Beloved, are you hindered by something? Is it an overcoming reaction to certain people, places, and things? If we say, “Lord, whatever it is that steals my testimony, shuts out the light, keeps me in prison, and bondage: You will be faithful to go to the root. You will heal and deliver. I will submit!”
There are times which come even to the people of God, where thoughts of death call out to them. You have a right to speak to that hopelessness, that darkness. Say in the name of Jesus, the Son of God, “You are not going to take away my future, my hope; you are not stealing my song!”
As believers, when we find sin still operating in our lives we start to question whether God's grace is really at work. Like Abraham, we start to doubt the promises of God and try to make them happen in our own human effort. We measure our righteousness by how well we are able to manage our sin. Our righteousness is not determined by our performance, but by the justifying work of Christ on the cross. His grace is at work in our lives, sanctifying us. Our good works cannot add anything to the righteousness that we have in Jesus.
The answer always comes from the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have to let God fill our hearts with His compassion and love for this generation. It is time to go into our prayer closet and pray for our future, the saving of people, our leaders and our government. God Almighty, you’ve done it in the past, and you are able to do it again!
Most of us at some point or another have to face fear of failure, whether with our job, family or God. Our reaction is often to try to bolster our performance, but when it comes to the things of God that means we move backwards into a works-based understanding of His love for us. God's love for you does not change from day-to-day based on your works. Enter into His rest and trust that Christ's finished work on the cross has made you fully loved and accepted by God.
You and I, in this generation, have an opportunity to break out of every prison. God established this church in Times Square for a divine purpose. It has to be something that lives among us: a genuine, care and compassion. There is a body that is sovereignly coming together by the power of Almighty God!
Of all the last words he could have shared, why does David recount the story of his men retrieving water from Bethlehem? It shows us two things. For one, they weren't commanded to retrieve the water, but because of their relationship with the king they knew his desire and acted on it. Secondly, the deeper the friendship, the greater the availability. Don't limit your relationship with God to Sunday mornings. At the end of the story, David unexpectedly pours the water out on the ground. Why? Because he is the king and can do whatever he wants. Is God the king of your life? Are you willing to let him pour your cup—your plans, dreams, vacation time, 401K, etc.—out on the ground? Have you fully entrusted your marriage, children and health to God?
The writer of Hebrews warns us to be careful and make sure we don't fall away from Christ. This doesn't mean we need to strive in our own efforts to make sure we remain close to God. That will produce the opposite result. We strive; we fail; we get tired; and we end up far from God. We actually end up trying to operate under the old covenant law, rather than trusting in the new covenant grace of Jesus. If you want to remain close to Christ, don't depend on yourself, but trust that His is grace is sufficient. He is faithful to complete the work He has started in you.
In 1 Samuel we see David in one of the lowest times in his life. Like David, many of us are facing hard situations. We have two choices. We can try to twist God to our circumstances or we can adjust our hearts to God. Many opt for the former, striving to force the hand of God so that we don't have to be uncomfortable; but David shows us that the latter is the choice that pleases God. Wait on the Lord and believe Him for His promises. He is loving, merciful and mighty and will not leave nor forsake you. He is faithful!
An Intercessor is not just someone praying for some generic things in their own life. They see the need, the peril that people are in and they are suddenly gripped with it. Intercession is from the Holy Spirit, something that God puts into the heart and calls you into His presence. Intercession begins with self-denial.