TODAY! 21 day devotion by: H.R. Lister
Day 10: “The Need for a Praying Church”
When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, he trembles as much as he ever did, for he knows that his day in that church or community is at an end.
-R.A. Torrey (Evangelist/Pastor from the late 1800’s - early 1900’s)
-Prayer is the only thing that truly changes things here on the earth!
Read: Mark 9:14-29
The Lord is still in the healing business….
-the saving business
-the baptizing in the Holy Spirit business….
*Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Nothing is impossible with Him…
-We somehow think that some situations in life are impossible… too far gone for it to change!
But nothing is impossible with God and If we can believe that, then nothing will be impossible in our lives!
-Just like the boy’s father, we’ve got our mind on “What can YOU DO to help ME… not on WHAT CAN WE BELIEVE FOR!!!!”
-Jesus didn’t let the man sit there in unbelief! He said it’s not about what I can do, It’s about what YOU CAN BELIEVE!!!
-ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE!!!!
-We need to start fighting those thoughts in our heads that would say that things are IMPOSSIBLE and start proclaiming that ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD IF WE BELIEVE!!!
-We know that things changed in the New Testament and we know that the New Testament is a better covenant established on better promises…
-Meaning: If it was possible in the old testament, it’s even more so in the NEW! If God did it in the old, He just upgraded it in the NEW…
-People believed God for impossible things in the Old Testament and God did them….
-King Hezekiah believed that all things were possible with God!
Isaiah 38:1-6
-King Hezekiah reminded God of his pure heart towards him… Not that he’d always been perfect in action but that His Heart was always turned towards God…
-Your wrong actions can be covered under the blood, under the grace of God but the condition of your heart is what makes or breaks us with God…
*Remember the choosing of David as God’s King?
-God passed up all the sons that “Looked the Part” and Chose David for one simple reason… HEART!
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..”
-David had some MAJOR sin problems but he will forever be remembered as “THE MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART…”
-Hezekiah knows this about God and he is reminding God, not about all the “GOOD THINGS” that he’s done but about his heart towards Him….
-In His hour of sickness, HE TURNED HIS FACE TOWARDS THE WALL AND CRIED OUT TO GOD!!!
-Notice that the Lord didn’t respond: “I’ve heard your prayers” only…. He also said: “I’ve seen your tears…”
Hezekiah was faced with an IMPOSSIBLE situation… “GOD HAD GIVEN HIM A DEATH SENTENCE!!!!”
If God Himself says you’re going to die…. You’re going to die!
Hezekiah was able to turn it around because He believed that God would hear him and honor his heart towards him!!! (GOD GAVE HIM A GUARANTEED 15yrs!!!!
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…”
-As a church we have got to get back to this type of FAITH & BELIEVING!!!
-WITH GOD, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!
-What are you believing God for? Is it something that would happen with or without God or is it something that is NATURALLY IMPOSSIBLE!!!!
-We’ve Got to set our sights on the IMPOSSIBLE if we want to see the miraculous power of God!
-Most of the time we’re like the Boy’s Father….”Im just here to see what you’re going to do Jesus”
-We need to be like Hezekiah! Believing God that He Hears our Prayers and Sees our tears and makes the IMPOSSIBLE THINGS POSSIBLE because of our BELIEVING!!!!
James 5:16 “…. the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much…”
-I think we’ve become so smart and indoctrinated that we just spout off the prayer principles that we know but there is no heart or passion behind our prayers… We’re just going through the motions of prayer… Our hearts aren’t in it and therefore they never reach the ear of God….
Jesus said in Matthew 15:8-9 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, But their HEART is far from Me… 9) and in vain they worship Me….”
-The Church is in need of people that will get desperate for God to answer prayers… Setting their face to the wall and crying out to God from their hearts for God to move in Impossible ways!!!!