Monday, February 1
Sunday, January 31
Waiting upon the Lord
*How would you like to learn to live triumphantly above fear and anxiety?
*How would you like to learn to truly enjoy life?
*How would you like to be free to experience and express true love and to triumph over being critical and judgmental?
The secrets of these blessings unfold as one learns to wait on God. The truth of "waiting" is found throughout the Bible. We can observe the following descriptions of waiting on the Lord:
*wait continually (Hosea 12:6)
*wait silently (Lamentations 3:26; Ps. 62:1,5)
*wait patiently (Ps. 40:1)
*wait eagerly (Isaiah 26:8)
Mary was commended not because she was idle while Martha worked. Actually Mary was "waiting" on the Lord as she listened to His Word. Her life is an illustration of what it means to abide in the Lord. She was listening to Him and willing to do anything He desired. Waiting does not necessarily mean inactivity, but it does mean a life of obedient faith.
The spirit of Mary who chose the "good part" opens one up to see the needs of others and cooperate with God in His loving plan. This waiting on the Lord is also the attitude of prayer.
As we abide in the Lord we can do an eternal work even in the midst of the routine of life. We are able to accomplish nothing of eternal value apart from the enablement of Christ (John 15:5).
The benefits of "waiting" are quite numerous. These are some that the Bible mentions:
*Freedom from shame (Ps. 25:3)
*Courage (Ps. 27:14)
*Strength (Is. 40:31)
*God's promises (Ps. 37:9)
*Deliverance from the bitter fruit of self-effort (Ps. 106:13-15; Is 30:15-18)
*Vindication (Prov. 20:22)
*God's favor (Ps. 147:11)
*God's salvation (Lam. 3:26)
*God's support (Is. 64:4)
ALL this was taken directly from
A Journey to Victorious Praying by Bill Thrasher
Friday, January 29
Prayer
As Charles Spurgeon says,
"You may be beloved of God, and yet have no consciousness of that love in your soul. You may be as dear to his heart as Jesus Christ himself, and yet for a small moment he may forsake you, and in a little wrath he may hide himself from you. But, dear friends, at such times the desire of the believing soul gathers yet greater intensity from the fact of God's light being withheld. Instead of saying with proud lip, "Well, if he leaveth me I must do without him; if I cannot have his comfortable presence I must fight on as best may be," the soul saith, "No, it is my very life; I must have my God. I perish, I sink in deep mire where there is no standing, and nothing but the arm of God can deliver me."
"But we cannot stop upon this point, for the object of this morning's discourse beckons us onward. It appears that Job's end, in desiring the presence of God, was that he might pray to him. He had prayed, but he wanted to pray as in God's presence. He desired to plead as before one whom he knew would hear and help him. He longed to state his own case before the seat of the impartial judge, before the very face of the all-wise God; he would appeal from the lower courts, where his friends judged unrighteous judgment, to the Court of King's Bench—the High Court of heaven—here, saith he, "I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments."
"You may be beloved of God, and yet have no consciousness of that love in your soul. You may be as dear to his heart as Jesus Christ himself, and yet for a small moment he may forsake you, and in a little wrath he may hide himself from you. But, dear friends, at such times the desire of the believing soul gathers yet greater intensity from the fact of God's light being withheld. Instead of saying with proud lip, "Well, if he leaveth me I must do without him; if I cannot have his comfortable presence I must fight on as best may be," the soul saith, "No, it is my very life; I must have my God. I perish, I sink in deep mire where there is no standing, and nothing but the arm of God can deliver me."
"But we cannot stop upon this point, for the object of this morning's discourse beckons us onward. It appears that Job's end, in desiring the presence of God, was that he might pray to him. He had prayed, but he wanted to pray as in God's presence. He desired to plead as before one whom he knew would hear and help him. He longed to state his own case before the seat of the impartial judge, before the very face of the all-wise God; he would appeal from the lower courts, where his friends judged unrighteous judgment, to the Court of King's Bench—the High Court of heaven—here, saith he, "I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments."
http://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_prayer.htm
Effective prayer sermon :)!
Thursday, January 28
tuesday
I feel the need to be honest with you – although a Christian for 15 years, I have never practiced the spiritual discipline of fasting. That changed on Tuesday, January 26th.
But as God was stirring in the hearts of the students here at Moody, He placed a special burden on my heart to fast and pray – to await his cleansing and movement on campus expectantly.
There are many things that are deeply embedded in the Moody “system.” Some of these things shouldn’t be there. A critical spirit, the things surrounding dating, cynicism…I could address them all individually, along with a scheme of how to cure us of them.
Yet when you step back, something is at the root of these habits. Although it is difficult to say, the truth is – Jesus Christ is not at the center of everything we do here at Moody Bible Institute. And believe me, I love Moody. I love this ministry, this opportunity to learn, this campus. But what would MBI look like if every single second of our day revolved around our Savior?
These were some questions I brought before the Lord on Tuesday.
But instead of answers, God first showed me things in my own life – areas that needed to be surrendered. I realized that before the Lord can show us big things, he first must prepare our hearts.
All my life I have been a perfectionist. Whatever I do, I need to do to the best of my ability. But when things don’t turn out the way I wanted, or expected, it becomes a very personal attack. I hurt very deeply when I fail.
This becomes a monstrously large problem when approaching the Lord. I often feel unworthy to come before His throne. “I’ll just fix these problems first,” I’ll say to myself. However, this proves an impossible task, leaving me even more hurt.
God has been revealing this to me since being back on campus this semester. And I can’t tell you how in awe I was when He put this verse in my path:
Hebrews 10:14 – “…because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Christ’s sacrifice has made me perfect. Whatever junk I drag with me, He has dealt with. He took it upon Himself on the cross. Instead of coming to Jesus in shame of my sin, I can come to him in victory!
Tuesday’s fast was an incredible time of discovering how to come into the throne room of God Almighty, head held high, with praise on my lips. He truly has saved me! I did nothing.
While I do not yet know what the Lord has prepared for this campus, Christ is finding his way into the center of my life. I pray that during these forty days, He does the same thing for you.
Tyler Patty
Wednesday, January 27
Dinner Bread:
“Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Joel 2:17
The people cried out to the Lord for forgiveness. And ultimately, Joel goes on to say (vs. 18) that the Lord had pity on them. But, amidst this, the people wanted the nations around them to look at them and see God. They didn’t want to be a bad reflection of Him.
“Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Joel 2:17
The people cried out to the Lord for forgiveness. And ultimately, Joel goes on to say (vs. 18) that the Lord had pity on them. But, amidst this, the people wanted the nations around them to look at them and see God. They didn’t want to be a bad reflection of Him.
Their sin had created a chasm between them and God, and they craved to be back in His favor. They were returning to Him, rendering their hearts, so that the people would witness His grace in their lives and through seeing them they would reveal that He was the one true God. Through their fasting and prayer, calling on the Lord together as a body to be changed from the inside out, God would once again become the center of their lives and the nations around would see God in them and fear Him because of it.
-Is it evident to the people we encounter in Chicago that God is working in us?
-How can we as a body testify to the name of Christ in the city of Chicago? Are we fulfilling our potential in this area?
*Take time tonight to focus on the city of Chicago. Ask for God to pour out His Spirit on this place and on us as we go out each day.
-The not-yet believers of Chicago
-The homeless or jobless in the city
-Our ministry to them
-Is it evident to the people we encounter in Chicago that God is working in us?
-How can we as a body testify to the name of Christ in the city of Chicago? Are we fulfilling our potential in this area?
*Take time tonight to focus on the city of Chicago. Ask for God to pour out His Spirit on this place and on us as we go out each day.
-The not-yet believers of Chicago
-The homeless or jobless in the city
-Our ministry to them
Afternoon Bread:
“Blow a trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.” Joel 2:15-16
Joel leads us in the right direction. Our hearts have been rended and it’s time to draw together. Their purpose is one. From young to old, the people come together to surrender as a unified body to the Lord. Even on what some say is “most important day of their lives” the bridgroom and his bride choose unity in Christ. They leave the chamber and her room to gather together, fasting and praying for the Lord to look upon them with favor and forgive them. We take Joel’s advice very seriously and realize the need for that trumpet to be sounded. We need to be consecrated before the Lord with one purpose and in one Spirit, waiting upon the Lord, seeking His face, and magnifying His Name.
*Are you willing to leave your personal “chamber” to gather together with the body of Christ for consecration before the Lord? Are your priorities in line?
*Take in your “bread” for the afternoon, by meditating on this Scripture and what that looks like. also pray
“Blow a trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.” Joel 2:15-16
Joel leads us in the right direction. Our hearts have been rended and it’s time to draw together. Their purpose is one. From young to old, the people come together to surrender as a unified body to the Lord. Even on what some say is “most important day of their lives” the bridgroom and his bride choose unity in Christ. They leave the chamber and her room to gather together, fasting and praying for the Lord to look upon them with favor and forgive them. We take Joel’s advice very seriously and realize the need for that trumpet to be sounded. We need to be consecrated before the Lord with one purpose and in one Spirit, waiting upon the Lord, seeking His face, and magnifying His Name.
*Are you willing to leave your personal “chamber” to gather together with the body of Christ for consecration before the Lord? Are your priorities in line?
*Take in your “bread” for the afternoon, by meditating on this Scripture and what that looks like. also pray
for:
-The unity among students here at Moody
-The local church
-The unity among students here at Moody
-The local church
Morning Bread:
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? -Joel 2:12-14
Before this passage Joel has been calling the people to repentance warning of the doom that is coming with the arrival of the Day of the Lord. Then he begins this passage with “Yet even now…he relents over disaster”. God is calling us to return to him fully with our whole hearts. We are sinful, but even still, He is there, eager to show mercy. “Rend your hearts and not your garments”. Many times we come to Christ with our sackcloth on, dramatizing our surrender to the Lord, tearing it apart as an act to the Lord. We lift our hands in worship, get down on our knees in dramatic outward demonstrations. But instead of this outward act, God desires an inward surrender. He wants our hearts of stone to be replaced with hearts of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).
Before this passage Joel has been calling the people to repentance warning of the doom that is coming with the arrival of the Day of the Lord. Then he begins this passage with “Yet even now…he relents over disaster”. God is calling us to return to him fully with our whole hearts. We are sinful, but even still, He is there, eager to show mercy. “Rend your hearts and not your garments”. Many times we come to Christ with our sackcloth on, dramatizing our surrender to the Lord, tearing it apart as an act to the Lord. We lift our hands in worship, get down on our knees in dramatic outward demonstrations. But instead of this outward act, God desires an inward surrender. He wants our hearts of stone to be replaced with hearts of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).
*Spend some time doing a heart check.
-Is there sin that is keeping you from returning to the Lord?
*As you confess and repent before the Lord, take a few minutes to praise Him and celebrate His mercy and grace.
-Is there sin that is keeping you from returning to the Lord?
*As you confess and repent before the Lord, take a few minutes to praise Him and celebrate His mercy and grace.
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