The Fourth Wise Man
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Friday, February 2, 2024
A Message of Encouragement For You!
Dennis Edwards
Dear One,
We are often tempted to get down and discouraged with the fruit of our labours. But don't give up. Even a little is much, if God is in it. Do do not despise the day of small things. Be faithful unto the end and He will give you a crown of life. That's what we need to do, fall into the arms of Jesus and keep Him as our first love. "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling." Stand up for Jesus this year in all you do and say and He will bless and keep you and lead and guide you in the way that you should go. "Put thy hand into the hand of God and He shall be for thee better than a light and surer than a known way."
God bless and keep you going for God. Do not be discouraged with yourself. Be strong and of good courage. He is with you and will strengthen you and uphold you with His right hand of righteousness. Fear not. Be strong in Him for He is the source of light, and life, and love, and power, and everything good that we need to keep going forward. Look to Him constantly, and He will not fail you, nor forsake you, but will abide with you forever. Abide in Him and in His Words, and you shall bring forth fruit in due season. Don't faint in your mind. Abide in Him. God bless and may He guide you continually and keep you safe from all harm. In Jesus' name we pray.
The Lord gave that message for you and for me. It's easy to get discouraged with ourselves and our own lack of progress or success. But we need to keep looking unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith. Faith comes from hearing God's Word. If you are down and discouraged with yourself, look up to Him. He is able and has promised to do exceedingly abundant above all we can ask or think. Nothing can separate us from His love, not even our own faithlessness. Even if we are faithless, He is faithful and cannot deny Himself. He will fulfil in us what He has promised to perform. All our predecessors walked by faith and purposed to believe those things and embraced those invisible concepts that lead to eternal life. "For they looked for a city that had eternal foundations, whose builder and maker is God." They loved not their lives even unto death, but were faithful to Him that called them. They loved not the world, nor the things of the world. But loved that invisible God and followed Him unceasingly. So must we.
We must draw nigh to Him in prayer and fasting, a concentrated effort to seek Him and His will in our lives. When we do that, He will answer and will supernaturally intercede in our lives and lead us in the path that we must go. Don't resist. Yield to Him your body, heart, mind, and soul. He will take you and use you for His glory. Seek first God and His kingdom in your life and in the lives of your loved ones and all your other needs will be supplied. Seek God first and foremost and He shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory. God loves you and is waiting patiently for you in the inner chamber of your heart. Reach for Him in quietness by reading His Word, or meditating on His Creation, or praising Him in song. He will answer and open the windows of Heaven and pour on you His blessings from on high.
Come unto Me, He says, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. We just need to do the coming, the laying aside of our own ideas, our own projects, our own desires. When we put it all aside, when we lay it all down, and come to Him in humility and faith, He will lift us up and lead us in the path we are to take. Stop-Look-& Listen. He is calling each of us to stop what we are doing, to put it aside, to lay it down, and to come to Him in sincerity of heart and mind, and find fellowship with Him. That's the goal: to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your body, with all your mind. That's the solution. That's where you'll find the answers to all your problems. Bring them to Jesus. He's all that you need.
Praying Like a Professional
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The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.—James 5:16
Be like a professional when it comes to intercessory prayer. If you were going to pitch the financing of a project, for example, to a company’s CEO and board of directors, you would come prepared with a clear proposal. You’d do your very best to show how such a project would be beneficial. You’d choose your words carefully and would strive to keep things concise and to the point, knowing that their time is precious.
What is a professional? It’s someone who is skilled at what they do. Think of prayer as a profession, and then strive to be the best you can be in the field of prayer. Any professional who is going to be effective has to put time and effort into their profession and has to work at improving their skills. Likewise, if you are going to grow in your prayer life, you have to invest the time, hone your skills, and strengthen your prayer muscles.
When it comes to intercessory prayer or requests for needs or opportunities, come to Me with thanksgiving, knowing that your every request is heard. Express your need thoroughly, be specific about what you ask for and what you have the faith for. Then wait and trust that as you commit every request to Me for My will to be done in the situation, you have done your part.
A key in prayer is trusting in Me for the outcome, and not wavering in your faith if the answer is not seen immediately. Sometimes I will bring the answer quickly and other times the answer may take longer for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the time is not right. Sometimes there are still choices that must be made on the part of the recipient of the answered prayer. And other times I answer your request, but not in the way you expected, as My ways and thoughts in the situation may not be the same as yours (Isaiah 55:8–9).
I’m the Boss, and you work for Me; but I’ve also made you a partner. With that partnership comes certain privileges. One of your highest privileges is that of sitting at the conference table of prayer with Me, knowing that you will walk away from that table after spending time in My presence a step closer to the answer and the peace of mind and confidence that I have heard your petitions and will bring about My will in the situation.
A first resort
Prayer should never be a last resort, but your first course of action, as you commit all things to Me and ask for Me to work in every situation. Prayer is not an “extra” or something you do when you have time or when the situation is dire. It is fundamental and central to your life and work, and most of all your relationship with Me, as you seek to acknowledge Me in all your ways (Proverbs 3:5).
Prayer is a central part of your life as a disciple! In fact‚ prayer is one of the most important parts of your walk with Me because it’s the part where you place things in My hands and trust in Me and My power to work according to My will. If you neglect that part‚ you miss out on entering into My peace, because without committing things to prayer, you end up carrying the weight of them on your own.
It is important to your spiritual life to take your prayer life seriously. Being professional about prayer is not being haphazard and lackadaisical; it’s being focused and giving it your full attention. It’s praying targeted and Spirit-filled prayers! Effective intercessory prayer takes focus, concentration, and desperation.
Do not belittle your ministry of prayer, as it helps to lay the foundation of your work for the rest of the day and to commit every concern to Me. As you pray for your work, your children, your friends and loved ones, the world around you, and those in power, you have done your part to seek My intervention in each situation, and for My will to be done and for My kingdom to come to earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9–13).
Be a prayer warrior
Be a prayer warrior—one who believes that prayer is important and puts their heart into it and makes it part of their everyday life. Take the same approach to your prayer life as you would to your profession. Give it the same care, attention‚ determination and focus as you do your work life. Whether you are praying during a time dedicated to prayer or throughout your day as you commit the tasks and situations at hand to Me and ask Me to intervene in the way I know is best, come to Me and cast all your cares on Me, knowing that I care for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Prayer warriors persevere in prayer and tend to their Father’s business with careful attention and diligence. Their earnest prayers are powerful and produce great results in accordance with My will (James 5:16). They are confident that when they ask for something according to My will, they have the petitions they desire of Me (1 John 5:14–15).
Like a doctor who is called to intervene in a needy situation that requires medical assistance, a prayer warrior is always prepared to respond to a need by coming boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace to help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16). He knows that his gift of prayer makes him a servant of others, as he can’t turn a deaf ear to a needy situation that requires prayer. He knows that when prayer is needed, he is called to intercede, and he clearly and concisely presents the needs‚ asks Me to take care of them, and trusts that I will intervene according to My will.
Earnestness in prayer is not a gift. Every believer has the ability to grow in their prayer life. You can practice your voice of faith by memorizing and claiming My promises and reminding yourself of My faithfulness. You may wish you could do more to help a problem or situation than “just praying for it.” But remember that earnest, desperate‚ faith-filled prayer is powerful and can produce wonderful results.
During the course of your busy life it’s easy to forget that prayer is an integral part of being a Christian and a disciple. Prayer can open doors that could not be opened otherwise, breaks chains that would be impossible for human strength to break, remove the most daunting obstacles, deliver the most well-guarded prisoners from Satan’s clutches, and cause miracles to occur.
Coming into My presence with thanksgiving
Trust Me by relinquishing control into My hands. Let go, and recognize that I am God. This is My world; I made it and I control it. … When you bring Me prayer requests, lay out your concerns before Me. Speak to Me candidly; pour out your heart. Then thank Me for the answers that I have set into motion long before you can discern results.
When your requests come to mind again, continue to thank Me for the answers that are on the way. If you keep on stating your concerns to Me, you will live in a state of tension. When you thank Me for how I am answering your prayers, your mindset becomes much more positive.
Thankful prayers keep your focus on My Presence and My promises. Your prayers and petitions are winged into heaven’s throne room when they are permeated with thanksgiving. “In everything give thanks, for this is My will for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).1
Originally published November 2007, unless otherwise indicated. Adapted and republished February 2024. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Fogarty.
1 Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson, 2010).
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