“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. . . . And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13: 33,37
Tag: Pray
A Scripture for Today, May 23rd, 2023
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4
A Scripture for Today, March 24th, 2023
“[F]or your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13
A Scripture for Today, March 6th, 2023
“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” Psalm 5:3
“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” Psalm 55:17
“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
David in Psalm 5 thought that it was important that the Lord heard his voice in the morning. I was just thinking that as our Heavenly Father, He must also like to hear the voice of His children talk to Him.He made our mouths. Out of all the things we can and do use them for, it must seem good to Him when we use them to communicate with Him.
A Few Important Reasons to Pray
Ephesians 6:10-11 reads, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
This chapter tells us to be strong in the Lord. But it tells us more than one way to be strong in the Lord. Immediately after commanding us to put on the whole armor of God verse the Lord adds this, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit . . .;” (Eph. 6.18).
Praying in the Spirit is one way to be strong in the Lord.
Praying in the Spirit [as opposed to prayers not lead of God’s Spirit (Matt. 6.7)] is one way the Lord makes us strong as well. Soldiers need strength and a source of nourishment as well as armour. A close walk with the Lord is essential if we want to be strong. John 15:4 reads, “ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Now Nehemiah 8:10 reads, “[T]he joy of the Lord is your strength.” Psalm 16:11 reads, “ . . .in thy presence is fulness of joy . . .” So therefore prayer is an essential way to have the joy of the Lord and the strength of the Lord.
Prayer helps strike down our enemies. It seems the saved individual has three enemies. These are: our fleshly nature, the workings of this world, and the Devil.
Praying in the Spirit seems to require us to yield our thoughts and minds to directing the Spirit of God. It seems to strike down our fleshly nature.
II Corinthians 10:4-5 reads, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
Galatians 5:16 reads, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
Prayer changes circumstances in life as well. Psalm 65:2 reads, “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.”
It is written in I John 5:14 , “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”
We aren’t in this battle alone.
Ephesians 6:18 continues “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
We need to pray because our brothers and sisters are in a battle too!
I Peter 5:8-9 reads, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
I Corinthians 10:12-13 speaks of temptations “common” to man. makes me think that whatever I am going through someone somewhere out there has or is going through the same thing.
Every one of us is to pray.
It isn’t just for spiritual leaders to pray.
We read in Exodus 17, “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” (17.11-12).
I Timothy 2:8 tells us that,“I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
When the man of God, Moses, lifted up his hands, God’s people prevailed. But, when he let down his hands, the enemy of God prevailed.
But God gave Moses help too. Aaron and Hur helped Moses keep his hands lifted up.
We ought to pray for our Spiritual leaders as well.
Although the Lord has and is more than able to make His servants stand when no one stands with them, (I Sam. 30.6; Rom 14.4), it seems He wants to work in response to our prayers (I Cor. 3.9), and for us to pray for our Spiritual leaders as well (II. Cor. 2.11).
These have been just a few thoughts.
God bless.
A Scripture for Today, December 14th, 2021
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
BEWARE
God commands us in I Peter 5:8-9 , “ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
We are commanded to be sober, to be vigilant, and to resist the Devil stedfast in the faith. But why? While there are implications for ourselves, the verse tells us that the Devil is after our brethren.
What if you knew that there were a vicious killer ready to kill and destroy your family, your friends, your neighbors, your fellow Church members, the children attending Sunday School? What would you do if you knew that they were in danger right now? Would you not do what you could to help them? Would you not call out to the Lord and ask Him to protect them?
Well the Bible tells us that is the case. If we really believed the Bible and took this seriously, wouldn’t we be praying for others more?
Jesus taught us to pray!
Jesus told Peter that he prayed for him, and set the example. In Luke 22:31-32 we read, “ And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
The King James Bible is very exact, and the language used in this translation gives a specific message. Jesus said that Satan desires to sift “you” as wheat. This “you” is an English plural pronoun (which matches the number in Greek). On the contrary Jesus says that he has prayed for “thee” which is the singular form of “you”. What this means is that Satan desired not only to sift Peter as wheat, but all of us. And Jesus told Peter specifically that He prayed for him.
Prayer is a most powerful weapon. Prayer works when nothing else will help a person!
Mark 9:28-29 reads, “And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
Prayer is a powerful offensive weapon, but the Scriptures teach us that it is also a defense.
Jesus taught us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13
Notice the verse reads “lead us not into temptation”. It surely then would be Biblical to pray for this for more than just ourselves.
After bidding us to put on the armor of God, Ephesians 6 tells us, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Ephesians 6:18
Be Sober, Be Vigilant!
To help our friends and family we need to be sober and vigilant.
Ephesians 6:11-12 bids us, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
We are to put on the armor of God so that we will be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. Part of the meaning of “wile” is trickery. In war we don’t always see the enemy coming. Every attack isn’t a front charge. The Bible tells us that the Devil is a wicked and cunning enemy. Not every attack is an outright attack in the open. And we need God’s armor to help us stand.
Ephesians 6:14-17 continues,
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”
God’s armor will protect every bit of us. One thing I think of is that God’s armor will protect our head and our heart. And that is a place where the Devil tries to hit us.
A name for Satan is “the accuser of the brethren”.
Revelation 12:10-11 witnesses to us, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
In this verse, the Devil accuses our brethren “before” God, but, it surely doesn’t seem as though, our Heavenly Father is the only one to whom Satan takes these railing accusations to.
The Bible says he tries to provoke us and tries puts things into our hearts.
He provoked David to number Israel in I Chronicles 21:1.
He put something in Ananias and Sapphira’s heart in Acts 5:3.
He put something into Judas heart in John 13:2.
Does Satan only accuse us to God or does he try to make us think ill of our brothers when nothing is wrong?
Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us of seven things the Lord particularly hates. The seventh is “ he that soweth discord among brethren.”
There have been a lot of false accusations made against the Lord’s people. The enemy accused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and wanted them to be thrown in the fire, but the Son of God was with them. The enemy accused Daniel and wanted him to be thrown to the lions, but God shut the lion’s mouth.
We need to be wary of the Devil’s working and not let him cause division.
Galatians 5:15 warns us, “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”
We need to have the armor of God on to protect our hearts and heads and not let the Devil work through us.
Ephesians 6:11-12 specifically tells us that God’s people are not our enemy: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
These are just a couple thoughts that have been on my heart on standing against the Devil. The Lord willing I will share some more on this. God bless.
A Need to Share in the Praying
“So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Exodus 17:10-12
The Bible tells us that the things that were written aforetime, were written for our learning. (Rom. 15.4)
I Timothy 2:8 tells us that,
“I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
God’s people were in a battle with an enemy. Israel was fighting with Amalek. God’s people are still in a battle today. We have three enemy’s: our fleshly nature, the workings of this world, and the Devil.
When the man of God, Moses, lifted up his hands, God’s people prevailed. But, when he let down his hands, the enemy of God prevailed. I have seen with my own eyes, that days go differently, when we pray, or when we put it off until later.
As we see with Moses, the man of God couldn’t do it on his own. He needed to be lifted up too. We as God’s people need to share in the praying.
What did the Apostle Paul say?
“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;” Romans 15:30
“ Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” II Corinthians 2:11
“Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” Colossians 4:3-4
“Brethren, pray for us.” I Thessalonians 5:25
If the Apostle Paul asked others to pray for him, then we surely know that the men of God need prayer.
Let us keep our brethren and God’s men lifted up in prayer!
A Scripture for Today, December 20th, 2017
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-13
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ” James 4:7
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Ephesians 6 :18
Don’t forget today that we are in a battlefield. We need God’s armor to stand and defeat the Devil. The Bible says that the Devil will flee, but only if we submit to God.
The final thing Paul admonishes the Ephesians to do when he wrote to them about the armor of God is to put it on with prayer. Remeber that the armor isn’t complete without prayer.
Stand strong today!
When Ravens Cry 