“Fervent Prayer”
Published on Tuesday, 21 February 2012 03:27
“Fervent Prayer”
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly”
James 5:16-17
I was preaching on Power of Prayer on Sunday, the day before we started our 10 days of prayer and fasting and also it was the National day of prayer for Australia.
Elijah was an ordinary man, and he prayed!! Every believer should pray and what a great key to ask God to help us in all that we do for the “heart” of prayer is asking God to intervene in the world.
Jesus tells a parable of a persistent widow Luke 18:1-8 please read it.
Verse 1 He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart (or faint).
We are living in a day that requires constant and unceasing prayer.
Jesus painted a character in this parable of an unrighteous judge who cared nothing for man or God. This widow had been defrauded according to the law. Just how many times this widow petitioned the judge is not made clear. What is made clear is that she approached him so consistently that she “troubled” him to the point of finally granting her request. Hear what the unjust judge said “and God will avenge his own elect, which cry day and night to Him? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily”. (vv6-8)
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul tells us to “Pray without ceasing”.
The purpose Jesus gave for always praying was so men would not faint. When you faint you are paralyzed, you can’t move, you’re beaten, broken down, and helpless, and that’s where the devil wants you. So NO fainting or giving up!
A great mind set to have is found in Colossians 3:1-3 “If then, you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set you mind on things above not on things on the earth for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
The Power Behind Prayer
1. Gods Word and Spirit
2. Christian Life and Fasting
3. The name of Jesus
Have a blessed week!
Love you all heaps.
Ps Stuart and Colleen
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“GOD ALL KNOWING OMNISCIENT”
Published on Thursday, 16 February 2012 07:55
“God All Knowing Omniscient”
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Before you were born I sanctified you.
I ordained you a prophet to the nations”
Jeremiah 1:5
Sometime back I was looking at the word omniscient and thinking on it’s true meaning. That God is all knowing. Gods knowledge is perfect. He does not have to reason or find out things, or learn gradually. His knowledge of past, present and future is instantaneous.
These words are spoken in Jeremiah and he was led to record them, and they speak loud and clear to you and I all these centuries latter.
In reading the words again we listen inwardly. We hear God saying to each of us, “Before I formed you, I knew you.”
Reflect for a moment of the divine knowledge of God. He knows us better than our closest friends, better than our nearest relatives, better than we know ourselves. He knows our every breath and every heart-beat, every thought, word and act, all our life through.
Ps139:2 “You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thoughts afar off”!!
Please read Psalm 139 it is so powerful what David recorded of the all knowing God, who loves you and I so much, that He sent Jesus to show His great love for man kind. John 3:16
“Before I formed you. I knew you”!!
Can we conceal anything from God?
Take great comfort, that Gods hand is upon your life and He will lead you all the days of your life.
Math 6:8 “For your Father knows the things you have need off, before you ask Him.”
Looking at these things, I have come to the conclusion that, we should not live in fear and worry, doubt and all the other things that torment our minds. See Math 6:25-34
This year I have asked the church to read the New Testament through and allow Gods word to set you free and set you on high, above all things that want to pull you down.
Jer 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil.
To give you a future and a hope”!!
Have a blessed week!
Love you all heaps.
Ps Stuart and Colleen
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He Who Has An Ear
Published on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 03:53
“He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelations 2:29
Jesus said the same thing to the 7 churches of Revelations. The other day as I was meditating on this though: We hear from the Holy Spirit through words of prophecy etc and, unless it is recorded it is soon lost. I have been feeling that this year, we need to listen to what the Spirit is saying and act on it.
We hear a message preached and from the Church to the car, most of it has leaked out and is lost! So I looked back over what I have previously preached in December and the start of this year. In the four Sundays of December my messages were;
04/12/11 “A miracle in your mouth”
11/12/11 “Change your words change your life”
18/12/11 “The indescribable gift” 2Cor 9:15
25/12/11 “A Pentecostal Christmas”
Then in 2012
01/01/12 “New Year Peaks” Gen 8:3
08/01/12 “Will this year be different to 2011” John 15:7
13/01/12 “He who has an ear” Rev 2:29
22/01/12 Part 2 “He who has an ear” Rev 2:29
29/01/12 “God of the Supernatural” Mark 10:46-52
All these messages I got as I waited on the Spirit to speak to me and then delivered them to the church.
How much do we remember?
You can hear these again on our website www.slcchurch.com.au
The point I am making is that we need to have an ear to hear! Then to act on it!
Then for change to come, the same way the Spirit spoke to the 7 churches to bring about change and repentance, victory and great promises to them who overcome!!
I looked up the term for ‘an ear to hear’ the term used = “that the highest attention should be given to what was spoken”.
So this year we are recording, prophesies in the church, having them typed for people to read, and having them put on the website. Why? So that we can train ourselves to have an ear to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying in this hour.
1 Thess 5:20 “Do not despise prophetic utterances”
Next week - Part 2 on this subject! Looking at the Laodicean Church.
Have a blessed week!
Love you all heaps.
Ps Stuart and Colleen
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He Who Has An Ear (Pt 2)
Published on Tuesday, 07 February 2012 03:49
“He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelations 2:29
Today we are looking at what Christ said to the Laodicean Church! Read Revelations 3:14-21. This is the 7th church, that Christ said the same words to “Hear”. Today we are living in the historical age of this church, a lukewarm nauseating, proud and self-satisfying and ignorant of their true state.
Rev 3:17 “Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked”
1. Wretched = Being worn out, hard labors as in a quarry slave
2. Miserable = To be pitied by all men
3. Poor = having no Spiritual riches, no holiness of heart
4. Blind = No understanding and cannot see their state
5. Naked = Not clothed with Holiness and purity
A picture of many churches and people today!!
Rev 3:18 Jesus come with the answer = “I counsel you”
Saying your case is not hopeless, I can help you out of your condition!!
1. To buy gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich.
ISA 55:1 “Come buy and eat: No price (Faith that shall stand in every trial). Gold = more valuable to the soul than the purest gold to the body “Rich in Him”
2. White Garments = so not naked, holiness of heart and life
3. Anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see.
Laodicea was known for a place where you could by eye salve and would cure a lot of eye problems.
Greek word to anoint = means Rub IN
Jesus was saying to rub something into your eye.
Greek word Eye Salve = means Bread, it came in lumps like small loaves of bread!
“I am the bread of life” John 6:48 (The Word of God)
Jesus is telling them to rub in bread to anoint eyes with eye salve.
So rubbing the scriptures into our eyes, which means filling our minds with the Word, that will heal your spiritual blindness (His counsel).
Read it, study it, memorise it, meditate on it, apply it to your life daily by reading the Bible the bread of life, going into our minds through the eyes:
“Anointed Eye Salve, then the last thing to do is” Believe IT!!
Have a blessed week!
Love you all heaps.
Ps Stuart and Colleen
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NEW YEAR PEAKS PART 2
Published on Tuesday, 24 January 2012 05:07
“And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month on the first day of the month the tops of the mountains were seen.”
Genesis 8:5
Last week we looked at this passage in Genesis and today I want to go further in this study, as there is so much in it that we can apply to our lives today.
We looked at 2 things! What do these peaks speak to us about?
1. Divine Promises found in 2Peter 1:4
2. Mountain-tops of Spiritual possibilities!
Will we grow more in God in 2012 than we did in 2011?
John 1:12 “But as many as received Him to them He gave power to become children of God…”.
In Christ we can become strong spiritual people ad do great things in His kingdom.
Then in John 1:42 “Jesus said two things to Peter “you are…” “you shall be…”
Peter came one way to Christ Jesus and He changed his name, saying “This is how you are, but this is how you will be”!. God takes our earthly nature and changes us into a heavenly nature (this is the time to rejoice) Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
3. Mountain tops of challenging opportunities
Forget the failures of the past, but learn from them. Trust Christ more and yourself less. Don’t be held back by things that happened in 2011 but push onto higher ground and opportunities that await you.
Some things to note!
A. The mountain tops were seen from the ark
Which typified our Saviour, in Jesus. We have a strong vision and calling to do His will. No such radiant peaks will greet those who are outside of Him!!
B. They were seen from Ararat
Without true consecration there can be but hazy vision of the higher truths.
Should we all endeavor to live a righteous life, to be Holy as He is Holy?
When the right person gets into the right place—the blessings always come.
Start today to read the New Testament this year. To study, and allow the Holy Spirit to help you in all your endeavors, and give you your hearts desires in 2012! Give it all you’ve got, and keep pressing onto higher ground.
Have a blessed week!
Love you all heaps.
Ps Stuart and Colleen
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