Where do we seek shelter when the storms of life come? This morning the devotional message I read was titled "When Trouble Comes" and E.M. Bounds wrote that "the most natural thing to do is carry your troubles to the Lord and seek grace, patience, and submission there." We are indeed blessed to have such a place of shelter and safety in our times of distress. God is our strong tower and Jesus Christ our Lord is dependable and true as He tells us to pray in His Name, and intercedes for us.
A fervent spirit is the precursor to fervent prayer, but it isn't something we can conjure up, it is a gift. Pastor E.M. Bounds describes it like this... "Fervency has its seat in the heart, not the brain or intellect of the mind. Fervency is the pulse and movement of the emotional nature." And he goes on to say that "we can ask God to plant it in our hearts. Then it is ours to nourish and cherish." The apostle Paul speaks of a fervent spirit as well…
My devotional reading by E.M. Bounds today was titled "Trouble Has No Power" and he said this about life's challenges: "Good and bad alike experience trouble. Trouble is no evidence whatsoever of divine displeasure." As Christians we have heard this many times and from a number of sources, and we know it to be true, but if we are not careful and seek God as we should we might find that the world’s troubles can distract us from our spiritual resolve. If we are not careful then we will allow the world to place itself between us and our prayer closet, and Satan will use our earthly troubles and circumstances in an attempt to encourage fear, and to discourage our deep abiding love and belief in God, and Jesus Christ. Satan has no power over us as believers that we can’t overcome by holding firm to God’s Word, and knowing that His Son Jesus has taken our sin from us, and conquered death. Is our relationship with the divine secure in our faith, and belief in Christ?
Fervent and persistent prayer was the subject of my devotional reading this morning. E.M. Bounds used the verse that preceded the parable of the widow seeking vengeance from a judge who didn't fear God or regard man as his example of the value that persistent prayer brings. Yet, as we will discover, there is much more to learn here.
Our lives and troubles in life are as varied between us as the variety of snowflakes during a winter snow, and yet The Lord is able to deal with us all uniquely. In our lives we find that the troubles and trials which any individual faces are as varied as the DNA that sets the pattern for their physical bodies. Yet, despite this incredible diversity The Holy Spirit is able to lead each of us to Jesus Christ, and through Him to God, where He loves us the same, even while interacting with us in a personally unique way.
This morning my devotional reading was about praying with heart and enthusiasm, I was taken to Romans chapter twelve for this lesson and I feel there was great purpose in its selection. In this particular chapter Paul is teaching us how to offer ourselves to God in our various gifts, and how to deal with several emotions. Let’s read as he teaches us to pray fervently in our key verse this morning…
In my devotional reading his morning Pastor E.M. Bounds wrote on the subject of forgiveness. The title of his devotional message was "The Abundant Pardon" and it spoke of how important it is to forgive. This made me contemplate the subject as well, and to fathom the depth of this seemingly simple act that can repeatedly trip us up as we travel the way of faith. Let’s look at it further and see how forgiveness can either bless us, or its lack can destroy our relationship with God…
Pentecost Sunday falls on May 19th this year, but in my devotional reading this morning E.M. Bounds wrote in affirmation of it and the gift of the Holy Spirit. As a reminder of this event I have included 4 verses of scripture beginning with the promise Jesus conveyed to us of the Comforter's coming....
This morning we will learn what to do while we wait upon the Lord. My devotional reading this morning was titled "Waiting on the Spirit" and used Pentecost as its example. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven He told his apostles to stay in Jerusalem and wait there to receive power from the Holy Spirit. So they remained in the city and waited, but what did they do as they waited? Did they just sit in the upper room biding their time?
Joyous praise, is it absent in your life and church? As I read my morning devotional today I realized the even in the nineteenth and early twentieth century lifetime of E.M. Bounds there was a lack of praise in many churches. He wrote of the praise and incense that infused the early churches and how vital this was to projecting the gospel and winning souls. Bounds was right, God is worthy of our joy and praise, and yet God is complex in His nature, and churches should espouse the serious study of His Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the width and breadth of their nature, through serious worship. We should not abandon one for the sake of the other.
Today we are contemplating praying "Specific Prayers" in a certain manner. In my morning devotional reading today, E.M. Bounds wrote that to get the things we desire, we needed to be specific and particular with our prayers and that we should include thanksgiving in our petition. I agree that we should clearly ask God for what we want of Him, and to demonstrate our confidence in His provision through thanksgiving, but this isn't to be confused with being a legal contract. Our Father already knows our desires before we voice them, but He expects us to demonstrate that we understand them as well, and are appreciative of His provision.
The title of my devotional reading today was "God's Presence Results in Singing" and this is a subject that seems to be obvious to us as believers. Whenever our spirits are in communion with His, there is song... it can present itself as an exhilaration beyond description, or if we are experiencing moments of desperate despair or tremendous sorrow we find a connection with Him that reveals itself in solemn songs and dirges. When in God’s presence songs well up from within us and bring with them the essence of our prayers. This is why some psalms in the Bible are joyous, while others can be thankful, solemn, desperate, filled with mourning, or pleading.
This morning let’s delve into praising God and the presence of our praise in prayer. Pastor E.M. Bounds called this "Spiritual Singing". He even recognized people with little ability to sing when he said "Spiritual singing is not done by musical taste or talent, but by the grace of God in your heart." We are encouraged in scripture to address one another, and God, in song, but are we doing this? If not is it because we are judging one another’s ability to sing and thus discouraging another’s prayer life? Singing on a stage is one thing, but singing on our knees to the Lord is totally different and criticism there can be considered shaming someone who is seeking God’s presence.
Today my devotional reading was appropriately titled 'The Fragrance of Prayer.' E.M. Bounds wrote that "giving thanks is the very life of prayer. It is its fragrance and music, its poetry and its crown." And he warned us that "whatever interferes with and injures the spirit of prayer necessarily hurts and dissipates the spirit of praise." His point is that without prayer and its fragrance then the praise choruses and hymns we sing in church are no different than any secular song; we might as well be singing along with the radio.
Friday morning started very early like every other morning for me, my days begin with prayer, reading scripture, a devotional, and then with the Holy Spirit moving over me, I write this devotional you are reading now, which I share across the country and around the world. Little did I know that three days later I would be sharing something wonderful with a brother in Christ that I had met a few years ago through a friend who had asked if I would send him my morning devotional messages, someone that to this day I have not met personally. I had no idea that this dear brother would share something with me on Friday, that I would meet an Angel on Saturday, or that the Spirit would ask me to deliver this Angel’s message to my brother today, Sunday morning.