Thoughts for Life: #76 How You Can Prepare the Way of the Lord

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- In a sense, the purpose of this book is to help equip you to more effectively prepare the way of the Lord to work in many places—whether in your local church, your community, your denomination, in one or more missionary societies, or on mission fields everywhere.

You may be praying for all of these simultaneously, but there is a sense in which we should all carry a world vision, a world burden, and a world ministry of intercession. (Google image, Common ground prayer group)

Since chapter 32 is devoted to prayer for individuals, this chapter will be confined to prayer for larger groups or for some area of the world. The practical suggestions are applicable, whether praying for revival or for great evangelistic harvest.

Blessed is that missionary society, organization, local church, or denomination that not only has a widespread base of deeply committed prayer partners in its membership, but also has within the larger group some who pray with special faith and perseverance, holding on and believing for repeated outpourings of God's Spirit upon the group or organization. Are you willing for God to use you as one of His hidden intercessors who prepares the way of the Lord?

Preparing Your Own Heart

If you are eager for God to use you as one of His chosen hidden intercessors, there are steps you can take to prepare your heart for this ministry:

1. Refresh and challenge your heart by reading the biblical and historical accounts of harvest and revival. Read and reread the accounts of revival blessing on David (1 Chron. 28:1-29:25; Asa (1 Kings 15:9-24; 2 Chron. 14-16); Elijah (1 Kings 17-18); Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 17: 19:1-20:33); Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chron. 29-32); Josiah (2 Kings 22:1-23:30); and the New Testament church (Acts).

Books have been written containing thrilling accounts of revival in America, Wales, and other parts of the world. These testimonies will deepen your hunger and nourish your faith.

2. Collect information and statistics to share the need of the world and the church. Focus on the practically unreached two billion people of the world, the tragedy and spiritual darkness of non-Christian religions, the tremendous responsiveness of some areas, the overwhelming difficulties of others.

Focus on the sins of the human race, the unrest, injustice, crime, immorality, terrorism, and other evils. Focus on the spiritual apathy of so many who claim to be Christians, the poor or declining attendance of so many churches, the need for new spiritual life and challenge everywhere.

Meditate on Scripture passages in which God promises great blessing, harvest, and revival and passages in which God's children have prayed for revival. Here are sample passages: 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 80:18-19; 85:6; Isaiah 32:12-17; 35; Jeremiah 33:2-3; Lamentations 3:40-50; Hosea 6:1-3: 14:1-2; Habakkuk 3:2; John 7:38.

Make sure there is nothing in your own heart which would hinder your prayer. Remember that prayer can be blocked by sin cherished in the heart (Ps. 66:18), pride (1 Peter 5:5-6), unforgiveness (Luke 11:4), personal conflict with another (Matt. 5:23-24), or marital conflict (1 Peter 3:7).

(Chapter 22, pp. 164-165, italics added for emphasis)

Used by permission

of the Duewel Literature Trust, Inc,

Greenwood, Indiana

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Let's pray-

Father, this book that I'm featuring here, is to help us equip ourselves to more effectively prepare Your work in our efforts to carry the world vision, burden and ministry of intercession.

The practical suggestions which Dr. Duewel gives us here are applicable, whether praying for revival or for great evangelistic harvest. Blessed are the missionary society, organization, church or denomination that has a widespread base of deeply committed prayer partners in its membership.

May we start to be those who pray and believe for repeated outpourings of Your Spirit upon the groups or organizations we are praying for. May we be used as Your hidden intercessors who prepare the way for Your great works!

We pray for this to happen with our involvement, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen

Today's Bible verses-

1 Tim. 6:12 (NIV) “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
Rev.12:11 “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

Matt. 16:18 “. . . On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Quote for today-

~ Andrew Towe- "The circumstances that you are facing may appear very dark, but know this—even in the darkest of nights, your God is moving for you. I remind you that God works the nightshift! Your God moves when it looks as though nothing is happening. You are about to experience a third-day resurrection. Dead things are going to come to life. Dead dreams, dead promises, and dead relationships are coming back to life!"

Words of wisdom-

~ There'll be waiting periods in our lives when we'll learn valuable lessons. Say "Yes" to Jesus. Surrender to Him every doubt, guilt, fear, unforgiveness, uncertainty, and disbelief. This brings joy, risk and surrender.

Today's question-

Why does God allow devastation to happen?

When God's people throughout the Old Testament refused to obey and honor Him, He allowed drastic things to happen to get their attention. He spoke through prophets to tell them of His displeasure in their disobeying Him, bringing His name to shame by their actions and decisions. His desire was to reveal their defiance against what He'd made clear His way was for them as His chosen people. He always gave opportunity to repent, so He'd not have to bring the devastation.

Isiah 10-11 gives us the story that God had a plan to provide the Messiah in time to come, Who would provide the way for mankind to make peace with Him. As we're dealing with the world's brokenness, we are able to see the great need of a Savior. Christ Jesus paid the price for our sins on the Roman cross some 2,000 years ago so we could find forgiveness for our sins, and be reunited with the Father.

What we're witnessing throughout the world is evident that God is not pleased with the choices people have made. He desires to get our attention that we have disobeyed His laws given in the Bible. It's evident that mankind has gone their own way, doing what carnal men will do. Many of those who have known Christ and what He did, are slacking in their responsibility to spread the word of His Redemption.

What's happening should cause people to turn to Him for deliverance and safety, and to bring some peace. It definitely is a serious calling for the Lord's intervention. Christ's soon-coming will bring Peace, as nothing else man can devise will suffice.

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