Whilst I was waiting

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Whilst I was waiting

Psalm 40: 1-5 “..I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered..”

   Sadly we all to often these words ‘Your God must be very cruel, to let this person suffer this way’. I then would reply our God Almighty has a reason for keeping us around’. It may not be the answer they want, but I want you think of this way …
Genesis 3 : 1-8 ‘The Temptation of man’
… I’ll not show this chapter because it is a lot. It tells of the conception of Adam & Eve, how God gave them all they needed to eat, with exception of one tree. They had free will to as they pleased, but we know man can’t help themselves to do wrong. So you see it’s not a cruel God it’s man and his free will.

   This kind of conversation happens more than you think. I actually have a confession here. I do have to wonder myself from time to time, and more so when our Heavenly Almighty father is not forth coming to help comfort with a reply.

    In life it seems that we are always waiting, waiting for that special person to come along, waiting for the perfect job to come along, or tell you that your hired. When waiting it seem like an eternity, (as the old saying goes ‘ a watched kettle never boils’). These feeling often end up with impatience, and if unchecked these feelings will send you to being out of control with Anger/Frustration. These feelings if not sorted out will stop you from sleeping.

    We all are waiting for something, today what is that you are waiting for? Might it be one of these …

• Something exciting, like the birth of your first baby being born..
• It might be those all important test results..

   I know some of you might not want to praise the Lord, when you can’t see what to be joyful about, and not want to be joyful at all. OK, lets say your anticipating that holiday you have paid for since last year. Give praise for your job, and thus the means to pay for it as many are not able to do this. If you take time to stop and think there are many many things to give thanks for, green lights – when you to get somewhere in a hurry, you partner wishing you to have a good day at work, am I sinking in yet?

   On the other hand you could be waiting for your exam results? You could be waiting for a partner – to share your life with. NOW is the time to praise the Lord. Those of you that know how I met my wife. (One of these days I’ll share how we met & my testimony).
Psalm 27: 13/14 “..I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord..”

I hears a prayer that goes like this…

“It is hard to wait Lord, sometimes waiting takes a big toll on me, 

and in the midst of waiting and yearning I forget to praise you, 

help me to remember you whether I’m waiting for something 

potentially painful. Teach me patience and the gift of 

resting in your goodness as I fix my eyes on you”

   I’m sure that ‘discouragement’ is not discriminating, or does not matter which Country you come from, some seem to suffer more that others. For when evening falls across the land and a hush comes over the night. When getting ready for bed, which we all have our rituals, like washing your face; cleaning your teeth; letting the dog out; making sure the doors and windows are locked; even alarm set. ‘Discouragement’ comes in many guises, it could be a fit (like Epilepsy), that has been going on for years, it may also be born out of tense family feuding, or a physical ailment (of which I bear witness as I have a broken spine), or it could be a career that has left you some what down. May be your discouragement comes from a recent moment that has left you feeling discouraged and deflated.

   Oh dear, we have all felt the discouragement at one time or another. The question is what are we going to with it? It’s all to easy to to wallow in discouragement and turn your face away from hope. This sort of apathy is not of the Lords thinking. However it does deliver you straight into the devils hands, now the devil is laughing as your 100% focus is on the problem, instead of on our Saviour. Instead of wasting time & energy on things we need to worry about.
Psalm 31:9/10 “..Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief..”

   I know many of you have felt this way, with many of you going through these times right now. If you are, before we go any further, stand up (come on don’t be shy), now shake your arms, now shake your legs, OK now your body, now sit and continue reading*. Having shaken off your old feeling, it’s time for a new feeling a new attitude. Now to help[ with reading the following I want you to stand again, then read the following Psalm ...
Psalm 31:14/17 “..But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake. Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You..

   Our enemies are wanting us to give up the fight, and for us to look down cast at the days to come ...1 Peter 5:8 .. “..Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour..” … The devil is sleeked, and wants nothing more for us than to trip us up and lying face flat down in the earth. He will use every trick up his sleeve to keep us there. It is time to put on those work books because no matter how discouraged we may feel there is always new hope for a better hope for tomorrow.

   In Romans 5:5 it clearly says that this hope does not disappoint us, God’s love has already been poured out in to our hearts .. Romans 5:5 “..Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us..”

   You may not feel a lot of love right now. You may not even see any victory a head of you, you don’t even know how you can change thongs. Because of this you may not have any thing planned out yet. Even not sure what it is you can do to turn things around. The thing is you don’t need things figured out yet, just lean on the only One who is the author of your unique life’s story. He will how ever use this disappointment your feeling, and turn them around for good. Always remember when your down, the good times are just around the next corner.

   When hope is your heart and the unfailing love of God is on your side, you can over come every obstacle in your path, for God is with you where ever you go. I read this next statement along time ago, but concludes this sermon perfectly …

“You may feel an over whelming sense of God’s hope permeating 

in your spirit tonight , as you approach the Lords throne, 

you may see God for He is - king over your life - and worship 

Him in gladness for He is doing a good work in you”

Our Prayer's

Types of Prayer . .
Prayer of faith . . This is the prayer of petition or to change things 'it never contains the word .. IF'
Prayer of Consecration . . This prayer Jesus used in the garden of Gethsemane .. “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done”   (Luke 22:42)
   Everything we do in life is governed by it's own set of rules. Example: 'You would not use the rules from Ice Hockey and apply them to Football, it would be funny to see, but impossible to do. The same is applied to Prayers. With out them we might as well talk to the fridge. Through prayer we can communicate with God.
Hebrews 5:7  "Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries
and tears to Him"

Listed below are just some other types of prayer's . .

Commitment
1 Peter 5 :7 "Casting all yours upon Him for care for you"
Worship
Luke 24:52/53 "And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen"
Agreement
Mathew 18:18/20 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them "
United Prayer
Acts 4 :31 "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness"
Intercessory
Romans 8:2 "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning's which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the will of God"
Prayer of Faith
   While here on Earth Jesus had a 'Hot-Line' to God. We would have to have a mobile strapped to our ear 24/7 talking to God, to come close. Don't walk around shouting prayers so all and sundry hear you. But, instead seek a quite place so as not to be distracted. This dose not mean you can't pray whilst walking down the high street, rather let it be personal. You might have someone ask for prayer, let it be between the 2 of you. Then there are times when in Church we are asked to pray for someone ill, or hear the leaders of the Church pray over someone or couple. I often in the quite of the night as I fall of to sleep send my prayers up at this time.
Prayers of Faith in Time of Distress
James 5:15 "And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" ... So how is that we achieve such prayers and many others? May be we have to 'persist in' or 'Dwell', and perhaps 'reside'. .
John 15 v9 .. The Message: “I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love."
NKJ : “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."

    The word 'IF' is such a small and insignificant word. But can undermine the best of Prayers.Applied in this passage it can make or break your prayer life, and your connection with God. How can this be I hear you cry, well, which of the 2 statements below will have the desired out come you want. .
A . . you come to me and say I'm going to a job interview and I kind of want this position but I'm not fussed either way, I might need some help. Though I'm not fussed wether I get it or not. . . OR . .
B . . You come to me and say I've seen my dream job I really need your help, this is how you can help get it. . Well
. . This is how your prayers sound when God receives them. It's time to strip all the dross away and start having a break through in your prayer life. Time to stop saying IF it be thou will, of cause it is Gods will. What we have to do is stand on His promises, be careful of what you pray for it will come true!!!

Prayer of Consecration
    The world is far more populated than that in Jesus' time. So I bet you are wondering how your going to herd over and above others let alone God knowing who asked for what. We are as unique as our fingerprints set us apart from everyone else. God has no need for the telephone - Voice mail or E-mail. All our prayers are herd and will be answered in the fullness of God's time.
Luke 22:39/42 "Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying,“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done "

  Jesus is asking then saying that What ever is to come He will accept it, though He might not like it, He will know it's His father wishes that this must happen. So many times do we try and do things in our own strength when if we only prayed about it. Them letting God take over.
Exodus 13 v3 "And Moses said to the people: “Remember this dayin which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place"
   With consecration you are laying down a marker to remind you of what the Lord your God has done. lest you forget. Here are some terms of Consecration. . blessed (also blest), Holy, consecrated, hallowed, sacral, sacred, sacrosanct, sanctified
. . may these help you. You may be looking at the different types of prayer and say it's all well and good they wont help me because I need for prayer's of depression or feelings of guilt, well don't despair any longer. There is a book the I got recently By Beth Moore called :- Praying God's Word. For in this book she goes into depth on how to pray over a situation and then apply them. Your not alone. Don't forget to make your prayers personal, it's alowed you know.

Prayer

   Lord Jesus as your word shows how to pray, as we find many situations in today which we need your guidence. Show us your Word that will bring comfort and your Love. In our Father Gods Name, Amen.

The Power of Prayer

The Power of Prayer

Isaiah 37 v 14-20

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.”

   We still today after revival healings, and many other great miracles. They all had humble beginnings, covered in prayers. Matthew 18:20  “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Most prayers start in the heart, someone needs help, and some of them are born out of desperation, and not born out of greed.
   As for our verses, we see a great trouble had beset Hezekiah, the great King, because of the Assyrian invasion, and the imperious attitude of Rabahaketh the captain. ‘Trouble’ has been said to be “A divine diet for the new man”. It is more ‘profitable’ then it is ‘palatable’.

Here are 3 ways ‘The Power of Prayer’ can help, and direction and how simple prayers can overcome your troubles.
1) The Cause of his trouble
It was ‘a letter’, but a veritable one from ‘a messenger of Satan’, sent to buffet him. It is incredible in today’s techno-age one where we look at our ‘in-box’ for our ‘e-mails’ or maybe that of ‘Facebook; ‘Twitter’, or even ‘Instagram’. Yet still, the postman brings those dreaded ‘brown envelopes’, which here in the UK, would have normally meant a bill, or even that long awaited Hospital appointment. Or, deep within the postman’s bag there will be letters that bring warm regards from an old friend or family member. In fact who knows what the next post may herald. This was an attempt to ‘destroy his faith’ in God (v10), to dispossess him of ‘inheritance’, and to bring him into bondage. So much so the enemies of our souls are always active toward the same end. Their letters may be beautifully written, but they are terribly bitter.

2) What he did withit.
“.. he spread it before the Lord ..” (v14)
Because he did this solemn act, it revealed his faith in God. He never spread before the face of Heaven, instead before the face of The Almighty Personality. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6) "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him"
   While all I needed was the beginning of this verse, (as seen above) I reconsidered and included it all. Why this change of mind? Well, you will have to ask God, the next time you talk with His Almighty.
   I’m lead to say that this verse must go to show Gods thoroughness. It also shows that he spread it, he laid the whole matter ~ from the beginning to its end, all in front of Him. So, make sure your definite when you are dealing with God. In other words He wants your honesty, He wants you to be confident, as He wishes you to hold nothing back. Always remember, no matter what ails you, ‘mentally or physically’, He will always be interested, for after all He is our Heavenly Father.

3) How He succeeded
“.. The angel of the Lord..” (v36) ..became his defense. Whilst his argument was one of simplicity, it was also me that was so irresistible as well. “Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the Kingdoms of Earth may that you are Lord" (v20).
   When the Angel of the death spread his wings in the blast. Woe to those who fight the Kingdom of God .. “By the blast of God they perish, And by the breath of His anger they are consumed” (Job 4 v9). The unbelievers will scoff and say; ‘it’s all just mumbo-jumbo; blah blah, or the back sliders will say ‘He never did anything for me/them' etc.
   It causes me much heart ache to hear these words. You see there are a couple of words that must go with ‘pray/prayer’ they are, Faith, you must have faith that your prayers ‘will’ be answered. May be not today, or, maybe not this week, but they ‘will’ be answered. My second word is ‘Believe’, for you must believe in God’s word otherwise what’s the point? So put them together, and with God in the mix everything is possible, I always say “have faith and believe” your prayers ‘WILL’ be answered. Is there any sorrow too great, or, circumstance too perplexing that the prayer cannot bring comfort and deliverance?   N O



“.. if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say
to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move;
and nothing will be impossible for you ..”  Math 17 v20