Deep Are The Wells Of Impoverishment In Man

Many of us have deep down hurt inside. The wells of our impoverishment. The answer is not found in our own resources, but in the resources of Jesus. Jesus is the Christ and He is Almighty. Do you believe this? We carry our Bible, go to church, bless our food and then try to solve the depths of our problems ourself. Victory in life is not found in our own members, but in a surrender to Christ as the Almighty in our life.

Daily Prayer: Lord, let us not lean to our own understanding. Too often we are like doubting Thomas. We are disciples, yet don't believe in your power to be risen from the dead. Nothing is too hard for You. Commit this truth to our heart so that we may live it out in our feet and in our hands and in our mind. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

YOUR GOD IS NOT A SMALL GOD

You say, I know God is not small, but many people trust Him as though He were. In reality, most of us trust ourselves first and trust God for the hard problems of life. Jesus says "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus knows of our self-centered ways. He also knows that that way leads to defeat. The Bible goes on to say "Walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh." This walking is like abiding in the Spirit. One cannot abide short of total surrender of your will to His. This is why so many Christians are Carnal Christians. What Jesus did for them they receive, but the Spirit He sent to them we resist. We will see Him in power and glory when we cast all of our cares on Him, because He cares for us.

Daily Prayer: Lord, convince me to give up the fight in the flesh. If the flesh had a fighting chance, we would not have needed a Savior. I know my own inclinations to trust in myself, but with Your help I desire to be transformed again, this time not for eternal life in heaven, but for a heavenly life on earth. Help me to get to this end. I pray in Jesus name Amen.

I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN

Jesus said to His followers, "Lay down what you have and follow Me." Disciples of Jesus came to him with no baggage. He said, "I will make you fishers of men." Laying down what you have to pursue others is not a natural thing to do. This is why so many turned away from Him. So Jesus says "Are you going to leave me also?" Peter's reply, "Lord to whom shall we go, You have the words of eternal life?" This is the right attitude of a believer in Christ. To whom else can we go? God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. So what is your attitude toward the unbelieving neighbor? Should it not set on fire your desire to lead them to the Lord so that they too may not die a the second death? This is the calling of the Church which was a mystery in the prior times.

Daily prayer: Father, thank you for drawing us to the Son so that we may believe. Now use us in anyway You see fit so that we may be instruments of Your work in bringing others to the Son. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

WE ARE TO BE MINDFUL OF OTHERS

The measure of our Christian walk is not as much on how we relate to God, but are we useful to Him. If our agenda is about how "I" think "I" shall proceed instead of how I can bring others to Christ, we have failed our commission. "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations", Jesus said. Disciples are not only introduced to the Risen Lord, but have become mature in their faith. The Church which is the Body of Believers, have been called out to do the work of Jesus in a fallen World.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, save me from myself. I know that you died for me on the cross and my salvation is sure, but often times my greatest stumbling block is myself and how I see my service to you. Let me now not think of myself, but lay it all down for the sake of others. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

LET YOUR "SECRET PLACE" BE YOUR HOLY OF HOLIES

Jesus teaches us that when we pray, to go into that secret place and shut the door so that you may pray in earnest to the Father. If you recall, our physical body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. So, as it was in the temple of old, the temple had an area called the Holy of Holies where the high priest would come into the presence of the Lord. So it is in New Covenant days. Now we no longer have the physical temple, but our body and our mind have the Spirit of God forwhom we are His temple. So as we approach God, go into a secret place so we can offer our petitions in all sincerity.

Daily Prayer: Father, we are thankful that our petitions can be made by each of us daily. No longer are we dependant on a high priest to come before you for us, because we have Your Son who is the Great High Priest who by His Sacrifice, opened the door to all who come to you by faith. Teach us now to use the great gift you have given us to help us through the trials of life. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

THE GREAT TEST: PERSEVERANCE

We are not children anymore. We have learned that things do not happen instantly and we know that God's Word is sure. So what are we called to do this side of the Cross and before the Master's return? We are called to persevere. This of course is something greater than endurance, as endurance simpy exposes our fear of letting go. Perseverence is self-management under God's plan and a maintenance of the Word of God not only for ourselves, but for others of our own and next generation. It is a steadfastness with the confidence that all that we have lived for is not in vein and God's promises are sure.

DON'T BE SO HEAVENLY MINDED THAT YOU ARE NO EARTHLY GOOD

Daydreaming is both a blessing and a curse. If I meditate trying to seek God, this is good and acceptable. If God has spoken, however, to continue to daydream is disobedient to our Lord.
The Kingdom mindset is one of action. We are called to rule with and for Christ on earth. If we fail to put our thoughts into action, everyone loses and there is nobody to be the hands and feet of Christ until he returns.

Daily Prayer: Lord, help us not to be slothful. You have told us that the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Let us not be among those you find not carrying on your work when the Master returns. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

DRUDGERY TESTS OUR SPIRITUALITY

My father taught me that everyone wants to be important. This is quite true. The problem is that there is only a small amount of so called "important work" and infinite small and less rewarding jobs. In Genesis after Cain murdered his brother Able for presenting a better sacrifice, his character and countenance fell. God asked him that wouldn't his countenance get better if he arises and does well? So it is with the small taskes of life. We have to remember that our Savior told us that who so ever brings a cup of water to the elect, he shall by no means lose his reward.

Daily Prayer: Father, all too often we visualize ourselves as important people. The problem is that being important is not the problem, but we want what only you can have which is g lory. We are important to you and we know this because you sent your Son to the cross to save us from ourselves and from sin. Let your grace be sufficient for us. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

DISPAIR

Dispair is part of the life of the Christian just as it is part of life this side of the Cross. Despair comes and that is real. Who had more right to have dispair than Peter. He had denied Jesus three times when he said prevously that He would die with his Savior. Jesus did not leave Peter in dispair. The Risen Christ came to Peter and told him to "feed my sheep." Jesus was inviting him back into ministry. Just as a child when learning to ride a bike will sometimes fall, they don't stay down. So it is in our life. By the power of the Spirit that dwells within us we get up, but leave dispair down.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for freeing us from condemnation and guilt. Your forgiveness is much greater than we would do for ourself. Help us not to be hindered by our failures. Let us not get discouraged and know that when dispair comes, opportunity is just around the corner. In Your Name we pray Amen.

GOD'S CURE FOR DEPRESSION

There are two kinds of depression. One kind is the normal depression whose capacity rests in every human. The other kind is depression which is due to grieving the Holy Spirit. In the former case, God wants us to go about doing the simple things of life. It is like when God told Elijah "Arise, go and eat." God wanted the prophet to resume normal life and when God leads you and your attend to His command, depression will leave you. In the same way, if you are the cause of depression because of grieving the Holy Spirit, then confession of sin is in order because no restoration of fellowship is possible without it.

Daily Prayer: Lord, teach us to follow your leading. Help us not to mount self-pity on a state of depression. Instead, let us arise and go about our life and seek fellowship with you in these difficult times. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

WHO WILL TAKE THE FIRST STEP?

When seeking the supernatural from God, do you expect God to take the first step or is God's divine power dependant on us making the first move? That all depends. Salvation is a supernatural gift of God, but it is all God doing it to a believer receiving His work by faith. Have you ever imagined how Elijah had the guts on Mr. Carmel to tell all the priests of Baal to have a contest between his God and theirs. We know that God came through for Elijah. To have God intervene in supernatural ways, it takes an attitude of faith, not an act of faith. An attitude of faith is believing that God is able to do all things. So if a child of God seeks the supernatural they will have to proceed with the first move believing that God will not disappoint them.

Daily Prayer: Father, we need to be bold like Elijah and to represent Your Kingdom on earth. You have given us authority to rule for You here, so let us not wait for you for fear that you will not deliver. In Your Name we pray Amen.

OUR TRESPASSES ARE ALWAYS PUBLIC

I wonder if we thought all of our sins will be revealed and made public if we would panic more at the idea of sin? The realtiy is that all sins are public. Both our activities and our thought life affect those around us and even those who we don't think have any interest in our life. You are your brother's keeper. Whatever you contemplate, God knows the condition of your heart. In order to live the Christian life victoriously, three agendas are necessary. First, do not grieve the Spirit so that He is not freed up to work in your life. Second, do no quench the Spirit. We are to be in vital union with the Spirit and should not suppress His manifestations. Third, walk with the Spirit because by actively allowing His work in your life you will not allow the enemy which is the flesh to control you. Walk in the light like He is in the light. Then you will be useful to Chirst and His work in the world.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have been foolish in the past by allowing the devil, the flesh and the world to have sway in our life. Forgive our sins, we did not know what we were doing. Now that we realize that our sins are as public as shouting them from a roof top, help us by Your Spirit to starve the flesh and to feed the Spirit. In Your Holy name we pray Amen.

Hearing is devotion & it takes practice

I believe all want to hear what God says, but only a select number do. God speaks, but we don't hear. This is because hearing takes devotion and we are to consumed with the things of this world that when God speaks, we often times fail to hear. The devotion of hearing is not easy. First, one needs to realize how lame our hearing skills are. Then it takes a commitment to practicing hearing such that we tune out the world so that we can be tuned in to God. Once one develops the regular devotion of hearing, then it improves our speach as well because before we speak, we know what God has said.

Daily Prayer: Father, teach us to be like Jesus who always heard when you spoke. Develop in us the desire to identify ourself as one who needs teaching & instruction.
Finally, knowing that you are faithful in such things, allow us to hear your desire for each of us. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

THIS IS THE ROOT OF OUR DISOBEDIENCE

If I were to ask what is the root of our disobedience, you would probably say it is our sinful nature. The root of our disobedience is our lack for the love of God. If we felt that immediate judgment would result from our disobedience, we would probably yield to Him out of fear. God wants our obedience to stem from love instead of fear. This is why God sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike.

Daily Prayer: It is true that our love for you is not as it ought to be. Jesus said "blessed are those who believe without seeing." I think Christians believe without seeing, but it would be easier to love the God we see and touch so we ask that you manifest yourself in our lives so that we may love and believe. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

FOCUS, LOOK BACK AND THEN LOOK FORWARD

The spirit of a man works best when it works in tandem with our minds. Both are immaterial, but drastically affect our physical self. The Apostle said to "take every thought captive to the Lord Jesus Christ." By doing this, it frees up the Spirit of God to do His guidance thing in your life. Also remember what Christ did on the cross and remember all of your answered prayer. Our God is faithful and whose arm is not short that it can't save. Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you.

Daily Prayer. Father, help us to remember all that you have done in our lives. You loved us when we were quite unlovable. If we must forget something, let us forget what we consider to be our own achievements and instead let us humble ourself before You. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

WHO IS THE CENTER OF YOUR IMAGINATION?

Humankind is created in the image of God. This means that we are created such that we share or are partakers in some of His divine attributes. One of those attributes is our imagination. If you have viewed our podcast series on "The Nature of Evil" you will have heard that when we are in our teenage years, we begin to cast images. These images are only evil if they are used to visualize ourselves as being something greater than what we are. The evil is that the images are self centered. However, God wants us to see in His creation something of Himself and His hand at work in the world. This is known as general revelation. This is to see the beauty of the waters, trees, wind, wildlife and know that wherever there is a watch, there is also a watch maker. The prophet Jeremiah likeness us to clay and Yahweh as the potter. So who then is the center of your imagation? Cast your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, open the eyes of our hearts so that we may see you and know you. Forgive our futile efforts to be somebody. Instead, let us, by the power of Your Sprit, lead a lost generation to You. In Your Name I pray Amen.

FEED MY SHEEP

The Lord Most High delegates to his believers the task of spiritual maintenance of the flock. People don't know automatically how to relate to Jesus, but they can relate to him through you. In this way, you pour out yourself as nourishment to those who are coming to Christ until such time that they can come to him directly. In my own life, I was a follower of Dr. Tony Evans for a couple of years until I learned that Jesus was saying "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." There was no point going to Dr. Evans anymore, because he was with Jesus spiritually recharging. So it is in our own life. We are to lead people to the Savior so that his flock multiplies.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, use me as you choose to. It may be either slight or great, so long as you supply the power, I will be there with you. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

SANCTIFIED FOR HIS OWN PURPOSES

Sanctification is the setting apart for a special purpose. We use the word consecrate in the same way. Others interpret it as an act or process of purification. The good news is that everyone who is saved will be sanctified as it is the work of the Holy Spirit who indwells you. The process of purification which is the evident part of the consecration can go over a long period of time with the believer fighting the process in their flesh or in can be more gentle when we identify with the Risen Jesus. Either way, God's people in the end will achieve holiness, but to those who frusterate the process, they will lose reward because we are judged by our conduct from the day of our salvation forward. Not judged to determine salvation, but to determine worthiness to God.

Daily Prayer: Father, too often I frusterate the process. Part of the reason is that in my flesh I tried to purify myself, but I can no more purify myself than I can save myself.
To everyone who prays this prayer with me today, let the Spirit have His way in Your life and lean not to your understanding, but trust in God as you did on the day of your salvation. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

GOING THRUGH THE FIRE

When I was a child, I was terrified of fire. When you consider what fire does it is interesting. Consider the fire that takes hold of a house. It cannot destroy the house completely, because it cannot destroy its foundation. This is the way it is in our Christian life. We go through the fire of the world and the fire of testing. He who has his foundation in Christ will not be destroyed, because the foundation is flame resistant.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for providing for our salvation which is the foundation of life. When the fire of life is consuming the chaff of this world, Your Rock Sold Foundation will endure. In Jesus' name we pray Amen.

HOW LOW WILL YOU GO?

The Apostle Paul said he was being poured out as a drink offering... What did he mean by that? What he meant was that he would, with joy, give up all rights to himself for the benefit of another. Suppose nobody remembers your good works once you are gone?
Jesus remembers. You see, our ultimate goal is for His honor and glory and not our own. How can the bride groom steal the show? If your mother asks you to turn water into wine and you have the power to do so, then do so obediently and quietly. Of course I am referring to Jesus' miracle in Cana, but if someone asks to to take out the trash and to clean the fellowship hall, do so obediently and submissively. This is our example.

Daily Prayer. Father, you know how we are inclined to puff up ourself and not Your Son. Forgive us Father. We say with our lips "It's all about You" but our hearts are fond of approval. Let us be like the Apostle and to seek submissive service "with joy." In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

TO BE "HELD CAPTIVE" BY THE GRIP OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST

It sounds strange to be held captive by the grip of Christ's love. The effect is to abondon everything else less your devotion to Him. Surrender is easier when being held captive. No longer do you consider your own best interests, because they don't matter.
The world sees this as peculiar, but you are marked by God and people will know that Christ is in you. Neither will they mistake His glory for your's, because Christ's glory will also flow through you.

Daily Prayer. Lord, mark me off as one of Your's. Let Your love so shine through me that people see You through me. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Revealing the Son of God through You

Jesus was not like the religious elite. He was found eating with tax collectors and sinners. He said he did not come to save the righteous, but sinners. Most often, the religious elite were in more serious spiritual sickness than the sinners, because they declared themselves to be righteous. In our walk of Christian ministry, let us try not to find a comfort zone amoung Christians. Instead, let us be in the world but not of it.

Daily Prayer: The slogan "what would Jesus do" is the way I want to live. I must decide that where I go, what I say and what I do would imitate my Savior and my Redeemer.
Amen.

The Obligation of Your Calling

For the Christian, there are two kinds of calls. For all saved persons, they are called to be witness of their own salvation in Christ. All can testify of the grace of God in their own life. Others are called to special service such as preaching. In either instance, there is an obligation to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not to be satisfied with our own salvation, but should share the heart of Jesus in reaching the world. Failing to do this will not cost us our salvation, but it will cost us reward.

Daily Prayer: Father open my mouth to proclaim your goodness in salvation. Let me not sit silent as though I were ashamed or ignorant, but instead let me be a light to those whom I see every day. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ

It is easy, even with good intentions, to get side tracked in our Christian service. Some feel the gift of fellowship, the other the gift of teaching, and still another the gift of giving. If the truth be known, our single responsibility is to proclaim Christ crucified and resurrected as our means of salvation. Nobody aside from the Holy Spirit can bring new life to an unbeliever. All can proclaim the gospel so that people know and provide the seed for the Holy Spirit to lift up Jesus.
Whatever other good things we may do are fine, so long as they don't detract from our single imperative which is to raise up Christ and His Gospel.

Daily Prayer: Jesus, we often times let you down, because even good things that we do are from our flesh. Forgive us. Raise up our consciousness to proclaim the gospel to those whom we meet and not to draw back as though we were ashamed. Instead, plant the spirit of boldness in each one of us. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.