But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
--Matthew 6:6
If obligations and a busy schedule have exhausted the energy in your spiritual tank, maybe you need to refuel!
Whether you spend your day rushing to meetings, escorting children to school functions and sports events, or ministering to others, life can be exhausting!
So if you feel drained of energy and strength, I want to share how you can be empowered.
The Spirit of God can energize you through your prayer life. And when you worship God in the Spirit, you’ll be invigorated.
Personally, when I’m physically tired and begin to worship God, my spirit becomes energized, revived, and revitalized. The same thing can happen to you!
I believe one of the secrets to empowering prayer is committing to private prayer time. Jesus says in Matthew 6:6: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.”
Private prayer is that time alone with God when you and I draw near to Him through the Spirit to know Him, to talk with Him. And every Christian who wants to be refueled with the power of prayer must find a place to pray privately.
Do you have a secret place? Do you have a quiet time dedicated to the Lord? Matthew 6:6 continues, “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
When we join God in the secret place, His Spirit fills the space and we can truly converse and commune with God. That’s prayer that empowers you for living!
Get alone with God today to refuel your spirit!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”
Luke 24:38–39
Many people in our world live with fear, worry, doubt, and consternation on a regular basis. There are long lists of different phobias and fears that effect people. Some of them are common—fear of snakes, spiders, and other insects are widespread. Others are less common, only affecting small numbers of people. For example:
Catoptrophobia—The fear of mirrors.
Pogonophobia—The fear of beards.
Ligyrophobia—The fear of loud noises.
Coulrophobia—The fear of clowns.
Allodoxaphobia—The fear of opinions.
Disposophobia—The fear of getting rid of possessions.
Fear is a natural part of life in a fallen world, but it is not something that we are to allow to control us. David spent much of his life facing people who were literally trying to kill him. More than once they nearly succeeded. In response to the threats he faced David declared, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3). The presence of fear is not a sin, but an opportunity for us to turn to God in faith and rest in His promises.
On His last night with the disciples before His crucifixion, Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). The only real and lasting cure for fear is found in faith. Faith does not teach us that nothing ever goes wrong. Jesus said this just a few hours before He would be nailed to a cross. Faith teaches us that nothing ever takes God off guard—that He works all things together as part of His plan for our lives, and we can trust Him with the end result.
Today’s Growth Principle:
When our faith is strengthened, our fears will be diminished.
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