Always Ready

“Men always ought to pray and not lose heart…” Luke 18:1

The year is at an end, and this is a time to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. Let us, then, in the new year, determine to pray more. Let us pray with faith, believing that God will do great things– not because of the power of our prayers, but because He is faithful to his many promises and to the finished work of His Son. I suggest four major items on which we should focus our weapons of prayer:

1. If you have, like I do, a heart that is not always praying, ask God first and foremost for a praying heart. Make your request that of the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray.” Acknowledge that you cannot pray as you ought unless God helps you.

2. Pray for Christ-likeness. All our efforts to become more godly will fail if we are not seeking God’s grace. Pray that God would further conform you to the image of His Son in the new year. Is that not the end and purpose of every Christian? Has not God promised to do this (Romans 8:29)? Let us pray for it and see what God does.

3. Pray for your church, and the Church at large. Many people complain over the dismal state of the American evangelical church, and yet they never pray for their pastor, never pray for revival, and never pray for their fellow church members. If the church is ever to fulfill its purpose, it will only be when God’s people are praying.

4. Pray for the salvation of those who you know are unbelievers. I would think that a great many of us know unsaved people; whether in our families, workplaces, or even churches. Pray that God would grant opportunities to share the Gospel with these souls and give you a heart of compassion for them.

Here are some closing thoughts:

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:14

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Numbers 23:19

“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.” 1 Kings 8:56

“The price of prayerlessness far exceeds the price of prayer.” Anonymous

“The formula ‘Accept Christ’ has become a panacea of universal application, and I believe it has been fatal to many….

The trouble is that the whole ‘Accept Christ’ attitude is likely to be wrong. It shows Christ [appealing] to us rather than us to Him. It makes Him stand hat-in-hand awaiting our verdict on Him, instead of our kneeling with troubled hearts awaiting His verdict on us. It may even permit us to accept Christ as an impulse of mind or emotions, painlessly, at no loss to our ego and no inconvenience to our usual way of life.

For this ineffectual manner of dealing with a vital matter we might imagine some parallels; as if, for instance, Israel in Egypt had ‘accepted’ the blood of the passover but continued to live in bondage, or the prodigal son had ‘accepted’ his father’s forgiveness and stayed on among the swine in the far country. Is it not plain that if accepting Christ is to mean anything there must be a moral action that accords with it?”
-A.W. Tozer

Merry Christmas! If you are looking to be reminded about the true meaning of Christmas, you might enjoy this article from John Piper, “The Word Became Flesh.” I hope you have a wonderful day worshipping the Lord and spending time with family.

I have nothing but respect for the ministry of Jeff Noblit and Anchored in Truth. This ministry is dedicated to Glorifying God through biblical, expository teaching. Anchored in Truth also hosts a youth conference every year where young people are taught to serve God with their lives. I very much wanted to attend this conference, and I was disappointed when I couldn’t. However, I was very glad to hear that the conference sessions will be streamed live on the internet here. If you are a young person, or an adult, and you want to hear excellent biblical preaching and teaching, I would strongly encourage you to tune in and hear some of these conference speakers. The speakers will be: Jeff Noblit, Paul Washer, Jono Sims, and Matt Fowler. Click “more” for conference distinctives and schedule. Below is a video describing what the conference is about.

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Undoubtedly Paul Washer is a man of God, and many have been blessed by his preaching. But how many have heard him talk about his own conversion? Here is a short clip of him talking about his salvation and his love for Jesus Christ. Only Jesus could reduce a fiery and fearless preacher to tears.

Found here.

“Yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant.”
2 Samuel 23:5

This covenant is divine in its origin. “HE hath made with me an everlasting covenant.” Oh that great word HE! Stop, my soul. God, the everlasting Father, has positively made a covenant with thee; yes, that God who spake the world into existence by a word; He, stooping from His majesty, takes hold of thy hand and makes a covenant with thee. Is it not a deed, the stupendous condescension of which might ravish our hearts for ever if we could really understand it? “HE hath made with me a covenant.” A king has not made a covenant with me–that were somewhat; but the Prince of the kings of the earth, Shaddai, the Lord All-sufficient, the Jehovah of ages, the everlasting Elohim, “He hath made with me an everlasting covenant.” But notice, it is particular in its application. “Yet hath He made with ME an everlasting covenant.” Here lies the sweetness of it to each believer. It is nought for me that He made peace for the world; I want to know whether He made peace for me! It is little that He hath made a covenant, I want to know whether He has made a covenant with me. Blessed is the assurance that He hath made a covenant with me! If God the Holy Ghost gives me assurance of this, then His salvation is mine, His heart is mine, He Himself is mine–He is my God.

This covenant is everlasting in its duration. An everlasting covenant means a covenant which had no beginning, and which shall never, never end. How sweet amidst all the uncertainties of life, to know that “the foundation of the Lord standeth sure,” and to have God’s own promise, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Like dying David, I will sing of this, even though my house be not so with God as my heart desireth.

 Take a moment and listen to the powerful testimony of Nicky Cruz, the feared leader of a New York Gang. This video testifies of the power of God to reach even the most hardened and lost of men. Thank God for the faithful preaching of David Wilkerson. The preaching of the word is powerful. The testimony is in three parts; see below for parts 1 and 2.

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy” Psalm 107:1,2

Part 1
Part 2

I would like to have a monthly theme around which the majority of my posts center. This month I would like the theme to be prayer, as it its necessity and importance is something that God has been impressing on my heart lately. Here are two quotes on the topic.

“The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came…Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.”
R. A. Torrey

“Hell is larger today than it was yesterday, because many of us have failed to pray.”
David Smithers

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:23-26

What does it mean to take up your cross? It is not the self-flagellation and ascetecism of the Catholics, nor is it simply doing humanitarian acts of love. What is it? How does it apply to daily life?

My conclusion is this: taking up your cross is doing anything that you find hard, humiliating, or intimidating. Of course this may be different for every person. Some may struggle with witnessing and fear of rejection (whosoever is ashamed of Me…); others may struggle to devote the proper time to prayer; others may fear dedicating themselves to the ministry; others may struggle with forgiveness, lust, anger, worry, or some other besetting sin.

Whatever may be your struggle (and there is likely more than one), that is your cross, and you are to take it up and face the challenge every day. This requires dying to self (whoever loses his life for My sake will save it), and it is by nature difficult. Does any one naturally want to sacrifice their desires, dreams, hopes, and loves? Hardly. In fact, this cannot be accomplished without the power of the Holy Spirit. Start every day by asking the Lord’s help in dying to self and taking up your cross. He has promised that he will strengthen you.

Love always involves responsibility, and love always involves sacrifice. And we do not really love Christ unless we are prepared to face His task and to take up His Cross. . . .
William Barclay

Paul Washer is a man whose zeal has challenged me to grow closer to the Lord. This video needs no further comment.