Prayer Tip: Walking by Faith

Have you experienced a time when you were particularly impressed that you heard a promise from God for a particular need/request…. and then it didn’t happen?

What does faith say then?

I think of Job (13:15) after losing his children, possessions, and health, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

Or the 3 Hebrews faced with the fiery furnace, Dan. 3:17-18 “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

When we don’t understand and it feels like our need goes unmet, our tendency is to ‘give up on God’ and look somewhere else for help or simply despair that there is no help.  Consider the disciples’ response.

John 6:67-69 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

 Remembering that His ways are much higher than ours and His purposes are much bigger and more glorious than ours, KEEP ON BELIEVING.  For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.  Rom. 10:11

For more information on the Grace Bible Church Prayer Team, visit begrace.org/prayer.
For more information about Grace Bible Church, visit begrace.org.

Prayer Tip: Some Things to Pray for Our Nation – Part 3

Psalm 37:7-8 (NASB) Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

God is God. God is the only One who can turn our nation around and preserve the freedoms for which our founding fathers and others fought so hard and paid so dearly. Government and elected officials cannot bring true victory. 

Remember:

Dan. 2:21  He removes kings and establishes kings.

Prov. 21:1 the King’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.

So the ‘battle’ will be won by prayer and fasting and believing God for deliverance. Whoever wins the election, God has promised to use to accomplish His purposes.  Consider:

Rom. 13:1b there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

Lam. 3:37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?

Isa. 14:24,27 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,… for the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it: And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”

(Does anyone really think that is true only for the situation when it was written and that it’s not true today?!!)

The peace promised by God to those who pray (Phil. 4:6-7) comes by believing that God is the answer and that He is totally capable of using Democrats or Republicans or whoever to accomplish His purposes. His purpose? That all nations fear God and that all His people are conformed to the image of Christ.

After you pray, VOTE!  For some Biblical instruction on how to cast your ballet, listen to David Barton at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuJTWLlsuGU&feature=youtu.be.

For more information on the Grace Bible Church Prayer Team, visit begrace.org/prayer.
For more information about Grace Bible Church, visit begrace.org.

Prayer Tip: Some Things to Pray for Our Nation – Part 2

John 15:7  “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish,…

Short answer, as you abide in Him and engraft His word, you can ask whatever He lays on your heart…

But remember, God’s message to the world is that He loves us.  John 3:16

He communicates His message of love through suffering.  Rom. 5:8

We are now His messengers.  II Cor. 5:18-20  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We are to communicate His love in the same way He did i.e. our response and attitude in suffering rejection, injustice, tragedy and persecution.

Let’s pray that we be faithful image bearers of Christ and bring glory to Him as we openly proclaim Him and beg everyone we can on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.

And let’s pray for lost family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, ‘all men everywhere’ to acknowledge the True Light.

 “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” – Sidlow Baxter

For more information on the Grace Bible Church Prayer Team, visit begrace.org/prayer.
For more information about Grace Bible Church, visit begrace.org.

Prayer Tip: Some things to pray for our nation – Part 1

Deuteronomy 4:39  Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.

God’s purpose all along is that all people everywhere know that he is God, there is no other, and begin to relate to Him as such, the Sovereign Lord.  Scripture keeps repeating that after various calamities (war, famine, plague, pestilence, drought, natural disasters) and miraculous happenings, “Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

We are taught to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

God uses all of life (blessings and calamity) to bring us to our knees, be reminded of who He is, His help in the past, His promise of continued help, motivating us to cry out for mercy, help, and then rest in His promises.

We expect the unbelieving world to live like unregenerate people.  It’s the Church, true believers, who hold the key to preserving our nation.

Grievously, surveys show Christians are not being the salt and light we are called to be.

George Barna – “We rarely find substantial differences between the moral behavior of Christians and non-Christians.”

II Chronicles 7:13-14  ¹³ “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, ¹⁴ and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

(While our nation cannot claim this promise, we who belong to Christ most certainly can. Gal. 3:29)

Pray that we, the family of God, humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked/unbelieving ways.  Pray for mercy for our nation and revival among God’s people.

For more information on the Grace Bible Church Prayer Team, visit begrace.org/prayer.
For more information about Grace Bible Church, visit begrace.org.