The Rich Rewards of Prayer

The Rich Rewards of PrayerWe will be looking at James 5:13-18The focal passage: James 5:16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Introduction Scripture teaches that those who have the habit of prayer experience rich spiritual blessings in their hearts and lives. Scripture and contemporary Christian history both testify that those who have served God significantly have been men and women with an earnest prayer life. Today let us look at some of the rich rewards that come to those who have faith in God that expresses itself in a life of prayer.I.                   A vivid awareness of the nearness of God. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). When the grateful and humble child of God seeks to come into the throne room of the heavenly Father, one of the great benefits that will come to him is a vivid awareness of the nearness of God.

1. Experiencing the nearness of God can be frightfully disturbing for one who has not experienced genuine repentance, sincere confession, and the joy of being cleansed from the pollution of sin. Read Luke 5:8-10
2.  Experiencing the nearness of God can also be very comforting. He gives strength and help in times of difficulty.
3.  Experiencing the nearness of God can be very exciting. In Philippians 4:13 it says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The assurance of the nearness of God can give great courage and joy as one faces the crises of life.

II.                A vital experience of the dearness of GodJesus taught his disciples to approach the Creator God not on the basis of his being the creator but in terms of his being “ our father who art in heaven.” While he is the God who is in heaven, he is also the Father with whom we can have a talk with in the closet of prayer. Matthew 6:6 says “But when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. It is in the prayer experience that the Father communicates his nearness and his dearness to those who look to him in faith and trust.III.             An enlightening experience of the wisdom of God ( James 1:5-8 )Throughout the Bible and in the experience of the saints, we have testimony after testimony of how, as they prayed, God stimulated their thinking and caused them to have new insight that helped them to cope with the strains and pressures of life. We have instance after instance in which God recalled to the memory of his discouraged children his goodness in the past to help them face the pressures of the present.IV.              An enabling experience of the strength of God.“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:29-31). Time spent in God’s presence fills the child of God with the strength that comes from heaven. You have all seen the cartoon character Popeye. He faced many difficult and dangerous crises but was never adequate to take care of the problem until he had eaten a can of spinach, which gave him superhuman powers. I have often thought of how time spent with the heavenly Father brings to his children strength comparable to that which the spinach brought to Popeye. The apostle Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus that might be strengthened with might through God’s Spirit in the inner man and that they might be filled with all the fullness of God. He encouraged them to trust in and depend on the God who was at work within them and who was able to do far more abundantly than anything they had previously asked for even thought about.V.                 A cleansing experience of the forgiveness of God.God is eager to forgive his sinful children. He is eager to cleanse us and make us as white as snow. Our heavenly Father does not delight in our being guilty of our burden of, or burdened by sin. He is eager that we forsake those ways and attitudes that are destructive and come to him for forgiveness and cleansing. Scripture tells us that our God is a forgiving God who forgives fully and freely and forever when his children sit in judgment on their own sins and turn from the sin that disrupts their fellowship, destroys their influence, and deprives them of joy. Prayer is the divine gift by which we can come into God’s presence, receive his forgiveness, and experience both the cleanness that follows and the joy of a restored fellowshipConclusionDo not rob yourself by neglecting to pray. When you do not feel like praying, that is all the more reason you should pray. All that is, is satin trying to rob you of a blessing. Prayer is not a process by which you make “brownie points” with God. Prayer is not a magical means by which something happens automatically. Prayer was meant to be an experience in which a spiritual transformation takes place. This is why we are commanded, “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1^st Thessalonians 5:16-18). Go now and experience the rich rewards that can be yours through the power of prayer.   

What a week

God is so good. We have had a busy week . Monday was family movie night at church, it was a great night we watched Facing the Giants. While watching the movie the pump on the well went out. So we had the lock-in Wednesday night with a water hose stretched from the England’s home next door and portable toilets from tidy toilets,(hey for once we where a real country church complete with out an out house) but that did not stop us.  God + Fifteen kids + 2 adults = a good time. Then on Saturday we had the Easter egg hunt, and one more time 15 kids+ God =a good time had by all. And then on Sunday Got up at 4:30 a.m. to go to sun rise service at Melton rock ( The most awesome sun rise service I have ever been to) then back home to get ready for church and my first Easter Sunday as a pastor. I was kind of nervous till i prayed then I knew God was with Me  just as he was with his Son on that day some 2008 years ago when he defeated Death and the Grave. Jesus came and died for me, I was so undeserving, but He did it for me, Thank God he he loved us and still does. take care and God bless, Mr. Jim

The First Deadly Sin

Proverbs 16:5, 18 & 29:23

Pope Gregory the Great (A.D. 590-604)Divided all sins under seven headings. He believed that every sin a person commits can be classified under these seven categories. These seven words have come to be called the “seven deadly sins.” Sometimes they are referred to as “the seven cardinal sins.” They are pride, anger, envy, impurity, gluttony, slothfulness, (being lazy) and avarice (greed for money or power).    

  Starting tonight and for the next six Wednesday nights we will look at each one separately. We will start with pride 1.                    Pride is often the source of our troubles.Proverbs 16:18 and 19 saysPride goes before destruction and a haughty sprit before a fall.Better to be a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

A.                  Synonyms for Pride are arrogance, contempt, snobbery, rudeness, sassiness, and presumptuousness. The list could be longer but to go on with such an endless listing would serve no purpose beyond that which has already been made-that is, pride soon leads to a multitude of sinful attitudes and actions.

B.                   Pride that is unchecked alienates us from our fellow humans. It may be a superiority based on racism, nationalism, intellectualism, social station, spirituality, or materialism. Regardless of it basis, smugness that causes one to swagger before man and strut in the presence of the Almighty is a harmful detriment to anyone’s future.

C.                   No one live out his life without making mistakes. Most of us make some serious error that requires the support of our family and friends. When that happens, the boastful braggart is often left to stew in his own brew.

2.                    Pride Is hated by GodProverbs 16:5 saysEveryone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

A. the pride that God hates is not a healthy self-respect. Some Christians have the impression that it is a sin to believe in yourself, your talent, or your capabilities. These people try to develop an attitude of false humility that denigrates or belittles their musical talent, wealth, intellect, or spiritual maturity.   Such efforts are many times a kind of reverse pride. The more they play down their God given abilities, the more others will heap praises on them. These people are playing at humility in order to get others to build them up.

B. The pride that God hates is an arrogant haughtiness. This is one who thinks more highly of himself than he ought. Believing that God has given one the wisdom to always be right in judgments or leadership is arrogance. Other members of the church are also guided by God’s Holy Spirit, and their collective wisdom might be more true to God’s will than one self-appointed leader.

C.The punishment of God is promised to the conceited, self-inflated soul. The latter part of Proverbs 16:5 says, “Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”     The country expression I have often heard is “the chickens come home to roost!” Whatever seeds one sows in life, he or she reaps. Sooner or later there is a day of accounting.

3.                    Pride leads to humiliation.   “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)

 A.                  Unhealthy pride is a form of self-deification.  Every man would like to be God, if it were possible; some few find it difficult to admit the impossibility. Adam and Eve’s sin was one of a desire to be like God- knowing the difference between good and evil (gen.3:5) Man’s desire to control his own destiny leads him to believe-falsely-that he can actually control his emotions, attitudes, abilities, and intellect without God’s help.

B.                   Adam and Eve were brought low for their sin of pride. God promises to do the same to all who do not accept their dependence on Him. Sadly, some churches have such a well oiled institutional machine that they keep moving temporarily even without God’s leadership.

C.                   But the reverse is also true, that is, a truly humble person is elevated to leadership. If you are talented, you seldom, if ever, have to tell people. Admirable qualities usually find their way to the surface. This last verse tells us that the humble man gains honor. Jesus said it this way, in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” .

We have seen, God hates the common sin of pride and brings judgment on the one who lets it become a lifestyle. But God has many rewards for the one who is genuinely humble. True humility is found in Jesus Christ, He is the perfect example of intelligence, power, fame, ability, and leadership. Yet, He never used these qualities selfishly or in conceit. Consequently, we are encouraged to become “like Christ,” and this is done by believing God is the only God and that He alone can guide our lives.

Can you let him guide you?

Will you let him have total control?

All you have to do is ask Him today. Ask Him to lead and guide you; He will show you how to stay away from pride. 

Faith do we have it?

Julie said that I had to blog something, so here is my sermon from Sunday: 

A cold march wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. She was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news. That afternoon of March 10, 1991 complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks into her pregnancy, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver the couple’s new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing. At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound and nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor’s soft words dropped like bombs. “I don’t think she’s going to make it.” He said, as kindly as he could. “There’s only a 10% chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a cruel one” Numb with disbelief, David and Dianna listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived. She would never walk, never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to mental retardation, and on and on. “No! No!” was all Diana could say. She and David, with their 5 year old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter and become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away. But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana. Because Dana’s underdeveloped nervous system was essentially ‘raw’, the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn’t even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chest to offer the strength of their love. All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.      There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger. But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and a ounce of strength there. At last, when Dana was 2 months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the first time. And 2 months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living a normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted. Five years latter, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and a unquenchable zest for life. She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But this is not the end of her story.  One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother’s lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her Brother Dustin’s baseball team was practicing. As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, “Do you smell that?” Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, “Yes, it smells like rain.” Dana closed her eyes and again asked, “Do you smell that?” Once again, her mother replied, “Yes, I think we’re about to get wet it smells like rain.”  Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with small hands and loudly announced “No it smells like Him.  It smells like God when you lay your head on his chest.” Tears blurred Diana’s eyes as Dana hopped down to play with the other children.  Before the rains came, her daughter’s words confirmed Diana and her family had known, at least in their hearts, all along. During those long days and nights of the first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding her on His chest and it His loving scent that she remembers so well.

Webster defines faith this way…A belief in something not seen… relying on trust… Now let’s look at how the bible defines it in Hebrews 11:1-2.   Now faith is the sbubstance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

In verse 1 of chapter 11 it says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.”  Dana’s family had the faith that when they asked, God would hold their little girl close to Him and make her well, even though it was against all the odds.            The questions we have to ask ourselves is this:  Where are we in our walk with God?  Where does our faith lay?  Are we telling God that we rely on Him daily to meet our needs or do we try to handle it on our own, because He has so many other things to do?  Do you catch yourself saying, “Lord, I will handle this today, because I know that you are busy, and this is just a small issue, but when the big one comes, then I’ll need your help.”?  To many people today do this, but how can we change this and allow God to walk with us?                  God has two ways in which men can come to know Him today. First is, that you can come to Him by works. Yes, if you can present perfection in your works, God will accept you-but so far nobody as been able to make it. Adam did not make it and no one since as been able to do it. Not Abraham, not David, not Daniel, none of them made it by being perfect. Therefore this is not a satisfactory way to come to God.                The only other way, the Bible tells us, to come to God is, to come by faith.                 Faith…the substance of things hoped for. The Greek word for substance is Hupostasis (hup-o-stay-sis). It is a scientific term, the opposite of hypothesis or theory. It is that which rests upon facts. We have become a society that looks at the facts.  So where are the facts?? They are right here my friend in the Word of God. If your faith does not rest upon the Word of God, it is not biblical faith at all. It has to rest upon what God says. It actually means to believe in God.                 In verse 2, “For by it the elders.” Who are the elders? The elders could be one of 3 different groups. 1.           A group of old people. 2.       It could refer to the office of elder in the New Testament church.     3.     Or finally the Old Testament saints.               For these Old Testament saints, faith was not a leap into the dark. Their faith rested upon evidence.  Noah built the ark, and did it by faith.What kind of faith? Was it just some dream he had? No. God gave him an abundance of evidence because Noah had walked with God for many years.                Let’s look at Abraham.  He had faith in God, so much so, that when God told him to offer up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice unto the Lord, Abraham did it.  He took Isaac up unto the high place, bound him, and laid him upon the altar.  And as he was about to give him back to the Lord, an angel of the Lord said unto him from Heaven, “Abraham, do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”  Now that is faith in action.      The problem with many of us today is, that when a crisis comes to us and we ought to have faith in God to take care of it, we don’t.  We are not able to do so, because we have not been doing it all along. However, if you learn to trust God when the sun is shining, it is easier to trust Him on the day when the sky is cold and dark and you are in the middle of one of life’s storms.                God wants us to not only be saved by faith, but to walk in faith every day.  Not in just the crisis’ that come, but in the little things in our day to day life. God wants to enjoy every moment of every day with us.  Because, we are to walk by faith and not by sight. That is how He wants us to live each and every day that He gives on this earth.                Remember the strengthening of faith comes through staying with it in the hour of trial and tribulation, just as Abraham did.                What I would like to ask today is do you have the courage to step out on faith and let God have control in your life? Can you walk in faith everyday? Even on the dark and cloudy days as well as the sunny ones? All you have to do is ask and He will be there holding you and helping you just as he did for little Dana Blessings.