Saturday, August 30, 2014

Get Serious


In the book of The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 12, when the disciples "got serious" about praying for a Christian in danger, he who was in danger, (in this case it was Peter) was delivered.

(OK now, I am limiting my discussion to the Bible accounts.  I am aware that there have been Christian martyrs throughout the last 2000 years.  That's not the point.  What the Lord has deemed worthy to include in His book is the point.  It's His story, His lesson.)

OK, really?  Did they only "get serious" about praying for Peter?  Were they not serious about praying for Stephen or James?

Well, maybe they were, but there was no prayer meeting recorded in scripture for these two men.

In the book of Esther, when the queen (and let me emphasize that she was the king's BRIDE) pleaded for her people, the king listened, granted her request, and saved her people.

Can we not also plead for our people who are in danger?  Do we not have a special relationship, as the bride of Christ, to the King (the King of Kings)?  Is He not compassionate, gracious, and merciful?

Yes, we can plead for our people.  We do have a special relationship with the King.  And He is compassionate, gracious, and merciful.

OK, so what do we have to do to "get serious"?  Let's start with repentance.  If I am too busy, or too apathetic, to pay attention to the desperate situation people are in, I need to repent.

If I don't believe my intercession with Father God will "avail much", I need to repent of my unbelief.  For it says in James 5:16, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man/person avails much".

Get serious.  Pray.

Larry Carroll

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