As John Wesley was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, heavy winds came up. He was reading in his cabin when he became aware the winds were knocking the ship off course, and he responded in prayer. Adam Clarke, a colleague, wrote it down.
"Almighty and everlasting God. . .Thou holdest the winds in thy fists and sittest upon the water . . .command these winds and these waves that they obey thee, and take us speedily and safely to the haven whither we would go."
Wesley stood up from his knees, took up his book, and continued to read. Dr. Clarke went on deck where he found calm winds and the ship on course. Wesley made no remark about the answered prayer. Clarke wrote, "So fully did he expect to be heard that he took it for granted that he was heard."
How bold are your prayers?
From Glory Days
Proverbs 28
The wicked run away when no one is chasing them,
but the godly are as bold as lions.
2 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily.
But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.
3 A poor person who oppresses the poor
is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops.
4 To reject the law is to praise the wicked;
to obey the law is to fight them.
5 Evil people don’t understand justice,
but those who follow the Lord understand completely.
6 Better to be poor and honest
than to be dishonest and rich.
7 Young people who obey the law are wise;
those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.[e]
8 Income from charging high interest rates
will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor.
9 God detests the prayers
of a person who ignores the law.
10 Those who lead good people along an evil path
will fall into their own trap,
but the honest will inherit good things.
11 Rich people may think they are wise,
but a poor person with discernment can see right through them.
12 When the godly succeed, everyone is glad.
When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.
13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper,
but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
14 Blessed are those who fear to do wrong,[f]
but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.
15 A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor
as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.
16 A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people,
but one who hates corruption will have a long life.
17 A murderer’s tormented conscience will drive him into the grave.
Don’t protect him!
18 The blameless will be rescued from harm,
but the crooked will be suddenly destroyed.
19 A hard worker has plenty of food,
but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.
20 The trustworthy person will get a rich reward,
but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble.
21 Showing partiality is never good,
yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.
22 Greedy people try to get rich quick
but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.
23 In the end, people appreciate honest criticism
far more than flattery.
24 Anyone who steals from his father and mother
and says, “What’s wrong with that?”
is no better than a murderer.
25 Greed causes fighting;
trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.
26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish,
but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.
28 When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding.
When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish.
Footnotes:
28:7 Hebrew their father.
28:14 Or those who fear the Lord; Hebrew reads those who fear.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, November 06, 2015
Read: Exodus 4:10-17
But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
11 Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”
13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”
14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. 15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. 16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. 17 And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.”
INSIGHT:
When God called Moses to deliver the Jews from Egyptian bondage, Moses protested and offered various reasons why he was not the right candidate for the job (Ex. 3). He questioned his own identity (v. 11), his lack of authority (v. 13), and his credibility and acceptability (4:1). God responded by assuring Moses of His power and presence (4:1-9). Moses then continued his protest, saying he lacked eloquence and was “slow of speech and tongue" (v. 10). But God assured Moses He would enable him to speak powerfully and effectively (v. 12). Running out of excuses, Moses asked God to “send someone else” (v. 13). He was angry with Moses for his lack of trust and being unwilling to take up the assignment (v. 14). God told Moses that He would enable him to do what He called him to do. Sim Kay Tee
He Trains My Hands
By Jaime Fernández Garrido
Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. Psalm 144:1
When former NBA player David Wood was playing for Taugrés de Baskonia, I was with him at a Spanish Basketball Cup final. Before one game, he read Psalm 144:1: “Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” He turned to me and said, “You see? It’s as if God has written this verse just for me! He trains my hands to catch rebounds and my fingers to shoot!” David felt called to play basketball and had learned that God takes us as we are and enables us to do what He calls us to do.
We can easily dismiss ourselves as having little use to God because we feel we have nothing to offer. When God appeared to Moses and assigned him the task of telling the Israelites that He would deliver them from the Egyptians (Ex. 3:16-17), Moses felt inadequate. He said to the Lord, “I have never been eloquent . . . . I am slow of speech and tongue” (4:10). Perhaps Moses had some kind of speech impediment, or he was just afraid, but God overcame his inadequacy with His sufficiency. God said, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (v. 12).
All God wants from us is to follow His plans.
All God wants from us is to follow His plans. He will sort out the rest. In His mighty hands, you can be a blessing to others.
Here I am, Lord, ready to serve You in whatever way You desire. Lead me.
Dr. Jaime Fernández Garrido is director of the evangelical radio and television program Born Again, author of various books, and composer of more than 400 hymns and choruses.
God’s call to a task includes His strength to complete it.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, November 06, 2015
Intimate Theology
Do you believe this? —John 11:26
Martha believed in the power available to Jesus Christ; she believed that if He had been there He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a special intimacy with God, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But— she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha’s theology had its fulfillment in the future. But Jesus continued to attract and draw her in until her belief became an intimate possession. It then slowly emerged into a personal inheritance— “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ…” (John 11:27).
Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you— “Do you believe this?” Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings the awareness of our personal need.
To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.
Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, “Do you believe this?” I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them. The Place of Help, 1032 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, November 06, 2015
Trust Is the Difference - #7520
It's interesting to find out how we parented our kids, whether you solicited it or not. See, now that our children are parents, they love to tell us what they thought of our parenting skills. Oh, that's fun! Their observations are pretty interesting regarding what my wife and I did that worked and didn't work. Sometimes it's hilarious; I mean like discussing say their perspective on some of our disciplinary tactics. Sometimes it's convicting. Sometimes it's affirming, even touching.
An observation from our oldest son really got to me. He said, "There's something you guys did that made a difference in the way we turned out." Well, I wanted to know what that was. You're not always sure at the time, you know. He said, "You gave us a lot of trust even when it must have been scary to do it." Well frankly it was and we couldn't be sure how it would turn out. But he was telling us something very revealing. He responds to trust. He's not alone.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Trust Is the Difference."
Now we all like for someone to trust us. In fact, trust often brings out our best. In a way we're like our Creator, He'll do His best work in our lives in response to our trust. For example, in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke Chapter 8, verse 48, a woman with a twelve-year incurable medical problem is finally healed by Jesus, and He says, "Daughter, your faith has healed you." Later in Chapter 18, verse 42 of Luke a blind man comes to Him and He says, "Receive your sight, your faith has healed you." That's a pretty common phrase in Jesus' healings.
Like the people who came to Jesus in the New Testament, we often come with a great need. Maybe you're thinking of a need that you've been bringing Him recently, or you need to - financial, relationship, family, medical? It's a need for some help, some answers, some company maybe. The Bible is clear in portraying Jesus as a savior who has walked in our shoes, who feels what we feel, who cares about those needs. But ultimately, it isn't need that Jesus responds to. A lot of people needed Him; but He said it was faith that triggered the answer to the need. Jesus responds primarily to faith not to need.
Everyone needs rescue from the death penalty of sin; every one of us. But faith in what Jesus did is the difference between those who are saved - rescued - and those who are not. And Jesus said it was faith that triggered the supernatural for those people that He healed. It wasn't just the need. You can see this from the flipside of that in Mark 6:5-6, in His hometown of Nazareth. It says, "And because of their unbelief, He could not do any miracles among them."
They didn't have faith. The resources of God are accessed by active faith in Him. Jesus doesn't do miracles where people are not believing and expecting Him to. Which brings us to your need - the one that keeps bringing you to Jesus. Are you acting as if He's going to keep His promises? Or are you all worried, panicking, running around trying to figure out your own solution, taking matters into your own hands? You're going to fix this, right?
Are you moving ahead with the confidence of someone who really believes your Savior's in charge? He's in control, not you. That He's working on a comprehensive answer, not just a partial one. Are you someone who believes that His promises are totally true and you can plant both your feet on them? There's a lightness, a steadiness in a believer who has total trust in their Lord to do what is best for His glory and His child's good.
Maybe today is the day you bring it to Jesus one more time, only this time in an attitude of total surrender; totally resting on His promises with this childlike trust. He'd trade your trust for His peace and ultimately for His sovereign, loving intervention. My son said, "You trusted me" and that made the difference. When your Heavenly Father touches your need with His power, will He be able to say to you, "You trusted me and that made the difference"?
By the way, you don't have a relationship with Jesus. Nobody does. Nobody can go to heaven without first of all exercising total trust in what Jesus did on the cross for them. Trust is the difference between heaven and hell. Not agreement with Jesus. No, total trust in Him.
Have you ever told Him, "Jesus, I'm all yours. You're my only hope." If you've never done that to begin a relationship with Him, please consider that being today. Go to our website ANewStory.com or text us at 442-244-WORD. Trust in Jesus changes everything.