* When You've Tried Everything Else . . .

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, 

that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Luke 18:1

Prayer is a vital part of the basic battle plan of the believer. It is prayer that helps to sustain us.  However, we often pray amiss and become discouraged when our prayers go unanswered.  

The definition of prayer is, simply put, communion with God. It takes different forms, but basically it occurs when man communes with God and God communes with man. Prayer is described as:

          Calling upon the name of the Lord:                          Genesis 12:8

          Crying unto God:                                                          Psalms 27:7; 34:6

          Drawing near to God:                                                  Psalms 73:28; Hebrews 10:22

          Looking up:                                                                   Psalms 5:3

          Lifting up the soul:                                                       Psalms 25:1

          Lifting up the heart:                                                     Lamentations 3:41

          Pouring out the heart:                                                 Psalms 62:8

          Pouring out the soul:                                                   1 Samuel 1:15

          Crying to Heaven:                                                        2 Chronicles 32:20

          Beseeching the Lord:                                                   Exodus 32:11

          Seeking God:                                                                 Job 8:5

          Seeking the face of the Lord:                                     Psalms 27:8

          Making supplication:                                                  Job 8:5; Jeremiah 36:7

Prayer was an important strategy of the Lord Jesus.  Jesus made prayer a priority:

·                     He prayed any time of the day or night:   Luke 6:12-13

·                     Prayer took priority over eating:                John 4:31-32

·                     Prayer took priority over business:            John 4:31-32

Prayer accompanied any event of importance:

-  At His baptism:                                                       Luke 3:21-22

-  During the first ministry tour:                             Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16

-  Before the choice of the disciples:                      Luke 6:12-13

-  Before and after the feeding of the 5,000:        Matthew 14:19,23; Mark 6:41,46;

John 6:11,14-15

-  At the feeding of the 4,000:                                 Matthew 15:36; Mark 8:6,7

-  Before the confession of Peter:                            Luke 9:18

-  Before the transfiguration:                                   Luke 9:28,29

-  At the return of the seventy:                                Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21

-  At the grave of Lazarus:                                        John 11:41-42

-  At the blessing of the children:                            Matthew 19:13

-  At the coming of certain Greeks:                        John 12:27-28

-  Before the hour of His greatest anguish:           Matthew 26:26-27; Mark 14:22-23;

Luke 22:17-19

-  For Peter:                                                                 Luke 22:32

-  For the giving of the Holy Spirit:                        John 14:1-6

-  On the road to Emmaus:                                      Luke 24:30-31

-  Prior to His ascension:                                          Luke 24:50-53

-  For His followers:                                                  John 17

-  The prayer Jesus taught is recorded in              Matthew 6:9-13.

Kinds of prayer:

Paul calls for believers to pray always with "all prayer": 

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.  (Ephesians 6:18)

Another translation of the Bible reads "praying with every kind of prayer" (Godspeed Translation). This refers to the various levels and types of prayer.

There are three levels of intensity in prayer: Asking, seeking, and knocking:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Asking is the first level of prayer. It is simply presenting a request to God and receiving an immediate answer. In order to receive, the condition is to ask:

. . . ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2)

We have the powerful spiritual weapon of prayer, and yet many do not use it. They do not ask, and because of this, they do not receive.

Seeking is a deeper level of prayer. This is the level of prayer where answers are not as immediate as at the asking level. The 120 gathered in the upper room where they "continued" in prayer is an example of seeking. These men and women sought fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit and continued "seeking" until the answer came. (Acts 1,2)  

Knocking is a deeper level yet. It is prayer that is persistent when answers are longer in coming. It is illustrated by the parable Jesus told in Luke 11:5-10. The knocking level is the most intense level of spiritual warfare in prayer. It is illustrated by the persistence of Daniel who continued to knock despite the fact he saw no visible results as Satan hindered the answer from God. (Daniel 10)

There are various types of prayer illustrated in the model prayer given by the Lord (Matthew 6:9-13). Types of prayer include:

1.         Worship and praise:

You enter into God's presence with worship and praise:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. (Psalms 100:4)

Worship is the giving of honor and devotion. Praise is thanksgiving and an expression of gratitude not only for what God has done but for what and who He is. You are to worship God in spirit and in truth:

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)

Praise and worship can be with:

Singing:                                                                        Psalms 9:2,11; 40:3; Mark 14:26

Audible praise:                                                          Psalms 103:1

Shouting:                                                                     Psalms 47:1

Lifting up of the hands:                                            Psalms 63:4; 134:2; I Timothy 2:8

Clapping:                                                                     Psalms 47:1

Musical instruments:                                                Psalms 150:3-5

Standing:                                                                     2 Chronicles 20:19

Bowing:                                                                        Psalms 95:6

Dancing:                                                                      Psalms 149:3

Kneeling:                                                                     Psalms 95:6

Lying down:                                                                Psalms 149:5

The warrior of God in the spirit world is shown with...

. . . the high praises of God...in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand.  (Psalms 149:6)

2.        Commitment:

This is prayer committing your life and will to God. It includes prayers of consecration and dedication.

3.        Petition:

Prayers of petition are requests. Requests must be made according to the will of God as revealed in His written Word. Petitions may be at the levels of asking, seeking, or knocking. Supplication is another word for this type of prayer. The word supplication means "beseeching God or strongly appealing to Him in behalf of a need."

4.        Confession and repentance:

A prayer of confession is repenting and asking forgiveness for sin:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation . . .   (2 Corinthians 7:10)

5.        Intercession:

Intercession is prayer for others. An intercessor is one who takes the place of another or pleads another's case. The Bible records that at one time God looked on the earth and saw there was no intercessor:

And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him, and His righteousness, it sustained Him.  (Isaiah 59:16)

When God saw there was no intercessor He supplied the need. He sent Jesus:

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

. . . It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)

Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.   (1 John 2:1)

        

An advocate in a court of justice is a legal assistant or counselor who pleads another's cause. Intercession in spiritual warfare is prayer to God on behalf of another person. Sometimes this intercession is made with understanding. You intercede in your own native language:

I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. For kings, and for all that are in authority. . . (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

At other times, intercession is made by the Holy Spirit. It may be with groanings resulting from a heavy spiritual burden. It may be in an unknown tongue. It may be intercession for another or the Holy Spirit making intercession for you. When this happens, the Holy Spirit speaks through you praying directly to God and according to the will of God. You do not understand this type of intercession:

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)

This is the deepest level of intercessory prayer and the most effective in spiritual warfare.

Biblical Studies

10/16/13
09/16/15
04/29/20

01/22/22

End Time Harvest

For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and 

the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; 

and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

Zechariah 8:12

To those who catch the vision of God and fulfill the work and will of God; the remnant, there are promises of abundant harvest.

God will turn the wilderness into fertile fields:

He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. And there He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may. . . 

sow the fields and plant the vineyards which may yield fruits of increase.   Psalms 107:35-37

God will even bring harvest to the least fruitful places:

There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.   Psalms 72:16

Age is no barrier to His plan:

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;  

Psalms 92:14

You may go forth weeping in travail to birth God's vision, but...

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.  Psalms 126:5-6

We cannot comprehend the abundance of this end-time harvest:  

Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.   Haggai 2:19

God speaks of a harvest so great that it is continuous:  

Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed.  Amos 9:13

You will not even finish threshing out the harvest until the next harvest is upon you.

This is why the need for laborers is so urgent. The plowman is overtaking the reaper. The vision of the harvest is before you.

Claim the promise of abundant harvest.

Claim the heathen for your inheritance.

The fields of the world are before you. Lift up your eyes and look.

There will come that day of final harvest when God commands His angels:

The time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.   Revelation 14:15

From all over this world the procession will come.

From Africa, Australia, Asia, North and South America, Europe, and the Islands of the Sea... Harvesters streaming into the throne room of God.

Men and women who have made the vision a reality...Those who lived with the vision as central to their reason for being... Those who died embracing its promises.

God will have a remnant of people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.  And they bring with them the sheaves from the harvest of the earth:

After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb...and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God.  Saying, Amen: Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.            Revelation 7:9-12






Biblical Studies






10/15/13
07/18/15
06/30/20

01/17/22

* Power From On High

And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working 

with them, and confirming the Word with signs following. 

(Mark 16:20)

The purpose of the power given to us that believe through the Holy Spirit was first promised to the disciples to enable them to witness:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  Acts 1:8

The disciples were given specific instructions to wait until they had received power from ‘on high’:

And, behold , I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49

Spiritual power that does not come from ‘on high’ through the holy spirit of God  is not spiritually directed.  Not to say that all other power is bad or evil, but spiritually speaking, we need the power of the Holy Spirit in operation in our life in order to fulfill our purpose in God.

Power that is undirected can be dangerous. The power of a mighty river can be channeled for good purposes. It can bring water to farmers. Great ships can sail upon its waters. In most societies it is used to produce powerful energy in the form of electricity.  But that same river, if undirected, can flood its banks and cause great damage. It can ruin crops and land, destroy homes, and take lives. It is the same river. It is the same power. The river is a positive force when directed for proper purposes, and destructive when it is not.

Spiritual power used for wrong purposes is as dangerous as a mighty river flooding out of control. For this reason it is important to understand the Scriptural purposes for spiritual power.

There are many types of power operating in the world today. People use this power for various purposes:

√  Intellectual power is used to make great inventions, literary and musical creations, and to establish educational institutions.

√  Physical power results in great fame in the world of athletic competition.

√  Religious power creates great denominations and religious cults.

√  Political power is used to take leadership of organizations, tribes, villages, cities, states, provinces and entire nations.

√  Financial power creates profitable businesses, corporations, and great financial empires.

√  Military power is used both to defend and gain territories.

√  The power of energy serves man in many ways ranging from a simple fire for warmth to electricity serving an entire city.

But none of these are Biblical purposes for the power given to us by God.

Dating back to biblical times, you can read of the misappropriation of power.  On one occasion when Jesus was teaching His disciples about leadership, He said:

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:   (Matthew 20:25-27)

Jesus was teaching His followers an important principle which can be applied to many other areas of life besides leadership. The word "Gentiles" is used to identify people and nations apart from God. Jesus explained that the Kingdom of God operates on principles completely different from those of the world.

This same principle is true in relation to the subject of power. Worldly purposes for power are not the purposes for power in the Kingdom of God.  Power is used for selfish purposes in the world. In the Kingdom of God, it is to be used for unselfish purposes to advance the Kingdom.

Some people abuse religious power and use it to create great religious and denominational movements. They use it to create financial kingdoms and gain personal popularity. But these are not Scriptural purposes for spiritual power nor is it spiritual power authorized by God. They are abusers of the true purposes for which Jesus delegated authority to believers. The Scribes and Pharisees of New Testament times are examples of the abuse of ‘spiritual’ power. Jesus said:

Woe unto you, Pharisees! For you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.  (Luke 11:43-44)

The scribes and Pharisees were powerful religious leaders. They used this power for personal gain. They took the best seats in the synagogues. They commanded special greetings in the marketplace. They also used their power to control people:

But woe unto you scribes, and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13)

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte (new convert), and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of Hell than yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)

The Pharisees made a great show of outward spiritual power, but used it for personal gain:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (Matthew 23:14)

They had religious power, but they did not have true spiritual power. Jesus said they were like unmarked graves, so dead and powerless that people walked over them unawares.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.  (Luke 11:44)

Power from on high is God directed and not subjected to the selfish nature of man.  It is this power that causes us to walk upright before God and do those things in the spirit world that we could never do in our own strength!  Spiritual power from God allows for miraculous manifestations of the glory of God!

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

(Biblical Studies)

10/3/13
12/14/14
02/27/16

04/28/20

Blessed are the Meek

Put on therefore, as the elect of god, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, 

kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.

Colossians 3:12

Following the example of Jesus; He was fully persuaded in His purpose and walked this earth in confidence yet He was not puffed up in who He was.  He was humble before God and man.   

Meekness is an elusive virtue that few can accurately define. Most definitions are vague on its meaning, and many people equate it to weakness. The word of God praises Moses for being the meekest man of his time: 

(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)   Numbers 12:3 

Though one of the greatest leaders in human history, Moses thought of himself as a servant in relationship to God and as such, he quietly and gently submitted to God's will.   He carried himself as a humble servant of God and yet He is viewed as a friend of God:

 And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend . . .  Exodus 3:11

However, he refused to elevate his own importance over that of God, exercising his authority in humility.

Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit that seems very much lost in our aggressive, self-centered culture. Because people associate it with weakness, most today do not admire others for being "meek," but as we shall see, it is not what they assume. 

Meekness is a quality of character very noticeable in the 

greatest human being ever to grace this earth

—and a quality that all of us sorely need today.

A modern English dictionary or thesaurus makes it clear why meekness is associated with weakness. Notice its synonyms as listed in the Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Word Finder: tame, timid, mild, bland, unambitious, retiring, weak, docile, acquiescent, repressed, suppressed, spiritless, broken, and wimpish. Not a single one of these words applies to Jesus Christ or even to Moses. Do these terms describe the warrior-king David, a man greatly beloved by God? Or Apostle Paul, the fearless and tireless apostle, who courageously faced his share and more of dangerous, painful persecutions? No, yet once we understand what biblical meekness is, we can easily see that these men were indeed meek.

If we look at our world today, we can generally agree that modern man lacks this godly attribute. Meekness, being a fruit of the Spirit, is an attribute of God Almighty Himself and important to our being in His image and a true witness of Him. Indeed, this characteristic will largely determine how much peace and contentment are in our lives and how well we fare during trials.

So then, here is another example of the contrasts between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.  The first thing you should know about this attribute is that meekness is controlled strength. For example, meekness is to be the method used in restoring a backslider. A backslider is one who goes back into a life of sin after having received Jesus as Savior:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;  Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Colossians 3:12-13

Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.   Galatians 6:1

Ö     Meekness keeps unity in the church.  Apostle Paul admonishes us:

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  Ephesians 4:1-3

Ö     Meekness should be used in dealing with all men:

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.  2 Timothy 2:24-25

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.   Titus 3:2

Ö      You are to receive God's Word with meekness:

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.         James 1:21

Ö     A wise man is a meek man:

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.   James 3:13

Ö     Believers are encouraged to seek this quality of meekness:

Put on therefore, as the elect of god, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies kindness humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.  Colossians 3:12

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.  1 Timothy 6:11

Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness. . .   Zephaniah 2:3

The bible tells us,

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.   Matthew 5:5

There is much to be said about being meek.  God's children are to be humble, not puffed up in pride, boastful, condescending, disdainful of others; not to their brothers and sisters in Christ nor to the world.  Knowing our purpose in God and having our faith in God that He will accomplish His will in our life should give us confidence, not conceitedness.  

Let us strive to treat others in love and humility.  After all, Jesus said by this all men will know . . .

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.   John 13:35

(Biblical Studies)



09/28/13
03/31/15
06/10/16
06/29/20