The Catalyst in Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Beginning with Prayer

This morning my devotional reading spoke of the effect that prayer has on our hearts and, through our hearts, and it dealt with our fervent nature that seeks God. E.M. Bounds wrote that "Prayer in times of trouble tends to bring the spirit into perfect submission to the will of God, and delivers from everything like a rebellious heart or a critical spirit.... Prayer so prepares the heart that it softens under the disciplining hand of God." The Lord uses trouble in our lives as a tool to discipline and instruct us, but prayer is the catalyst that brings us into submission and knowledge.

Witnessing God in Every Good Thing and Trouble

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God in our Troubles

Seeing God in every good thing about us is a gift, but being able to see Him in our troubles is truly a blessing. When we see God in our distress it calms the spirit and reassures us because we grow in our absolute faith in His goodness. E.M. Bounds expounded on this by saying that if we can find God in our troubles that "we are warranted in taking them to God in prayer and seeking to get the greatest spiritual benefits out of them." So many of us only see our problems in a negative light, and miss the fact that they too benefit us.

Troublemakers, Prayers, and Giving Grace

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Loving Everyone

The troublemakers in our lives... E.M. Bounds spoke to this subject in his devotional this morning. He began by saying "Some troubles are human in origin. They arise from secondary causes. They originate with other people, but we are the sufferers." This is true, many of our day to day problems are caused by those around us. In life we will run across those who do us harm; some out of meanness, and others while trying to advance themselves at all cost. I have had my fair share of bullies in my life that were so full of anger that it was hard to see a glint of good in them, and I have also fallen victim to those whose great desire to advance themselves have hurt innocent people in the process. So how do we deal with this fact? Do we ask God to curse them, or perhaps to destroy them? Well Jesus tells us something much different... we are to love them.

Trouble, and Our Worry Wart Personas

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Worries in Life

What kind of trouble is bothering us? Today let’s acknowledge that we suffer from all types of trouble, but the 900 pound gorilla in the room is WORRY! In my devotional reading this morning the author categorized troubles for us like this:

"Some troubles only exist in the mind. Some are anticipated troubles that never come. Others are past troubles, and it is foolish to worry over them. Present troubles are the only ones requiring attention and demand prayer. Some troubles are self-originated; we are their authors. Some of these originate involuntarily; some arise from our ignorance; some come from our carelessness." – E.M. Bounds

Bounds has given us a very good description of the troubles that we either perceive or experience in our lives, but of all of these, the only ones that we should actively deal with and bring before the Lord are the real and present troubles. The rest aren't troubles at all but are baseless WORRIES! Which of these have we fallen victim to in our lives today?

Prayer Brings Comfort, and More

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prayer Comforts

"Prayer Brings Comfort" is more than just the title for this morning's devotional message, it is a declaration of the benefit that speaking with God brings. My morning reading in E.M. Bounds puts it this way... "Prayer in times of trouble brings comfort, help, hope, and blessings that, while not making the trouble disappear, enables the saint to handle it better and to submit to the will of God." If we are not careful in prayer we will simply dwell on finding relief from troubles, and miss the greater benefits. Prayer is indeed a time of seeking God's intervention and help in our distresses, but our prayers go beyond removing the discomfort, they have a deeper purpose. Prayer also reaffirms our belief, reinforces our humility before God, and communicates His will to us. Prayer does more than asking for help, it teaches us from whence that help comes.

Prayer, Salvation, and the Instant We Believed

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Instant Belief

Where do we turn when we feel we are in trouble? What do we do that brings us comfort? Our natural inclination should be to pray. Prayer in times of trouble is more than something we are instructed to do; it should be our natural destination in response to any crisis. Prayer is our lifeboat when life’s miseries and issues begin to toss us about. Praying is not something we need to earn, or seek out, no, we are invited, not ordered nor rewarded, with prayer, and we are asked by God Himself to call out to Him in this way. If we do this then we will receive comfort, deliverance, and salvation from whatever is troubling us, and by allowing the Lord our God to do this for us it will bring Him glory.

Trouble and Divine Providence

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God’s Use of Trouble

Let’s quickly define "divine providence" in our lives today as it relates to the “trouble” we experience. The concept of “divine providence” has different, and broader, meanings to various denominations and religions but is generally the same in the fact that it is regarded to mean that God is in control of creation. So without going too much further into the differences between what people believe, let’s agree to agree on this focused idea. Now onto the word, and focus of our study today, “trouble”. E.M. Bounds wrote that "trouble naturally belongs to God's moral government and is one of His invaluable agents in governing the world.” He wrote this while expounding on the subject of "trouble”, which in and of its self is a very interesting concept. I was thrilled with the scripture reference he chose to use today...

Praying Against Temptation

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prayer and Temptation

This morning I would like for us to concentrate on praying against Temptation. My morning reading touched on this topic today when Pastor E.M. Bounds said: "Temptation is really evil arising from the Devil or born in the human nature.", and as I thought on it I realized that Jesus spoke specifically to temptation when he gave us the Lord's Prayer. He didn't talk about Trouble or Trials, yet He certainly dealt with Evil and Temptation specifically.

Bridging Our Troubles

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Trouble in Life

All trouble in our lives is under Devine control, and that was the title of the devotional message I read this morning. The author went on to say that "Trouble is neither above nor beyond His control. It is not independent of God." This is the deeper meaning his opening scripture. You see, God is able to take any adverse situation in our lives and either solve it as a problem or reform it entirely to work His will for us. So, he used one of the most quoted verses in the bible to make his point and reassure us...

In the Heat of Faith and Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Fervent Faith

My devotional reading was a hot one today, dealing with fire and specifically the fire in our prayers. E.M. Bounds wrote that "It takes fire to make prayers work. God wants warmhearted servants. We are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Bounds then continued with this observation... "If our faith does not set us on fire, it is because our hearts have become cold." Of course he wasn't referring to literally being set aflame, but rather a fervency that ignites the passion within us and adds intensity to our faith and prayers. We must feel an emotional and spiritual upwelling that comes from the realized presence of God and an anticipation of His answer to our prayers. In our prayers we need to convey the importance of our petition through our attitude and the fire embodied in our effort to seek Him.

The Courthouse Steps

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God Waits on Us

The scripture passage from my devotional reading this morning could either reassure us or cause us to tremble. E.M. Bounds had titled his devotional message "All My Longings" and spoken of God answering our fervent prayers. However, his scripture selection was a double edged sword. He had chosen a verse that would thrill the righteous believer while at the same time bringing fear to the wayward sinner. It deals with a common theme in the Bible… God knows our heart.

Discipline, Hope, and Troubles

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Lessons in Tribulation

My morning devotional reading dealt with trouble in our lives and didn't paint a very hopeful picture. It began by saying "trouble is a part of a person's everyday life on earth”, and then concluded with the statement that people who look for sunshine and roses in life "are the people who don't know God, who know nothing of His disciplinary dealings with His people and who are prayerless." Both of these quotes are from Pastor E.M. Bounds and he selected a scripture from Job to accompany them...

Who Is Your Strength?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Strength in God

One spring day my wife and I returned from Chattanooga where we had celebrated the graduation from college of a remarkable young lady, I plopped down in my prayer chair and was led to read a devotional message titled "Trouble and Prayer". The previous day I had written about this young lady's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis, but when we saw her this morning, after just a few weeks absence, she looked frail and was walking with a cane. It broke my heart to see her this way. Our prayers had been more than needed today, and now we waited confidently for God’s answer.

Placing Our Face in the Veil for Those We Love

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Joined in Prayer

This morning let’s delve into the true object and source of our fervency and desires... and that is God. Do we realize that although fervency and desire are rooted somewhat differently that they both have to do with God, and seeking His presence? Pastor E.M. Bounds said this when he wrote these words: "Fervency, just like prayer, has to do with God. Desire always has an objective. If we desire at all, we desire something. The degree of enthusiasm with which we form our spiritual desires will always serve to determine the earnestness of our praying."

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