Sunday, March 29, 2015

Some Fundamental FACTORS for Prayer

Some Fundamental FACTORS for Prayer


Serious prayer can be very hard work. Distractions, exhaustion, busy schedules, sin and so much more are barriers to focused, heartfelt, effective God-honoring prayer. Satan greatly desires to wreck your prayer life.

The information below is intended as a resource to help strengthen and protect your prayer time. This is not a prayer checklist and is certainly far from complete. However, the truths from God’s Word gathered here can be one of the tools you use to periodically sharpen your prayer skills.


Learning from the Example of Others

Listed here are a few of the many great prayers in the Bible. Reading and studying these prayers can help develop, strengthen or revive the passion and effectiveness of your prayers.

  • Matthew 6:5-15
    • Jesus teaches about prayer and gives the model prayer
  • John 17
    • Christ’s High Priestly Prayer (for Himself, His disciples and future believers)
  • Colossians 1:3-14
    • Paul prays for the saints in Colosse
  • Psalm 51
    • David’s prayer after being confronted about his sin with Bathsheba
  • Psalm 90
    • A prayer of Moses
  • 1 Kings 8:22-53
    • Solomon’s prayer of dedication at the completion of the Temple


Below are some Fundamental FACTORS for Prayer. The prayers of a prayer warrior are:


Faithful
  • Regular
    • Often
    • In Times of Need, Abundance and Sufficiency
    • Increasing in Frequency and Duration
  • Genuine
    • Sincere
    • Transparent
    • Trusting
      • In His Love, Grace and Mercy
      • In His Plan and Purposes
    • Depending
      • On His Power and Perfection
      • On His Protection and Provision
      • On His Holiness and Un-changeability
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
  • Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
  • Psalm 143:1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness.

Adoring
  • In Awe and Reverence of:
    • Who He Is
      • Creator God, Lord of the Universe, Father, Friend and Savior
      • His Essence and Attributes
    • What He has Done, is Doing and Will Do
      • Made Us
      • Died for Us
      • Saves and Sanctifies Us
      • Uses Us
      • Coming Back for Us
    • How He Does All that He Does
      • Flawlessly and Effortlessly
    • When He Does What He Does
      • At Just the Right Time, Every Time
    • All His Promises
      • That Have Been, Are Being, and Will Be Fulfilled
  • Psalm 7:17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
  • Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
  • Psalm 150:2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Confessing
  • Basis
    • Agreeing with God and What His Word Says About Sin
    • Complying with the Conviction of the Holy Spirit
    • Admitting that You Have Sinned
  • Attitude
    • Broken Over Your Sin
    • Bold in Your Approach to Him
    • Humble in Your Attitude
    • Confident in His Faithfulness to Forgive
  • Content
    • Admitting Your Rebellion and Inadequacy
      • Deliberate
        • Things that are Forbidden that You Made a Decision to Do
        • Things that are Required that You Made a Decision not to Do
      • Accidental
        • Sin that Results from Lack of Information, Planning, Discipline, Restraint or Safeguards
  • Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
  • Luke 18:13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
  • Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
  • 1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
  • 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Truthful
  • Honest with Yourself
    • Spirit Led Self Reflection in the Mirror of God's Word
  • Honest with God
    • No Lies
    • No Secrets
    • No Partial Truths
  • Honest About Others
    • How You See Them – As a Blessing or Burden
    • How God Expects Us to See Them – As an Opportunity to Share the Love of Jesus
  • James 1:23-24 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
  • Job 31:6 Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity.
  • 1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Obedient
  • In How You Pray
    • Externally
      • For God’s Glory, Not Yours
    • Internally
      • Spirit Led
      • Based on His Word
  • In Why You Pray
    • For His Will to Be Done
  • In How You Live In Relation to Your Prayers
    • All of You In Submission to All of Him
  • Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly
  • Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints 
  • 1 Samuel 15:22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Repentant
  • Yielding to the Gravity of Who God Is
    • Responding to His Love by Turning from Your Sin
    • Purposefully Keeping Him at the Center of Your Life
  • Joel 2:12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
  • Acts 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
  • 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Seeking
  • To be Enlightened in the Knowledge of His Will in Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding
    • So that You Know
      • The Hope of His calling
      • The Riches of His Inheritance in You
      • The Greatness of His Power
    • So You Are
      • Walking Worthy of Him
      • Pleasing to Him
      • Increasing in the Knowledge of Him
      • Strengthened According to His Power
      • Joyfully Tolerant of Circumstances and People
      • Grateful for What He has Done for You and Others
    • So that You Align Your Desires with His
    • So that You Have a Closer Relationship With Him
      • Abiding in Christ
      • Walking in the:
        • Spirit (Galatians 5:16)
        • Light (1 John 1:7)
        • Truth (3 John 1:4)
  • Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
  • Ephesians 1:16-17 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
  • Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
  • Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.


God honoring prayer is not an intellectual exercise. It is all about His Word, His Spirit, His Love, His Plan, His Desires and our relationship and alignment with Him. Pray on warriors!


Prayer

Father, please build strong prayer warriors that diligently, relentlessly and faithfully seek after You and Your Will. May Your Spirit and Your Word guide, empower and enable your prayer warriors. I praise You and thank You for the privilege of prayer. In the glorious name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
 
  

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Praying for God’s People

Praying for God’s People


God’s People need prayer. The body of Christ, the universal church, every blood bought saint of the Lord should be praying diligently for each other.  Our many needs can only be met through God’s provision. 


Pray for God’s People’s:


Presence
Sent by Christ to share His love and to shine as lights in this world.
  • John 17:18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
  • Philippians 2:15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world

Power
With Christ’s strength and stamina for the salvation of the lost in every place.
  • Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
  • Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Purity
Righteous through the blood of Christ, setting the standard for a God honoring life.
  • Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
  • 1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Passion
Driven by selfless and sacrificial enthusiasm while living in reverence and awe of the Lord.
  • Proverbs 23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;
  • Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Piety
Steadfast servants of Christ and His body.
  • Psalm 119:38 Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You.
  • 1 Corinthians 16:15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints—

Purpose
Christ’s saints have specific responsibilities.
  • Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
  • James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Protection
False teaching, suffering and sin are all subservient to the sovereign Lord of the universe.
  • 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
  • 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Preaching
Prepared for any circumstance by sound schooling in the truths of God’s Word.
  • Ephesians 4:11-12 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
  • 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

Patience
Clinging to the surety of God’s Word, each test strengthening for the struggles and imperfect people encountered along the way.
  • Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
  • James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
  • Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

Christians need prayer for:
  • Their Presence throughout the world
  • The Power of the Holy Spirit for salvation of the lost by the gospel of Christ
  • Purity of heart and lifestyle
  • Passion for and from Christ
  • Piety that comes from love for God and all people
  • The Purpose of making disciples, serving those in need, and remaining untainted by the sin of the world
  • The Lord’s Protection from false teaching, persecution and the enticements of the flesh, the world and the devil
  • Being convinced, cautioned and called up by the Preaching of humble, prepared and longsuffering pastors
  • Ongoing Patience to watch for the fulfillment of God’s promises, endure every problem and calmly deal with people (lost and saved alike).


Prayer

Father, Lord, Savior: please impress on the heart of each of Your saints to continually pray for the body of Christ. Your church fulfills many purposes that can only be accomplished by Your power in Your timing. May we diligently seek Your Will and submit to Your plan through prayer, Bible Study, sermons, devotions, lesson, Christ centered conversations, the leading of Your Spirit, observing Your work around us, serving others and dying to ourselves daily. I praise Your Holy name and pray in the name above all names, Jesus. Amen.
 
  

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Woe and Well-Being

Woe and Well-Being


The world around us can be hard to understand. We see hurt and happiness, sadness and satisfaction, frustration and fun, pain and pleasure, disappointment and delight…
  • Isaiah 45:7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’
  • Lamentations 3:38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed?

It’s true, God allows and uses both Woe and Well-Being.
  • Amos 3:6 If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?
  • Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Without a strong Biblical foundation, the manifestation of evil in the world can be confusing. But make no mistake about it,

God is:
  • Sovereign over all happenings – He rules over all things!
    • Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.
  • The provider of all good things!
    • James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
  • Accomplishing His purposes – even through the evil intentions of men and of nations!
    • Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
    • Habakkuk 1:6-7 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
  • Never going to entice someone to do evil!
    • James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

The reality of evil, and what may appear to be evil, is:
  • Tangible evidence that confirms what the Bible teaches about God and Satan.
    • God is Wholly Holy
      • Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
      • Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
      • 1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
    • Satan is Entirely Evil
      • John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
      • 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
      • Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
  • Clear evidence of man’s sin nature (propensity to sin).
    • Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
    • Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Graphic evidence of the necessity of God’s judgment against sin.
    • Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.
    • Genesis 19:24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.
    • Exodus 12:12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
    • Mark 6:11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

But the fact of the matter is, no one fully understands why God allows the evil that occurs in the world. Sometimes it is hard not to shout out, ‘Why Lord? Why?’ Although God has revealed to us a great deal about Himself and His character, we can never forget that He is beyond our complete understanding. As He gives and takes away, we have to trust in Him.
  • Isaiah 55:8-9 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
  • Romans 11:13 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
  • Job 1:21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
  • Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
  • Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

Throughout the Bible, God has provided principles, practices, promises and prayers to guide and sustain us as we continue on this journey of faith through the tragedies and triumphs of this fallen world.
  • Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
  • Lamentations 3:22-23 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
  • Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.
  • Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
  • Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
  • Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
  • James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
  • Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
  • Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Closing Thoughts
  • In His perfect love, rather than creating good little robots and placing them in a cage without any possibility of evil, God created man in His image, placed him in a perfect environment and gave him the free will to make of the world what he would.
    • Genesis 1:27-28 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
  • And although we all bear the curse of Adam’s sin, God still gives people the opportunity to choose between good and evil.
    • Deuteronomy 11:26-28 “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
    • Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
    • Romans 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
  • Our choice shows our love for God or love of Satan. The consequences of our choice are eternal.
    • Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
    • Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Prayer

Heavenly Father, many people use the existence of evil as an excuse to doubt or deny You. I pray that the truth of Your Word and the Power of Your Spirit will shine the light of Your love on the hearts of those who need salvation in Christ. Use Your children to share Jesus with the lost and hurting. I praise You. I love You. I pray to You in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
 
  

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Here I Am

Here I Am


After their sin in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hid from God in reverent shame.
  • Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

When God command Pharaoh to ‘Let My people go’, he refused in arrogant ignorance.
  • Exodus 5:2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”

There are many possible reactions to God’s power and presence; His call and commands: fear, shame, arrogance, rebellion, obedience, joy, faithfulness, denial, pride, acceptance, humility, guilt, anger, peace, rejection …

Below are five examples of men from the Bible who were facing very different circumstances. When the time came, each of these men responded to God in the most appropriate way; trusting enthusiasm. If you take the time to read and understand the examples below in context, you may even ‘hear’ the excitement in each man’s voice as he responds to God’s call with a whole-hearted, ‘Here I am.’ 


Abraham’s Test
  • Genesis 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
    • God was about to put Abraham through a very difficult test. This test was meant to show Abraham the reality of his faith and the faithfulness of his God. God told Abraham to sacrifice (kill) his son; the son that God had promised him. Then, right in the midst of this unimaginable test, to Abraham’s credit, he again responded promptly and correctly to another call from God.
    • Isaac’s Deliverance
      • Genesis 22:11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”
        • God called just at the moment Abraham was going to slay Isaac. Abraham's attentiveness to God’s call saved his son’s life.


Jacob's Predicament
  • Genesis 31:11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’
    • Jacob had faithfully served his father-in-law for twenty years. And even though he had profited greatly from Jacob’s work, Laban began to resent how God was blessing Jacob. Jacob wasn’t sure what to do. When God called Jacob, he responded in faith and God told him exactly what he needed to do.


Moses’ Commissioning
  • Exodus 3:4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
    • At the amazing sight of a bush that was burning but not consumed, Moses decided to take a closer look. As he approached this earthly manifestation of God’s glory, Moses had no idea how his life was about to change. But without hesitation, he responded to God’s summons.


Isaiah’s Call
  • Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
    • In the midst of a vision of God on His throne, Isaiah heard the Lord express the need for a prophet. Did Isaiah hide?  Did he make excuses? Absolutely not!  Isaiah responded to the need with readiness to serve.


Ananias’ Assignment
  • Acts 9:10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
    • Saul of Tarsus (later to be known as Paul) was left blind from his encounter with Christ on the road near Damascus. But he knew from a vision that a man named Ananias would be coming to heal him. Ananias, despite the trepidation caused by Saul’s reputation for persecuting Christians, did exactly what Jesus asked of him. Ananias overcame his fears with faith.


These men were excited to hear from God.
And when God called, they responded!


How do you respond to God’s call to pray, to serve, to get involved, to take responsibility, to step out in faith, to help someone in need, to love unconditionally, to face a dangerous or delicate situation?

Fear, uncertainty and lack of confidence in our own abilities are natural human responses to God’s call to action. Thankfully, when we are weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).


Focusing on ourselves leads us to say,
‘Who, me?’
It is our confidence in Him that allows us to say,
‘Here I am!’


Prayer

Holy, sovereign, all-powerful Father, I pray that confidence in You will allow everyone You call to respond in trusting enthusiasm. Your Word, Your Spirit, Your Promises and Your Will guarantee that all things work together for good to those who love You, to those who are the called according to Your purpose. Forgive our weaknesses. Forgive our hesitation. Thank You for Your enduring patience. I pray in the name above all names, Jesus. Amen.