Pray and Fast

God said, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14). There it is—an open and shut case.

Look around. There is a pestilence among God's people. We are in a heap of trouble. What shall we do? Why not pray and fast?

Mark 9 records a time when Jesus' disciples tried to cast a demon out of a boy, but failed. Jesus told them, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). The Lord expects us to fast. Jesus said, "when ye fast"—not if, but when (Matt. 6:16).

ISRAEL FASTED, AND GOD LISTENED! In Exodus 3:7–8, God said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry… And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land… flowing with milk and honey."

America, Africa, Asia, Australia, The Azores, Antarctica and ALL other nations of the world—WE NEED GOD. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Let's get rid of our pride and see what He will do.

Don't just say a little prayer; have a day of prayer. Pray like Hannah, who "poured out her soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:10). The Bible says that "the effectual fervent prayer of righteous men availeth much" (James 5:16).

Before God will work in our lives, we must move out those things that offend His holiness. He says, "Turn from YOUR wicked ways." Don't worry about what others are doing. It's YOUR move!

If we fast and pray, God will heal our land. O, dear people, how we need our lives cleansed and our land healed. Don't be left out!

Prayer: Father, teach us to seek You through prayer and fasting. Humble us and cause us to turn from our wicked ways. Forgive our sin and heal our land. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Quote for the Day: "Learn to enjoy your own company. You are the one person you can count on living with for the rest of your life." —Ann Richards

The missing person: the Holy Spirit?

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom ye have of God and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's" ! Cor. 6:19

These carnal Corinthians, "saints, sanctified in Christ Jesus," 1 Cor. 1:2, did not know; they were totally unaware, that their body was the "house of God" the "temple of the Holy Spirit." The tragedy is that most Christians today do not know this wonderful truth or are woefully disrespectful to Him. They "grieve" Him and "quench" Him. Wait unit you see how!

Your body is far more sacred than all the church and cathedral buildings of the world! Don't "defile" your body, "the temple of God" 1 Cor. 2:17. "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" 6:18. Strong words! God help us.

It is unbiblical to pray to receive the Holy Spirit! If you are born again, you already have the Holy Spirit. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," he is not saved? It is as simple as that, Romans 8:9. Make sense?

WHAT A GREAT PROMISE

"Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" 2:12. Did you catch that? You have the same omniscient Teacher living in you to teach you the Word of God. Isn't that awesome? The same One to lead you! The same one to bless you! Don't quench Him. "Obey the Spirit." Doesn't that make sense? Wait until we see how to "Walk in the Spirit! Yield to Him.

This is the way you have "life more abundantly" John 10:10. "Most live such a subnormal Christian life that when someone lives the normal Christ life, people think they are abnormal" Are you living the normal Biblical Christian life? Get in on it.

Father, let your people comprehend what it means for their body to be the temple of God, the Holy Spirit, and live like Christians ought to live, bringing glory and honor to Your name, in Jesus name.

I PRAYED FOR YOU TODAY, all because of Calvary, sumner

"The most important thought I ever had was that of my individual responsibility to God." - Daniel Webster

"...God holds each one of us personally responsible for his thoughts, words, and actions regardless of external pressures and influences..." - Jay Adams

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Who in the World is the Holy Spirit?

HE IS A WONDERFUL PERSON!

"I have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that will he speak and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you" John 16:12-14.

Notice the 9 personal pronouns referring to the Holy Spirit. He is a very real person, just as real as the Lord Jesus. He has intellect, "knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit" Rom. 8:27. He has emotions, "and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God" Ephesians 4:30. He has will, "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" 1 Cor. 12:13. He is not an "it" or "force" or "influence" but a very real Person. We need to get to know Him.

Remember, the Lord Jesus finished what He came to do, "He died for our sins, rose again, was seen of hundreds" 1 Cor.15:1-4 and that is the gospel which we MUST preach today. He went back to heaven and sat down. Ten days later He sent the Holy Spirit to take up where He left off. The Holy Spirit is the primary One doing the work of God on the earth, just as Jesus was the primary One at work in His day. This is vital for us to understand. There are over 30 things He does today for us believers! Wait til we see them and let Him do them in and through us!

It is AWESOME. It will transform your life.

Father, teach us all these wonderful things the Holy Spirit came to do for us and through us and help us to let Him do them to Your glory, in Jesus name.

YOU are loved by God and me, all because of Calvary, sumner

"Almost half our society is unchurched, and we Christians are not communicating with them; the people in that half will not come to us or to our programs, but they are reachable; we need to learn to bring Christ to them on their turf." - Jim Petersen

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"First of all pray for all men, all Kings, all in authority" to be saved and "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"