guest devotions

DAVID WILKERSON

PRAYING FOR LOVED ONES
by David Wilkerson
Not long ago, a young man came forward during a prayer serviceat Times Square Church, shaking and crying. He told me he was from the state of Washington and that earlier that night he'd walked into our service accidentally. He had left and gone to a music concert, but then he left that event and returned to the church. Now he wanted prayer and so I asked him, "Are your parents Christians?" He answered, "Yes, sir. They keep praying for me."
I ask you: Was it an "accident" that this young man walked into our church? Hardly! He was having his own encounter with Christ. No one pushed or begged him; without question, he had been brought by Jesus. And I'm convinced it happened because of the prayers of his concerned parents.
In Mark 7:31-37 we are told the story of a deaf man being brought to Jesus. Jesus took him away from the crowd, "And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain" (Mark 7:34-35).
Jesus performed a private miracle for this man and then He spoke to him just to prove to him that he could hear. Imagine! The first voice the deaf man heard was Christ's! Oh, how that man must have talked when his tongue was loosed. Out of his mouth poured years of pent-up feelings because now he could express the inner cry that had no voice before.
I imagine him falling into the Lord's arms, weeping, "Jesus, You heard the voice of my cry" (see Psalm 5:2). Consider the poignancy and power of Psalm 5 to this healed man: "My God . . . unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee" (5:2-3). The love this man had for Jesus was now his own—because he had a personal encounter with Him.
Beloved, when you pray for your loved ones, keep in mind Jesus groans over them. He wasn't sighing over just one man in Decapolis. He was weeping over the stifled, inner cries of your children, your unsaved loved ones, and mine. Perhaps you need to change the way you pray over them. Pray that the Holy Ghost goes after them, woos and draws them, stirs and awakens them to a fresh desire for Jesus.

AW TOZER

We might as well sing Mother Goose rhymes!

(A.W. Tozer)

"My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign."

We sing that — but we might as well sing Mother Goose rhymes, because we do not mean what we are singing!

If God Almighty compelled us to be entirely 100 percent honest, we simply could not sing the the average hymn — because their words would not be true of us!

"All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all."

WILLIE WHITE

The Lord My Deliverer
Psalm 18:1-6

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

In this life we will encounter obstacles and it appears as there is no way out. This is because the giants of life keep coming. We have the assurance that all who calls on the name of the Lord He is faithful to answer because He is our deliverer. He is our giant slayer.

Reflect with me on David and Goliath when David step forth to meet the giant Goliath with a sling shot and three rocks, one for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit. David went forth in the name of the Lord; the rest is history. The message for you and I today is when facing our giants do so in the name of the Lord because victory is ours. Verse 2 tells us why for He is trustworthy and worthy to be praise. The Lord's trustworthiness is verified in verse 6, which states, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ears.

In distress, call upon the Lord He is faithful to deliver. Praise Him always for He is worthy.

GUEST SERMONS

http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=1025071312398

http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=9151517832

http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=91515114291

GUEST WEBSITES

http://africanorphanoutreach.org/Home.html

http://www.wcous.org/index.html

http://vispa-kenya.org/