Prayer for Firmness in Temptation

"Resist the devil - and he will flee from you." James 4:1

O my Father, You are from everlasting to everlasting. Loving me from the beginning - You have promised to love me even unto the end. Notwithstanding all the fitful changes of my own changing heart towards You, there has been, and can be, no shadow of turning in Your covenant faithfulness towards me. I am at this hour, the monument of Your mercy- a living comment on the words, "Your ways are not as man's ways - nor Your thoughts as man's thoughts."

If I have been enabled in any degree to resist the assaults of temptation - it is all Your doing. I am "kept by the power of God." Unless the Lord had been my help - my soul must long before now have dwelt in eternal burnings. By the grace of God - I am what I am!

O my Father, indulged and cherished sin unfits me for the enjoyment of Your service and favor. I have to lament my proneness to evil, the natural bias of my heart to that which is opposed to Your pure and holy will. When I would do good - sin is too often present with me. I feel the power of my spiritual adversaries. If left to myself and my own unaided resources - I must hopelessly resign the conflict.

But I rejoice to think that there is help and hope and strength at hand. I would look to Him, who is now bending an eye of unchanging love upon me from the eternal throne. All Your ascension glories, blessed Redeemer, have not obliterated the tenderness of Your humanity. You are "that same Jesus." You, the abiding Friend, are still left changeless, among the changeable. And when Satan often desires to have me, that he might sift me as wheat, it is Your intercessory prayer that saves me from utter ruin. You are pleading for me, that my faith will not fail! Oh may I be found invincible in the hour of temptation, being made more than conqueror - through Him that loved me. Sheltered in You, the true Refuge - the wicked one will cannot touch me.

Let me not trifle with my own soul - or with the momentous interests of eternity. Let me every day, be living under the realizing consciousness that Your pure eye is upon me. Keep me from all that is at variance with Your gracious mind. Keep me from unchristian tempers, from an unholy or inconsistent or uneven walk. By a Christ-like demeanor, may I exhibit the sanctifying and transforming influence of the Gospel on my own soul - that others may take knowledge of me that I have been with Jesus.

God of Bethel! take under Your protecting providence all related to me by endearing ties. However far we may be separated from one another, let us never be separated from You. Let us often rejoice in this, our common meeting-place; that around Your mercy-seat in spirit we can assemble - and lay our evening incense in the one Golden Censer of our gracious High Priest!

Take charge of me this night, defend me from all danger; whether I wake or sleep, may I live together with You. All that I ask or hope for - is in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, my only Savior. Amen.
"Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense - and the lifting up of my hands, as the evening sacrifice."

This Prayer is an excerpt of John MacDuff prayer written in 1856  It is now available on Kindle for only $0.99 This is a useful book to keep preciously with you 

 

Prayer for the Knowledge of Christ

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings." Philippians 3:10

Almighty God, draw near to me this night in Your great mercy. What am I, that nothingness, unworthiness, and sinfulness - should be permitted to stand in the presence of infinite purity, majesty, and glory? Lord, I dare not have ventured to bow at your footstool in my own merits. I am poor and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked. Enter not in judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no flesh living can be justified.

But, adored be Your name, I have an all-sufficient ground of confidence with which to approach You. I bless You, that by the doing and dying of Jesus, You have opened up a way of reconciliation to the chief of sinners. Oh, enable me to know more fully the adaptation of His person and work, to all the necessities and exigencies of my character and circumstances. Let me know him in His infinite Godhead - as "mighty to save;" in His spotless humanity - as mighty to compassionate. 

Let me know Him in all His offices - as . . .
my Prophet, my Priest, my King,
my Kinsman-Redeemer within the veil, 
my Refuge in trouble, 
my Guide in perplexity, 
my Support in death, 
my Portion through eternity!

I rejoice, blessed Jesus, at the hidden springs of life resident in You! You are suited to all the varied needs and circumstances, and trials of Your people - for every moment of need, for every diversity of situation.

O, better than the best of earthly friends, who, though enthroned amid the hosannas of angels - have still Your human sympathy unaltered and unchanged, draw near to me this night, and breathe upon me, and say, "Peace be unto you." Let me know the melting energy of Your love, and the attractive power of Your cross. May I keep the unwavering eye of faith steadily directed to Your all-glorious sacrifice. 

Be . . .
the habitual object of my contemplation, 
the source of holiest joy, 
the animating principle of obedience.

May all creature-love be subordinated to Yours. May my temper, my walk, my conversation - be regulated in accordance with Your blessed will and holy example. May this be the lofty aim and ambition of life - to act so as to please Jesus.

Bless my dear friends, may they too be led to count all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord, whom to know is life eternal. Pity the careless; reclaim the backsliding; comfort the sorrowful; sustain the dying. May the Lord arise and have mercy on His spiritual Zion; may He show that the time to favor her, yes, the set time, is come!

Before I lay my head on my nightly pillow, I would lay anew my guilt on the head of the Divine Surety; may I fall asleep under the blessed sense of sin forgiven - and look forward to that blessed day when earth's night-shadows shall have vanished forever, and when I shall be enabled more fully "to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." And all I ask or hope for, is for His sake. Amen.

"Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense - and the lifting up of my hands, as the evening sacrifice."

This Prayer is an excerpt of John MacDuff prayer written in 1856  It is now available on Kindle for only $0.99 This is a useful book to keep preciously with you 

 

 

Prayer for Composure in Trial

"Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Your sight." Matthew 11:26

O my Father, I come into Your presence this night, rejoicing that amid all earth's vicissitudes, I have in You - a Rock that can never be shaken. You do according to Your will in the armies of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth! You do all things well - and nothing but what is well. There is no finite wisdom in Your dealings - all is the result of combined faithfulness, power, and love. 

Let me repose in the righteous ordinations of Your will. If You withhold from me earthly blessings - let me feel that the very denial is precious, because it is Your sovereign pleasure. Covenant love and wisdom cannot lead or teach me wrong; every burden and affliction are imposed by You. The lot may be thrown into the lap - but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

O You who turn the shadow of death into the morning - may every wilderness-storm only drive me nearer Yourself, my true shelter. You take the sting from every cross - and the bitterness from every cup. Let me recognize in all that befalls me - the tokens of my Heavenly Father's love! And if sense and sight should at times fail to spot "the bright light in the cloud," may I see written over every dark trial - Your own unanswerable challenge, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

Lord! the end of all Your sovereign dealings - is to subjugate my wayward will, and to unfold more of the preciousness of Jesus. Blessed Spirit of all grace! Take of the things that are Christ's - and show them unto my soul. Let me not stagger at the promises through unbelief. Let me see nothing but love in the past, love in the present, and love looming through the mists of a cloudy future. You, O my Father, are seated by my every furnace - all is meted out, all is provided for; all has a "need be" in it! 

Magnify the power of Your grace in me, by a sweet spirit of patient submission to Your righteous ordinations. May I seek to have no other prayer than this, "Father, glorify Your name." Impart that inner sunshine which no outward darkness or trial can obscure. May the peace of God, which passes understanding, keep my heart.

May Your Holy Spirit shed abroad His blessed influences over the whole Church. Revive Your work, O my God, in the midst of the years. In wrath, remember mercy. May Your ministers be more faithful. May Your people be more holy and consistent in their walk with You. May the young be growing up in Your fear and favor; may the aged find in You the staff of their declining years. May the sick and afflicted pillow their head on Your promises. May the dying fall asleep in Jesus.

I commend myself, my friends, and all belonging to me - to Your paternal care and keeping. And when earth's long night-watches of trial and sorrow are ended, may I wake up in the sorrowless morning of glory, to enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with Yourself. Through Jesus Christ, my only Lord and Savior. Amen.

"Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense - and the lifting up of my hands, as the evening sacrifice."

This Prayer is an excerpt of John MacDuff prayer written in 1856

It is now available on Kindle for only $0.99

This is a useful book to keep preciously with you 

 

Family Prayer

By James Smith

"Pour out your fury upon the heathen that have not known you, and upon the families do not call upon your name!" Jeremiah 10:25

Family prayer is a most important means of grace, and has often proved one of the greatest blessings which a family could enjoy. It is not enough that we pray as private individuals in our closets; we must honor God in our families. Twice in the day if we can, at least once — every family where Jesus is professed, should be called to bow before the Lord together. Parents and children, master and servants, should meet before the Lord their maker. The head of the family should lead the devotions if present; and his wife should lead, should he be absent. Family prayer should never be omitted if there is one of the family at home who can call upon God; even if the language is broken, and the time occupied is very brief. The gift of prayer always grows by use, and smallness of gift is no lawful excuse for omitting family prayer. If we cannot pray eloquently, we may pray earnestly — which is much better; if our language does not flow freely, we need not be long and tedious. Prevailing prayers are often short prayers.

Family devotions should generally be short, especially where there are young children, A short portion of God's holy Word should be read; and it has often been found profitable to read a few striking remarks on some spiritual subject, by an approved author. If those present can sing, a few verses of praise greatly enliven the service; if not, a short prayer, being a direct address to Jehovah, offered with feeling and fervor, under a sense of the divine presence, is very edifying and refreshing. God approves, an enlightened conscience commends, and all are benefited.

Family prayer will prevent much sin, as well as do much good. It keeps up a remembrance of the divine presence, it brings important truths before the mind, it teaches the prayerless what prayer is, it leads children to think, and brings down the blessing of God upon the house. We are to pray with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit; but this we cannot do if family prayer is neglected. We are to pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting; this cannot be observed, if we do not pray in our families. He who would excuse himself from family prayer, should expect to be excused from family blessings.

Reader, have you family prayer in your house? If not, allow me to ask, do you profess to be a Christian? Have you considered the solemn passage at the head of these remarks? If God is to pour out his fury upon the families which call not upon his name, and you have not family prayer, how can your family escape? You ought to own God in your house, and daily should you acknowledge your dependence upon Him, and obligation to Him. All your domestic comforts, all your temporal mercies, and all your spiritual privileges — flow from His love and grace; and will you daily as a family receive, and never as a family praise?

The heathens have their household gods; and will not you have your family altar? Shall they honor idols of wood and stone, and must it be said of you, "The God in whose hands your breath is — you have not glorified?" An old divine says, "A family without prayer is like a house without a roof, opened and exposed to all the storms." Again, "Family prayer bolts the door against danger at night, and opens it for the admission of mercies in the morning." Private prayer was never intended to set aside family prayer, nor should family prayer be made an excuse for the neglect of private. The one is for the person, the other for the household. Both are necessary, and properly conducted both are means of blessing.

The Devotion of Hearing God

When it comes to hearing God, unfortunately there is no formula that anyone can use to get us to hear His voice in our hearts. Oswald Chambers said” The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing….. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions…… If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God.

Hearing His voice is completely supernatural. There is nothing man-made about it. The work has to be done by the Holy Spirit. If you read carefully what Oswald had written above, you find words like “close identification with Christ; united with Him; the devotion of hearing” these things comes solely from living a submitted life. I can see some of you rolling your eyes because you believe that the moment you become Christian whether you like it or not, you are united with Him. But, the truth is, God does not force us to remain united with Him. It is a lifestyle that we choose. It is an attitude of the heart and it is a disposition. If indeed you are living united with Him, then you would be deep in your day to day communication with Him and you are living a oneness that everyone who knows you long for. Then, this post is not for you.

Even if we do not have that close identification with Him, and living life day in day out in the spirit, you can still hear His voice in your heart once in a while. Like Oswald said in the February 13 devotion, “I can only hear God’s voice at certain times” that is true. When you hear God’s voice once in a while, you can be sure you are one of those who surrender on a “case by case basis” like Charles Stanley said in Intouch Magazine of September 2008. When we surrender on a case by case basis, we are much like king Asa in 2^nd Chronicles. We see king Asa not only trusting in God, he also led his army to trust in Him as well. But we see him also not trusting God and decided to depend on himself and solicited the help of Ben-Hadad, king of Aram. He decided to trust his own judgement and depended on himself alone. As such, what he was afraid of had become his whole life and God confirmed it to him in the last part of 2 Chronicles 16:9 when He said: In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”  When we surrender on a case by case basis we do not live out nor do we have a God centered life. Those words Oswald Chambers have mentioned in his devotion, demand that we live a God centered life.

Please understand I am not trying to offend anyone.  And if you have to be upset, so be it, because it is the nature of the true Gospel. However, do not leave it alone. The very reason you are upset should be taken to God right away. Ask Him to help you decipher why you are offended by those words and what you can do about it. Be honest with Him, be open and be willing to hear from Him what is truly wrong. The nature of the Gospel demands a full surrender.  The reality of a life not centered on God, always leads to some kind of partial obedience, but a partial obedience is disobedience in God’s eyes. I myself, have very close family members that are dear to me, but they are unable to hear God all the time simply because they go through a period of time where they can surrender to God’s will and most of the time they surrender to their spouse’s will or the immediate need around them.

I know personally from experience that even when you live a complete surrendered life, if you are not totally immersed in Him, and you allow yourself to be distracted by the simplest thing, you find that the voice is faint and the communication is almost slanted. When I am there, I know that it has nothing to do with God, but my own heart. I also find that not being totally immersed in Him, you cannot have those awesome communication times where you can talk just like two friends. But, it is not an easy thing to look at ourselves and admit who we truly are and that we are failing Him.

Unconfessed Sins

Hearing God also involved living this life in a state where we do not keep unconfessed sins in our heart. When we have unconfessed sins, there is a disruption in the divine life within. When we are separated from His divine life, (oneness or abiding) it is not because His divine life is no longer in us, but it simply means we step away from Him and back to our old self.  I talked about this in my book Apprehended & Apprehending, the new nature He put in us, is where we live with Him as Christian and any time we do not live in the Spirit, well we are not living as Christians. We forfeit the new nature for the Adamic life. When you know what it means to live in His divine life, you understand why the tiniest sin, even the size of a dust stops you from re-entering the divine nature. It is too pure. We re-enter when we confess our sins with repentant heart, He washed us in the blood of the lamb once again and we are back in.

Lack of Obedience

Another requirement of hearing God is living a life of obedience. When we live life partially obeying God, we are like Pharoah. We let go when we feel we do not have a choice but as soon as we are free, we get back to being in control. What does it mean to live a life of obedience? This does not mean those who live the complete surrendered life do not disobey sometimes. But, like everything else in the Christian walk it is a disposition of the heart, it is an attitude and it is a way of life. If we know we have chosen to live a partial obedient life, (yes it is a choice we make whether knowingly or through a lack of choosing Him) then we are condemned to spend this life with some sort of partial hearing and partial oneness. We condemned ourselves to live like a caterpillar that had the transformation process started but the transformation process never finished as such the caterpillar not only never made it into a butterfly but also lives in a cocoon stage.

The bottom line is that to hear God we have to be tuned in the only radio station that broadcast His voice and too much spiritual garbage will act as static on the line.

The Opened Sight by Oswald Chambers

Oswald Chambers devotion for today has a boat load of information, we need for the Christian life. In fact, it is not stretching it if I say we have a lifetime of true Christianity in these few words and could be subject to several posts. One of the reasons I am so excited about this devotion is because it is so close to home. As I have shared with you before, my ministry is directly associated with these people who are in the Church, professed that they are Christians but have never made it to received true Salvation. Hence, my gifts of discernment and wisdom as well as the ability to judge according to the knowledge and leadership of the Holy Spirit in my life. If God felt that I needed these things in order that He can use me, can you imagine what He is able to bestow on those He truly called to occupy leadership and teaching positions in His Church?

Whether you are a pastor, an elder or evangelist, any kind of teaching position that He calls you to, there is no doubt that you will be equipped to see what needs to be seen through wisdom, discernment and more. The job is to open up other people’s eyes to the truth they do not know, to help them walk the walk. Why would He not do it for you first before He sent you? Why would Oswald Chambers able to see all these things and through his writings you can tell they are like natural abilities to him. He was not exceptional, he was just walking the walk.

His devotion today contains some truths that cannot be mere word that comes out of our mouths i.e receiving forgiveness of sin… This brings you face to face with a Holy repentance that you have never known in your life. This repentance could happen the same day you receive Christ in your life, but it could also happened few months down the road. Either way, you have to have the capability to receive this holy gift from Him. Too many people say they have received Christ but go on never knowing what it means to repent. Yet, this repentance is needed to make a 360 degree turn. Failing that, we live as people who are saved in their sins and not from sins. As long as you do not know the difference of what I just said, in your heart and in the quality of your life with God, well, you are not saved yet. Christ did not come to save us in our sins. This is not the real Salvation that He died on the cross for. The irony is that we keep saying salvation is through grace but we do not understand that getting there to the point where we know and compute that we have been saved from sins and we can see the ugliness of it and how and why God is disgusted by it is a MAJOR work of His grace in our lives.

Another truth in this devotion that must be considered very carefully is the fact that Oswald said “when a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God…” Do not take the word knows lightly. This knowing happened with an encounter with the Holy One that brings you to a place where you own that truth. You do not just repeat like a parrot that salvation is by grace, but it is your truth that is in the depth of your identity in Him, so deep within, that no one can take it away from you.

Another major truth in this devotion is that Oswald also said: “their eyes are open, but they have received nothing” this simply put you in the category of the seed that falls where there are rocks, and not much soil.

Another major truth is that even though our job is to open people’s eyes, we cannot do it by ourselves unless the Holy Spirit is allowed to move freely in our lives, with no hindrances to impede His work in others through us. That is a big responsibility that we learn the sacredness of it through being prepared by Him for service. This is where service to God becomes an extension of who you are in Him.

I have to stop in order to keep the length of this post to a reasonable document, but another truth that is devastating the Church is the fact that today’s preachers are not able to recognize which is which and how to deal with the lack of conversion in the pews and the pulpits. Please understand that I know there are some awesome pastor and teachers out there who have been called by God, took His personal training and walk in the Spirit with Him. They are the elite that God referred to in Jeremiah 3:15 “Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding”. These shepherds after God’s own heart did not and will not become such just by taking a few courses in college or university. They are aware that after they are trained by man, they have to go through God’s university and curriculum before they are ready to lead His flock. This makes the difference between leading and leading.

The problem is that we are living in a time where anyone can be a pastor or teacher, because they feel like it or they want to work for God, notice the emphasis is for God not with God. We also have greed; the need for status, insecurities, resources at their disposal, being well connected which was the practice of the Pharisees (blind leading blind) etc. You can understand why they are not equipped to deal with dires strait situations in their congregations that require an abundance of God’s grace.

I can understand that you might be offended by my writings, but do not stop there. Do not make it about you or me. Know that if you stop there and make it about you and me, there is a major problem in your walk that Satan does not want you to know. Examine yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to help you, to get your pride and bondage out of the way so that you can see what needs to be seen and know for sure where you stand with Him. Ask Him to save you, not because you deserve it, but for His glory. Keep praying day in, day out until He answers you. If you truly ask Him with a sincere and open heart, you will be amazed at His response.  

Here is Oswald Chambers devotional

The Opened Sight

01

10

2013

I now send you, to open their eyes . . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . —Acts 26:17-18

This verse is the greatest example of the true essence of the message of a disciple of Jesus Christ in all of the New Testament.

God’s first sovereign work of grace is summed up in the words, “. . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . .” When a person fails in his personal Christian life, it is usually because he has never received anything. The only sign that a person is saved is that he has received something from Jesus Christ. Our job as workers for God is to open people’s eyes so that they may turn themselves from darkness to light. But that is not salvation; it is conversion-only the effort of an awakened human being. I do not think it is too broad a statement to say that the majority of so-called Christians are like this. Their eyes are open, but they have received nothing. Conversion is not regeneration. This is a neglected fact in our preaching today. When a person is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People may make vows and promises, and may be determined to follow through, but none of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, namely, forgiveness of sins.

This is followed by God’s second mighty work of grace: “. . . an inheritance among those who are sanctified . . . .” In sanctification, the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s ministry to others

This Oswald chamber devotion is the courtesy of http://utmost.org/

Our Backsliding Breaks His Heart

Devotion

Jeremiah 2:2-3

“The word of the Lord came to me:  ‘Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,” declares the Lord.

Israel was His chosen one, His first family on earth. All He wanted in exchange was for them to be made Holy and demonstrate God’s holiness on earth so other nations might come to Him too. We see that God referred to them as His bride because He considered the covenant He made with them when He brought them out of Egypt was in the form of a marriage contract. He was exasperated when they violated His agreement with them. Yet if you look at those words He said to Jeremiah, they are also heart’s wrenching. I wonder if you can hear His broken heart through those words. Can you feel His pain of having been rejected? Even though they had rejected Him, they played the harlot with other gods; their hearts are filled with pretence toward Him as if He could not see they did not want Him. Yet, He was still pleading for them to return to Him.

Woe to anyone of us who do not cease the opportunity to make their lives right with Him. A time is coming where we will not be protected from His wrath which carries the same intensity as His love for us. Some of us might think this is will never be our case but several books in the Bible we are reminded that: “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled” None of us are exempt to backsliding. We are always one step away from tragedies in our lives to stray from Him. When I say tragedies, I mean anything that causes us to take our eyes off of Him. It could be a man, a woman, and conflict in the family, low self esteem issues, financial problems, marriage breakdown, disappointments and so forth. Satan is always one foothold away from messing up with us. We have to learn to bear it all in His name. Learn to be obedient so that we can live this life in His will for us. Learn to live the holy life He commanded us to and learn to remain in His presence at all times.

PRAY: Father God I pray that we learn to focus on you alone, our passion and love for you would never extinguish. Be the fire in our hearts so that we can end well as we wait with bated breath for your return Lord.

www.apprehended.ca

Prayer is a Way of Life

DEVOTION

Read Jeremiah 14: 10-12

 "This is what the Lord says about this people:“They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”

 The Jews loved the fact that they were God's chosen ones but they treated Him as if He was the one who needed them. They never quite grasp the magnitude of being chosen by God. There was never an indication of being grateful for having been chosen. If they understood what they had in Him, they would have acted differently and stop doing things that were displeasing to Him. God had enough of their lack of reverence, their wickedness, their ungrateful hearts, and their love for new idols with no self-control. Jeremiah knew the only way to root out his people harden hearts and their callous consciences was through prayers, yet he was told by God to stop praying for them. There was nothing that God wanted from them anymore. This time was different He wanted to hold their sins against them. He wanted to remember how much they did not want Him.‒ Imagine the pain of our God's heart, His heart was grieving!

 Most of us do not realize God's attitude with the Jews has not changed with us Christians. We go on with God with our defiant attitude, we sin left, right and centre because we take Him for granted and expect Him to forgive us. A lot of us corner Him by taking our salvation for granted and thinking that God cannot lie so basically there is nothing He can do to us. We are so self-righteous, full of unbelief we ignore His Words and we are filled with hypocrisy. We entertain unforgiving spirits, we give more importance to the things of this world than we attached to God. We give Him lip service during worship time and we feel He should be satisfied with those bread crumbs we hand Him. Some of us would not even consider examining ourselves. We choose lifestyle pleasing to us, and as for idols we have them coming out of our ears. Most of these things that I mentioned are attitudes and motives of the heart. Yet, the Bible is full or verses where we are warned about hindrances to our prayers and verses that tells us who God listen to. Two of them on the top of my head would be Proverbs 28:9 it says: "one who turns away his ears from hearing the law, even his prayers is an abomination" and Proverbs 15:29 says: "The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous".

 My dear brothers and sisters, prayer is not something we do when all else fails. You see, prayer is a way of life. Would you consider asking God to teach you how to cultivate a righteous life with Him. A life where He is the Master and you walk according to His leading alone. A life where the pain of brokenness is of no importance if at the end of it you find His heart. Keep your heart open, get rid of all your reservations about Him because if you do not want all of Him by any means and any road He leads, it simply means you are not in love with Him enough and you are not desperate to find Him. Go to Him, know for sure that at the end of it, you will find the pearl of great price which is the heart of God the father. I have been through it, and it is painful, but I would do it all over again because of the treasure I found in the triune God.

  

PRAYER: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In His Agape Love & Service, 

M. J. Andre

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LEARN TO GROW SPIRITUALLY IN HIM IN SPITE OF OTHERS

DEVOTION

Jeremiah 15:10.

Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with whom the whole land strives and contends! I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.

Some people call Jeremiah crying baby, I guess it is the lack of understanding what it means to be truly called by God. While He is training you there is also a call in your soul to leave the self behind. You do not leave the self behind without humiliation to your soul and the pain of standing alone. You also have to learn to wait for God on God and in God. There is desolation in the soul that is felt on the outside.

When He is having His way with your soul in order to use you as an empty vessel, you will groan under the heavy burden of carrying His Word out there so other people might be revived. You groan for the spiritual blindness of the people around you, in the Church and in the world. Even though you experience Him up close and personal but the time span He talks to you is so far in between. We have examples in the Bible, people like David we can see that at times, in his psalms, he was going on with no spiritual strength at all. The same situation with Paul, God had to send His angels on three occasions to comfort him. Therefore, it is hard to hang onto what you know for sure is His faithfulness to you, His love and grace that has been innumerable while the sorrow of your mind being tried, your heart being pierced, and you are trying to avoid Satan’s fiery darts all at the same time.

When you think about how young Jeremiah was, his lack of experience and the weight of his mission on his shoulders, it makes sense that he had a hard time. Through the process, while God was using Him to help and warn his people, He also refined this young man. The hatred Jeremiah had to endure from his people, the persecution, trials and hardships; all would take its toll on a weary soul. I have no doubt that at times, Jeremiah wished he could convince his people that he was telling the truth and he would have killed two birds with the same stone. First they would change their ways and they would stop hating him for disturbing their comfort zone. But, such is this life. When you are walking close with God, you have to come to a point where you know that you know what you know and that is sufficient to continue in spite of how other people feel about you. Whether you are able to convince others so they would join you in walking in the light is not the priority. Nor being vindicated in this life. You have to know for yourself that God already knew the outcome and using you in this manner serve a purpose that is higher that what you can comprehend.

While Jeremiah was feeling overwhelmed by what his ministry had brought his way, God kept applying pressure on Jeremiah and his people. God cares how we answer to Him when we get overwhelmed by our burden. The challenge for us is to remain in the Spirit so we do not have to be crushed in our soul because in our weakness, He is strong. So we learn to depend on Him for our need moment by moment.

PRAY

My God and my Savior, teach us to always find our strength in you and leave behind the need to please others and be accepted by them. You Yourself was misunderstood, rejected, ridiculed, tortured and killed. All of it was for our own good. So teach us to learn to live in this world and make it solely about you like You did with Your Father.

In His Love & Service, 
M. J 

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LEARNING TO DEAL WITH YOUR NOMINAL CHRISTIAN SPOUSE

When you are married to a nominal Christian, you have a duty to honour your marriage. Finding out he/she is nominal Christian does not mean you run away or becoming like him/her. It just means you have a bigger challenge than you bargain for and trust that God will with no doubt use this marriage to make you Holy. Take heart, it will be hard. There is no time for pity party of feed your ego. You are not going to reach your spouse or live the life God has in mind for you if you do not commit wholeheartedly and let Him walk you through it. One thing you will notice for sure is that nominal Christian tends to be miserable people because all they have is a little bit of religion. They tend to get frustrated, because nothing is working their ways and Satanic activities in their lives caused them not to have rest, so they are not at peace. Imagine someone like that bringing his life into yours? So, if you do not make the choice to walk in the Spirit, you are in for the ride of your life and by the time you get off this ride, you might find yourself way too far to come back.

One of the biggest mistake we make when we have a nominal spouse, a lot of us have a hard time accepting the fact. So we close our eyes and prefer to believe to some extend that our spouse is actually Christian. Satan loves this kind of attitude because where there is lack of discernment and wisdom it makes his job easier. The nominal spouse’s goal will always be to bring the other spouse to his level. If you are a man in this kind of relationship, giving the lead to your wife is a monumental mistake and I would not like to be in your shoes when you meet with God. You have to know as well, because your wife is not really a Christian, if you already have a strong willed woman in your hands, you taking the lead will no doubt, makes this relationship much harder. Yes, she will react violently, but aren’t you more afraid of God’s reaction in the way you respond to Him? If your thinking is not along that line, then your priorities are screwed up. Chose wisely and be prepared in your mind and heart that she will use everything in her power to get back at you which means you might suffer as she withhold sex, and the household care will suffer to some extend which also means your load will be heavier. Remember, you are dealing with a non Christian, hence the reaction. Your job as the leader of the house is to lead according to God’s leading. Get into the habit of not making decisions without talking to God, even the smallest ones. Daily find time to quiet your heart, to hear Him, even if it means using your lunch hour at work. Understand in your situation nothing is as innocent as it might look because Satan will disguise himself and get right in your day to day family’s activities. Set your eyes on Him at any cost and He will get you there. The rage and the retaliation that your spouse is feeling will have to subside at one point. God will be there in the midst of it all to sustain you if indeed you have chosen Him. The goal here is to make the marriage the best that it can be without leaving the path that God has for you. Don’t get yourself involved in too many things. You might think that getting involved with Church activities is a way of honouring God, but if your marriage is in danger especially if you have small kids, you need to concentrate and revise your priorities with God so that you can have more time to invest into being a spiritual leader for your wife and children.

Take time to acknowledge the pain she is experiencing, and make yourself available to her but never forget your role as a minister to her instead of trying to be a people pleaser. Making family time for devotion is your role to implement in your household. You need that more than any other households. Make no mistake she will fight you and even when you implement it, she will sabotage it intentionally. Don’t give up, keep the appointed time for devotion on your own and make sure she knows she is welcome to join you anytime. Not only Satan will be behind her actions but she has learned to live without God’s Word in her life because she does not like anything that is too heavenly minded. Then, you will notice your nominal Christian’s spouse care much more about personal opinions that comes from nominal or liberal Christians rather than the Word of God. So, the devotion time should be with the Bible. Never mind other devotion books. What your spouse is allergic to is actually the Word of God. Make time to decipher His Word one verse at the time, hear her out, find out what the verse means in her life and how it can be applied to your marriage and your walk together with God. This will allow you to minister to her on a daily basis.

It is extremely important that you go to God and let off steam if need be so that your spouse do not get the brunt of it. But, like David once you let off steam, you go right back to God almost in the same breath acknowledging your need for Him and the willingness to be a man after His heart. Step up in your role. Being with someone who does not challenge you spiritually can be annoying and somewhat isolating. Have a few spiritually mature Christian’s friends that you can count on. While your maturity might not be there yet, cultivate a close with Him and you will be rewarded.

The suggestions that I made, do not mean for you to act superior, but know for certain you are not in an equally yoke relationship. While the Bible clearly teaches us how to lead but there is an assumption that we are equally yoked. So, staying connected to the Holy Spirit at all times will be the only thing to counteract the satanic activities around your wife. As you stay close, you will find that He will constantly teach you the best course of action moment by moment.

The moral of the story is that this marriage will be your own little wilderness that God will lead you to maturity and holiness through brokenness. That is if you respond according to His promptings and desires for your life. I know from personal experience an unequally yoke relationship demands that we are alert when the other one is talking to us. We should never take it for granted that they mean well. This does not mean you spend more time looking for Satan at every corner, but it certainly means that you put your life, the whole thing with no reservation in the Holy Spirit’s hand to cover you. After few years of pain and suffering, you will realize in the midst of it all, God will bring you to a place of peace and rest in Him.

In His Love & Service, 

M. J. Andre

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