Thoughts for Life: #75 Why is Preparation Necessary?

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- Salvation, harvest, and revival are the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. The most godly believers cannot produce spiritual results in their own strength. True, God always uses humans.

It is His chosen method. But spiritual work is, nevertheless, a divine work. Our efforts cannot earn God's blessing. No accumulated spiritual merit obliges God to answer prayer. (Google image, How to worship God)

We may perfect the structure and efficiency of our organizations. We may increase the number of people involved in our evangelistic efforts. We may increase our use of literature, radio, or other media.

We may advertise widely—all without spiritual results. We may use all the right words, the right Scriptures, the right methods, and even the right people. But unless God gives His anointing, empowering, and help, our results will be only human results. Spiritually we will remain barren.

When God desires to do a mighty work of salvation and spiritual harvest, He calls His people to their knees. The Holy Spirit places a deep hunger in the heart of those of God's children who are close enough to Him to hear His voice.

As their hearts cry out to Him, He leads them to spend more and more time in prayer. He leads them to join with others, who share a similar prayer burden. God may lead them to add fasting to their prayer because their heart's desire is so intense that they want to take this extra, more costly step in seeking God's supernatural visitation.

Many times God uses pastors or other Christian leaders to issue calls for special prayer or to set aside days for prayer and fasting. More often God leads people, one by one, to take steps to deepen their own personal prayer life. Many a local revival visitation by the Holy Spirit was assisted by the prayer preparation of two or three people in one or more places, praying individually or together for months or even years.

As they have humbled themselves before God, asking for God's mercy, claiming God's promises, they have been used by the Spirit to prepare for mighty work of God. This is the rule for which God needs you and your prayer.

(Chapter 21, p. 163, 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, we understand that Your work is supernatural, and that we cannot produce spiritual results in our own strength. No amount of accumulated spiritual merit obliges

You to answer our prayer.

It may be that we'll do everything possible in our evangelistic efforts to have a revival, but without Your anointing, empowering power to help us, we will remain spiritually barren and unsuccessful.

You call Your people to their knees who are close enough to Hear Your voice. You place in them a deep hunger in their hearts for a mighty moving of Your Spirit. As they spend more and more time in prayer, their heart's desire becomes so intense that they want to add fasting. These are costly steps to be taken in seeking You for a supernatural visitation.

You may move on pastors or other Christian leaders to call for special prayer or to set aside days for prayer and fasting. Many times You move on individuals to deepen their own personal prayer life. Local revivals happen because of two or three people are praying individually or together for months or even years.

As folks humble themselves before you, asking for Your mercy and claiming Your promises in Your Word, they will be used to prepare for Your mighty works to happen. We now ask that Your Spirit draw us closer to Your Heart, that we may begin to see what it is You want done in and through us in our churches.

We ask this in Christ's holy name. Amen

Today's Bible verses-

1 John 3:21-23 (NIV) “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him. And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.”

John 14:13 (NCV) "And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son."

Quote for today-

~ Michael L. Brown- "If the death and resurrection of Jesus are real — and they are —

there must be more. If the outpouring of the Spirit is real — and it is — there must be more. If the promises of God are real — and they are — There must be more. If the requirements of the Lord are real — and they are — there must be more.

It is high time we quit trying to drag the Word of God down to our level of experience and commitment, trying to conform Scripture to our ways rather than conforming our ways to Scripture. instead, we need to take hold of everything He has promised and everything He has called us to, and, by His grace, pursue and obey Him until His reality becomes our reality."

Words of wisdom-

If it came to your parting with something of value to you in order to obey Christ, would you do it? There may be things that you know would bless someone else, would you give them up? Things are on loan to us, so if we're willing to let them go for a sacrifice in obedience, may we understand it would be an act of worship to share with others the blessings Jesus has given us.

Today's guest link-

Get the No More Perfect Marriages Playbook Now Jill Savage

"We built this playbook for couples who feel like they’re in a relationship rut OR for those who want to prevent falling into one. We want to help you strengthen your connection & feel the way you felt when you first met."

Today's question-

What can be said about faith?

Having faith is being sure of something as being a reality. When we have the boldness to believe the promises we find in the Scriptures, and we claim any one of them, it causes faith to arise. We begin claiming them as a truth for us.

Abraham is a good example of this. When God told him he would become the father of many nations, he believed it, though he hadn't had a son, and didn't for 25 more years. He was tested over those years, and finally, after being willing to offer his son, Isaac, in obedience to God, he was told again by God, that he would bless the nations through this son. A ram was provided to take the place of Isaac. We can see Christ in what happened, as He has become the sacrifice for our sins in our place, much like how the ram took Isaac's place on the altar.

Abraham knew God. He also knew he was as good as dead because of his age for any children. He believed what God told him, he'd left his home when called to a country where his people would live, and to a city who's builder and maker was God Himself.

Because we are challenged to examine ourselves too, to realize our limitations, and our inability to accomplish great things for God by ourselves, we are to look to Jesus for help. As we're pilgrims looking for that city too, we are encouraged to remain faithful to the calling on our lives today. The Father asks us to be men and women of faith and to believe the challenges ahead of us can be overcome in the name of Jesus.

The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,

located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,

broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15.

Recorded daily devotions are available too.

Check out the livestream with this link: https://www.cfconline.org/

You can view past services too.

Jean's blog

Pages

For God Seekers- Healing Thoughts and Prayers

Samples of Jean's crafts

http://twitter.com/jeanoathouth

https://www.facebook.com/jean.oathout