Tag: Revival

Follow Jesus’ Example in Prayer

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-11-20
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 5:15-16
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 15 News about Jesus kept spreading. Large crowds came to listen to him teach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.

APPLICATION: The story is often shared about a very popular, experienced and successful pastor, that while he was preaching, a great body of believers met together in the basement of the church in steadfast prayer for the preacher, the listeners, and especially for the unsaved in attendance that day. I was part of a church that, for a time, conducted revival services annually. One pastor led us into cottage prayer meetings for about a month before these special services. Hosts were encouraged to not provide refreshments, as the meetings were meant for the diehards who wanted to pray and see God move in the following revival services. Having participated in these prayer meetings, I remember during the services having strong urges to look down the aisle as the invitation was given each night, because I was convinced that God heard the humble and sincere prayers of His people, and responses would result. In our verses today, surely you can see the popularity of Jesus. His compassionate teaching of God’s Word. His powerful, healing touch of the sick and challenged individuals. With popularity comes a sense of pride and self-fulfillment to the one accredited for the success of church meetings. But if we are to truly follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we must catch a glimpse of how He went aside for constant one-on-one private prayer meetings with His Father. In seeing success that results from weeks and months of hard work and dedicated prayer meetings, it would seem natural to celebrate and offer up toasts for all that is being accomplished through our teacher/preacher/evangelist. But friends, I believe in following the example of Jesus, we will not only learn to celebrate and give thanks to the One, True God, who made it all possible, but also be careful to thank Him for letting us stand in His presence, experience His warmth and His all-powerful touch on our family, neighbors and friends. Doing this in a secluded place would serve to help us concentrate on the Father and His achievements that He allowed us to experience as we met in His name. I mentioned earlier about the weekly prayer meetings that many churches open up to its members. This is a secluded place away from the normal pressure of work, home, and away from the rustling noises of the world, that gives us time with God in agreement with other like believers. This brings encouragement to hear how God has blessed in the lives of others, and it brings opportunity, for we could then be more focused in our prayers for believers who are begging for God’s presence and intervention in their lives. Total alone time with God could be possible during your drive times. Turn off the radio and silence your phone so that nothing will disrupt your time of communicating with God. Praying for 20 minutes sounds very short but let me encourage you to set a goal of 5 minutes, then increase that as you are comfortable. I sincerely believe that the quiet, effective prayers of God’s children will bend the ear of God and cause Him to bless in ways that we could never imagine. Follow in the example of Jesus, my friend – spend time alone talking with God.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God is never too busy to hear the cry from His children, and throughout His Word we are reassured that He not only hears our cry but meets our needs and answers our prayers that agree with His perfect will for us.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for allowing us, though so unworthy, to spend time in Your presence and place our petitions before You. We have nothing to boast about, for without You, we are nothing but filthy rags. However, our needs are many, and our desire to see loved ones saved from the pit of Hell is our top priority. This is something that only You can do, Lord, so please bear with us as we bring them before You on a regular basis. In our Scripture today, we see where it is obvious that the towns people kept coming to hear You teach, yet You found it necessary to still spend quiet time with the Father in prayer. Please keep us focused on more than what has already been done, but especially on what still needs to be done. We have nothing to boast about, for it is You that has accomplished Your mighty works in our presence. May we always be available as a channel for Your mighty works. Please help us to keep our lives aligned with Your will and Your teachings, so that we will never be a stumbling block that diminishes Your effectiveness in the lives of others. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Revive Us Again Oh Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Draw Me Close to You, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Revival, WorshipLeave a comment

Thursday, 2020-02-06

Bible Reference: Psalm 85:4-7
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: 4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation.
    Put aside your anger against us once more.
5 Will you be angry with us always?
    Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?
6 Won’t you revive us again,
    so your people can rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.

OBSERVATION: Less we take the words of our theme today too lightly, I would like for us to consider what will be expected of us in order for God to consider reviving us again. Prayerfully read the Scripture again, and ask God to open your eyes to what needs changing in your own life. We want to rejoice in the God of our salvation, but we must seek an intimate relationship with Him.

APPLICATION: As a young man maturing in the Lord, I remember ‘revival’ services that would last between 3 and 5 days. These were special services dedicated to encouraging the believers to return to a closer relationship with the Lord, or to restore fellowship with God and His church. The active church body would generally petition God to speak to the hearts of His people and to achieve a great work among them so that His church might flourish. It seems like today, pastors are satisfied that they lead the charge for revival every Sunday, but more than that, I believe that we have become a society that has brought the ‘instant’ demands of the world into the church. What do I mean by that? Drive-Thru restaurants provide ‘instant’ food; Microwaves provide ‘instant’ warm-ups for food, coffee, etc.; Computers provide ‘instant’ results for very complex spreadsheets; etc, etc. So with all the ‘instant’ conveniences that we have, why do you suppose that we can’t attend church every so often, sing that hymn ‘Revive us Again’ about once a year, and receive ‘instant’ revival from the Creator of this universe? Friends, our God went to great lengths in the miraculous birth of His very own Son, and setting Him up for cruel punishment and an awful crucifixion, because He wanted to show us through His miraculous resurrection that His very life, death and resurrection was a vivid expression of His love for us. He loved us enough that He gave – He gave His very own Son, so that we might be forgiven of our sin, through faith in His Son, and that we may receive the gift of eternal life – that’s life eternally in heaven with the Father and the Son! So when we think of ‘Revival’, and/or asking God to ‘Revive us again’, please stop and be reminded of what God did for us. I believe that we must ask God to help us to get our lives in order, center our minds on Him, be prepared to rid ourselves of this ugly/dirty world, to draw us close to Him, and also make us more like Him in every aspect of our lives. This will mean turning away from many things that the world finds attractive, but that may totally distract us from looking like, or being like, Christ. I don’t believe that there is a need for us to seek revival, unless we are prepared to acknowledge the greater value in our relationship with Christ. Saying ‘no’ to this world, and ‘YES’ to Jesus Christ – this is what might bring revival in our lives, and a closer walk with our Master and Lord.

PRAYER: Oh dear Lord, may the love You expressed through Your precious Son, be something that we acknowledge, have a desire for, and strive towards imitating daily. Please strengthen us to have no desire for the things of this world, and instead be totally devoted to being more like You. Lord we want to be more like You in every way. The world needs You. May we not be a stumbling block that would prevent them from seeing You, desiring You and knowing You personally. Oh that You may be glorified in my readers and I today. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would encourage you to attend my home church. Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Renewal

On By Ed AlgreenIn Renewal, SalvationLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Isaiah 40:27-31 (TLB)

TEXT:  27 ….. how can you say that the Lord doesn’t see your troubles and isn’t being fair? 28 Don’t you yet understand? Don’t you know by now that the everlasting God, the Creator of the farthest parts of the earth, never grows faint or weary? No one can fathom the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. 30 Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

OBSERVATION:   These verses speak to the ever daunting problem of mankind, where one becomes overwhelmed with the differences between what they desire, or want, and the perfect way that they feel something should be done, versus the actual way and means in which things occur. Added to this, mankind will often feel like no one listens, or cares about their explanation of how they feel. Not personally being a psychologist, I’m sure that there are lots of holes that you might poke into that description of what might cause one to become disheartened or disillusioned or depressed. Let’s meditate on how God responds to us through His servant Isaiah on similar matters….

APPLICATION:   I was encouraged when I read these verses again, and was reminded that the God we serve is the one who created this world! He created mankind, to live in this world, and because He carefully put everything into place around the globe, where might He ever send us, that He wouldn’t best direct our path and make sure that we would wind up serving His children for His ultimate glory? There are times in our life that we feel like no one truly understands how we feel, or why we act the way we do. In fact, we may embarrass some very close to us, and we may actually look to God and question why we are so unique. Friends, we are talking about the God who created us with every piece of individuality that exists in us. The One who would one day cause a scientist to stop and question, how in the world can everyone have a truly unique fingerprint? Can you imagine a time that something would be going on in our lifetime, or that awaits in our future, that God is surprised about, or caught unawares about? May I be the first to remind you today that: There is nothing too big for our God! Nothing that He is unaware of; Nothing that He wouldn’t do for His precious children (us); Nothing that He would lead us into that He will not bless and carefully help us succeed in; and no one that He would place in our presence that He would not allow our influence, or Christ-likeness to rub off on! Therefore friends, please tell me: Why would you not trust your Father? Why would you not consult with Him when you feel like you don’t have all of the answers? Why would you not consult with the only One who knows the future, when you look for direction in making the right decisions about tomorrow? Why would you not be faithful to the end, after being reminded of how faithful Jesus was right up to His final moments? Why would you not share often about the Savior who stood in the gap for you and saved you from eternal damnation. The same One who declares the best news ever heard of, when He assures us of our eternal home in Heaven, where we will rejoice around the feet of He and His Father for all eternity? Friends, for those of us that rest our faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God declares that He Will Renew our Strength! For it is then that we will spread our wings like eagles, run but yet not get tired or weary, and walk our daily path of life without growing faint! Run to the source of all this friends, and you too can enjoy the exciting benefits that I have given you a hint of today! Jesus loves you, and wants you to love Him also! Praise Him for His goodness, and Chat with Him about your uncertainties, for He’s your Friend, your Savior and Your everlasting King!

PRAYER:   Precious Lord, thank You for reminding us yet again how awesome You are, and how truly powerful You are. We are such spoiled children, who forget so easily about the Savior who gave His very life for our salvation. Please forgive us Lord, and please renew a right spirit within us – one that will open our blinded eyes and cause us to become obedient, humble and totally surrendered to You. Please help us to connect these dots first, so that in the eyes of the lost, they will truly see ‘children of God’ and not spoiled children wandering around trying to gain the world for our own selfish needs and wants. Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole, thank You Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation, so rich and free! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

 

Brighter Days Ahead!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Hope, HumilityLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Message – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Thoughts:

Ever notice how you might visit a person laden with pain and discouragement, so much that they can barely move, but when they see you for the first time in a very long time, how they don’t notice the pain and they are ready to go wherever you take them? They quickly become very refreshed in their mind? I believe it is very easy for us to get in that rut also, because we tend to lose hope and the joy that once filled us, especially if we are not humanly seeing results. Paul had a similar experience in ministering to the church in Corinth. For with the bare eye, one may have looked at Paul and quickly agreed that they would stay far enough away from whatever he was proposing to them, because it only got him beatings, imprisonments and hardships. However, to the Christian who witnessed the joy, inward excitement, boldness and peace that exuded from this man of God, I believe that they would deeply desire a similar walk to that of Paul. In these verses, Paul is warning the church that we need to look beyond what might bless us today, and focus on the far-reaching effects of the gospel being proclaimed. You see, our hearts should overflow today when we do the Master’s work, especially when we do it in earnest for the Master’s sake and His glory alone. It is hypocrisy to promote self when attempting to teach and/or preach and/or witness, for without Christ we are nothing. It is His grace that saved us, His love that sustains us, and His promise to welcome us home in glory that center our hearts on Him, in anticipation of our glorious reunion with Him! I’m afraid that when we get discouraged, it may very well be ‘self’ that is not being satisfied. Let us always remember that our Christian work here on earth is to bring glory to God. When an earthly war is over, it is the country who sent the soldiers into battle that wins, not the soldier who fired the last shot. Many earthly soldiers will gladly place their life on the line for their country, are you and I willing to do the same for the battle we fight against Satan? Let’s learn to allow God to use us in His service for His glory, rather than us mentioning God’s name while promoting self. There is a hope friend! Let is rejoice in that hope as we present the gospel through our words and actions each day, knowing that one day soon we will be with the Master in all His glory!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Creator of all things, Savior of this world, please help me to keep myself in proper proportion to the One in whom I represent and witness to others about. Like Paul, I too must stay focused on who I’m working for and who will receive the glory from anyone touched by Your message. Lord, I am convinced that as I see glory going up to You by folk, there is little value in what I may have contributed to that, because I am merely Your messenger obeying Your commands. My desire is that I may be obedient to what You require of me. I am merely an instrument in Your hand to accomplish Your work with those who need You. You have strategically placed me here, with all of the experiences I have encountered, so that others who need You might identify with You through my earthly experiences. Thank You for choosing me to be Your child and Your servant. May Your Holy Spirit continue to use me – my talents, my experience and my hope, is my humble prayer this morning. Lord, may Christians that meditate on this devotional identify with what I have shared and grow stronger in their relationship with You. May the lost that You direct to this devotional find hope in the mighty works that You do, knowing that they too can become Your child, when they accept You as Lord and Savior of their life. I ask all this in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day‘s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!

You Are Royalty!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Celebrate God, God Cares For Us, Listen to the Word of God, SurrenderLeave a comment

God’s Holy Word – Good News Translation
1 Corinthians 5:1-2

1 And now I want to remind you, my brothers and sisters, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm. 2 That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it—unless it was for nothing that you believed.

Thoughts:
As I meditated on this I thought about all that a palace subject must encounter in any given day. I don’t imagine for a moment they ever arise, go to school or work and forget they are a prince/princess, or a child of the queen. I don’t imagine for a moment they ever doubt if they are protected and secure in their position. I bet that they are extremely careful to protect the sovereignty of their parent’s kingdom. Wouldn’t you imagine that they are ambassadors for the kingdom over which their parent rules, and therefore talk it up with everyone that they come in contact with? So friend, what’s the difference with any of the above thoughts and our position as children of the King of all kings? When we accept Jesus as Lord, we become His protected ones, as Satan nor the world has any hold on us anymore. We can proudly wear our breastplate of righteousness and feel adequately protected in our royal position. So why then do we find ourselves so often in the doldrums of this world’s trials and tribulations and feel so distraught and beaten up? After meditating on Paul’s message to the Corinthian church, I am convinced that we need reminding constantly that we might be in this world, but we are not of this world as we are looking to a much bigger Savior that didn’t just rescue us when we first believed, but is there each and every day to take our hand a lift us up, comfort, protect and love on us as His special and chosen children. Friend, stay in the Word every day, stay in communion with God often so that you might be reminded of His love and special care over us. Refresh yourself on the gospel, so that it may be your guide and encouragement, constantly pointing you to the One who not only died for you, but still watches over you every day. Assume your royal position friend. Remember, God sees you as His very own child, why should you see yourself as anything less!

Prayer:
Father, Daddy, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, thank You for Your gracious love for me. Thank You for the ultimate sacrifice You made for me. Thank You for adopting me as Your very own royal prince. I am truly blessed. Please help me to daily assume my royal position and represent You well. Please strengthen me to always allow Your love and character to shine through me in everything that I do or say, so that others might recognize You and want to know you as their Lord and Savior. For my friends meditating on this devotional today, please allow the words of Paul in this scripture to remind you of your royalty and your position as God’s very own. LLord, may Your children arise and be Your faithful followers today so that Your Word may come alive to the unsaved, is my humble pray that I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote:
If you have read this devotional and do not know this wonderful Savior of whom I have spoken, may I encourage you to speak with a Bible teaching pastor or church leader today? If you know of none, I would welcome an email from you with information on how I may be of help to you, or how I might pray with, and/or for, you. You may reach me at nuggetsfromgodsword@outlook.com. If you are in the Highlands County area of Florida and do not have a church home, may I recommend my church home to you, Bible Fellowship Church? Let me know if you plan to attend and I will personally welcome you and help you feel at home with God’s people as we worship and learn more about His love for us!

Restore Your Church Oh God

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Chosen by God, Christian, Encourage, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, God our Helper, Grace, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, Praise, Repentance, Righteousness, Servants of God, Surrender, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 85:4–7

    4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more.

    5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?

    6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?

    7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

Thoughts:

In my first read through this passage of scripture I was touched by the prayer of David to save his people, and my heart was deeply touched by his prayer because I can clearly see how many around us, in our neighborhoods and in our cities, need the Lord. However, on closer study of this I realized that you can only restore something that at one time was resident there before. So my heart immediately went out to what David was really praying, because I believe that we are seeing churches dying today at a greater record than ever before in the history of our land. In part, I believe that this is because we need an equally as large evangelism effort to the once ‘saved’ who have fallen by the wayside, as we do to the ones who have totally disregarded the message of the cross. Like you, I am very concerned about all that is going on in our land, and in this world, where we are killing each other without any regard for precious life itself. However, this should come as no surprise to Christians, because even back in 2 Chronicles 7:14 it was declared that God is looking for His people, His children, to humble themselves and pray, before He would give consideration to healing our land. When Christians treat their relationship, their commitment, so flippantly, and when there is no humility in looking to God for His powerful, healing and restoring hand upon His people and our land, what is it that we should really expect differently? Friends, we are bringing damnation on ourselves, on our churches and on our land. Remember, God is still in control and His Word will endure to the end, so we must follow His plan if we ever expect to see God restore us again! What is your role? Are you following His plan, so that you might expect to see Him restore us again? Please, let us humble ourselves and pray…..

Prayer:

Jesus, my Lord, in all humility I pray that You might touch the hearts of Your people once again. Begin with me, I pray. May Your church be revived once again, I pray. May each person meditating on this devotional today realize that this is not the ‘place’ we call church, but the body of Christ that at one time or another made a sober decision to accept You as Lord and Savior of their life. May the places that we call ‘church’ burst wide open from the crowds that will be renewed/revived and reminded of their obligation to their Master and Lord. May Your ‘church’ truly come alive again, so that we may follow Your commands and humble ourselves before You and pray. Lord, may the uncommitted one that may be lead to read this devotional today realize the importance of surrendering themselves to Your Lordship today. We are in desperate need of a touch from You oh King, please hear my prayer and heal us. Please cause us to recommit ourselves to do Your perfect will. For I ask all this in the name of the only One with the power to do anything about our pitiful condition, Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.