Thoughts for Life: #30 You Can be Part of God's Emergency Network

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- God is constantly both receiving and issuing emergency calls. Some events, which you could not have foreseen, call for God's immediate intervention.

Other situations develop to a point of crisis. While God is never surprised, for He foresees all, you and I interpret these as emergency needs. (Google image, Young women praying)

Christ is enthroned at God's right hand today, ruling the world through His intercession and the intercession of His earthly prayer partners. When such needs arise, God at times chooses to prepare for them in advance by calling His children to pray. At other times He sends an emergency call at the exact hour of need.

God's Children Constitute His Emergency Prayer Network.

This emergency prayer network is constantly available to you and me. It is also dependent upon you and me. Usually God alerts someone who already knows you to pray for you, thus strengthening that persons faith as well as your own.

Let me give you an example. During my college days I was counseling and praying with another student concerning an urgent situation known only to this student and me.

An oppressive spiritual darkness weighed heavily upon my friend. For several days I spent every spare moment in prayer and counseling, but for some reason, it was a real prayer battle for which there seemed to be no victory.

During that time I received a brief postcard from an evangelist who knew me well. He wrote:

"Dear Brother Wesley, As I was praying for you I suddenly seemed to see you on your knees in prayer. I could see Jesus standing in front of you with His arms outstretched to you, but you did not seem to see Him. I thought to myself, how often is God so near to us, anxious to answer our prayer, and we don't realize it."

God had alerted Him to pray just when I needed it.

Sometimes we do not know why we are burdened, only that we have received a special prayer constraint from the Lord, a sense of call and responsibility to pray at a given time.

In August of 1962 I concluded ministry in Australia with four days of meetings in the Scarborough Baptist Church in Perth. God began to burden me to spend all day Saturday in prayer and fasting. Early Saturday morning I found a secluded spot on Scarborough Beach and began my time alone with God.

As the day progressed I entered into a tremendous prayer battle with the powers of darkness. I knew not why, but the Holy Spirit led me into real militancy of prayer against Satan, and in the service that night I felt led to speak on "The Power of Satan and the power of God."

En route to the service, my voice suddenly left me. I had prayed silently all day, so had not abused by voice, and I had no cold. When I rose to my feet to speak, I moved my lips but could not make a sound.

The congregation gasped. Seizing both edges of the pulpit with my hands, I strained and stained. After a little while my voice began to return, but it seemed as if I were pushing every word over the pulpit where it fell to the floor. There was no liberty or blessing, and at the close of the service, the people silently left the church.

One woman, a stranger to me, stayed behind. She told me she knew she had been born again six months before. Having practiced black magic, however, she now felt the demons would not leave her alone. They visibly gathered around her bed each night and hooted at her.

In righteous indignation I prayed with and claimed victory. She was completely delivered from Satan's oppression.

In the service the next morning, it seemed as if all heaven opened to us. The spiritual needs of many were met, and some were called to the mission field.

At the close a demon-possessed man, trembling from head to foot, was delivered as the past six months, the the deacons had had a covenant of prayer for that man. The Holy Spirit called a prayer alert at the crisis time. Satan tried to interfere, but Jesus won the victory. To Him be all the glory!

(Chapter 11, pp. 76-78, italics added for emphasis)

Used by permission

of the Duewel Literature Trust, Inc,

Greenwood, Indiana

Available by phone

317-881-6755, ext, 361

or www.duewelliteraturetrust.org

Let's pray-

"Father, it is your desire that I prosper and be in health, even as my soul prospers. In the name of Jesus, I put off the old man with its wrong attitudes and behaviors and put on the new man created in righteousness. I receive and welcome the Word that contains the power to save my soul— to root out strongholds that are contrary to the Truth. I will diligently obey the message; being a doer of the Word and not merely a listener. Thank You for helping me overcome wrong ideas about financial freedom. I will ever be humbly grateful and one with you as I experience financial success in the name of Jesus. Amen."

Germine Copeland

Prayers that avail much

Scripture Reading:
3 John 2
James 1:21-22

Today's Bible verses-

James 1:19-25 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

John 15:7, 8 (NKJV) "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (v. 8) By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."

Today's quote-

No good leg to stand on

~ Marcellus George- "Paul thought he could become righteous through his own efforts. Only when he had a face-to-face encounter with God did he realize that was impossible. Just as it is impossible to please God by our own efforts before we become a child of God, so it is also impossible to do so after we become God’s child. Even though we are saved, we cannot be good enough to please God."

Words of wisdom-

~ Supplements may be what we need to keep our bodies strong and
healthy, along with healthy foods. We need to also keep up our spiritual strength, so occasional doses of spiritual intake, such as hearing the Word preached is necessary.

What really counts, though, is our Bible reading, prayer time and reflections with Jesus. Let's aim for a spiritual nutritional balance.

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What Matters is Who God Is

Max Lucado: "When God announced Moses was to deliver the Israelites, Moses wasn’t convinced! God demonstrated that who Moses was didn’t matter. What mattered was who God was . . . "

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