Grace to Fortify You Against Satan's Temptations

Last night at our Wednesday evening service we talked about the fact that the death
of Christ also accomplished power over sin in this life for the Christian.

"From GRBC Doctrinal Statment:

We teach that on the basis of the efficacy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the believing sinner is freed from the power of sin."

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die;
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
(Romans 8:13, NKJV)

I thought it was interesting this morning that the following prayer devotional arrived. It is helpful to both think through these concepts as well as pray through
them.



Pray for God's Grace to Fortify you Against Satan's Temptations
From Matthew Henrys Method for Prayer

We pray that we may not enter into temptation; Matthew 26:41(NASB) or, however,
that no temptation may overtake us but such as is common to man.
And may the faithful God never allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able, but with the
temptation provide the way of escape for us. 1 Corinthians 10:13(NASB)
Put upon us the full armor of God, so that we may be able to stand firm against the
schemes of the devil; Ephesians 6:11(NASB) to resist in the evil day, and having
done everything, to stand firm. Let our loins be girded with truth, put on us
the breastplate of righteousness, and let our feet be shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace. Give us the shield of faith with which we may
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and the helmet of salvation;
and let the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, be always ready to
us. Ephesians 6:13-17(NASB)Enable us to resist the devil, so that he may flee from us; James 4:7(NASB) to resist him, firm in our faith. 1 Peter 5:9(NASB) And may You, the God of peace, tread Satan under our feet, and may You do it soon. Romans 16:20(NASB)

Time for Prayer

“However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. ” (Luke 5:15–16, NKJV)

Could you imagine what the life of Jesus would be like during His public ministry? People began to hear about this man who had great wisdom and healed people of their afflictions. Jesus had no problem attracting a crowd. Rather than seek the limelight of attention Jesus did just the opposite and pursued solitary time alone with the Father.

It is easy to get caught up in all the duties of our day and forget the delight of communing with God. Martin Luther was reported to say, "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” George Mueller lived a lifestyle of secret prayer. When asked how much time he spent in prayer, George Mueller's reply was, "Hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk and when I lie down and when I arise. And the answers are always coming." The apostle Paul simply directed God’s people to, “pray without ceasing, ” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NKJV).

Time invested in prayer will return interest in sanctification.

Prayer Requests

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing,

I thank the Lord for the technology that allows us to communicate in unique ways even when we are at great distances or are out of our routine. Since I was out of town yesterday I could not directly participate in the prayer time at LABC. However I did receive the prayer letter that April puts together each week. Receiving that prayer letter helped me to participate to some degree and reminded me to pray today for the requests that were put forth.

Remember if you have anything we can pray for you about please be sure to send us a request at prayer@lyndonavenue.org If you are a regular participant in our prayer meetings and would like to get a copy of the prayer list emailed to you be sure to send us that request as well and we will be sure to put you on the list.

Grace be with you,

Wayne

Jesus & Nascar

Before the green flag was waived at the Aarons 449 Nascar race today a prayer was offered to God. I often listen to see if public prayers are closed in the name of Jesus. Today I was not disappointed, as a pastor that led the prayer closed it in Jesus’ name.

This morning I referred to John 5:23 “ …He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Many people will pray in a public forum and purposely not mention Jesus Christ. To mention the name Jesus Christ is a great offence to many in our politically correct environment. The issue for some is that to mention Jesus means that your prayers are specific to Christianity. However, the Bible clearly states that those who do not honor Jesus do not honor the Father. To pray without recognizing Jesus is an exercise in futility.

In Jesus’ Name Amen

Pray Always Again

Last Wednesday I closed our evening prayer service with a challenge to pray on a more frequent basis. We should set aside specific times of prayer on a regular basis, but I was calling for us to live in a conscience state of prayer. Practically this means to pray before, after and even during all activities of life. For example, before you turn on the television pray, as the program continues pray, and when the program concludes pray.

The prayer may be like this, “Lord thank you for television.” Or, “lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” The prayer may be, “You are an awesome God, this glorious world is just a shadow of your glory.”

The point of the matter is to incorporate prayer as a regular part of your life. There are a number of practical benefits to living life in constant prayer. Below are a few of the benefits that immediately thought of, and I am sure you could add more.

1. Obey God’s command to pray always (1 Thess. 5:17)

2. Protects you from sinful activity (Matt. 6:13)

3. Creates an awareness of God (Heb. 11:6)

4. Allows you to be thankful (1 Thess. 5:18)

5. Minimizes selfishness (Phil 2:3)

6. Helps to prioritize activities (Eph. 5:16)

7. Reminds you that all things should be done for God’s glory (1 Cor. 10:31)

"praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—" (Ephesians 6:18, NKJV)

Pray Always

"pray without ceasing," (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NKJV)

Recently I heard a message on prayer by John Piper. He states that prayer is intentionally conveying a message to God. Piper was very careful with the wording of this statement. He went on to explain that prayer is not necessarily talking because at times conveying a message to God may be not much more than a groan (Romans 8:26). Prayer is not communicating to God because usually communication conveys a two sided conversation. Prayer is addressing God. God addresses us through His Word. Finally the concept of intentionality is important because we constantly address God through our action and attitudes. We may act like He is not important in our behavior, but we are not intentionally trying to send that message. I think Piper provides an excellent definition of prayer.

In the middle of his sermon Piper also said something that caused me to think about prayer a little differently. He said that he would hope people would be in such constant prayer that they prayed before and after every event in their life. Examples were given such as “begin each email with prayer and end it in prayer.” Or “begin watching television by praying and ending by praying.” That is a radical way of living that is worth pursuing. I am not sure to what degree we can actually function in life by adopting that principle, but I sure think it would be worth a try.

Tonight in our prayer meeting I intend to challenge our folks at LABC to consider adopting the aforementioned advice on how they can pray always. I may add that we should not only begin and end events with prayer, but we should also pray during whatever we are engaged in. Perhaps if we followed that model we may actually fulfill the command to “pray without ceasing” from time to time. What do you think?

Pray: Your will be done

"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13, NKJV)

Last night in our series Growing in Grace we continued in our study on the model prayer. Specifically we noticed the line “your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” God is a sovereign God and so there is a sense in which His will always get done.
"… Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it." (Isaiah 46:11)

In His providence or supervision of all things God orchestrates all things according to His will including our salvation.

"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will," (Ephesians 1:11, NKJV)

Yet there is another sense in which His will is not done. Many reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Many will perish forever. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God has compassion on mankind and desires that all men be saved.

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9, NKJV)

In the model prayer then we are addressing God and asking Him to accomplish His sovereign will or the will of His decree and we are asking Him to accomplish His desire that His will be done here on here on earth perfectly as it is done in heaven. Our prayers are more than exercises in communication, God uses means to accomplish His will and one of the means is our prayers. How does God do that? I am not sure but I will trust Him and fulfill His declared will in my life to pray without ceasing that His will be done.

"pray without ceasing," (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NKJV)

Romney Suspends his Campaign

" Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." (1 Timothy 2:1-2, NKJV)

Romney suspends his campaign.

As Christians our main objective should be to vote for someone who will allow us to have the freedom to practice Christianity, all other issues are secondary. Our hope is in nothing less than Jesus Christ. Should the candidate you support fail to reach their objectives then prayerfully support the remaining candidate that is most favorable to your Christian world view. American

Family Association has produced a brochure that gives the position of presidential candidates on some key issues important to many Christians. You can download their material by clicking on the following link.

http://www.afa.net/pdfs/08vg.pdf

Tornado at Union University

Below is a link to an interview with some of the students at Union University, a Southern Baptist college in Western Tennessee. On Tuesday the 5th a tornado went through that area and devastated the community. No one was killed at the university but several people were seriously injured.

Please pray for the students and their families as they try to rebuild their lives.
Thank God for His grace in this event. Remember that none of us know what circumstance we may find ourselves today or tomorrow.

"whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4:14, NKJV)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23046154#23046154

Our Father

"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13, NKJV)

On Wednesday evenings we are continuing in our study on prayer. For the next couple of weeks we will review the pattern of prayer as outlined in the model prayer. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray in Luke 11, Jesus gave them this model prayer also found here in Matthew.

The point of this prayer is not to memorize and recite it, but to use it as a guideline when we pray. It is important to pay attention to the particular attention the elements of this prayer. In this prayer you will find three essential elements to prayer.

· Praise to God
· Penitence of sin
· Petition of God

Praise to God begins with the statement “Our Father hallowed be your name.” Penitence can be found in the request to for forgiveness, “forgive us our debts.” Petition of God can be found in a number of statements including, “give us” and “deliver us.”

This prayer opens with the statement “Our Father.” God is the father of all mankind in that He created everyone (Malachi 2:10). Due to the fall of man God’s sons are condemned (John 8:44) and are now in a sense sons of the Devil. By His grace God has redeemed some and thus they are His chosen sons (John 1:12-13)

If you are one of God’s redeemed and thus chosen sons you can pray every day to God who is truly your Father. As His son you have a unique relationship with God as your father who is perfectly attentive and will listen and answer your prayers according to His will and wisdom which is always good.

Not only is God your father but He is also our father. The “our” mentioned reminds us that as we pray we pray as a community of faith. We are a people of God truly brothers and sisters in Christ whose unique relationship will endure forever.

I encourage you to consider the model prayer this week as a guideline for meaningful prayer.

This Day in History

This Day in History

1950 - American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot resolved in his
journal: 'I may no longer depend on pleasant impulses to bring
me before the Lord. I must rather respond to principles I know
to be right, whether I feel them to be enjoyable or not.'

I have always been inspired by the legacy left to us by Jim Elliot. He was an ordinary guy that God used in an extraordinary way. It is helpful to see some of the insights he left us from his diary. I think he is right to make a commitment to do the right thing even though you do not feel like doing it. It would be better if you had a strong desire to read the Bible daily and pray daily, but creating a routine of regular devotion to God may give you more opportunities to have the joy of secret devotion with God.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 the apostle Paul said, “pray without ceasing.” He did not call on us to pray when we feel like it but pray even when we do not feel like it. Perhaps the time we need to pray the most is when we do not feel like praying at all.

Pray for Salvation

Last night we continued with our discussion on prayer. Specifically we dealt with the concept of praying for the Salvation of people. Based on a Biblical model we encouraged each other to consider including praying for co-workers, family members, friends, and strangers that they may see the beauty of Christ turn from their sin, and call on the name of the Lord and be saved.

"… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10, NKJV)

God is sovereign in salvation. That is why Christians from most every theological position pray that God will open the heart of the unbeliever.

Acts 16:14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

Consider the following facts:

· God does all things according to His will

Ephesians 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

· People are born again by the will of God.

John 1:13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

· God choose men to be adopted in the family of God at the beginning of time.

Ephesians 1:4-5 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will

If we affirm these facts then why should we bother praying? After all it appears that God has already made His decision.

Some have suggested that well even though God has already made His sovereign choice He wants us to pray because we are commanded to pray and prayer is good for us. While I would not dispute that we God commands us to pray and that prayer is good for us, I suggest that God in His providence actually uses prayer to accomplish His will.

God has chosen the means to accomplish His will. For example, faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) but the means by which that faith is distributed is through the proclamation of His Word.

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17, NKJV)
I may not be able to explain how God accomplishes His will in this world, but He has invited us to be a vital part of the process. Our calling is to pray without ceasing and participate in our commission as ambassadors for Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

Why have You forsaken me?

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?" (Psalm 22:1, NKJV)

Have you ever felt forsaken by God and alone? Well you are not alone in that thought. In the 22nd Psalm David continues for the next twenty verses pouring out his heart as he feels abandoned by God.

There are times when everything has gone wrong and it seems like God is no longer interested in your well being. This Psalm was quoted fifteen times in the New Testament in reference to Christ’s treatment. In his humanity Jesus cried out “My God My God why have you abandoned me?” (Matt 27:46).

Sometimes we rightly feel abandoned due to the direct consequences of our sin. Other times we may feel abandoned because we live in a cursed earth and are affected indirectly by the circumstances of sin. In either case the solution is to look to God for deliverance.

In verse 22 David declares the answer to his dilemma, "I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You." (Psalm 22:22, NKJV)
Praise is an essential part of prayer to God because it allows us to see the circumstances and the consequences in this life in direct relationship to a good and gracious God who is always in control.

"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God." (Psalm 42:11, NKJV)

Join us Wednesday evening for our prayer time at LABC and praise God with our community of faith. We will be continuing in our series Growing in Grace. The focus this week is on the elements of prayer.

Prayer of Penitence

"pray without ceasing,"

(1 Thessalonians 5:17, NKJV)

In addition to our special time of prayer this evening we will also be discussing prayer. Last week we emphasized that one of the elements of our prayer life should be our praise to God. Tonight we will discuss another essential element in prayer, our penitence towards God. By penitence we mean a repentant heart that asks God for forgiveness of sin.

Some may wonder why Christians need to regularly ask for forgiveness since all our sins are already forgiven in Christ (Romans 8:1). For the Christian, asking for forgiveness is necessary because even though our positional relationship with God as sons and daughters is not in jeopardy, our paternal relationship can be affected (Psalm 66:18). The solution to reestablishing our relationship is in confession of sin.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NKJV)

If you plan to join us this evening for our prayer and Bible study time you may want to spend a few moments reviewing Hebrews 12:3-11 to prepare for our discussion time.

Prayer of Praise

" As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance." (Psalm 42:1-5, NKJV)

Last night in our Wednesday evening prayer service we focused our discussion on prayer. Specifically we dealt with the idea that praise should be included in our prayers. It is no coincidence that the model prayer found in Luke 11 and Matthew 6 begin with “Our Father hallowed be your name.” A major element of our prayers should be the praise towards God.

We praise God not because He needs flattery or affirmation. God does not need anything (Acts 17:24-25). We praise God because we need to be reminded of the greatness of God. The psalms are full of phrases that glorify the character and work of God.

When God is big our problems are small.

I encourage you to consider adding a large dose of praise to God in your prayers today. Thank Him for who He is and what He has done. I assure you this prayer of praise will give you assurance for what He will do.

"I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works." (Psalm 145:5, NKJV)

Growing in Grace: Introduction to Prayer

On Wednesday evenings we are going through a series called Growing in Grace. This series is a review of some of the practical doctrines of the Christian faith. For the next few weeks we will focus on prayer.

Last week we introduced prayer by attempting both to define and describe prayer. We pointed to the definition as provided by John Piper. “Prayer is intentionally conveying a message to God.” Several things are intended by this definition, but mostly that prayer is an address to God not a reception of God’s communication to man. We call God’s communication to us revelation or illumination.

The apostle Paul challenges us to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess 5:17) By this he means that our prayers should be intentional, persistent, and regular.
Join us this evening at 7:00 as we spend time in congregational prayer. We will also be discussing the practical aspects of how to pray.

Fellowship of Prayer

"A Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses. I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner. This is a happy discovery for the Christian who begins to pray for others."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (Harper: SanFrancisco, 1954), p. 86

Pray Always

"pray without ceasing,"

(1 Thessalonians 5:17, NKJV)

The admonition to pray is actually a command to pray all the time. This text does not mean that we should do nothing but pray rather that prayer should be such an integral part of our life that we find ourselves praying all the time.

It is a good thing to pray at specific times and in an intentional way. Jesus provided us an example of getting alone with God in secret prayer, "… as He was alone praying…" (Luke 9:18). The church is also called to come together in formal prayer with each other. For example Luke records for us in Acts 12:5 that, "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church." The charge to pray always implies that a Christian will also pray spontaneously and so often that our life can be characterized by constant prayer.

The key to constant prayer is constant communion with God. People naturally communicate with each other when they spend time with each other. For example, in your work environment conversation inevitably picks up the longer you are around someone. You may not even really like your coworker but you talk to them because you spend time with them.
Prayer is talking with God. We are given the privilege to talk with Him 24/7. Perhaps what hinders the frequency of our prayer is just the lack of recognizing His presence.

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10, NKJV)

For further reading consider Spurgeon’s sermon on “Pray Without Ceasing” delivered on the Lord’s Day, March 10th, 1872 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.