Praying In Faith

I pray your life is a true testimony of faith in our Father's tender care. When we pray we should always speak of hope and be confident of God's answer! He always answers our prayers... it may not be the answer we want, or His answer may not come when we think it should, but our Father cares for us and will NEVER leave us nor FORSAKE us!

Hebrews 13:5 "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Philippians 4:6 "In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication (petition) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Sometimes the needs are so great and I feel so insignificant... but our God is the One who loves to answer prayer. He hears our "heart" and knows the needs of each person. If the very hairs on our head are numbered, and if an unimportant bird like the sparrow can not fall without His knowledge, how much more does He care for us and our small prayers!


Luke 12: 6-7 "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Psa 4:3 "But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him."

Proverbs 15:8 " ...the prayer of the upright is His delight."

James 5:15 "...and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick..."

All prayer offered in faith should be with an unwavering confidence in God, a belief that He will do what is best for the person we're praying for, and we can commit our petition into His hands (We express our earnest wish, and then leave the case with him). The prayer of faith for healing should always be with a thought for it to be the will of God. That is, if God shall deem it best for that person's life and santification. It cannot be taken in the absolute and unconditional sense, for then, if this were true, the sick person would always recover, no matter how often he might be sick ...and he need never die.

There is a vast difference between salvation and santification. Our salvation is secure in Christ Jesus and what He did for us. Our Santification is our walk with God after we are saved. God always uses everything and every situation in our life to make us into the Christian He wants us to be in eternity. What we deem best for us is in the here and now (earthly). What God deems best for us is always for our eternal future (heavenly).

"If it be most for thy glory, and the eternal good of this man’s soul, let him be restored; if otherwise, Lord, pardon, purify him, and take him to thy glory." ~ Adam Clarke (1760–1832)

You may ask about what Jesus said in Matthew 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

This promise was a special one, given to the apostles ONLY in regard to working miracles. To them it was true, but it is manifest that we have no right to apply this promise to ourselves. It was desired especially for the apostles; nor have we a right to turn it from its original meaning. There are other promises in, abundance on which we "may" rely in prayer, with confident assurance that our prayers will be heard.

First of all we must pray in God's Will... when we pray apart from God's will we can not be assured our prayers will be answered.

1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to HIS WILL, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

"This is the proper and the necessary limitation in all prayer. God has not promised to grant anything that shall be contrary to his will, and it could not be right that he should do it. We ought not to wish to receive anything that should be contrary to what he judges to be best. No man could hope for good who should esteem his own wishes to be a better guide than the will of God; and it is one of the most desirable of all arrangements that the promise of any blessing to be obtained by prayer should be limited and bounded by the will of God.

The expression, "according to his will," must limit the promise to what will be for the good of the whole. God presides over the universe: and though in him there is an infinite fulness, and he regards the wants of every individual throughout his immense empire, yet the interests of the whole, as well as of the individual, are to be consulted and regarded. In a family, it is conceivable that a child might ask for some favor whose bestowment would interfere materially with the rights of others, or be inconsistent with the good of the whole, and in such a case a just father would of course withhold it. With these necessary limitations the range of the promise in prayer is ample; and, with these limitations, it is true beyond a question that he does hear and answer prayer." ~Albert Barnes (1798–1870)

The main emphasis in 1John 14 and 15 is on God's will, not our own. When we communicate with God, we don't demand what we want; rather we discuss with Him what He wants for us. If we align our prayers to His Will, He will listen; and we can be certain He will give us a definite answer.

When we pray for His will to be made known in our lives, He will tell us. As Psalm 143:10 says, "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." Therefore, start praying with confidence!

Listen to these glorious words from 2 Timothy 4 which Paul wrote from prison right at the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; and in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” A special crown, a crown of righteousness will be given to every person who lives his life loving the appearing of the Lord। Will you receive that crown? Are you living your life yearning for the return of the Lord?

My friends, Jesus is coming soon, and I cry from the depths of my heart, “Maranatha!” Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

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"The Lord bless thee, and, keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace " ~ Numbers 6:24-26.

In His tender care always,
Dot

Acknowledgements

* A lot of my studies are done using my Life Application Study Bible (KJV) by Tyndale House Publishers and I heavily rely on the explanatory notes for each verse I use because I can not explain them better.

* I often rely on my New American Standard Bible by Thomas Nelson Publishers for double checking the meaning of the verses I used in the King James Version. Not that I think the NAS Bible is better than the KJV Bible, but it gives me more insight into some of the KJV Bible verses.

* Most of my studies are done using the E-Sword program from this site: http://www.e-sword.net/ I downloaded all their commentaries and bought others. The maps and teachers aids are so valuable that I can now do a study in half the time I took before. All the quotes from commentaries by great Theologians came from the E-Sword program.

Do Not Judge!

I'm sure you've experienced another person's harsh judgment of something you did, a decision you made, or how you dressed or how you looked. It's painful, isn't it? Anyone with a healthy outlook on life wants to be liked and respected. When someone harshly judges us we begin to question our worth... it's a natural thing to do. This is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge--or you too will be judged".

This exhortation is pointed against rash, harsh, and uncharitable judgment that tears another person down. It's not a blanket statement against all critical thinking, but it's a call to be discerning rather than negative. Jesus said for us to "discern" false teachers (Matthew 7:15-23) and Paul taught us that we should exercise church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:1-2), and to trust God to be the final judge (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).

What Jesus is trying to teach here is for us to examine our own motives and conduct rather than judging others. A psychologist will tell us the traits that bother us in others are most often the very ones we dislike in ourselves. Our unbroken bad habits and behaviour patterns are the very ones we most want to change in others. That's why Jesus went on to say in Matthew 7: 3-5 "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye".

There are many of us who have beams in our own eyes, and yet do not consider it। We are under the guilt of very great sins, and yet we seem to be unaware of it. We justify ourselves as if we needed no repentance nor reformation. It's strange that we can be in such a sinful, miserable condition and not be aware of it, but the god of this world so artfully blinds our minds, that with great assurance, we say, we can see!

That's why God's Word says in Jeramiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" To himself a man’s heart is an inscrutable mystery। The natural man does not know the plague of his own heart; the Pharisee and perfectionist do not, or they would not say they were without sin; such rant arises from the ignorance of their own hearts. We are only conscious of all the schemes, plans, and purposes that pass in our own mind; and no one can know these things in our mind but ourself. However, to know how deceitful and desperately wicked our heart is ---is beyond our ability to see; apart from God's Holy spirit revealing it to us.

So, we should judge ourself first and then lovingly forgive and help our neighbor। Our own sins ought to appear greater to us than the same sins in others: that which love teaches us to call but a splinter in our brother's eye, true repentance and godly sorrow will teach us to call a beam in our own; for the sins of others must be diminished but our own enlarged.

One last note on this devotion about judging others ...when we are hurt by someone who has judged us wrongly we need to immediately give it over to God for His intervention। God says we should NEVER take revenge on another person!

Romans 12:19 "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord".

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Do not judge!

(by J। R. Miller, "Judging Others" 1894)


"Do not judge--or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:१

It is better to have eyes for beauty--than for blemish। It is better to be able to see the roses--than the thorns. It is better to have learned to look for things to commend in others--than for things to condemn. Of course, other people have faults--and we are not blind to them. But then, we have faults of our own--and this should make us charitable!


We have a divine teaching on the subject। Our Lord Jesus said, "Do not judge--or you too will be judged." We need to understand just what the words mean. We cannot help judging others. We ought to be able to read character, and to know whether men are good or bad. As we watch men's acts--we cannot help forming opinions about them. The holier we grow, and the more like Christ--the keener will our moral judgments be. We are not bidden to shut our eyes--and to be blind to people's faults and sins.


What, then, do our Lord's words mean? It is uncharitable judgment against which He warns us। We are not to look for the evil things in others. We are not to see others through the warped glasses of prejudice and unkindly feeling. We are not to arrogate to ourselves the function of judging--as if others were answerable to us! We are to avoid a critical or censorious spirit. Nothing is said against speaking of the good in those we see and know; it is uncharitable judging and speaking, which Jesus condemns.


One reason why judging is wrong --is because it is putting one's self in God's place. He is the only Judge, with whom every human soul has to do. Judgment is not ours--but God's. "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12. In condemning and censuring others--we are thrusting ourselves into God's place, taking His scepter into our hands, and presuming to exercise one of His sole prerogatives!


Another reason for this command--is that we cannot judge others justly and fairly. We have not sufficient knowledge of them. Paul says: "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts." 1 Corinthians 4:5. Our judgments cannot be anything but faulty, partial and superficial।


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"The Lord bless thee, and, keep thee। The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace " ~ Numbers 6:24-26.


In His tender care always,
Dot



"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
~~ HEBREWS 12:1



"Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it."
~~ J। Wilbur Chapman (1859-1918)



Acknowledgements

* A lot of my studies are done using my Life Application Study Bible (KJV) by Tyndale House Publishers and I heavily rely on the explanatory notes for each verse I use because I can not explain them better.

* I often rely on my New American Standard Bible by Thomas Nelson Publishers for double checking the meaning of the verses I used in the King James Version. Not that I think the NAS Bible is better than the KJV Bible, but it gives me more insight into some of the KJV Bible verses.

* Most of my studies are done using the E-Sword program from this site: http://www.e-sword.net/ I downloaded all their commentaries and bought others. The maps and teachers aids are so valuable that I can now do a study in half the time I took before. All the quotes from commentaries by great Theologians came from the E-Sword program.

How Do You Really Trust God?

Many times over God has given me opportunities to learn how to trust Him and I pray what I've learned will be helpful to you। I first wrote this devotion for a dear friend's daughter, but God has laid it on my heart to share it with you too. I pray my discovery will strengthen your faith and give you courage to be steadfast in your trials.

All my life I've been a stubborn, rebellious and hard-headed person who never changed the way I handled things until finally God had to totally break my heart. Even after I became a Christian I clung to my old ways of handing my problems and the problems of those I love. My first reaction when I had a problem, or if someone I loved had a problem was to immediately think, "What can I do to remedy this and how can I go about getting this situation under control?" I never learned to wait upon the Lord and I never fully trusted Him for any situation. Oh, I wanted to trust Him... and when I would hear someone say, "I'm trusting God for this" I would think, "How do you do that?" --- or I would say to myself, "Well, that's commendable but while you're 'TRUSTING' God you had better do something about it." LOL

At any rate, as I said above, God finally allowed me to be put in a place where there was nothing I could do or say to remedy a situation that tore my world apart and changed my life forever। A tragedy stuck our family along with some deep seated misunderstandings and for once in my life I knew I was helpless! I felt all alone and abandoned by God. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night with chest pains so bad I would think, "Is the pain from this tragedy going to give me a heart attack?" My mind reeled with ways to try and take care of the situation until I finally gave up and became honest with myself.

I knew part of the problem was my own fault, part was the sudden tragedy but most of the problem was misconceptions of different situations and all of us not handling things the way God wants us to handle them. I also came to understand that in spite of how horrible things seem God does work it all out for our own good.

I discovered though the painful trial I talked about above and though many other trials and heartaches that often when we're in the middle of a spiritual battle we can't see how it will ever end, or even how it can be used for our good. But God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and that He works all things around for our good (Rom. 8:28), our job is to trust Him in the middle of our storms of life in spite of our feelings. I must SAY I trust Him even when I don't have the faith to do so... I must SAY I trust Him even when I feel I'm drowning in a sea of confusion and heartbreak.

It's easy for me to say I love God and trust Him for everything when my life is going good, amen? However, like you, I know it's when I'm down in the trenches of life's battles that I discover how little faith I have... by the same token, it's also a time when I grow in my knowledge of how much I need His grace, strength and courage to survive, Amen?

It's easy to simply say you should trust God in spite of what's happening in your life, but it's TRUE and it's one of the hardest spiritual battles anyone can ever fight and win. I've learned to simply to tell God (out loud) that in spite of my feelings of fear, pain and disappointments I believe He is in control and will work it all out for my good. By saying this out loud I'm being a witness for God, a witness to my own soul, a witness to the angels around me and to Satan who is being allowed to hurt me (God's own purpose for our life).

Am I saying God is the cause of all my troubles? No! Satan and my own bad choices in life are the ultimate cause of my heartaches and trials... However, nothing can come to a child of God without His permission. Remember the story of Job? Our life's battles are not much different in that Satan has to have God's permission to attack us. Sometimes when I'm in the middle of a spiritual battle (when situations seem really bad) I've found that reading the book of Job again gives God an opportunity to reveal more of how He's working in my life.

I've also discovered that God is wanting to use me as His witness to others that He does indeed work everything around for my good. My job is to trust Him for the outcome of my trials. Trusting Him in spite of my feelings is the hard part. I keep saying to myself. "Dot, do you love your Father in heaven enough to keep your mind steady on Him and Him alone when all around you things seem to be falling apart?

Therefore, my humble advice for when you're going through heartache and trials is to continue to stay on your knees, speak in faith, tell yourself and all witnesses (those we see and those in the spiritual realm) that you are going to be steadfast in your faith to rely on your Father in heaven to work all your problems out for your good and the good of all those you love. He is God, He is able, and He will always deliver you!

With good courage say: "The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear"--for life or death, for sorrow or joy!

The soul that to Jesus has fled for repose,
He cannot, He will not, desert to its foes.
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to take,
He'll never, no never, no never forsake!

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"The Lord bless thee, and, keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace " ~ Numbers 6:24-26.

In His tender care always,

Dot

Acknowledgements

* A lot of my studies are done using my Life Application Study Bible (KJV) by Tyndale House Publishers and I heavily rely on the explanatory notes for each verse I use because I can not explain them better।

* I often rely on my New American Standard Bible by Thomas Nelson Publishers for double checking the meaning of the verses I used in the King James Version। Not that I think the NAS Bible is better than the KJV Bible, but it gives me more insight into some of the KJV Bible verses.

* Most of my studies are done using the E-Sword program from this site: http://www.e-sword.net/ I downloaded all their commentaries and bought others. The maps and teachers aids are so valuable that I can now do a study in half the time I took before. All the quotes from commentaries by great Theologians came from the E-Sword program.

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