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Great Prayer Warriors of the Past

By Fredi Trammell

For by Thee I have run through a troop; And by my God leaped over a wall, He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: And Thy right hand hath holden me up, And Thy gentleness hath made me great. For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me. Those that rose up against me (excerpts from Psalm 18)

To keep spiritual revival vibrant in our hearts, we must continue the fervent, effectual, prayer meetings that initiated the fire of revival in our souls! The soul who seeks God and finds Him real—then supposes God will always be real to him without ongoing prayer fellowship with God, will become depressed, disillusioned and disappointed indeed. Consistency in prayer is the ONLY way to satisfy the hungering, thirsting soul. The most rewarding development in spiritual growth is the prayer closet experiences. People who have overcome and persevered over obstacles meant for their destruction have set aside time for private conversations with God.

Christian historian, Hegesippus, wrote that James, the brother of Jesus, had knees so callused from kneeling in prayer that he was called “camel knees.” He was said to have prayed unceasingly for the pardon of people. He was called “James the Just” and “Oblias” which means “the bulwark”.

Isaac’s prayer closet was a field: “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide: and he lifted up his eyes and saw…” Had Isaac failed in his private time of meditation in the field, he would have missed the rapturous moment of the arrival of his beautiful bride, Rebekah. At the precise moment Isaac saw her, Rebekah “lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel…and Isaac brought her into his mother’s tent.”

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Soulwinning is Everywhere
By Mark Hanby

If the Holy Ghost is in a man only at 7 PM on “Prospect Visitation Night” then you could expect to win souls only at that time (or on Saturday morning at 10 during Sunday school visitation or any other scheduled time for outreach). But how absurd it is to think that souls can be won only during scheduled times or when you say,” I’m going soulwinning.” You may go and you can win souls. But you may also win souls at any other time. On the streets, in the stores, over the telephone, at home, on the job— anywhere you go you are a soulwinner.

What Does God Want you to Do?

The Holy Ghost is in you twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week, of the month and of the year. The surging, powerful, glorious Holy Spirit of truth lives within you, empowering you to affect that world about you. Jesus said it would be “a well of water” within you, springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14). The well wants to spring up, flow out and bless others. The incessant flow of the Spirit is like a spring, never stopping, always fresh, flowing continually day and night “Spring ..:.p, 0 well .. . ”

He Would Like To Win Souls Through You Wherever You Are 

The Lord expects you to yield to Him at all times. You do not go forth in the power of the flesh but with a river of living water flowing into the desert places of human abode.

How disappointing when you simply and only stand at a door, knock the right number of times, present yourself properly, compliment an object to win acceptance and then just invite someone to church. Is that all you came to do? Stand there, knock, invite, leave? And maybe never to see them again! They may go to Hell just after you walk down the steps, to go down the street, to knock on another door, repeating the same dead formula. Smile like the undertaker, my lifeless friend, because, like him, you have nothing to give.

Such As I Have, Give I Thee . . .Anytime, Anywhere

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The Name of Jehovah

By  David Reynolds

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child; I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (I Corinthians 13.11).

There is a period of time when a child is not a child and yet is not a man—we call it adolescence. Neither fish nor fowl, our young people are in a no-man’s-land—many hurting themselves and their future.

Bill Graves in an article I once read called adolescence a time of turbulent transition. He highlighted one of the greatest problems I see with our adolescence in America today:

“Granted far too much freedom many middle school children master the prerequisites of failure.”

We have high expectations for adults; make allowances for children—but withdraw from our young teenagers allowing them to blunder their way toward adulthood.

What about adolescence? How does a child become an adult? It does not happen suddenly and it is not easy. One moment they may act mature and secure and the next very childish and insecure. Just because they may look mature does not mean they are!

As parents, we are walking away from our adolescence before they have the self-discipline to control their impulses. We are letting them come home to empty, unsupervised houses. They get together away from adult supervision and they are hurting themselves—for life. They are getting hooked on tobacco, alcohol, hard drugs and experimenting with sex.

Parents, we are taking off all restraints and control far too early. Parental involvement falls off sharply after the primary grades.

I noticed as principal of an elementary school that when a first grade class had a little program I would have to bring in dozens of chairs for all of the parents, grandparents, uncles and neighbors. When the sixth grade had a function, however, we might have ten or twelve parents come to it.

The Middle High schools, however, had so few showing up at their programs it was embarrassing and discouraging. Why?

When asked, many parents told me it was because their young person did not seem to want them around. This is more reason to stay involved!

When the adolescent disobeys and rebels it takes so much energy and stress to impose consequences that many parents are walking away. Parents are letting them have their way rather than confronting them.

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The Name of Jehovah

By  Gordon Mallory

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Our texts are generally quoted from the Kin James or the Authorized Version of the Bible. It will be noted, however, that where God’s Old Testament Name Cs involved, the verses are taken from the American Standard Version (ASV).

The American Standard Bible was published in 1901 by the American Revision Committee. Prior to the publishing of this translation, the American Committee collaborated with the English Revision Companies to produce the English Revised Version in 1885. Respecting differences, which might arise between the two companies of scholars, it was agreed that the English scholars had the initiative in the English revision and their views should have the decisive vote.

To offset this, the American preferences were published in the form of an appendix in the English Revised Bible, and in the American Standard Bible was published the preface to the English Bible.

We now quote from the preface to the English Revised Version; “It has been thought advisable in regard to the word ‘JEHOVAH’ to follow the usage of the Authorized

Version, and not to insert it uniformly in place of `LORD’ or `GOD,’ which when printed in small capitals, represents the words substituted by Jewish custom for the ineffable name…”

From the preface to the American Standard Version we quote; “The change first recommended in the Appendix — that which substitutes ‘Jehovah’ for ‘LORD’ or `GOD,’ — is one which will be unwelcome to many, because of the frequency and familiarity of the terms displaced. However, the American Revisers, after a careful consideration, were brought to the unanimous conviction that a Jewish superstition, which regarded the Divine Name as too sacred to be uttered, ought no longer to dominate in the English or any other version of the Old Testament, as it fortunately does not in the numerous versions made by modern missionaries.”

The information, which we have taken from both the English and the American Companies, reveals to us that they were unanimous in their conclusions that, for the reasons given, the proper rendition of the Hebrew `Yahweh’ is Jehovah. However, the English scholars failed to follow through for fear of adverse publish reaction, while the American scholars chose to correctly translate the Name of Jehovah in the American Standard Version.’

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The Long, Winding Road by Chester Mitchell

These were old soldiers. They hadn’t fallen in battle, but something worse had happened. They’d been forgotten. If you’ve ever had that moment when you allowed the question “Why am I doing this?” to linger on the stage of your mind, you can probably relate.

Once smooth and supple, the skin on their faces was now permanently wrinkled. They walked slowly, shoulders bent from years of long, arduous travel from village to village. Their once-muscular legs were now tired, and their calloused feet were beautiful only because they had carried the Gospel. Like Isaiah said, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7—NLT).

They had faithfully served God and their calling on the African continent. After many years of ministry, they had finally decided that their work was completed. Aged, tired, and worn, they packed their sparse belongings, said their final farewells, and boarded a ship for the long voyage home to America……MORE

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From Resilience to Reliance: Learning to Weather Life’s Toughest Storms with Spirit led Fortitude Compiled by Gary Ellis and the Point of Refuge Care Givers
Article By Bishop R.E. Libby

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Introduction:
Psychologists and behavioral science experts are fascinated by “the concept of resilience”—the indescribable quality that characterizes people who, when life knocks them down, rise again stronger than before. They don’t let failure define or paralyze them; rather, they view it as a teaching moment and a stepping-stone to future success.

Some experts believe resilience is, at least in part, genetic and that people differ in their innate ability to handle the stress, pressure, and trauma life doles out. However, there is strong belief that resilience can be cultivated—it is something you can learn and master on your own, experts say. They believe you can learn to strengthen yourself by choosing how you define yourself and what outlook you have on life and by learning to manage your emotions and reinterpret your setbacks in a positive light. You can do it all on your own. You can get tougher. You can get mentally and emotionally stronger. All you have to do is put your mind to it.

If that is the case, then why does it seem that resilience is such a rare quality? Why haven’t more of us seemed to master it? Could it be that, try as we might, our human frailty dooms us to fall short in our ability to overcome every obstacle we face and rise from the ashes better and stronger than before?

Psychology Today defines resilient people as those who “[e]ven after misfortune . . . are blessed with such an outlook that they are able to change course and soldier on.”‘ Where might such a “blessing” come from? I wonder. . . .

The mystery of resilience really isn’t a mystery at all; on the contrary, it is a misunderstanding. The English definition and Western perspective on resilience is:
• the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens
• the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.
• an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (emotional resilience)

While some may choose to believe that all of this can be done in our own strength, we know from experience that this is simply not the case. “Mind over matter” isn’t the prescription for surmounting every challenge life brings our way—believers and non-believers can agree. There are some things we face in life that are just too much for us to cope with on our own. This is a result of our living in a fallen world that was never meant to be. We weren’t designed to experience sin, pain, or death. That was never God’s intention. We were designed to live in holy communion with God, but when sin entered the world, all humanity from Adam and Eve forward would be susceptible to hurt, pain, brokenness, trials, or tribulation—consequences that spiraled out of the original sin.

So then, what are we to do? Do we give up hope? Do we wallow in pain and desperation? Surely not!

As Christians, we have opportunities that the lost do not. We can go to places for “strength” where non-Christians cannot go. They can go far, but when it gets to the spiritual, they can’t enter or draw strength from that dimension. These limitations are characteristic of what we are able to accomplish through our own works compared to what we can become empowered to accomplish when we allow God to work in, on, and through us.

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The above article From Resilience to Reliance: Learning to Weather Life’s Toughest Storms with Spirit Led Fortitude is the thirteenth chapter from Healthy Pastor, by Points of Refuge Care Givers.

The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study and research purposes.

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The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
By Pastor Rick Strawcutter

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What does the Bible mean in Revelation 19:9 when it refers to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?

The Bible is a love story. Complete with courtship, marriage. infidelity, separation, divorce, and the possibility of remarriage.

The groom is the Lord. The bride is a nation called Israel.

In the beginning of the story, the Lord God had close communion with Adam and Eve in a beautiful place called the Garden of Eden. Tragically, that special relationship was disrupted by the sin of disobedience. The rest of the Bible, from Genesis in the Old Testament, all the way through Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, is an unfolding of the romantic relationship that God had with his special creation.

The lineage between Adam and a man named Abraham was a very important one. Through Abraham, God promised to create a special nation that would make his name great and be a blessing to the whole world.

In time, Abraham had a son named Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Jacob/Israel had twelve sons who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Israel has had a very colorful and exciting history. Some of it was very dramatic and full of supernatural influences from God. The deliverance from Egypt, and occupation of the promised land are but a couple of the great happenings that Israel experienced when this nation had the favor of its God.

God declared that the relationship between himself and Israel was one of husband and wife. (Isaiah 54:5) God repeatedly warned Israel to be faithful and not to flirt with, or commit whoredom with, any other gods. But, as good as God was to his wife, and
no matter how God tried to keep Israel faithful, the marriage was doomed to complete failure. Not on God’s part of course. Israel just couldn’t resist the urge to be unfaithful.

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The above article The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is the eigth chapter in the book Without Controversy, written byPastor Rick Strawcutter.

The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study and research purposes.