DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - THURSDAY: “The Secret To Changing Our World” #3

“Our sufficiency is of God. Difficulties melt in His presence. In Him are those mighty, overcoming energies, which accomplish the possible and the impossible with equal readiness…The real resources are with Him for the evangelizing and the redeeming of the world. But He has not been able to do ‘many mighty works’ in the non-Christian lands, because of our unbelief as a Church. We have not possessed our possessions. God has been waiting to be honored by the faith of a generation that would call upon Him for really large outpourings of His power.” –J. Lovell Murray.

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"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! - Mat 7:7–11. (ESV).

As we conclude this series on prayer, let us remind ourselves that... some say that the Sermon on the Mount was really not a sermon it was just a collection of the wisdom of Jesus, and they use this portion of scripture to support their argument. They say that the teaching on prayer just doesn't fit here... wrong! Jesus has just said not to judge the hearts of others unless we want to be judge accordingly. We think to ourselves, how can we live up to this standard? Jesus answers the unasked question. Pray...

How Can We Change Our World? - Through Prayer!
ASK - Ask with confidence and humility; Ask God for things that only God can do! This ask is a special Greek word... aiteo, it means beg, call for, crave, desire, require, to ask from a position of helplessness. Realising that is there is no other way to do it ourselves. We need to ask God to do great things, big things, miracles! We want to build a prayer ministry that will cause our world to say… “It had to be God, because they could not have done this on their own.”

More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. - Alfred Lord Tennyson.

SEEK - Seek with concern and purpose. We must get involved We must get involved when we seek, we must put when we seek, we must put "feet" to our prayers, and we must meet God at the point of action! Give us this day our daily bread, - Matt 6:11. Pray expectantly; when we pray for our daily bread, do we really expect it to fall from Heaven? It is dangerous to pray great prayers. When we ask God to change our city, He may require us to go to our neighbours, friends and relatives, asking what needs they have. This kind of prayer is a lifestyle, a lifestyle that we need to adopt!

Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you. - Martin Luther.

KNOCK - with earnestness and perseverance, and keep on knocking until we get the answer... and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs - Luke 11:7-8.

It is not that God is reluctant to give, but there is an enemy that fights against our prayers, he is hoping to turn aside our faith and get us to give up on looking for the answer. There is a battle that rages over this world and we are on the front lines. We must pray. We must knock and keep on knocking until we hear from God. What would have happened if the one seeking the bread had given up?

Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then, my dear brother; pray, pray, pray. - Edward Payson.

What does the Church need? Money? Workers? No! Prayer! The greatest need of the Church is prayer, real prayer, great drops of blood kind of prayer. Do we want to see a move of God? Do we want to see miracles? Do you want to be used by God? Then Pray! We want people's lives to be touched by the presence of God, and we want to make a change in our world! It can happen, but it will cost, will you pray?

Five young college students were spending a Sunday in London, so they went to hear the famed C.H. Spurgeon preach. While waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who asked, "Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the heating plant of this church?" They were not particularly interested, for it was a hot day in July. But they didn't want to offend the stranger, so they consented.

The young men were taken down a stairway, a door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered, "This is our heating plant." Surprised, the students saw 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking a blessing on the service that was soon to begin in the auditorium above. Softly closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself. It was none other than Charles Spurgeon. - Our Daily Bread.

One day we will stand before the gates of Heaven, and we will bang on the door and call out... ‘let me in.’ I can see the Angel looking down and calling out, "Who is there?" Another Angel approaches, he is the Angel who stays in the presence of the Living God, he speaks, "Let him in. I recognize his voice. I hear it all the time as I stand in the presence of the Living God. I would know that voice anywhere." Don't you want them to recognise your voice?

Ask with confidence and humility.
Seek with concern and purpose.
Knock with earnestness and perseverance.

AND WE WILL CHANGE OUR WORLD!

Loving Father, I thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit who helps me to pray! I thank you Lord that I can come before your throne, and ask you for the impossible, that I can seek the impossible, and that I can knock till you make it possible. In His wonderful name I pray!