God's Witnesses - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) August 6, 2024

When the time arrived to bring the Israelites out of ancient Egypt, God told Moses to tell them He had been sent by the I AM WHO I AM (Exodus 3:14). "God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’" (Exodus 3:15). When the elders heard this designation, they recognized him as the God of their ancestors and fell to their knees in worship (Exodus 4:31).

However, the Lord didn't stop there. He didn't just want to be the God of their forefathers, He wanted to be the God they were intimately familiar with. And so, to introduce Himself to them, He performed signs and wonders that convinced all of Egypt that it was time to let them go.

To this day, God remains interested in introducing Himself to people. He doesn't want individuals to merely see Him as the God of their Big Mama or their father, He wants them to know Him as their God. For this reason, He takes great strides to show up in people's lives displaying His power on their behalf.

In addition to wanting that personal relationship, God wants every believer to become His witness. He says so in Isaiah 43:10 - You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. He introduces Himself to people so that they will believe in Him and be able to declare that He alone is God. He wants His people to boldly share how powerful He is in the face of any challenge.

Isaiah 43:12 - I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God.

When people know who God is, they become confident in what He can do. This happens to be everything that is exceedingly and abundantly more than anyone could ask or imagine. And when that realization sets in, they can distinguish His greatness from the pretense satan peddles when it tries to convince people that it has more power than it has. In such cases, God's children can ignore satan's lies and rebuke them, resting in their knowledge of God's character and might.

How many of us have testified about God to someone else? Have we shared our experiences with others? How many have verbally attested as a witness that He is all-powerful? Or have we shown through our actions that we serve the One and only God?

Daniel's friends - Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego - showed everyone through their words and actions that they knew their God's character and had faith in Him. They walked in the fear of the Lord and served as His witnesses when they refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3). They didn't care about the consequences of disappointing mere mortals. They cared about pleasing the Lord alone.

That very God is calling each of us to do the same. He wants us to show through actions and words that we believe in and know Him. He wants us to stand in our faith, knowing that the God of all creation can contend with the challenges looking to destroy us. This is not simply a matter of lip service but of true conviction displayed through what we do, say, and think.

As God's Witnesses, we must remember that we can assure people that He exists and encourage them to get to know Him. Plus, we can help newer believers to grow in their Godfidence. This is part of our duty as ambassadors and representatives of God's Kingdom.

If you believe in God and His Son, Jesus, the Lord wants you to stand confident in who He is. He desires that you understand what He can and will do for yourself and others. The more you choose to do this, the easier it will become and the more you will mature into the witness He has empowered you to be.​

See you at Noon EST for fellowship.

The Intercessor Will Wait - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 2, 2024

Have you ever noticed that your prayers for others tend to be answered much quicker than your petitions for yourself? If so, this should really be no surprise. After all, intercessors put their prayers on the back burner while placing the needs of others first.

This is why intercessors need to be patient. Their choice to earnestly pray for others requires they wait on God to sometimes do for their prayer subjects before moving on their personal prayer requests.

This doesn't seem fair, does it? Well, God's response to that is in Ezekiel 18:25 - Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? Yes, God is just in everything He does and it is unwise to judge Him by human metrics after all He is not a man (1 Samuel 15:29; Numbers 23:19).

Think about Anna the prophetess mentioned in Luke 2. She was an 84-year-old widow who never left the Temple. Instead, she worshiped, fasted, and prayed nonstop. God answered her pleas by making sure she met Jesus as an infant. "he gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). God had likely called her to stand in the gap for her people's salvation and He ensured she saw the prayer fulfilled.

None of us know exactly how long she waited for God's promised salvation but we know patience was required. As intercessors, we too must be ready to wait on God for the answer to our personal prayer requests. Of course, God could move immediately for us but He has chosen to teach intercessors to patiently wait for the fulfillment of their petitions while praying with zeal for others.

Abraham, for instance, interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah even while he and Sarai desperately waited on the Lord for the child they'd been promised. His intercession produced results because Lot and his family were rescued from the disaster that came upon the city. Plus, Abraham and Sarai had their son, Isaac, the following year.

This is why we are taught in Hebrews 6:10 - For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do (NLT). Your heartfelt intercessory prayers are a reflection of the work you have done for Him, showing love and care to His children.

And because He cannot ignore intercessors it is best to see the period before prayer fulfillment as the time where He perfects things. This is a time to learn whatever lessons you need to know before you step into His promise so that none of it will be squandered as the Prodigal Son lost his inheritance.

So, if you are upset that your prayers for others tend to happen quickly while waiting for answers to your needs, please don't be. God has a great reward coming for you. I've watched the Lord answer my prayers for people while making me wait for many things. Yet, even in my season of waiting, He has done great things for me and given me many reasons to rejoice and testify. And I only started seriously interceding for others in 2019.

God does not play favorites with His children (Acts 10:34). Therefore, what He's done for me is available to all. I encourage you to keep interceding, keep praising, and keep serving Him. It may take a while, but He will reassure you by answering your prayers for others. And though you wait for your prayers for yourself to be answered, they shall surely come to pass at His perfect timing. He will fulfill your petitions and do exceedingly and abundantly more than you can ask or imagine.

Here are some related posts on intercession:

1. Intercessors: Daniel - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) November 12, 2021

2. Intercession Ministry - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 23, 2021

3. Intercessors: Esther - Friday Praise & Pray November 26, 2021

4. Intercessors: Abraham - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 30, 2021

5. Intercessors: Isaac - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) December 3, 2021

6. Intercession in the news - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 7, 2021

7. Intercessors vs Prayer Contractors - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 1, 2022

8. Intercede More - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) December 2, 2022

9. Wait on God

10. But, can you wait?

The Word Purifies - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) July 30, 2024

Have you ever struggled to read God's word? Maybe you promised yourself you would crack open your Bible but when you did, the words blended together and you had little understanding? Or did you see a bunch of names you couldn't pronounce that intimidated you?

So many Christians avoid reading the Bible for these and other reasons. The only person who benefits from this is satan. Therefore, every Christian must remember to consume the word of God in whatever way that is conducive and effective for them.

Another reason to spend time studying God's word is that the Word cleanses and purifies believers from sin. We are taught the following in John 15:2-3 - He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you (NLT).

What this means is that the more a Christian spends time with the Word - the teachings of God - the more they are washed clean from the sinful nature that drags mankind down and deprives their Maker of His glory.​

Christ uttered this verse to His disciples. These were the individuals who didn't just claim to believe Him but walked with Him daily. They listened to Him teach about God and His kingdom. They drank the living water each day and it is that water that cleansed them. This is how they were able to live according to 1 John 1:7 - But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin (NLT).

The Lord wants this for each of us - to live lives that are consistently washed clean of all sin so we can always come into His presence spotless and undefiled. One way to achieve this on our end is to open the Bible and read it every day or at least interact with His word in some way each day. Not just glance over the words, though, but take a moment to think about what lesson is being conveyed and prayerfully seek God's understanding so we can apply His instructions in everything we do. In practical terms, this also looks like listening to sermons from Spirit-led Bible teachers, while being careful to avoid individuals who are simply giving inspirational messages instead of challenging us to increase in righteous living.

This also means we have to seek out and consume testimonies of what God is doing for those who steep themselves like a teabag in God's word. We have to spend more time with believers, being sharpened as we sharpen others with scripture as expressed through experiences with Him.

The more we do these things and whatever else the Lord tells us, the more we grow in our knowledge of His word and power. The more we change in how we act, speak and think. Our very environment looks different and even others notice a shift in us.

May we each pick up God's word and prioritize studying it so it seeps into us purifying and transforming us for the glory of the Lord our King, IJMN Amen.