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Tracy 7/26/2026 3:18:18 PM MST |
MAGNIFICENT PRAYER by NICK HARRISON "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:14-16) Cold prayers shall never have any warm answers. God will suit His returns to our requests. Lifeless services shall have lifeless answers. When men are dull, God will be dumb. (Thomas Brooks) PRAY ABOUT IT: Many of us were taught to pray by rote as a child. As a result, sometimes we still rattle off our requests in an almost detached manner. If we would have the living God answer, our prayers must be living prayers. Today, speak living prayers to God, from a heart that's alive to Him. When thou prayest, rather let thy heart be without words than thy words without heart. (John Bunyan) | |||
Tracy 7/18/2026 10:12:40 PM MST |
STREAMS IN THE DESERT by L.B. COWMAN Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will . . . make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky . . . because you have obeyed Me. (Genesis 22:16-18) From the time of Abraham, people have been learning that when they obey God's voice and surrender to Him whatever they hold most precious, He multiplies it thousands of times. Abraham gave up his one and only son at the Lord's command, and in doing so, all his desires and dreams for Isaac's life, as well as his own hope for a notable heritage, disappeared. Yet God restored Isaac to his father, and Abraham's family became "as numerous as the stars in the sky and as sand on the seashore" (vs.17). And through his descendants, "when the time had fully come, God sent His Son" (Gal.4:4). This is exactly how God deals with every child of His when we truly sacrifice. We surrender everything we own and accept poverty --- then He sends wealth. We leave a growing area of ministry at His command --- then He provides one better than we had ever dreamed. We surrender all our cherished hopes and die to self --- then He sends overflowing joy and His "life . . . that [we] might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). The greatest gift of all was Jesus Christ Himself, and we can never fully comprehend the enormity of His sacrifice. Abraham, as the earthly father of the family of Christ, had to begin by surrendering himself and his only son, just as our heavenly Father sacrificed His only Son, Jesus. We could never have come to enjoy the privileges and joys as members of God's family through any other way. (Charles Gallaudet Trumbull) We sometimes seem to forget that what God takes from us, He takes with fire, and that the only road to a life of resurrection and ascension power leads us first to Gethsemane, the cross and the tomb. Dear soul, do you believe that Abraham's experience was unique and isolated? It is only an example and a pattern of how God deals with those who are prepared to obey Him whatever the cost. "After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised" (Heb. 6:15), and so will you. The moment of your greatest sacrifice will also be the precise moment of your greatest and most miraculous blessing. God's river, which never runs dry, will overflow its banks, bringing you a flood of wealth and grace. Indeed, there is nothing God will not do for those who will dare to step out in faith onto what appears to be only a mist. As they take their first step, they will find a rock beneath their feet. (F.B. Meyer) | |||
Tracy 7/11/2026 3:43:29 PM MST |
MAGNIFICENT PRAYER by NICK HARRISON But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, (Jude 20) You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God . . . This kind of prayer be sure the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame. (William Booth) PRAY ABOUT IT: Non-Christians and religious folk won't understand your commitment to prayer. To most people prayer is a nicety of the religious life, not a necessity as dear as breathing itself for the Christian. Be fervent. Be effectual. And don't be surprised at scoffers. The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe. (Dwight L. Moody) | |||
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