Author: Dr Glen

Power of Prayer

Matthew 21:22″And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (NKJV)

Prayer is one of the most powerful resources that a Christian has at their disposal.

Psalm 121:4 “Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep”

Because we serve the only one and true living God, that “neither slumbers nor sleeps”, we can go to Him at any time with prayer.

Many have asked different questions about prayer:

How do I pray?

When should I pray?

How often should I pray?

Is it OK to have others pray for me, and can I pray for others?

Will God hear and answer me when I pray?

A basic definition for prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is the primary way for a believer to communicate their feelings and desires to God, and can also serve the purpose of giving thanks or praising God.

Praying is also fellow-shipping and building a relationship with God. When we pray, we are demonstrating our faith, trust and dependence upon God. Praying can be done in private or public, and can be done audibly or in silence.

Acts 16:25-26 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” (NKJV)

The power that a person has when they are praying is not limited to just them. That power can have an effect on others also. God not only freed Paul and Silas but the other prisoners that were in the jail with them were freed also. As we read down further is this passage of scripture, salvation also took place. The jailer and his family were all saved.

Acts 16:30 “And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. (NKJV)

“The effective, fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Moses was a righteous man and the leader of God’s people. On many occasions, the people would turn to Moses in a time of need.

Numbers 11:1 and 2 records one of those occasions;

“Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. ² Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched.”

Prayer has the unlimited power to change things, I encourage you to not let that power go to waste.

Father in heaven, thank you for the awesome power of prayer in Jesus name…Amen!

Continuing in His service…Rev

Un-forgiveness

Colossians 3:13 “Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also should forgive.” (Good News Translation)

Many people will harbor the feeling of unforgivness sometimes for lifetime, not knowing or understanding that they are only hurting themselves and not the person that they have unforgiveness towards.

When someone has unforgiveness, that unforgiveness can consume that person and hold them in an emotional bondage that can lead to a person having;

• having a grudge against someone who has offended them
• bitterness
• resentment
• anger
• rage
• revenge

These feelings can spew out on others around you, that have nothing to do with your feelings of unforgiveness towards someone that they may not even know. Emotional bondage can subject a person to a type external power or control, and can literally can control our inner feelings.

Many times the person that is having a grudge held against them, are not aware that someone feels this way towards them.

Hebrews 10:30 “For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

Many times unforgivness can be a persons way of “getting even or getting back” at someone.

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall”

Pride can destroy the possibility of having a healthy relationship with another person. Pride can also hinder forgiveness, and give way to growth of unforgiveness.

Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (KJV)

When a person forgives someone, that forgiveness becomes a release to the person who is forgiving, and now that person can experience freedom from any type of bondage that they have been experiencing.

Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”(NKJV)

When a person forgives, it opens up the way for our heavenly Father to forgive us.

Matthew 18:21 “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? 22 Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Once we forgive someone, it’s a possibility that it won’t stop there, and we may have to forgive that person again, and again. We have to be in a continuous state of mind to forgive others.

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set while you are still angry, and do not give the devil an opportunity to work.

Lord Jesus, thank for you making a way out of the bondage of unforgivenees by giving your people the strength to forgive, in Jesus name…Amen!

Continuing in His service…Rev

Worry

Matt 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (NKJV) 

When a person is worrying, they are focusing their thoughts on the possible negative outcome of something that they no control over.

Worrying can allow a person to become distracted about what is happening at the present time, and give way to experiencing negative feelings or uncertainty over the outcome of a potential problem.

Fear, anxiety, stress, disrupted sleep, exhaustion, irritability, and headaches are just a few examples of what can be caused by worry.

Worrying affects both the mind and body, and no amount of worrying will change the out come of what a person is worrying about.

Worrying can be a way of showing that we don’t trust that God is in control of our lives, and everything that is going on around us. God has positive thoughts and positive plans for us.

Jeremiah 29:11″For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

When we put are faith and trust in God, there will be no need to worry about what is happening presently, or what will happen in the future.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV)

When we put our focus on God, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, there is no need to worry about anything.

No matter how it may look or seem, how someone else sees it, or what others may say…we can stand on the word of God.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”(KJV)

O God, thank you for your plans to prosper your people and give them hope with a future, and as in the KJV of the bible, the word worry will not be in our vocabulary, in Jesus name…Amen!

Continuing in His service…Rev

He Is Able

Jude 1:24,25 ^“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!” 

On many occasions I have heard people make the comment “God can do anything but fail”, and there are numerous scriptures in the bible that refer to God “being able.”

Because we are human beings and are fallible, (meaning being capable of making mistakes or being erroneous) the choices or decisions we sometime make are not always in our best interest.

We may think we are doing what is best for ourselves, but it doesn’t always turn out for our good or the way that we planned it.

When we first seek God for guidance and direction with a choice that we are making, “He is able” to keep us from stumbling or falling when the choice becomes a final decision.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path.” (NKJV)

When a person is walking in the dark without a light, they increase the possibility of stumbling or falling. The word of God provides illumination for a person to be able to see clearly where they are going, thus minimizing the possibility of stumbling or falling.

Psalm 119:130 “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” (NKJV)

God will make things very easy to understand when we trust Him. God is not complicated.

Psalm 119:66 “Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe Your commandments.” (NKJV)

When we seek God for direction, He will show us how to use good judgement.

Psalm 119:42 “So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.” (NKJV)

We have to very careful about getting unwanted advice and listening to others. The Bible clearly instructs us to “seek wise counsel” when making choices and decisions. Proverbs 11:14: “Where there is no counsel, the people fall”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us”

O God, you are truly the God who “is able.” Thank you for your grace, peace and mercy that You show your people. You alone are worthy of all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor...Amen!

Continuing in His service…Rev