trials. What a difference there is when the soul is refreshed in fellowship with God early in the morning! Without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day can be overwhelming." (Taken from p. 140 of The Autobiography of GEORGE MULLER.)
~ E. B. Browning
Unanswered yet! The prayers your lips have pleaded
In agony of heart these many years?
Does faith begin to fail? Is hope departing?
And think you all in vain those falling tears?
Say not, the Father hath not heard your prayer,
You shall have your desire—sometime—somewhere.
Unanswered Yet! Though when you first presented
This one petition at the Father's Throne
It seemed you could not wait the time of asking
So urgent was the heart to make it known;
Though years have passed since then, do not despair
The Lord will answer you—sometime—somewhere.
Unanswered yet! Nay, do not say ungranted,
Perhaps your work is not wholly done.
The work began when first your prayer was uttered,
And God will finish what He has begun.
If you will keep the incense burning there,
His glory you shall see—sometime—somewhere.
Unanswered yet! Faith cannot be unanswered;
Her feet are firmly planted on the Rock;
Amid the wildest storms she stands undaunted,
Nor quails before the loudest thunder-shock.
She knows Omnipotence has heard her prayer,
And cries, "It shall be done—sometime—somewhere."
(Taken from p. 132 of THE PATH OF PRAYER,
by Samuel Chadwick)
~ James H Cagle "A child that is educated from the Bible and taught to fear God has been equipped with the facts concerning God and His will, is better prepared to reject the lies that they will face as they receive their academic training, than the child who isn’t taught to fear God.
A proper education for a child begins with telling them about God their Creator, and Him, because of His great love for them, sending His Son Jesus Christ, to die for their sins so they could be saved and spend eternity in Heaven with Him."
Today's sermon spotlight-
Praying His Will by Bill Hull, 2/12/17 [audio]
Upcoming posts
#96 Make God's Priorities Your Priorities
9th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Why It's Too Soon to Give Up
11th- Saturday's post by Ron Hutchcraft
#97 The Dynamic of Praise- Part 1
14th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#98 The Dynamic of Praise- Part 2
16th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of recent posts)
Below, you have an opportunity to leave a comment.
Or email me at jowildflowers@gmail.com
Samples of Jean's crafts
(Published by Lighthouse Publishing
31-day Devotional
+ Jean's testimony
[Maybe just choose a title each
day that interests you]
+ Jean's testimony
[Maybe just choose a title each
day that interests you]
Sample verses from pp. 22, 23-
It's True Our God
Has Made Creatures
It's True Our God
Has Made Creatures
"If there's no marriage in God's sight
And there's no vow to stay,
To live together is not right
For it is not God's way.
Because He's Love, God takes the task
To help them understand,
It's His design that love should last
For the woman and man."
And there's no vow to stay,
To live together is not right
For it is not God's way.
Because He's Love, God takes the task
To help them understand,
It's His design that love should last
For the woman and man."
of the Carolinas. Used by permission).
A great gift for someone who may need help
to prepare for marriage, and for those in a
to prepare for marriage, and for those in a
marriage, wanting some helpful advice.
Jean: Interestingly, this post compliments the study we are doing at KSCC on Listening For the Voice of God.
ReplyDeleteVery good!
Debbie