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CURRENT RADIO SERIES Dare to Believe   CURRENT TV SERIES Choices

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 A number of years ago on a typical Sunday morning, our service was wrapping up and I stepped out into the hallway to greet people as they were filing out. Suddenly, a woman ran up to me and I saw that her eyes were full of tears. As she told me why she was crying, the tears flowed even more. “Pastor,” she said, “I have a dear friend who came to know Christ today during the service. I’m so glad I came today and invited her to come with me. In fact, I woke up this morning with the intention of skipping church just because I didn’t feel like coming.” Our feelings are fickle. Within the span of two hours, that dear lady went from having no intention of going to church to being eternally grateful she came! Yet often, people rely on their feelings more than they rely on their faith. They do this or that without being informed biblically, but simply because they feel like it. Emotions aren’t a bad thing – they were given to us by God. But they make a lousy substitute for God’s wisdom when it comes to making important decisions. Don’t let your emotions control your life. Find counsel in God’s Word and among other believers. That’s the key to making smart decisions! Trust in your faith, not your emotions, when it comes to making life’s decisions.

A Pattern of Prayer

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
Daniel 6:8–10

One of the besetting sins of the modern church is a lack of prayer. We may read of great prayer warriors of the past—David Brainerd melting the snow around him with the length of time he spent in prayer or James the half brother of Jesus who was known in the early church as “Camel Knees” because his constant praying had left calluses on his legs. But we seldom copy their intensity and devotion to prayer. This is true despite the fact that prayer is the essential means God has ordained to meet our needs.
D. L. Moody said, “All through the Scriptures you will find that when believing prayer went up to God, the answer came down. I think it would be a very interesting study to go right through the Bible and see what has happened while God’s people have been on their knees calling upon him. Certainly the study would greatly strengthen our faith—showing, as it would, how wonderfully God has heard and delivered, when the cry has gone up to Him for help.”
The enemies of Daniel could not find anything to use in their attacks against him but his devotion to God. They knew that he prayed on a regular basis, so by passing a law outlawing prayer, they thought they had come up with a foolproof way to trap him. The day of crisis is not the time to begin praying. We need the habit before trouble comes.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

The great need of our day is more Christians who pray consistently, habitually, and fervently.