When In Trouble, Pray! by Jim Cymbala

Have you ever noticed that Jesus launched the Christian church, not while
someone was preaching, but while people were praying? In the first two chapters
of Acts, the disciples were doing nothing but waiting on God. As they were just
sitting there . . . worshiping, communing with God, letting Him shape them and
cleanse their spirits and do those heart operations that only the Holy Spirit
can do . . . the church was born. The Holy Spirit was poured out.

What does it say about our churches today that God birthed the church in a
prayer meeting, and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?

Am I the only one who gets embarrassed when religious leaders in America talk
about having prayer in public schools? We don’t have even that much prayer in
many churches! Out of humility, you would think we would keep quiet on that
particular subject until we practice what we preach in our own congregations

I am sure that the Roman emperors didn’t have prayer to God in their schools.
But then, the early Christians did not seem to care what Caligula or Claudius or
Nero did. How could any emperor stop God? How, in fact, could the demons of hell
make headway when God’s people prayed and called upon His name? Impossible!

In the New Testament we don’t see Peter or John wringing their hands and
saying, “Oh, what are we going to do? Caligula is bisexual . . . he wants to
appoint his horse to the Roman Senate . . . what a terrible model of
leadership! How are we going to respond to this outrage?”

Let’s not play games or divert attention away from the weak prayer life of
our own churches. In Acts 4, when the apostles were unjustly arrested,
imprisoned, and threatened, they didn’t call for a protest; they didn’t
reach for some political leverage. Instead, they headed to a prayer meeting.
Soon the place was vibrating with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:23-31).

The apostles had this instinct: When in trouble, pray. When intimidated, pray.
When challenged, pray. When persecuted, pray!



Jim Cymbala began Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small,
rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a
longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson and a frequent speaker at the
Expect Church Leadership Conferences sponsored by World Challenge throughout
the world.

Very Dry Bones

VERY DRY BONES
by Gary Wilkerson


In the vision of Ezekiel 37, God led the prophet into a valley filled with dry
bones. “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit
of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.
And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many . . . and . .
. they were very dry” (Ezekiel 37:1-2, ESV). What an awful scene—a vast
stretch filled with skeletons as far as Ezekiel could see.

Maybe like Ezekiel you have wondered, “God, all I can see before me are
difficult things. Why are You leading me through this dark valley?” It is
because in the valley of dry bones, there is no other source of life. We have
no breath of our own there, no power or strength. The valley of death brings us
to a place of total dependency. Two thousand thirteen was one of the hardest
years of my life—yet, looking back, I thank God for every moment of it.
Amidst all of my life’s dry bones, I see that God orchestrated a place where
my life ends and His life begins.

The valley of dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision reveals two things to us:
First, it represents the condition of God’s people. I love Christ’s Church;
I cannot study enough about it or pray enough over it. It is God’s greatest
vessel on earth to express His nature and show His power. But I also have a
burden because today many churches are filled with dry bones. This is not a
criticism, it is a reality. As Christians, we can grow dry before we know it.
Jesus put it this way: “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the
love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4, ESV). We can go through the motions
yet have no life at all inside.

The second thing I see revealed in Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones is our
culture. At one time we were a nation that honored God. Seventy percent of
Americans once professed Christ and attended church. The latest statistics show
that number is now merely eight percent. We are living amidst spiritual
darkness—we reside in a valley of dry bones!

How can a dry-bones church—one that is lifeless, prayerless, lukewarm—ever
speak to a dry-bones culture? It can’t happen unless our spirits are revived,
awakened by the Holy Spirit.





Read this devotion online: http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/26763?src=devo-email

Obama Invites Another Crisis

I feel the President Obama's lack of Biblical history and prophecy will condemn America. The Bible (read Exodus) clearly gave Israel the Promised Land and God will never protect any nation that makes them give it up. Christians need to pray fervently for our country and the ones in power that make the decisions we all have to live by.


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Today's Bible Verse

"But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside." Job 23:10-11

Jesus is Knocking at the Door

JESUS IS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR by David Wilkerson [May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011] “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (John 8:44). Christ spoke these words to a religious crowd who thought they were good in God’s eyes. They were outwardly clean and religious but inwardly they were full of lust, sensuality, fornication, covetousness. There is a sickness called sin-sickness that strikes the children of the devil. The deeper in sin a person falls, the more critical this sickness becomes. It reaches its peak when sin suddenly loses its pleasure, becoming boring and unfulfilling. Sin-sickness drove a famous young TV star to suicide. The actor was starring in a hit series and making a fortune. He had just signed contracts to star in movies and was dating a beautiful actress. He had fame, fortune and good health. But then his lifeless body was found in a cheap porno hotel. Apparently, none of the world’s pleasures had satisfied him. His life had become empty, meaningless, and suicide finally ended it all. He died as a result of sin-sickness! If you have never given your life to Jesus, then up to now the devil has had complete control over you. He has ruled and reigned over your life. But perhaps now Satan sees a change coming over you and he knows he is losing his hold on you. Sin has suddenly lost its sweet taste to you. You do not go to the evil places you once frequented and you are not as anxious to party anymore. Money no longer satisfies you, and neither do sex or possessions. You feel a growing emptiness inside you. And now here you are, reading this message. Perhaps you have become willing to read the Bible. Nobody is making you do it; something inside is urging you to pick it up. Dear one, right now Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart, and the devil knows it. And the one thing Satan fears most is that you will open the door to Christ!

FREEZING!!!

Wow! Today has been brutal! Went outside this morning to go to work and my car would not start. It was -11 with a wind chill factor of about -45 degrees!!!! What is that? I have never in my life felt the cold like this morning. It actually burned my skin when I went out in it within a minute. My fingers were burning under my leather gloves. I just couldn't believe it! I was lucky that I could turn around and go back into a warm building and wait for help. While waiting my thoughts turned to all the homeless people out in this brutal weather. How many of them would die? So sad that in this great country with so much opportunity, that we still have people suffering like this. God, please help me to be thankful for all the blessings I have and be merciful and compassionate to others around me.

What Christmas Means to Me

Christmas is such a happy time of the year for me. I can remember many of my childhood Christmas's and the special presents I received. I remember the year that I got a "Tiny Thumbelina" doll. You turned the crank in her back and the baby moved just like a real baby! I loved it. Or the Christmas that I wanted a "Little Red Spinning Wheel" so bad and when I didn't get it at home on Christmas morning I was devastated! Then, when we went to Grandma's I got my "Little Red Spinning Wheel" and I was so happy! But, now as I'm a grandma myself and I look around at my life, I know that the greatest gift of all was Jesus Christ who came as a baby born in a manger on Christmas. My Jesus paid the price for my sins and was tortured, bled, and died for me! Nothing can compare with that. And I'm so happy that I live in a country where I have religious freedom and can worship how I please. If you have never asked Jesus into your life and take control of your life, do it today. It is the best thing that will ever happen to you!