Prayer Facts:

“Satan dreads nothing but prayer—The church that lost its Christ was full of good works….Souls may be lost in good works, as surely as in evil ways. The one concern of the devil is to keep the saints from prayer….He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray” (ref#54, p186).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because Your mercy and lovingkindness endure forever (Ps 118:29), I will wait for You. Because You will be gracious to the sound of my cry (Isa 30:19), I will wait for You. Because You pardon my guilt (Ps 25:11), I will wait for You.
Because You are my hiding place (Ps 32:7), I will wait for You.

Thy Lovingkindness Is Better Than Life

Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, I will bless Thee (Ps 63:3,4) even when I’m a prisoner in the valley and have to backtrack to the elementary principles of CHRIST (Heb 6:1). Thy lovingkindness is better than anything, LORD—even when I’m feeling dejected and alone.

Certainly I would be hypocritical praising You with only the words: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God;…” (Isa 61:10 ESV) when I am so downcast. But, if I read on in this Isaiah prayer I discover a way to burst open the prison door.

“…for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isa 61:10 AMP).

LORD, You have given me a mantel of righteousness—glorious and beautiful (Ex 28:40)! Just by reading these words I find myself standing before You with no rationale to remain in the valley any longer.

FATHER, Your words break the snare of the negative cycle; the door is open and I can escape (Ps 124:7). You give me the strength to believe, “You have clothed me with the garments of salvation; You have covered me with the robe of righteousness.” I do not have to stay a prisoner.

All praise to You, FATHER, for if You are not on my side the enemy swallows me alive (Ps 124:2-3). My help is in You, LORD (Ps 124:8). You give me the faith I need, so with joy my lips bless Thee (Ps 63:3). Thy lovingkindness IS better than life.

Felix-Like

“As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him….” (Acts 24:25 MSG).

FATHER, I watch ____ divert (his/her) attention from You whenever Your names comes up in conversation. I have to say affliction and prosperity have alike failed to turn ____ toward CHRIST. Tears and prayers and sermons have, so far, been wasted on (his/her) barren heart (ref#34, Dec 31st AM).

There must be something of You that ____ disapproves of otherwise (he/she) would not be hindered from acknowledging Your authority (Matt 13:57). (He/She) goes on hardening (his/her) heart when (he/she) puts CHRIST to the test for the purpose of approving Him (Heb 3:7-9). CHRIST does not meet (his/her) specifications as Messiah (Luke 9:22) because (he/she) does not yet have an experiential knowledge of Him (Heb 3:10).

Pride makes ____ critical of Your activities, FATHER. I hear (him/her) criticizing, disagreeing and correcting things of You (ref#124, p118). Thus, I long to see (him/her) approach You with teachable humility (ref#124, p119). I long to see ____ great in Your kingdom.

“Unless you reverse your present trend of thought and become as the little children, in no case shall you enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, he who is of such a nature as to humble himself like this little child, esteeming himself small inasmuch as he is so, thus thinking truly, and because truly, therefore humbly of himself, this person is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (ref#37, p45-46, [Matt 18:3-4]).

Christianity Is Foolishness Until…

FATHER, we are spiritually dead until we receive the HOLY SPIRIT. “…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God…” (1 Cor 2:14 ASV). Self-initiated faith is lifeless, boring and unsatisfying.

Move ____ to speak to that problem with others. INITIATING FATHER, discharge ____ to tear down myths and tell the Truth. “The majority of people have their morality well within their own grasp, they have no sense of need of the Gospel” (ref#7, Dec 17th). Lead ____ to paint a picture of understanding about the fallacy of bringing one’s self to Christianity.

The golden rule of preaching is “preach CHRIST, not the experience.” “It is never personal testimony that save men” (ref#7, Dec 17th). Propel ____ to not go to the right or left of focusing on CHRIST and His life. Cause (him/her) to remember that “once Jesus Christ is lifted up, the Spirit of God will create a conscious need of Him” (ref#7, Dec 17th). “The Gospel of God creates a sense of need of the Gospel” (ref#7, Dec
17th).

“The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness….” (1 Cor 2:14 MSG).

In conversation with others and even in talking to (himself/herself) keep ____ thinking about the reasons CHRIST is “needed” in life.

Benefiting from CHRIST’s Affliction

FATHER, ____, because (he/she) is in affliction, has the opportunity to recognize CHRIST’s activity in (his/her) life. It is true, this affliction will make (him/her) look to CHRIST for help in it, but also, affliction makes CHRIST’s activities more vivid. (He/She) will understand without a doubt that CHRIST takes a personal interest in (him/her).

____ will undoubtedly come to CHRIST begging to be free from (his/her) affliction. But, help (him/her) LORD, look for something better than being affliction-free. For CHRIST’s business is strengthening (his/her) being, animating (his/her) spirit further, and continually adding love to (his/her) heart (ref#61, July 7th).

CHRIST may allow the affliction to remain, for His promise is that He will provide enough strength for each day (Deut 33:25). His grace is sufficient for anything He allows in ____’s life (2 Cor 12:9).

FATHER, it’s possible that this suffering is severe enough it will push ____ to the point of longing for nothing but You. Let this pain make (him/her) behave as a child— willing to completely trust You. Simplify (his/her) life. Reduce (his/her) existence to one relationship—You and (his/hers) (ref#7, July 29th).

Obedience

“His timing is perfect, His will is our hiding place. Lord Jesus keep me
in Your will. Don’t let me go mad by poking about outside it” (ref#84, p218).

FATHER, being obedient to You sounds simple enough, but how do I know it is You giving the orders instead of my flesh desiring to be spiritual? Can I not hear the same words from both You and my flesh?

No prerequisite is required for fleshly desires to enter my head. They are stand-alone commands rising from my depraved nature. They masquerade as important spiritual ideas appealing to my sense of logic. They beg to be put into action.

“Carnal pleasure, worldly profit and honour, the things of sense and time, are the things of the flesh…The favour of God, the welfare of the soul, the concerns of eternity, are the things of the Spirit” (ref#18, [Rom 8:5]).

FATHER, draw me into submission. Make me wait on You to receive Your revelation in my intuition otherwise my flesh will assert itself (ref#101, p43). If I sense I’m being the boss over any spiritual project, I can be sure it is my flesh directing me. You FATHER, do not delegate authority over the control of Your work (ref#101, p42).

“Despite a great revival in Samaria, Philip was not responsible for the follow-up labor of strengthening. He must leave immediately for the desert in order that a “heathen” eunuch might be saved….All acts are in the hands of the Spirit; believers simply obey. Had it been left to human thoughts and wishes, many places which ought to be visited would not have been, and many others would have been visited which ought not to be. These experiences from Acts inescapably tell us that we too must follow the guidance of God’s Spirit in our intuition and not follow our thoughts, reasons or wishes”(ref#101, p 42-43).

“Jesus takes us over for His enterprises, His building schemes entirely, and no soul has any right to claim where he shall be put” (ref#7, May 7th).

Anger

“…whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17 ESV)

Anger is my announcement to myself that I am seeking my own way and not Yours, FATHER. And the announcement makes me madder—it tells me I’m failing at being righteous—the very thing I want to be known for.

You have taught me so much. I know so much of the right things to do. I’m irritated that I know so much which proclaims to me how often I fail. Ah, but anger clues me that I have fallen into the devil’s ploy of trying to be spiritually ambitions (ref#105, p68).

“The massive interest in self-esteem and self-worth exists because it is trying to help us with a real problem. The problem is that we really are not okay. There is no reason why we should feel great about ourselves. We truly are deficient” (ref#106, p29).

“When a man really sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not the abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ” (ref#7, March 8th).

Pride makes me angry. But how can I let my selfishness upstage CHRIST? CHRIST a continual servant—excepting life as it came—never getting His way—never.

“All He did was for others. When He came from heaven, it was for others. When He laid down His life, it was for others….when He was raised again… it was…to justify others…the position He occupies…now in heaven is for others,…” (ref#100, p139).

“For every one look at myself I must take ten looks at Jesus” (ref#106, p67). Anger begs a “time-out.” And a productive “time-out” is to squelch anger by looking to JESUS.

“Turn your eyes away from all else to Him, even to the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. Consider Him only, and render Him glory” (ref#104, Day 10).

Psalm 35

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;

fight against those who fight against me.
Take hold of shield and buckler
and rise for my help.

Draw the spear,

draw the javelin against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation” (Ps 35:1-3).

You have seen, O LORD,

be not silent O LORD, be not far from me.
Awake and rouse Yourself for my cause,

my God and my LORD (Ps 35:22-23).

Vindicate me, O LORD,

according to Your righteousness.

Let none rejoice over me (Ps 35:24).

But, let them be put to shame (Ps 35:4).

Then my soul, yes, my soul will rejoice in You,

LORD— exulting in Your salvation.
All my bones shall say,
O LORD, who is like You? (Ps 35:9-10).

Shout for joy and be glad,
and let me say, “Great is the LORD” (Ps 35:27-28).

My tongue shall tell of Your righteousness
and of Your praise all the day long (Ps 35:28).

Scripture Written so I Might Know GOD

FATHER, You, a GOD who needs nothing from me, puts at my disposal word-pictures that I might acquaint myself with Your majesty and love. You reveal Yourself through the Bible.

“…when we understand the words used, the historical background, and the cultural conventions of the writer and his readers, we are well on our way to grasping the thoughts that are being conveyed”
(ref#56, p844, “Understanding the Word of God”).

Without the SPIRIT’s help I will read the Bible from my vantage point, looking for facts that will help me know and achieve what I want. So, FATHER, I desire the SPIRIT to generate in me a passion for You.

May I seek You as I read noting Your attributes so I might strengthen my trust and love for You “not reading the Bible looking for information like an academic subject or trivia or doctrines, but a Person…” (ref#141, Basking In the Light of the Glory of Christ, (sermon notes) Jan 1, 2005).

Prayer Facts:

“Prayer is affirming God’s sovereignty, righteousness, and majesty and seeking to conform our desires and our purposes to His will and glory” (ref#36. p375).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because all things originate with You and come from You; all things live through You and all things center in and tend to consummate and end in You (Rom 11:36), I will wait for You.
Because You are trustworthy and faithful and mean what You say (2 Cor 1:18), I will wait for You.

Because You are among us—a mighty and terrible GOD (Deut 7:21), I will wait for You.