Are We Blind in Capernaum?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Healing The Blind

Two days ago we spoke of cases where prayer wasn't answered immediately, and today we will speak further on that subject through the biblical story of Jesus healing the two blind men in Capernaum. This is indeed the first example we have of Jesus healing the blind... He had been busy through the course of the day, healing, teaching, calling Matthew to follow Him, and raising the dead, but as the people continued to follow after Him we read of two blind men calling out to Him from the crowd for healing. It appears that perhaps Jesus didn't hear them, and yet they continued to follow after Him until they finally entered into the house where He was, and there, because of their faith, He restored their sight.

God Bless America

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Countries and Nations

Today is the 4th of July and I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a few thoughts regarding nations in general and ours specifically. Today we are celebrating the day our nation was established. Yet, in the lives of men, nations come (as ours did on this day in 1776) and nations go (as the rule of England over us also did on that day) so let's do more than just pray for the future of our country, let's pray for the souls of the men and women who are currently involved in governing us, and all those who have done so in the past. When this United States dissolves, at the return of the Lord Jesus, the souls of the men and women who are governing us, and those who have done so through the years, will rise, and be judged.

Ask, Seek, Knock… In Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Three Steps

Three steps to successful prayer sounds like it could be a pamphlet in a church lobby, but it is much more than that, it is what we all desire… a simple set of three words that we can follow which will improve our ability to converse with God. This morning we won’t be studying some carefully compiled set of rules derived by a theologian in an ivory tower, but rather the actual words of Jesus as He directs us to ask, seek, and knock in scripture. Then, we will apply His words to our prayers and faith lives.

Nations, People, and Our Forceless Prayers

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prayers of the Individual

Forceless prayer is the topic of our contemplation this morning. My morning reading dealt with how prayer should be an earnest and inward movement towards God, and then it went on to say that although there was much prayer in the time of Isaiah that it was indifferent and self-righteous... with very little real movement towards God. Isaiah was a greater prophet and sent to prophesy for his time, but he also prophesied regarding the Messiah to come... Jesus.

Of Prayer, Holiness, and Icebergs

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Seeking Holiness

Our devotional thought this morning surrounds praying as a holy act, and focuses on the subsidence of holiness in the church today. Our scripture verse tells us that unless we are holy then we will not see the Lord, and yet we, and our churches, spend an inordinate amount of time in the physical world. Even when we pray we tend to focus more on our wants and less on loving God and our neighbors, thanksgiving, asking for forgiveness, and other spiritual things. We need to lean into these things as we pray.

Nagging? or a Different Look at Prayer?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Repetitive Prayer

This morning we will reconsider the parable of the man who goes to his neighbor in the middle of the night to borrow bread. This parable teaches us persistence in prayer and typically is taught as prayer which motivates God by our nagging impudence. Today I would like to propose an alternate study. The lesson, as it is typically taught, goes like this... When Christmas is drawing near, our children begin to communicate their desires relative to Christmas gifts. Sometimes the list of wants might change but there are certain requests that remain as they repeat them time and time again. In this way they hope to nag us in hopes that they will get what they want.

Praying and the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Paraclete

As I prepare to move into the second half of the year reading a daily devotional each morning that was written by Pastor E.M. Bounds (The Power of Prayer), I would like to direct our contemplation today towards the Holy Spirit and the impact that he has on our prayers, and our prayer lives. Will you walk with me as we study some of the important aspects of praying that the Holy Spirit brings into our prayer closets with us? Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as our paraclete, which means our helper, counselor, and comforter. Merriam-Wester’s dictionary defines paraclete simply as the Holy Spirit.

Prayer and the Holy Anointing

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Annointing

Today we will be studying Holy Anointing within the church and its relationship to prayer. We will also consider the conditional nature of this gift and prayer's role in maintaining its freshness. Here is a quick rundown on anointing before we discuss these topics... There are different types of anointing; there is the simple practice of applying oil, or some other substance, to a person or thing, there is the common practice of anointing someone's head or feet as a sign of respect, there is an Ecclesiastical anointing of the sick, and then there is the Holy Anointing such as the one that priests and pastors receive, and which also carries with it the Hebrew translation of the word Messiah or “anointed”.

The Magnification of Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Focused Prayer

Today we explore the impact that prayer has on our life and religion. We will also discuss how that occurs, and the importance of that act. As I read Pastor E.M. Bounds this morning I was struck by his strong words "Prayer is not an indifferent, small thing. It is not a sweet little privilege. It is a great prerogative, far-reaching in its effects." After reading this thought I sank back into my chair and let his words sink in. Then, I glanced back at the page and continued to read... "Prayer is not just an episode of the Christian life..... Life is a preparation for and the result of prayer, prayer is the sum of religion."

The Breath of Faith and Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Faith and Prayer

Today let’s discuss the twins of prayer and faith. Pastor E.M. Bounds describes them this way: "one heart brings them both to life. Faith is always praying; prayer is always believing." He ends his devotional by writing by saying "Prayer asks; faith lays its hand on the thing asked for." Faith and prayer are the engines which power the Dynamo of our belief; our relationship with God. They create the spark that jumps the gap between man and God. For our part in this endeavor we must hold fast to our faith and exercise our prayer fervently.

Truth, Worthiness, and the Answer to Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God’s Truth and Promises

This morning we are contemplating the fact that God means what He says and that includes His Word regarding prayer. Scripture tells us as much. First and foremost to understanding this is the promise that God can't lie. But, how about us? We can, and we do lie, so how is it that we are able to come to the Lord in prayer? How is it that we can possibly be worthy of entering into His presence? It is by His perfect Word, and the promise He gives us in Jesus our redeemer.

An Early Morning Power Outage and Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, God is Light

Our devotional for this morning is regarding the absolute certainty of God, who is light, and who answers prayer. On a day in 2016 I was sitting in complete darkness in my eerily quiet house thinking about the fact that God answers prayer. A severe storm had just passed through and although it had moved off into the distance I could still hear the rumble of thunder... My neighborhood was dark and without power. To those without faith, this is like their prayer life... they sit in darkness with no hope, and no power. But to those of us who trust in the Lord our prayers are answered in the midst of the surrounding darkness and our battery operated cell phones still communicate our faithfulness.

The Eternal Fruit of Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Fruit of Prayer

This morning we renew ourselves in studying the fruit of prayer. As we read today’s scripture verse in which Jesus reminds his disciples that they did not chose Him first, but that He chose, and ordained them, we are told that their purpose is to bear fruit for the kingdom of God and that in this endeavor they should pray and receive whatsoever they ask. When we pray during our daily prayers do we consider these words of Christ, or do we simply dwell on being given whatever it is we desire at the moment? Are we bringing forth fruit for the kingdom or simply wanting to partake of it?

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