So many scriptures I've read again and again over the years are constantly yielding new insight. The living words of God appear in black print but are filled with the life of God. He can use them at any moment in ways to guide, rebuke, praise or heal us. The ever living word.
Regarding prayer the Holy Spirit showed me a scripture today that I'd never associated with prayer before. Once He reveals it though it's like finding a long searched for word in a crossword puzzle. Or as a painter or sculptor throwing back the cover from a not before seen work of art.
As the living word I want to describe just two occasions in which the Lord took His printed word and spoke them as living answers to prayers I had made, petitions I'd asked of Him. I'm certain that the Spirit baptized believers here have all experienced the living word being fashioned just for you so God could direct you in some matter.
As a very young Christian I spent too much time at one point considering our adversary the devil. Only having just been made aware that the misleading thoughts I'd experienced all of my previous pagan life were actually his I considered him far too much for a very brief time span.
The Lord rightfully seeking to guide my thoughts back to Him, interrupted those thoughts one day with a scripture taken out of context and made alive to speak to me about my excess consideration of the adversary.
Peter, the busybody of the disciples, was sticking his nose in John's business and asked Jesus "Lord what shall this man do"? John 21:21.
Jesus gave me John 21:21-22. It was if I was asking Jesus "Lord what shall the devil do"? And His reply to me "if it's my will that he exists until I come again what is that to you, you follow me"!
And so the Lord told me that I was always to fix my attention constantly on Him and He'd take care of the devil. Thanks be to God for His truly living word.
On another anxious occasion I'd been presented with the opportunity to return to a job I'd held previously in the city of Little Rock. I was employed in Hot Springs at the time. After a weekend of prayer and supplication and still no answer I went to work on Monday morning and at at my desk. I don't recall the Lord speaking a scripture to me but I took my little new testament from my shirt picket and turned to the book of Acts chapter 20, verse 22. The words seemed to be in extra bold type and I read;
Acts 20:22 KJVS
And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
I had my answer. I Arose, walked into my boss's office and offered my two weeks notice. God had again taken His written word and transformed it into a living, guiding word to answer my prayers and direct me where He intended I should be. An entire new chapter of events awaited me there but those adventures with Jesus are for another time.
Back to what He showed me today. As my wife, son and I discussed prayer the Lord brought this scripture to mind.
John 15:13 KJVS
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
I see that when we spend time in prayer, supplication and intercession for the needs of others, we are literally laying down our lives for them. Time is the greatest treasure we possess. Each of us is given a specific amount of it and our time to bloom is short. The time spent in prayer for others is a free will offering of a portion of our very life in order to help others. I really hadn't thought about it like that before.
Again the scripture;
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 ESV
If we make these offerings of our life portions through prayer for others in a quiet way, not blowing a brass trumpet on the street announcing our holiness, then God will reward us. Truly the reward is in the praying itself, pouring out a prayer for others knowing that only God and you are aware of your care and petitions. As a spirit filled Christian believer the love of God compels us to pray. It is something that we must do. The spirit within demands our prayers for others. The love we feel for total strangers is God's love in us. They wouldn't understand if we tried to explain it. For in Him we live and move and have our being.
As much as we all pray it remains a mystery. It always will. But we must pray, it's been built into us now that we know whose we are.
Psalm 109:4 KJVS
For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
Regarding prayer the Holy Spirit showed me a scripture today that I'd never associated with prayer before. Once He reveals it though it's like finding a long searched for word in a crossword puzzle. Or as a painter or sculptor throwing back the cover from a not before seen work of art.
As the living word I want to describe just two occasions in which the Lord took His printed word and spoke them as living answers to prayers I had made, petitions I'd asked of Him. I'm certain that the Spirit baptized believers here have all experienced the living word being fashioned just for you so God could direct you in some matter.
As a very young Christian I spent too much time at one point considering our adversary the devil. Only having just been made aware that the misleading thoughts I'd experienced all of my previous pagan life were actually his I considered him far too much for a very brief time span.
The Lord rightfully seeking to guide my thoughts back to Him, interrupted those thoughts one day with a scripture taken out of context and made alive to speak to me about my excess consideration of the adversary.
Peter, the busybody of the disciples, was sticking his nose in John's business and asked Jesus "Lord what shall this man do"? John 21:21.
Jesus gave me John 21:21-22. It was if I was asking Jesus "Lord what shall the devil do"? And His reply to me "if it's my will that he exists until I come again what is that to you, you follow me"!
And so the Lord told me that I was always to fix my attention constantly on Him and He'd take care of the devil. Thanks be to God for His truly living word.
On another anxious occasion I'd been presented with the opportunity to return to a job I'd held previously in the city of Little Rock. I was employed in Hot Springs at the time. After a weekend of prayer and supplication and still no answer I went to work on Monday morning and at at my desk. I don't recall the Lord speaking a scripture to me but I took my little new testament from my shirt picket and turned to the book of Acts chapter 20, verse 22. The words seemed to be in extra bold type and I read;
Acts 20:22 KJVS
And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
I had my answer. I Arose, walked into my boss's office and offered my two weeks notice. God had again taken His written word and transformed it into a living, guiding word to answer my prayers and direct me where He intended I should be. An entire new chapter of events awaited me there but those adventures with Jesus are for another time.
Back to what He showed me today. As my wife, son and I discussed prayer the Lord brought this scripture to mind.
John 15:13 KJVS
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
I see that when we spend time in prayer, supplication and intercession for the needs of others, we are literally laying down our lives for them. Time is the greatest treasure we possess. Each of us is given a specific amount of it and our time to bloom is short. The time spent in prayer for others is a free will offering of a portion of our very life in order to help others. I really hadn't thought about it like that before.
Again the scripture;
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 ESV
If we make these offerings of our life portions through prayer for others in a quiet way, not blowing a brass trumpet on the street announcing our holiness, then God will reward us. Truly the reward is in the praying itself, pouring out a prayer for others knowing that only God and you are aware of your care and petitions. As a spirit filled Christian believer the love of God compels us to pray. It is something that we must do. The spirit within demands our prayers for others. The love we feel for total strangers is God's love in us. They wouldn't understand if we tried to explain it. For in Him we live and move and have our being.
As much as we all pray it remains a mystery. It always will. But we must pray, it's been built into us now that we know whose we are.
Psalm 109:4 KJVS
For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
