Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
The Word of God.
The word “ canon” is the term used to describe the complete number of the books of the Bible-the closed cannon of the 66 books of the Holy Scriptures. It is derived from ancient words meaning “measuring stick” and applied here to designate those books that meet the requirements of being acknowledged as divinely inspired by God.
The Bible warns against either adding or subtracting from its contents. Revelation 22:18 (For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book) makes a conclusive statement, positional in God’s providence and wisdom, at the Bible’s end. While it refers directly to the Book of Revelation, most Bible scholars also provide a finalizing footnote on this subject: “Add to or subtract from the Bible at your own risk.” (A classic study of the judgment for “taking away” from God’s Word is seen in Jeremiah 36:20-32.
In this regard, we are wise to understand terms. When we refer to the “revelation of the Scriptures,” it is important that we distinguish this consummate order of divine revelation from any other use of the term, however sacred. There are many today who do not know the difference between a “revelation” (an insight or an idea that may be of God, of man, or of the Devil) and the revelation of God, which is in the closed cannon of the Scriptures.
Because there are many books that claim to be divinely given, a casual or gullible attitude toward them can result in confusion and eventual destruction. It is interesting to note that even in Jesus’ time, several books held by some today to be intended for the OT were in existence then. Yet, in the 64 times Jesus quotes from the OT, not once does He quote from any of those books. The Bible is complete, completely trustworthy, and sufficient to completely answer anything we need to know for eternal salvation or practical wisdom concerning our relationships, morality, character, or conduct.
You can gauge how closely God and His Word are connected in John 1:1-3 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. We have to rely on the Word of God because we are uniquely created to worship God alone; nothing else can truly bring lasting peace and satisfaction.
Too often Christians in the modern church find themselves passive intellectually, accepting almost anything they are taught or simple challenging a doctrine on the basis of how it feels instead of looking to see whether it has biblical foundations. Contrast this with what the Boreans did in Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. They did not take for granted what many had to say. They relied on the Word of God.
Amen and Amen
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Praying With All Supplication
Prayer
Ephesians 6:18 (New King James Version)
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (to ask earnestly and humbly), being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Other translations of this important passage of scripture include: (1) Edgar Goodspeed – “use every kind of prayer and entreaty (urgency), and at every opportunity pray in the Spirit,” and (2) Weymouth – “and be always on the alert to seize opportunities for doing so, with unwearied persistence and entreaty on behalf of all the saints.”
The subject, of course, is prayer. It is an important part of not only the armor of God, but also the most effective offensive weapon at our disposal for spiritual warfare. Although, the most significant weapon we posses is the ability and privilege to pray, few Christians exercise this privilege at all, and those who do often express an inadequacy and dissatisfaction with their prayer life.
When you pray, you are able to tap the resources of the infinite power of God. Therefore, prayer is the greatest weapon, which we possess. In addition to being a defensive weapon, it is also one of the two greatest offensive weapons along with the Word of God.
But when we consider our own prayer lives as Christians, we often feel inadequate. We know we should pray more, but we find prayer boring or else we fail to see the value and relevance of praying. Let’s face it. Prayer is hard work and it is difficult. And because of its mighty power against the Dark Kingdom, Satan fights us every step of the way. Often we adopt the baby Christian attitude that prayer is a last resort when everything we have tried on our own failed.
Many stories in the Bible can be used as a model to follow in our prayers to God. One is when a rebellious Israel was told to possess the land that was given to them and did not obey. Likewise, when the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice. 24 You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you. 25 “Thus I prostrated myself before the LORD; forty days and forty nights I kept prostrating myself, because the LORD had said He would destroy you. Duet 9-23-25. It was only because of the intercession of Moses that Israel was not destroyed. Understand the scope (forty days and forty nights) of his prayer to save the nation of Israel.
Another is the story of Peter who was imprisoned by Herod because it pleased the Jews. It was the corporate prayer of the church that an angel of the Lord freed Peter. “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands” Acts 12:5-7.
A couple of things God gave me understanding about in regard to praying with all supplication (Eph 6:18) and without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17).
First, the enemy comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” John 10:10 and he and his dark kingdom will not let up. We have to be in prayer constantly to protect ourselves and our family without ceasing. The enemy is relentless and does not take breaks. We cannot afford to take a break either.
Second, I was made to understand the seriousness of praying for my loved ones. I had to ask myself this question: “Am I willing to prostrate myself and pray with all supplication for more than a few minutes each day?” How much prayer do we really give our children that are suffering? We normally pray a few minutes throughout the day for them but mostly we think about the grave condition they are in and let the enemy get to our minds which makes it worse. Are we willing to pray one hour in the morning, one hour at lunch and one hour at night for our loved ones? Moses prayed for forty days and forty nights. Jesus was in constant prayer for all of humanity during His ministry. Yet, we do not tap into the most powerful weapon in the universe. PRAYER! We are a rebellious group just as the nation of Israel was because we do not obey God’s instructions or believe His promises.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to ask God for forgiveness and to change our ways. Our method of operation will never work. God’s method of operation will be our solution and our salvation.
Amen and Amen
Ephesians 6:18 (New King James Version)
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (to ask earnestly and humbly), being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Other translations of this important passage of scripture include: (1) Edgar Goodspeed – “use every kind of prayer and entreaty (urgency), and at every opportunity pray in the Spirit,” and (2) Weymouth – “and be always on the alert to seize opportunities for doing so, with unwearied persistence and entreaty on behalf of all the saints.”
The subject, of course, is prayer. It is an important part of not only the armor of God, but also the most effective offensive weapon at our disposal for spiritual warfare. Although, the most significant weapon we posses is the ability and privilege to pray, few Christians exercise this privilege at all, and those who do often express an inadequacy and dissatisfaction with their prayer life.
When you pray, you are able to tap the resources of the infinite power of God. Therefore, prayer is the greatest weapon, which we possess. In addition to being a defensive weapon, it is also one of the two greatest offensive weapons along with the Word of God.
But when we consider our own prayer lives as Christians, we often feel inadequate. We know we should pray more, but we find prayer boring or else we fail to see the value and relevance of praying. Let’s face it. Prayer is hard work and it is difficult. And because of its mighty power against the Dark Kingdom, Satan fights us every step of the way. Often we adopt the baby Christian attitude that prayer is a last resort when everything we have tried on our own failed.
Many stories in the Bible can be used as a model to follow in our prayers to God. One is when a rebellious Israel was told to possess the land that was given to them and did not obey. Likewise, when the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice. 24 You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you. 25 “Thus I prostrated myself before the LORD; forty days and forty nights I kept prostrating myself, because the LORD had said He would destroy you. Duet 9-23-25. It was only because of the intercession of Moses that Israel was not destroyed. Understand the scope (forty days and forty nights) of his prayer to save the nation of Israel.
Another is the story of Peter who was imprisoned by Herod because it pleased the Jews. It was the corporate prayer of the church that an angel of the Lord freed Peter. “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands” Acts 12:5-7.
A couple of things God gave me understanding about in regard to praying with all supplication (Eph 6:18) and without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17).
First, the enemy comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” John 10:10 and he and his dark kingdom will not let up. We have to be in prayer constantly to protect ourselves and our family without ceasing. The enemy is relentless and does not take breaks. We cannot afford to take a break either.
Second, I was made to understand the seriousness of praying for my loved ones. I had to ask myself this question: “Am I willing to prostrate myself and pray with all supplication for more than a few minutes each day?” How much prayer do we really give our children that are suffering? We normally pray a few minutes throughout the day for them but mostly we think about the grave condition they are in and let the enemy get to our minds which makes it worse. Are we willing to pray one hour in the morning, one hour at lunch and one hour at night for our loved ones? Moses prayed for forty days and forty nights. Jesus was in constant prayer for all of humanity during His ministry. Yet, we do not tap into the most powerful weapon in the universe. PRAYER! We are a rebellious group just as the nation of Israel was because we do not obey God’s instructions or believe His promises.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to ask God for forgiveness and to change our ways. Our method of operation will never work. God’s method of operation will be our solution and our salvation.
Amen and Amen
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