Gary Stebbins
Church on the Rock - Melbourne
Showing posts with label always pray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label always pray. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Yet Even Now!
Gary Stebbins
Church on the Rock - Melbourne
At COTRM we recently completed a series on the book of Joel. One of the take aways for me was a clear picture of how God would have a people respond when their nation is in a time of national crisis.
There is much power in the "fervent prayer of a righteous" man, but when it comes to national issues it is going to take a corporate response. The church must gather together to seek the heart of God and intercede on behalf of their nation.
Two verses from Joel have spoken to my heart concerning how God would have us respond to Him in times of crisis: "12 Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; 13 And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil." (Joel 2.12-13)
To "return" means to turn back, not in the sense that I must turn back to the beginning and start all over, but turn back to where I drifted in my heart and devotion from God's heart. The word can also mean to turn away. We turn back to God and at the same time turn away from those activities that distract us from God and His divine purposes for our lives.
Jeremiah spoke to Israel some very encouraging and instructive words when they had wandered from Him: "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jer 29:13)
As we turn back to God, turn away from distractions, and seek God with all our heart, we will find Him. He is yearning for us to search for Him.
In the above verses Joel leaves us with incredible hope and gives us great insight into the character and attributes of our God: "He is gracious and compassionate, He is slow to anger, He is abounding in
lovingkindness, He is relenting of evil." (Joel 2.13)
There is much power in the "fervent prayer of a righteous" man, but when it comes to national issues it is going to take a corporate response. The church must gather together to seek the heart of God and intercede on behalf of their nation.
Two verses from Joel have spoken to my heart concerning how God would have us respond to Him in times of crisis: "12 Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; 13 And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil." (Joel 2.12-13)
To "return" means to turn back, not in the sense that I must turn back to the beginning and start all over, but turn back to where I drifted in my heart and devotion from God's heart. The word can also mean to turn away. We turn back to God and at the same time turn away from those activities that distract us from God and His divine purposes for our lives.
Jeremiah spoke to Israel some very encouraging and instructive words when they had wandered from Him: "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jer 29:13)
As we turn back to God, turn away from distractions, and seek God with all our heart, we will find Him. He is yearning for us to search for Him.
In the above verses Joel leaves us with incredible hope and gives us great insight into the character and attributes of our God: "He is gracious and compassionate, He is slow to anger, He is abounding in
lovingkindness, He is relenting of evil." (Joel 2.13)
I thank God both for His admonition to bring my life in alignment with His heart, and His reminder to me that we serve a good and gracious God.
Yet even now! Can we find the time to pray and seek our God together for our nation?
Yet even now! Can we find the time to pray and seek our God together for our nation?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
As Was His Custom
Tim Franklin
Freedom Christian Center
July 7, 2010
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. NKJV
Oh, that the church in America would learn from Daniel! “AS WAS HIS CUSTOM…” (that sounds like Jesus.) A new law was written—No man shall bow to any other god or man except the king. It was endorsed by the King. It would be enforced by the authorities of the land. Daniel was not moved by this law. Daniel was not moved by the threat of death or imprisonment, or discomfort—Daniel was moved by his habit of prayer! Imagine that? A habit of prayer, established by years of the ‘custom of prayer’—THREE TIMES A DAY!
We are living in a time when the average American pastor is spending as little as 5-30 minutes a day in prayer depending on which source you read. It’s a day in which men’s knees are tender and their hearts are calloused. God is looking for a people so dependent on Him that their hearts are tender and their knees are calloused. Prayer is a powerful tool in the hands of a church that will embrace and use it. Yet, in the west, we have become soft and stopped praying when we have a ‘hang nail’ let alone a law like Daniel faced, that said you could not bow to another but the king. This is still the land of the free and the brave. Our president may not bow to our God or honor the National Day of Prayer, but that has nothing to do with our freedom to have a custom of prayer.
Ask yourself: “What will it take to stop me from praying?” To busy? To offended? To lazy? To afraid? To relaxed? To doubtful? Come on Brevard! We are better than this. The price of freedom has been paid. Jesus is His name! Let it be written of us in years to come… “They prayed as was their custom.”
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Always Pray and Don't Lose Heart
Pastor Tim Franklin, Freedom Christian Center, Melbourne, FL
Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. NKJV.
I love the way Jesus teaches! He tells a parable, and up front He gives the meaning. “I tell you a parable and the meaning is this: Always pray and do not lose heart.” This is one of those, “Hey, I really want you to get this” teachings.
The main question(s) that follow this statement today is: “How do I do that? How do I not grow weary of praying? How do I keep myself from getting tired of the place of prayer? How do I keep myself from getting discouraged or wanting to quit?” Jesus gives us a hint in verse six when He tells us to hear what the unjust judge said. Luke 18:4-5 Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. NKJV
We must not forget that Jesus tells this parable in the context of the end of the age, Luke 17:20-37. It is in this place of urgency that we are instructed to never give up praying. It is urgent that we not lose heart in the midst of circumstances that have the capacity to offend us. The natural progression of the natural man is: Why is this happening to me? Where is God? Why is He not answering? I guess He does not care; therefore, there is no need for me to pray. How do I keep my heart from going to the place of prayerlessness?
Know who you are talking to--Jesus. The woman in this parable is talking to an unjust judge who has no fear of God or concern for men. We are talking to Jesus! The Righteous Judge who delights in the fear of the Lord, Is. 11:3, and who has all humanity in heart, not willing that any would perish.
Don’t forget why you are talking--Justice. The woman was asking for justice! “God, make that which is wrong-right!” Until Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth, there will be more than enough wrongs needing to be made right in this age. We are to live burdened to see the injustices of this life done away with. This must begin in the place of prayer.
Know that prayer was a priority to Jesus. Jesus, himself, demonstrates the priority of prayer as we watch His life. He is up before the sun praying. He prays long into the night after great ministry success. He was so good at it that the disciples asked Him, “Teach us to pray like that.”
When Jesus returns will He find us in the place of faith. Faith in the midst of trials is real faith! We walk by faith and not by sight. When I have nothing in the natural to look at but His Word, and nothing in the natural to trust, but His Word, there am I in the place of faith, if I do not give way to doubt.
If you know who you are talking to: Jesus-that is intimacy. If you know what you are talking about: justice-that is urgency to see wrongs made right. You will stay motivated to pray. If you know that Jesus leads by example-He is always praying and ever lives to make intercession, you too will pray. When your heart is set on His Word and you believe it—you will stand in faith.
Therefore, always pray and do not lose heart!
Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. NKJV.
I love the way Jesus teaches! He tells a parable, and up front He gives the meaning. “I tell you a parable and the meaning is this: Always pray and do not lose heart.” This is one of those, “Hey, I really want you to get this” teachings.
The main question(s) that follow this statement today is: “How do I do that? How do I not grow weary of praying? How do I keep myself from getting tired of the place of prayer? How do I keep myself from getting discouraged or wanting to quit?” Jesus gives us a hint in verse six when He tells us to hear what the unjust judge said. Luke 18:4-5 Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. NKJV
We must not forget that Jesus tells this parable in the context of the end of the age, Luke 17:20-37. It is in this place of urgency that we are instructed to never give up praying. It is urgent that we not lose heart in the midst of circumstances that have the capacity to offend us. The natural progression of the natural man is: Why is this happening to me? Where is God? Why is He not answering? I guess He does not care; therefore, there is no need for me to pray. How do I keep my heart from going to the place of prayerlessness?
Know who you are talking to--Jesus. The woman in this parable is talking to an unjust judge who has no fear of God or concern for men. We are talking to Jesus! The Righteous Judge who delights in the fear of the Lord, Is. 11:3, and who has all humanity in heart, not willing that any would perish.
Don’t forget why you are talking--Justice. The woman was asking for justice! “God, make that which is wrong-right!” Until Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth, there will be more than enough wrongs needing to be made right in this age. We are to live burdened to see the injustices of this life done away with. This must begin in the place of prayer.
Know that prayer was a priority to Jesus. Jesus, himself, demonstrates the priority of prayer as we watch His life. He is up before the sun praying. He prays long into the night after great ministry success. He was so good at it that the disciples asked Him, “Teach us to pray like that.”
When Jesus returns will He find us in the place of faith. Faith in the midst of trials is real faith! We walk by faith and not by sight. When I have nothing in the natural to look at but His Word, and nothing in the natural to trust, but His Word, there am I in the place of faith, if I do not give way to doubt.
If you know who you are talking to: Jesus-that is intimacy. If you know what you are talking about: justice-that is urgency to see wrongs made right. You will stay motivated to pray. If you know that Jesus leads by example-He is always praying and ever lives to make intercession, you too will pray. When your heart is set on His Word and you believe it—you will stand in faith.
Therefore, always pray and do not lose heart!
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