The Power of Prayer
Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. Ezra 5:1-2
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, to send some of the Jews out of Babylon and back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. “Then the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:5). But once they arrived, adversaries rose up against them and many threats and distractions were used to thwart their work. How often do we encounter such distractions when trying to do God’s work? Our adversary prowls about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) and doing whatever he can to stop our progress in the Lord.
What the people needed, God provided. Zerubbabel and Jeshua needed support and strength. They got it from the prophets whom God raised up to help them. Haggai and Zechariah prophesied in the name of the God of Israel with His power on their lips, a power that brought the others back to work. For us, that power is in the prayers of others. We have the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to strengthen and sustain us. But, we also need prayer intercessors in those times when we feel weak and worn out, especially when the adversary seems to be coming after us.
Take time today and pray for those you know who are working for the things of God. Leadership and ministerial Christians are often on the front lines of battle where distractions are constantly interfering in their lives. Pray for them. If you are one of those on that battle line, do not hesitate to ask for prayer when you feel weak and weary. We have Jesus. We have His Word and we have His Holy Spirit, but He has also given us His body of believers to lift each other up in times of trouble. Prayer is a tool we need to use everyday—not only for ourselves, but also especially for those on the spiritual front lines.
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
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Thou shalt Love. Deuteronomy 6:5
"Lovest thou Me?"
"Who art Thou, Lord, that I should love Thee?"
"I am He that liveth, but I died; I loved thee, and gave Myself for thee; I have made thee mine forever in a bond that even death cannot break; I have loved thee with an everlasting love; I shall never be at rest till thou art with Me where I am."
"Indeed I would love Thee; but how?"
"Thou shalt love Me with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."
"This were impossible unless Thou give me the love Thou requirest."
"This I will do for thee, since love is of God. Only obey these simple directions:
"1. Abstain from all wrath, anger, malice, evil speaking, and all else that would grieve my Holy Spirit.
"2. Yield thyself to the Spirit, that He may produce in thee His choice fruit - Love. 'The fruit of the Spirit is love.' 'He sheds love abroad in the heart.'
"3. Consider my love to thee, especially that I died for thee when thou wert yet in thy sins. Meditate much upon the sacrifice I made for thee, that thou mightest have thy sins blotted out, and enjoy the peace which passeth all understanding.
"4. Believing that thou hast received the love of the Spirit, begin to let it work through thy life to all around thee.
"5. If thy heart is unwilling to love any, put thy will on My side, and confidently believe that I am able to work in thee to will and to do of My own good pleasure."
~F. B. Meyer~
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Pressing On
In Philippians 3:12, Paul says,
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Paul's challenge in this verse is for you and me to press on, to keep growing. I believe one of the greatest assets in life that you and I have is the capacity to grow and change. We have the capacity to press on.
One of the first steps in pressing on is to realize that you have not yet arrived. Even the apostle Paul acknowledged and recognized that he had not yet arrived. He said, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected.
Paul understood that he had a lot of room for growth. And if he did, so do we.
If you have grown stagnant in your spiritual life, you need to ask the question, "Why?" Why is your spiritual life stunted? Why are you not growing? Why are you stymied in your spiritual progress? What are your barriers to growth?
I believe that if we are willing to admit that we need to grow, then identify the barriers that are keeping a lid on our spiritual lives, and finally, by the grace of God, deal with those barriers and remove them, we will begin to press on and grow.
If you were to take a catfish and put it in a small fish tank, that fish would only grow to be 12 inches long and it might weigh a quarter of a pound. But if you took that identical catfish and placed it into a lake, it might grow to be three feet long and weigh 60 pounds.
What was the barrier to its growth? The tank kept it contained. It grew to the limit that the environment allowed.
Remove the barriers to your spiritual growth and press on!
~Bayless Conley~
______________________________
Thou shalt Love. Deuteronomy 6:5
"Lovest thou Me?"
"Who art Thou, Lord, that I should love Thee?"
"I am He that liveth, but I died; I loved thee, and gave Myself for thee; I have made thee mine forever in a bond that even death cannot break; I have loved thee with an everlasting love; I shall never be at rest till thou art with Me where I am."
"Indeed I would love Thee; but how?"
"Thou shalt love Me with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."
"This were impossible unless Thou give me the love Thou requirest."
"This I will do for thee, since love is of God. Only obey these simple directions:
"1. Abstain from all wrath, anger, malice, evil speaking, and all else that would grieve my Holy Spirit.
"2. Yield thyself to the Spirit, that He may produce in thee His choice fruit - Love. 'The fruit of the Spirit is love.' 'He sheds love abroad in the heart.'
"3. Consider my love to thee, especially that I died for thee when thou wert yet in thy sins. Meditate much upon the sacrifice I made for thee, that thou mightest have thy sins blotted out, and enjoy the peace which passeth all understanding.
"4. Believing that thou hast received the love of the Spirit, begin to let it work through thy life to all around thee.
"5. If thy heart is unwilling to love any, put thy will on My side, and confidently believe that I am able to work in thee to will and to do of My own good pleasure."
~F. B. Meyer~
____________________________________
Pressing On
In Philippians 3:12, Paul says,
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Paul's challenge in this verse is for you and me to press on, to keep growing. I believe one of the greatest assets in life that you and I have is the capacity to grow and change. We have the capacity to press on.
One of the first steps in pressing on is to realize that you have not yet arrived. Even the apostle Paul acknowledged and recognized that he had not yet arrived. He said, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected.
Paul understood that he had a lot of room for growth. And if he did, so do we.
If you have grown stagnant in your spiritual life, you need to ask the question, "Why?" Why is your spiritual life stunted? Why are you not growing? Why are you stymied in your spiritual progress? What are your barriers to growth?
I believe that if we are willing to admit that we need to grow, then identify the barriers that are keeping a lid on our spiritual lives, and finally, by the grace of God, deal with those barriers and remove them, we will begin to press on and grow.
If you were to take a catfish and put it in a small fish tank, that fish would only grow to be 12 inches long and it might weigh a quarter of a pound. But if you took that identical catfish and placed it into a lake, it might grow to be three feet long and weigh 60 pounds.
What was the barrier to its growth? The tank kept it contained. It grew to the limit that the environment allowed.
Remove the barriers to your spiritual growth and press on!
~Bayless Conley~
______________________________
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.”1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Here’s what Paul was saying to those in Thessalonica: “When Jesus comes, my crown is going to those that I’ve led to Him.” Now that’s a crown that doesn’t corrupt. When you die and go to heaven, are you going to take somebody with you, or are you going to heaven alone? “Must I go and empty-handed, must I meet my Savior so; without one soul with which to greet Him, must I empty-handed go?” Now I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m concerned because most people in church are not active soul winners. That’s tragic.
You say, “But, Pastor, I give my money.” I don’t care how much money you give. If you’re not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, you’re not right with God. You say, “Well, I teach.” I don’t care how eloquently you teach. If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus, you’re not right with God. You say, “Well, I attend faithfully.” I don’t care how much you attend. If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus Christ, you are not right with God.
Andrew Murray said, “There are two classes of Christians: soul winners and backsliders.” You are one or the other. If you don’t have a passion to see people come to the Lord Jesus Christ, I wonder if you know the Jesus I know.
ACTION POINT:
My dear brother, my dear sister, there is a crown to run for. It’s the soul winner’s crown.
~Adrian Rogers~
Running for the Soul Winner’s Crown
BIBLE MEDITATION“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.”1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Here’s what Paul was saying to those in Thessalonica: “When Jesus comes, my crown is going to those that I’ve led to Him.” Now that’s a crown that doesn’t corrupt. When you die and go to heaven, are you going to take somebody with you, or are you going to heaven alone? “Must I go and empty-handed, must I meet my Savior so; without one soul with which to greet Him, must I empty-handed go?” Now I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m concerned because most people in church are not active soul winners. That’s tragic.
You say, “But, Pastor, I give my money.” I don’t care how much money you give. If you’re not endeavoring to bring souls to Christ, you’re not right with God. You say, “Well, I teach.” I don’t care how eloquently you teach. If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus, you’re not right with God. You say, “Well, I attend faithfully.” I don’t care how much you attend. If you’re not trying to bring souls to Jesus Christ, you are not right with God.
Andrew Murray said, “There are two classes of Christians: soul winners and backsliders.” You are one or the other. If you don’t have a passion to see people come to the Lord Jesus Christ, I wonder if you know the Jesus I know.
ACTION POINT:
My dear brother, my dear sister, there is a crown to run for. It’s the soul winner’s crown.
~Adrian Rogers~
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