Tag: prayer
Work and warfare!
Scripture reading for May 9th: Nehemiah 3-4
God’s people are wired for work! When a vision is present, focus of energy and teamwork can result in a miraculous amount of work being done and great accomplishments. It takes leadership and discipline to get people to work together. There are many hindrances that try to hold up progress and destroy the vision. The leader must assess the situation, cast the vision, organize the team of workers, and deal with the hindrances in a timely and effective manner. He can’t run a popularity contest or seek to appease those who would hinder or hold up the work.
Nehemiah was an effective leader. He was chosen by God as he prayed for the city of Jerusalem, burdened for it’s broken-down walls. Nehemiah was given favor, authority, and materials from the king to go and rebuild the broken walls of his beloved city. His plan of action was formulated as he assessed the situation for himself after arriving there. (Nehemiah 2:11-16) He decided to put families in charge of rebuilding the section of wall nearest their own homes. (Nehemiah 3) This brought personal responsibility to bear on how the job would be done and how fast they would work.
Nehemiah had to deal with opposition, both external and internal. This is spiritual warfare that is ever-present in the life of a believer seeking to do God’s will. He prayed first (Nehemiah 4:4-5) and then posted a guard. He armed half the men while the others worked. He kept a trumpeter by his side to sound the alarm if any family was attacked and needed help. (Nehemiah 4:17-20) Everyone worked together and kept ready to meet any opposition.
This is a good plan for each person in God’s family. We are each assigned work to do by the Lord. There will be opposition and it must be dealt with to avoid setback and defeat. The Holy Spirit is the trumpeter in our lives who lets us know when trouble is coming. As we work and fight together the work gets done quickly. We remember that we are fighting for our own protection and that of our family. Personal responsibility and God’s grace insure the victory!
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14
Who will stoke the fire?
Scripture Reading for March 9th: Judges 1-5
When I was younger, we heated our home on the farm with wood. When it was extremely cold, we had a small bin of coal to help with the heat through the long Iowa winter. One of the jobs right before bed was to go down and stoke the fire. More wood would be added and ashes removed so a good flow of air would cause the fire to heat up and blaze. A scoop of coal would be tossed in too. A short time later the damper was shut so all the coals and logs would glow with a steady fire all night. If no one stoked the fire, it would go out.
Godly leaders stoke the fires with the wood of prayer and pour on the coals of God’s Word to keep zeal burning through the long night. But when the leader is gone, complacency sets in. Joshua left some elders who stoked the fire for a time, but hey passed from the nation. The next generation arose without a personal experience of God’s mighty miracles and deliverance. This generation began to drift into idolatry and the bondage of sin.
The cycle is recorded in Judges. God got angry and sold them into slavery to an oppressing nation. The people cried out to the Lord and he heard them and raised up another leader who would deliver them. Then there would be a time of peace during the life of that leader (Judge). After the leader’s death, the cycle would begin again. (Judges 2:10-19) This is repeated seven times in the Book of Judges!
I see this kind of cycle also present in our culture today. A godly leader teaches and preaches and lives out God’s Word and a revival springs up in a home or church or city. (That leader can be a father or mother, pastor or Sunday School teacher, or a janitor who loves the Lord.) The fires of the Spirit are stoked with prayer and faithful, anointed preaching of the whole counsel of God. The land enjoys peace until another generation arises who did not experience God moving. They fall into bondage as they drift away from the Lord. Will you stoke the fires of the Spirit today by praying and reading God’s holy Word? God will anoint you afresh with the Holy Spirit and Fire from on high! (Matthew 3:11)
Expanded leadership!
Scripture reading for June 8th: Acts 6:1-15
Every organization rises or falls on leadership. Gifts of leadership are given to individuals by God to help the church function smoothly. No one person is more important or higher than another in Christ’s body, but each person has a different function based on their gifts and talents. Faithfulness and maturity are foundational to strong leadership.
A crisis in the early church was recorded in Acts 6:1-7. There was strife and complaining between Grecian Jews and Hebraic Jews over the treatment of their widows. Some were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food and the apostles gathered together to tackle the problem. “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:2b-4)
The apostles recognized their priorities as prayer and ministry of the Word. They understood that leadership must be expanded. But just warm bodies would not do the proper job. These men must be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Known character and infilling with the Spirit would enable them to have the power necessary to properly function in this important ministry. God cares deeply about widows and orphans! (James 1:27)
“This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judiasm. The presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.” (Acts 6:5-6) The men were selected from a variety of backgrounds and then prayed over by the apostles. They gave the responsibility of caring for the widows away to responsible people who had the Holy Spirit, faith and wisdom!
The recorded result was an increase in the word of God and number of disciples, even priests were coming to Christ! When godly leadership functions in the proper tasks, God’s church expands. Preaching the Word is a priority for those so gifted and called! Pastoral care is also a vital need that those gifted and called can do. Are you full of the Holy Spirit with godly character that God can put you into His service?
A Holy Burden
Scripture reading for May 8th: Nehemiah 1-2
Today we find Nehemiah with a “holy burden” concerning Jerusalem and it’s people. Nehemiah, was an exile in Babylon, held an important position. He was cup bearer to the king. As cup bearer, he was responsible to taste all the wine and drinks that the king received and make sure that they had not been poisoned. His face reflected sadness as he came before the king, and the king asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah prayed quickly to himself, then shared his holy burden with the king. (Nehemiah 2:1-5)
Nehemiah’s burden came from pondering a report about Jerusalem and it’s inhabitants. It had been some time since Ezra had taken men back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and this work had been hindered by opposition. As Nehemiah heard about the discouragement, the broken walls of the city and the burned gates, his heart broke for its restoration and deliverance. He prayed and fasted, confessing sins that had brought about the terrible conditions of the once beautiful city and it’s great temple of the Lord. (Nehemiah 1:3-7) He reminded God of His promises to restore His people if they would return to Him. He asked God for favor with the king as he went before Him. (Nehemiah 1:11) This was why Nehemiah was now able to share his burden with the king!
God graciously turned the heart of the king to allow Nehemiah to go back to his beloved city and work on the walls. Nehemiah went quietly and surveyed the city walls for himself. He then shared the plans with the Jews living there and told them of the provision of God and His guidance. This sparked encouragement and the willingness to begin the work! There was some opposition from locals who opposed both the rebuilding and the Jews themselves. Nehemiah declared in faith to them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We His servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” (Nehemiah 2:20)
Prayer is always the place to start when we have a holy burden. We lay it before the Lord, confess our sin and offer ourselves as a resource. God takes over and leads us onward. A holy burden is His heart’s burden placed on us. Faith then takes us to action that lifts the burden like a balloon filled with helium.
Compassion and prayer!
Scripture reading for January 19th: Genesis 50, Exodus 1-2, Matthew 15
Key Scriptures: Matthew 15:32-35 “Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to sen them away hungry, lest they faint on the way. And the disciples said, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” And Jesus said to them, :How many loaves do you have?: The said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks He broke them and gave them to the disciples…”
We notice the compassion that motivated Jesus to take faith action. He saw the hungry crowds and knew they had need. He found all available resources and organized the crowd. He mobilized the disciples to take the bread He had blessed and broken. As they broke it to the crowd, a miracle happened and all were fed! Compassion motivated Pharaoh’s daughter as well!
Exodus 2:5-6, 10 “Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children. . . .”When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.””
Prayer: Lord, fill my heart with Your compassion for the needy, hurting and lost! Let me be flooded with Your love! In Jesus’ Name.
Sunday rest and reflection: prayer!
Dear friends,
Greetings again this first day of a new week! Hopefully, you are spending it gathering with God’s people to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day of the week. He began a new day, called ‘today’, a day of salvation and good news for all mankind! He is alive and we have the hope of eternal life in Him alone! There is no other name given under heaven among men by which we must be saved! (Acts 4:12)
As I reflect back on this week’s readings, I am quickly brought back to the prophet Daniel. His life of dedication and prayer lived out in the country of Babylon in the midst of pagan culture is amazing! His world was radically changed with the captivity and move to a strange culture. He kept his spiritual bearings by praying three times a day. This habit got him into trouble later in his life. He was probably nearly 90 years old when this habit caused him to be thrown into the lion’s den during the reign of the Persian king Darius. His faithfulness to pray stopped the mouths of hungry lions. (Daniel 6:19-22) He got to share with this king about His God and brought Him honor! (Daniel 6:26-27)
Another time, Daniel was reading the Book of Jeremiah where he saw that the captivity would last 70 years and realized that it was almost over. He began to seek the Lord by fasting and prayer, confessing again the sins of the nation that took them into captivity. (Daniel 9:4-19) This beautiful prayer of repentance brought a swift answer from God by means of Gabriel, the Archangel! The amazing answer was the word concerning the “Seventy ‘seven’s” which tells the number of years until the Messiah would come. Prayer is an awesome privilege and God loves to share with His servants.
God’s House is to be a “house of prayer” for all nations! (Mark 11:17) We gather to worship and to pray for His kingdom and will to be done. There is power when God’s people gather together and agree together. Don’t miss out on gathering today and take time to pray! Read the Word of God and pray for it’s completion in you and your family! God hears and will answer! What a privilege we have!
Have a great week in Jesus! In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection–prayer
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, our coming king and eternal savior! “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24) It is a choice to rejoice in the Lord each and every day! Each day is a new day with new understanding of how great our God is! As we begin another week, set aside time to reflect on God Himself. Take time to commune with Him! Take time to be with others of like-precious faith who gather to worship, study, and thank Him in community! We especially need this as we see the day of the Lord approaching! (Hebrews 10:25)
We have been reading this past week about Ezra and Nehemiah, two great men in the history of Israel who relied on God and lived lives of prayer and obedience. Ezra offered praise and thanks to the Lord for granting him favor to rebuild the temple. (Ezra 7:27-28) Ezra prayed for traveling mercies for his party with all the gold and silver articles for the temple. (Ezra 8:21-23) After God brought them safely to Jerusalem, they met with others and offered sacrifices and thanked the Lord. Ezra heard about the unfaithfulness of those who had married outside of the faith and he again humbled himself to pray and fast and confess the sins of his countrymen. (Ezra 9:5l-15) Others gathered with him and they sought the Lord. God brought repentance and cleansing as they prayed together.
Nehemiah carried a burden for Jerusalem and it’s broken walls. He began to pray to the Lord about his burden. (Nehemiah 1:5-11) He had opportunity to speak with the Persian king, Artaxeres, and prayed again. (Nehemiah 2:4) God granted him favor and he was sent by this pagan king to rebuild the walls. He was given materials and money as well as willing workers. As he arrived, God gave him a vision and plan to put the people to work by families, assigning them personal responsibility near their own homes. He shared his vision and God granted favor! Prayer was offered to combat discouragement and stop opposing forces. (Nehemiah 4:4-5) Nehemiah armed the workers and encouraged them to work and fight for their own children, homes and families! (Nehemiah 4:14) He had a trumpeter near him at all times to sound a call to fight (or pray) when an attack might come. (Nehemiah 4:20) Prayer was important for Nehemiah and those who worked together to rebuild the walls. It brought a focus on God as the source of all help and a vision of God’s plan and purpose!
Take time today to praise the Lord, thank him for who He is, and enjoy sweet communion with Him. Do this for yourself and for your family! Meet with God’s people and pray and praise Him in community! He is coming soon!