Octavius Winslow

PRELUDE TO PRAYER

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Prayer Facts:

“The high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, who is the Creator and Governor of all worlds, who bears up the pillars of the universe, and to whom all the powers in heaven, in earth, and in hell are subject, is the glorious object to whom we address ourselves in prayer” Octavius Winslow (ref#61. April 26th).

 

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because with You are perfect wisdom and might and You alone have true understanding (Job 12:13), I will wait for You.

Because whatever You do, it endures forever (Eccl 3:14), I will wait for You.

Because You are a stronghold in the day of trouble (Nahum 1:7), I will wait for You.

Because Your communion and counsel are with me (Prov 3:32), I will wait for You.

Because You know and are fully acquainted with my way (Ps 1:6), I will wait for You.

Because You give wisdom and knowledge and joy (Eccl 2:26), I will wait for You.

Because Your mercy and kindness and steadfast love endure forever (Jer 33:11), I will wait for You.

 

Read Through the Bible in a Year: February 5th – 11th

Feb 5   Ex 39-40; Acts 4

Feb 6   Lev 1-3; Acts 5

Feb 7   Lev 4-6; Ps 11

Feb 8   Lev 7-9; Acts 6

Feb 9   Lev 10-12; Acts 7

Feb 10 Lev 13-14; Acts 8

Feb 11 Lev 15-17; Ps 12

SABBATH

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CHRISTMAS SABBATH

“I go to the manger of Bethlehem and gaze on the infant Savior.  My faith staggers, and I exclaim, ‘Is this the Son of God?’ Retiring, I track that infant’s steps along its future path.  I mark the wisdom He displayed and I behold the wonders He worked.  I mark the revelations He disclosed, the doctrines He explained, the precepts He taught, the magnanimity He displayed.  I follow Him to Gethsemane, to the judgment-hall, and then to Calvary, and I witness the closing scene of wonder.  I return to Bethlehem and, with the evidences my hesitating faith has thus collected, I exclaim, with the awestruck and believing centurion, ‘Truly this was [is] the Son of God!'” (ref#135, Dec 25th).

Merry SABBATH Christmas

Merry SABBATH Christmas.

The Psalter Hymnal, (Pittsburg, PA: The United Presbyterian Board of Publication and Bible School Work, (c)1927)

SUPPLICATION

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GENERAL TRIBULATION

[We all can think of a Christian sister or brother experiencing so much affliction they may not be able to pray for themselves. Here’s an opportunity to pray for them. Fill their name in the blanks.]

REASONS FOR AFFLICTION–TO OVERCOME

 

screen-shot-2016-10-21-at-9-33-46-am“But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me” (Mic 7:7-8 NRSV).

 FATHER, our natural inclination is to be spared from trouble. But, in Your wisdom, You give us troubling situations to deliver us in trouble. No evil can harm us when we’re at one with You no matter what situation You have us in (ref#7, Aug 2nd).

“God does not give us overcoming life: He gives us life as we overcome. The strain is the strength. If there is no strain, there is no strength” Oswald Chambers (ref#7, Aug 2nd).

FATHER, empower ____ to accept the hard situations; compel (him/her), by faith, to defer to Your strength. Even anticipating hard situations wears ____ out physically, but if (he/she) spends (himself/herself) spiritually (he/she) will get more strength. You give strength minute by minute (ref#7, Aug 2nd).

“To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard…” Dietrich Bonhoeffer (ref#10, p88).

____ will find You, FATHER, when (he/she) overcomes suffering by suffering. JESUS prayed for the cup to pass from Him (Matt 26:39). It did pass—when He drank it. His suffering passed as he accepted it. “The cross is his triumph over suffering” Dietrich Bonhoeffer (ref#10, p92).

FATHER, how vital for ____ to keep communion with You—to draw near You in hard times for if (he/she) removes (his/her) eye from You even for a moment, (he/she) will succumb to “every dark suggestion of the adversary” Octavius Winslow (ref#61, May 30th). Linked with You, (he/she) overcomes—we overcome—You, LORD, overcome for ____.

SUPPLICATION

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GENERAL SICKNESS

[The majority of our prayers concern physical health. We all know someone who is dealing with the pain of sickness. Here is an opportunity to pray for them. Fill their name in the blanks.]

GOD GLORIFIED IN SICKNESS

screen-shot-2016-10-19-at-4-57-19-pm…FATHER, embolden ____’s faith so she finds peace in believing that this sickness that disappoints (him/her) is due to the limitations of (his/her) human sight—that You have better plans than (he/she) can see (ref#66, p57). Inspire (him/her) to realize that even in Your plans for Your Son, You did not deliver Him from the cross but glorified Yourself through His suffering (ref#66, p61).

Favor ____ by impressing upon (him/her) the fact that You have moved (him/her) away from Your work so that (he/she) might be able to concentrate exclusively and entirely on You. In (his/her) work (his/her) great desire was to glorify You; now in (his/her) rest (he/she) has the opportunity to glorify You. Thank You, FATHER, for selecting the best means for ____ to advance Your glory (ref#61, Aug 16th).

LORD, (he/she) whom You love is ill (John 11:3). FATHER, how You love and guard Your suffering patient. Impress on ____ that as (he/she) is languishing and weak (he/she) is more inclined and able to hang on to You. And You will not forsake (him/her) (Heb 13:5).

THANKSGIVING

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HEIRS OF GOD’S PROMISES AND GOD HIMSELF

screen-shot-2016-10-14-at-1-20-39-pm…FATHER, my irrepressible joy comes from the consciousness of Your favor and protection (Ps 97:11). I thank You not only for everything Your covenant promises but for You. You are my portion and inheritance (Num 18:20). You adopt me into Your family. You are my share (Lam 3:24). Therefore I have an infinite interest in every perfection of Your divine nature Octavius Winslow (ref#61, Sept 12th).

In You, FATHER, there is “an all-sufficiency of love to comfort us; an all-sufficiency of strength to uphold us; an all-sufficiency of power to protect us; an all-sufficiency of good to satisfy us; an all-sufficiency of wisdom to guide us; an all-sufficiency of glory to reward us; and an all-sufficiency of bliss to make us happy here, and happy to all eternity” Octavius Winslow (ref#61, Sept 12th).

CONFESSION

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THE BLOOD

Screen Shot 2016-08-24 at 3.38.29 PMThe blood of the Lamb cleanses me from sin—not just the first time I come to Him. It is not a once-and-for-all cleansing but the blood of CHRIST continues to flow—continues to cleanse. It saves me all the days of my life.

It is satan’s ploy to draw me to CHRIST for initial repentance and then drive me out in the wilderness so that I use my natural resources to fight sin going forward. Surely the Galatians thought as I, “CHRIST has saved me, now I have to get my act together.” The Apostle Paul accuses them: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh” (Gal 3:3 ESV)?

“You may struggle against evil as long as you please, but…you will never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus.…Your prayers, your repentance, and your tears—the whole of them put together—are worth nothing apart from Him” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, April 23rd AM).

“In all failures in duty…remembering the innumerable tracers of imperfection and sin found upon all you do, deal frequently, closely, with the atoning blood. ‘Wash and be clean’ (2 Kings 5:13)”  Octavius Winslow (ref#61, July 18th). FATHER, remind me to always come.

“If you have ever come to the blood…you will feel your need of coming to it every day. He who does not desire to wash in it every day has never washed in it at all….there is still a fountain opened….Christ alone can give us joy and comfort….let us sprinkle our doorposts fresh with blood, and then, feast on the Lamb, assured that the destroying angel must pass us by” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, April 17th AM).

ADORATION

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CHRIST – MY HIGH PRIEST

Screen Shot 2016-07-19 at 6.17.01 AM…“O SAVIOUR OF SINNERS, Thy name is excellent, thy glory high, thy compassions unfailing, thy condescension wonderful, thy mercy tender” The Valley of Vision (ref#76, p58). FATHER thank You for Your Son.

“The work of our Lord as Priest was two-fold—atonement and intercession. The one He accomplished upon the cross, the other He now transacts upon the throne” Octavius Winslow (ref#61, July 14th).

“There is one…way human beings can reach God. That way is through Christ Jesus, who is himself human” (1 Tim 2:5 NCV). “God sent him to buy freedom for us…so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (Gal 4:5 NLT). “…our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Heb 10:12 NLT).

“…He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb 9:26 NKJV). “…He offered himself…as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God” (Heb 9:14 NCV). “…he set us free from sin forever” (Heb 9:12 NCV).

“Christ…went into heaven…and is there now before God to help us” (Heb 9:24 NCV). “For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every way so he could be their merciful and faithful high priest…Then Jesus could bring forgiveness for their sins” (Heb 2:17 NCV). “Jesus is the kind of high priest we need. He is holy, sinless, pure, not influenced by sinners, and he is raised above the heavens” (Heb 7:26 NCV). “And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself suffered and was tempted” (Heb 2:18 NCV). “For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. When he lived on earth, he was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin” (Heb 4:15 NCV). “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25 NKJV).

“Christ…is our go-between with God. His obedience and suffering were so perfect that God will not turn him away. Therefore, if we go to God through him, God will not turn us away either” John Piper (ref#92, p72).

“Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our…faith in Him]” (Heb 4:14 AMP).

THANKSGIVING

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TRUSTING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Screen Shot 2016-07-18 at 5.06.25 PM“He breathes the mind and life of Christ in me, so that I live as He did, in and for the Father’s love” Andrew Murray (ref#19, SEVENTH LESSON).

“…I trust the Holy Spirit. He has begun to deliver me from my innate sins, and I trust Him to drive them all out. I trust Him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness. I trust Him to dwell in me as my life; to reign in me as my King; to sanctify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body; and to take me up to dwell with the ‘saints in light’ (Col 1:12) forever” Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, Oct 7th PM).

FATHER, thank You that the SPIRIT abides with me forever—permanently—even though I may not be sensible to His presence—even though He may withhold His comfort or suspend His influence for a while when I am walking carelessly. He may even permit indwelling corruptions for a moment but even when He breaks my heart, He always binds it up. He may fill me with godly grief but then thanksgiving (ref#61, Aug 26th).  SPIRIT, thank You; I rely on You.

SUPPLICATION

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SICKNESS – LIFE THREATENING

[The majority of our prayers concern physical health. We all know someone who is dealing with a life-ending disease. Here is an opportunity to pray for them. Fill their name in the blanks.]

NOW GLORIFY GOD IN PASSIVE SERVICE

Screen Shot 2016-05-17 at 3.27.14 PM…FATHER, aid ____ now in glorifying You passively rather than in an active consecration to Your service. Cause (him/her) to flourish in the graces that were perhaps dormant until now. Develop and exercise these spiritual gifts to their utmost capacity. “Patience is to be cultivated, resignation is to be exhibited, faith is to be exercised, love is to be tried, and example is to be set” Octavius Winslow (ref#61, Aug 12th).

Help ____, for in helplessness (he/she) lies. Show Your presence, FATHER, when (his/her) conscience accuses (him/her) of sin, when (his/her) mind is harassed by foreboding thoughts, when (his/her) eyes are held awake by personal anxieties (ref#76, p165). You alone, LORD, will make (him/her) dwell in safety; You alone will give (him/her) peace to lie down and to sleep (Ps 4:8). You have “a balm for every wound, a solace for all anguish, a remedy for every pain, a peace for all disquietude” The Valley of Vision (ref#76, p165).

FATHER, I pray that ____ approach Your throne of grace with confidence, so that (he/she) may receive mercy and find grace to help in (his/her) time of need (Heb 4:16), for prayer will open (his/her) eyes to see Your hand in trouble. It will not interpret Your providences, but prayer will see justice in them and recognize You in them. Prayer is the window that (he/she) will be able to see Your wise ends in trouble. Prayer drives away unbelief, saves from doubt and delivers from vain and foolish questionings (ref#64, p54). FATHER, teach ____ to glorify You now passively.

CONFESSION

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INTERNAL RIGHTEOUSNESS

Screen Shot 2016-03-26 at 2.44.13 PM“If you would climb to heaven, stoop. Do we not say of Jesus, ‘He descended so that He might ascend’? So must you. You must grow downward so that you may grow upward, for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls, and by them alone”Charles Spurgeon (ref#34, April 5th PM).

FATHER, I want to become conformed to the image of Your Son (Rom 8:29)—His compassionate acts—His authoritative words—His unrivaled righteousness.

This way of thinking brings me close to the thin line where, on one side, activities are produced by my own energies, and, on the other side, activities are prompted by the SPIRIT. It is an unsafe place to be for the continual lure is to fall on the side of self-effort, which, at its best, can only “act” like CHRIST.

FATHER, direct me toward an internal righteousness—my striving to subject my mind, will, affections, and desires to JESUS. This is the place where the HOLY SPIRIT definitely works. “In every corruption subdued, in every…besetting sin laid aside, in every holy desire begotten, Christ is glorified…” Octavius Winslow (ref#61, August 24th). In repentance—with a broken heart—by being contrite I can bring You more glory than appearing impressively righteous to people around me.