Tag Archives: prayer series

Behold, He Prayeth

I was reading in the Baptist and Reflector recently the article “Congress Remains Largely Christian Despite Societal Trends”. The article said:

“At least 88 percent of Congress – 469 of the 534 members – identified as Christian in the poll of the current 118th legislative body that is predominantly Protestant, Pew said in its analysis of poll results gathered by Congressional Quarterly’s Roll Call, with only one member identifying as religiously unaffiliated.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel reassured. If 88% of Congress is “Christian”, then why did both houses affirm same sex marriage in spite of clear Biblical statements against this? If 88% of Congress is “Christian”, why do we see so much behavior that is clearly unChristian. I submit to you that there is a difference between religious person and Christian. A person is not right with God because they say they are Christian. A person is not right with God because they self identify as a Christian.

When John the Baptist saw the Pharisees and Sadducees flocking to his baptism, John didn’t commend them for being there. Instead John said (and we need more preaching like this today):… Continue reading

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Exodus Texts: Face To Face Prayer With God (Sermons For Mid-Week Prayer Service)

What does this mean, that “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face”? Does it mean that Moses saw God’s face? No, because just a few verses later God tells Moses:

Exodus 33:20 And {God} said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

The Bible tells us that “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). As “Spirit”, God has no face as we do. I can look on your face and live, but God’s face is part of His immensity. God is everywhere, infinite. He told the Prophet Jeremiah (23:23-24), “Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.” (ESV). King Solomon, purportedly the wisest man who ever lived, said “Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27, ESV). God is everywhere. God is fully present everywhere. God is fully powerful everywhere. God is not like us. No, HE IS GOD!

The text tells us that “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend”. This means that

Moses and God were intimate friends,
just as Abraham and God were friends.

Isaiah 41:8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. (see also 2 Chronicles 20:7 & James 2:23)…. Continue reading

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The Firsts Of Prayer: A Message For Mid-Week Prayer Service

If I were to ask you where the first prayer in the Bible was, you would probably guess in the Book of Genesis. If I asked you where that first prayer was at, you would probably say “the Garden of Eden”.

You would be wrong.

The first recorded words man spoke are in the Garden of Eden. When God gave Adam his Eve, Adam said:

Genesis 2:23-24 … This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Adam cherished his wife, but please note Adam did not thank God for the marvelous gift he had been given. Adam did not praise the Lord, nor glorify our God. He acknowledged the gift. Can I tell you this, dear ones?

The devil watches us.

Prayerlessness Was The Primary Reason
For Adam’s Fall From Eden

The devil cannot read minds, but he watches our behavior pattern. Adam adored his wife, and spoke of her in covenant language. But Adam never praised the Lord for what he had. Adam never thanked God for the splendors of Eden, nor for the gift of his wife. As Adam never “called upon the name of the Lord” upon receiving Eve, it should come as no surprise that the Serpent (Satan – see Revelation 12:9) saw this as an opportunity. When Satan attacked, he addressed his temptation to Adam’s wife, subtly accusing God of withholding good from our first parents.

The prayerlessness of Adam intrigued the devil, who asked Eve “Has God really said you shall not eat of every tree of this Garden?”

A prayerless life leads to trouble. Oswald Chambers wrote:

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work”.

Industrialist Henry Ford said,

“Those who walk with God, always reach their destination”…. Continue reading

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The Prayer God Answers

“But preacher, I do believe in prayer”. Do you? Do you pray daily, frequently? Do you ask God to accompany you before you begin your journey? Do you hold God in your consciousness “asking, seeking, and knocking” (Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-13)? Continue reading

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Prayer Necessary Because Of The Battle (Part 2)

I was saved – wonderfully saved by faith in Christ is a little church called the Church of God when I was 17 years old. I am now approaching 61 years old – though I feel like I’m 80! Over the last 44 years of following my Master and Savior Jesus Christ – 25 of those years being blessed to be in the ministry – I have heard numerous sermons about the “Armor of God”. I have been … Continue reading

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Prayer Necessary Because Of The Mystery

It is very easy when preaching, teaching, or reading scripture to take it out of context. I am constantly learning and growing as I study God’s Word, and finding ways that I myself took things out of context. This is a human condition we are all subject to do, probably inherited from our forefathe … Continue reading

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Pray-Be-See: God Uses Bro9ken Things … Like Jacob

The earth was created in parts – broken – because God uses the broken. As you read the biographies and accounts of the people of the Bible you see no one perfect or broken among mankind but the Lord Jesus Christ. All others are broken. The only reason that Christ – born of a woman – is unbroken is because He is God become Man, perfect Man. It is the Son of God… Continue reading

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Pray-Be-See We Should Pray

Jesus said that the day that He comes will be “like the days of Noah”, where no one had time for God. They were so busy. … Continue reading

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Lessons From Gethsemane

You have all seen cashiers at stores test twenty dollar bills with a felt tip pen. With the advances that computers, printers, and scanners have made over the years it is possible for counterfeiters to scan and print twenty dollar bills on regular paper. Regular paper is made of wood cellulose bound together with starch based glue, whereas American money is printed on cotton or linen fabric bound together under high heat. The felt tip pen the cashiers use has an iodine solution… Continue reading

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Prayer and Devotion To God

Our Lord is not the Author of confusion, but of peace – AS IN ALL THE CHURCHES of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:33). A praying Church left the upper room on the Day of Pentecost. A praying Church spoke many different languages but ONE MESSAGE – that Jesus Christ paid for sins, and faith in Him would bring redemption. On the Day of Pentecost people of many different languages asked: Acts 2:37 … Men and brethren, what shall we do? Continue reading

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