Bro Gary Wednesday Evening 1/18/12

Bro Gary Wednesday Evening 1/18/12

Pro 15:30  The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.

We feel our need of God’s help and for the prayers of one another in whatever we are endeavoring to do. 

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  Some situations are really hard, but God knows what He is doing in allowing you and me to taste the most difficult waters and in the most difficult situations to cause us to humble before God and receive this promise.

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

We gave thanks tonight and yet didn’t manage to thank God for everything.  Most of all we want to be thankful that God sent His son Jesus.  Without Him there is no salvation.

Supplication – we are going to be faced in life with spirits that we would rather not confront.  For this reason we need the spirit of virtue and valor. 

Spirits never die; though this scripture was written many years ago, it is for us today.  The spirit of communism is not just in Cuba or what was USSR.  All the spirits that have ever been turned lose are still alive today.  We need the spirit of virtue and valor.  God wants us to know Him.  “Know thy God and do exploits.”

We can ask for agreement of prayer.  There are times when we will face the legions and the lions.  We’ll face discouragement and unbelief in mountains.  Atheism is turned lose; there is nothing new.  Rebellion is nothing new.

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

Pro 6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Pro 6:18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

We have felt pride climbing the ladder in our lives and trying to bring us into bondage but we need to take the spirit of virtue and valor and say, “I’m not submitting to pride.”

A lying tongue: Proverbs is an old book; liars didn’t just come up yesterday and it is something that God hates.  We are going to face liars.  Most of us are kind loving people so it is hard for us to deal with liars. 

They will just lie and lie and lie and lie.  There is a devilish spirit that has a hold on people and causes them to lie.  This is why we need a spirit of love and virtue to look them in the eye and say, “My heart and spirit is telling me that you are not telling me the truth.” 

You say, “I don’t want them to get mad.”  Sometimes we have to die to our self before we can have the strength of virtue and valor.  God hates pride and God hates a lying tongue. 

God hates individuals that shed innocent blood.  This is an old scripture but it is a reality today.  Lives are twisted, torn and destroyed by individuals that shed innocent blood.

Wicked imaginations think evil when there is no evil to think.

‘Feet that are swift in running to mischief’- It is a terrible thing to always want to be involved in trouble.

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

Before you and I go somewhere, we need to ask God to give us wisdom, divine intervention, and strength of wisdom and valor.

‘Pray on until the answer comes’- Sometimes we need to pray again.  If you read the account of Elijah He prayed again and again and again.

Intercessions- There are those that are in this audience tonight that feel the need of interceding and travailing for a soul. 

I preached Sunday Morning of the ground being ready to receive the seed.  The good ground received the seed.  We need to be that way with a burden from God.  God prepare our heart to intercede and travail for needs.

Isa 54:1  Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

Just religion, many people become religious without salvation.  It is a wonderful thing when people get a new life through salvation. 

Isa 54:2  Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

I couldn’t help but think of the families that are represented here.  This is speaking of our tent, our home or our family.  Our youngest daughter is expecting a child.  I as her dad really want her to take care of herself.  I don’t think that she should be shoveling snow. 

I thought of our tent.  Each of us here has a home.  I could envision as I studied: Karen and I and our little tent.  I could see the Russo’s and the Somerfield’s.  You can vision your tent.  You can see how it is when your family is all right there. 

All of us have to realize that God called us to do more than just be a missionary to our family.  Isaiah speaks to us and says, “Church of God at Paradise, God wants you to open up that tent so that you look out at the fields that are white unto harvest.”

I know that you cannot call on everyone on your prayer list.  You all cannot go to Albert Arnold, Brandt, Sis Hawley’s family, etc.  That is not what this message is about.  This message is about, “God help us to lift up our eyes unto fields that are already white unto harvest, the needs. 

One of the nicest things to do is to stay at home, good music, good food, nice atmosphere… God is calling us to reach out side of our little circle.  No matter where you go in public you see lives that are ruined and wrecked by sin. 

We were blessed to get to see my brother yesterday.  He opened the door for us and had on a new shirt and had a haircut.  I just about cried.  Please pray. 

May God help me to realize how much souls need our prayers.  People have searched and never found and are still searching.  This is scary, if people don’t find truth, what will they find?  There is everything out there that our minds can imagine. 

Stretch forth the curtains – God wants our curtains to go out beyond our families.  Sin is everywhere and it ruins young men and young women.  It destroys them.  We are being realistic and not mean.  This is what sin does.

Spare not.  I am preaching this to me as well as to you.  We find out how sanctified we are when it comes to sparing not.  We find out what all we have on the altar when it comes to sparing not.

Lengthen your cords.  Where ever God lays the burden…, my heart hurts for Dewey.  My heart hurts for… We could go on and on; name, name, name. 

There is something that is very alarming.  It is an alarming condition of souls that we are carrying a burden for:

Jer 51:39 They have a perpetual sleep. 

Maybe Sunday night we will all bring our alarm.  A perpetual sleep is a sleep that is undisturbed by an alarm.  Everyday there is an alarm that goes off with me that says, “Stay true to God; love your wife and kids; pray for souls…”

The perpetual sleep is a sleep that leads to neglecting the soul.  It is hard to believe that people are alive today and are not concerned for their soul.  It hardens the conscience and then the goal is to sear the conscience.

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

God knows how to wake up souls.  I cannot tell you how God will do it, but God knows how to wake up souls.  He has done it for me and He is not a respecter of persons. 

May God ever keep us challenged to be burdened for souls.