2014 Choir Devotional

Learning and Practicing the Big P.L.U.S.

PRAYER

LOVE

UN

ITY SPIRIT

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”.

Ephesians 5:19 (KJV),

Unceasing Prayer Prayer is communion (listening & talking) with God for the purpose of knowing His heart and His will; and is most effective when accompanied by praise & faith. Prayer should never stop. We should take unceasing prayer as literal as nature does the reflux system that controls our breathing—it never stops, if our reflux system stops, then we would sim-ply suffocate and die. Pray without taking an intermission, without al-lowing prayerless gaps to intervene between your dedicated, appointed times of prayer. Daily prayer is like daily food. You must have a portion every day. Too often we pray because either we don’t know what else to do, or when it is the ONLY thing left to do. “REALITY CHECK!” prayer IS what to do. Pray before, during and after. It is interesting to know that in the Old Testament before prayer as we know it was ever mentioned, folks are recorded as simply talking to God and God talking to them. Jesus said in Luke 18:1 that men ought always pray and not give up—when you “pray-up” you won’t “give-up!” We talk through the doors of prayer into sweet intimacy with God which takes us into a summit of personal change and transformation. Oh what a blessed, sweet commun-ion—Jesus is a friend. Every great move of God was preceded by prayer. All great men of God were men of prayer. All great women of God were women of prayer. Prayer is like a wheel with many spokes; it takes all of the spokes in the wheel to make a good, steady, well-balanced wheel. The Apostle Paul says this in Ephesians 6:18: “Praying always with all prayer and suppli-cation…” “with all” that is every kind of prayer, “supplication” meaning special kind of prayers. Make a decision today to pray without ceasing, as well as keep your de-voted time of prayer with God. Remember a Christian life without prayer, is like a car all polished, with all luxury, but without an engine!

“Pray without ceasing” I Thessalonians 5:17

God Speaks through Circumstances (Part II)

(Is your barley field on fire?)

God may use your circumstances to get your attention. Too often we will make deci-

sions solely upon circumstances themselves, not realizing that God only uses circum-

stances to get you to STOP & PAY ATTENTION. Quiet yourself and go to Him in

prayer. Is your barley field on fire? “Slow your roll” and listen for direction from God.

In our devotion for today, Absalom sent for Joab twice, each time Joab refused to come

to Absalom. Absalom then chose something that was important to Joab. .his barley

field. He had his servants set Joab’s barley field on fire. When Joab found his barley on

fire, he wasted no time going to Absalom.

God may allow things into your life to get your attention. God calls to us and sometimes

we refuse to heed His call. When you refuse to heed God’s call, you may find your bar-

ley field on fire!

My Prayer: __________________________________________________________

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“Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face. Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come. Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. Then Joab did go to Absalom’s house and he said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” 2 Sam. 14:28-31 (NIV)

God Speaks through Circumstances (Part I)

Balaam was going to do something that God clearly did not want him to do, but he was de-

termined to do it anyway (read entire chapter). He was very eager to get the money that he

was going to be paid to do a service. Balak, a Moabite king, sent messengers to Balaam

saying: “King Balak pleads with you to come. “He promises you great honors plus any

payment you ask, Name your own figure!” Num 22:16 (TLB) So Balaam got up in the

morning and saddled his donkey to go on his way. The donkey he was riding was able to

see the angel of the Lord standing in the way with a sword in his hand ready to take Ba-

laam’s life. Balaam could not see the angel, but God allowed his donkey to see it. So the

donkey turned off of the road they were on to keep the angel of the Lord from killing Ba-

laam. Balaam became angry and hit the donkey with his staff. He hit the donkey three dif-

ferent times not realizing that she was saving his life.

God’s providence will sometimes stand in the way of our own determination to continue on

sinful paths. God’s mercy will sometime masquerade as difficulties in our paths, because in

reality His mercy is a carefully orchestrated chain of events to turn us back to righteous

paths.

Are you more concerned with your own agenda than you are with pleasing God? You may

get your spiritual foot crushed in the process! Your resources may collapse from under you.

Rather than become angry and frustrated, STOP! Turn to God in prayer and “Stand still

until His will is Clear!

My Prayer: ____________________________________________________________

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“Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he saw the Angel standing in the roadway with a drawn sword, and he fell flat on the ground be-fore him. “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the An-gel demanded. “ I have come to stop you because you are headed for destruction. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away from me; otherwise I would certainly have killed you by now and spared her.” Then Balaam confessed, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were there. I will go back home if you don’t want me to go on.” Num 22:31-34 (TLB)

Prayer of Confession To say that the prayer of confession is very important would be an un-derstatement! There must be a confession of sin as well as repentance of it. To repent is to “feel sorry”, to “confess” is to admit it to God. Many make the mis-take of repenting for sin, but never really admitting it to God. It is one thing to say “Lord, I am sorry for stealing that grape out of the store, please forgive me;” quite another thing to say, “Lord, I am a thief, and I really like to steal. It gave me a ‘rush’ when I stole that grape out of the store. Forgive me, Lord.” Your sin is one thing you cannot seem to stop doing. It is a weakness, and it is done willfully and habitually. We repent (feel sorry) until the next time we do it. Yes, God will and does forgive when you repent, but why not confess it. Go to God and tell Him—Lord, I am a liar, I love to lie. Lord, I am a gos-siper, I love to gossip. Lord, I am an adulterer, I love to cheat. Lord, I am arrogant and proud, I love feeling I’m above everyone else. CON-FESS YOUR sin. That one sin that you don’t like to call yourself, (“Prayer is humbling work. It abuses intellect and pride, crucifies vainglory, and signs our spiritual bankruptcy, and all these are hard for flesh and blood to bear. It is easier not to pray than to bear them”)—so says Edward M. Bounds. The benefit of confession is two-fold according to 1 John 1:9—there will be both forgiveness for sin and cleansing from it. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

“ I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your com-mands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Daniel 9: 4-6 (NIV)

Prayer of Intercession

Simply put, Intercession is prayer on behalf of another, but looking deeper at intercession, you’ll find that it really means HOW you’re praying for someone else that matters. It is literally pleading for an-other’s welfare, very similar to what a lawyer might do in defense of a client who happens to be guilty. Intercession is pleading to God for people. Abraham knew that Sodom was a very wicked city, but pleaded with God to save them, if he could find anyone righteous there (Gen. 18:23-33). Moses interceded for Miriam after she was stricken with leprosy by God for her seditions. As believers we must be intent on interceding for others; not only of-fering prayer because we are concerned with our loved ones’ spiritual well being, but also when we are concerned with our loved ones’ spiri-tual well being, and when we are aware of questionable behavior by other believers. When the misconduct of politicians or religious lead-ers is made public for all the world to see, without any hesitation we should intercede before God on their behalf. But on the contrary, many believers get on their cell phones (or phones) to hurriedly spread de-rogatory news, helping the media to destroy lives. It is our business as intercessors to offer spiritual sacrifices to God.—time consuming prayers for others, take time with God for them. No hurry or rush, but slow, calm and deliberate prayer. Make intercession to God on someone else’s behalf today.

“The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Than Abraham ap-proached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing— to kill the righteous with the wicked, treat-ing the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? Gen. 18:22-25 (NIV)

Hear & Understand

God loves His flock (His people) and wants them to both hear and understand His Word.

He will impart understanding of the scriptures to you! You need only have a REAL desire

for it. It is like the shell of a nut which keeps the meat from those who would not crack it

open, but at the same time will be eaten & enjoyed by those who WILL crack it open to get

what’s inside! We must earnestly pray for understanding as well as have a humble, teach-

able spirit. Solomon urges: “Yes, if you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you and knowledge of God himself. . “Prov. 2:3 (TLB)

Several times through the Gospels Jesus often began His teachings with the words “hear and

understand.” Listen to Paul’s prayer for the Colossians: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and un-derstanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10 (NIV) Without divine guidance by the Holy Spirit, we are merely gathering information without

the benefit of wisdom & revelation! But when understanding of God’s Word is divinely

imparted by the Spirit, it has a four-fold impact on our lives—we: 1) live a life worthy of the

Lord, 2) please God in every way, 3) bear fruit in every good work; and, 4) grow in the

knowledge of God.

In the passage above an Ethiopian Eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship and on his way

home he was sitting in his chariot reading the scriptures. As he was reading a man by the

name of Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to go to him. Philip asked him “do you under-

stand what you’re reading?” He expressed a desire to understand by saying to Philip, “how

can I, except someone explains it to me.” He had a humble, teachable spirit—-then Philip

preached to him Jesus. As the saying goes—-”when the student is ready, the teacher will

appear.” When you read the bible, do YOU desire to understand what you’re reading? If

so, God will guide you in all wisdom and truth.

My Prayer: ___________________________________________________________

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“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:30-31 (NIV)

Hearing & Doing

This scripture verse is at the end of a parable Jesus taught about the importance of doing as well as hearing. Be it far from us to attend church to be entertained by great preaching and teaching. The preaching of the Word of God is not designed for entertainment, but for conviction of sin in our lives and to bring us to salvation and de-voted ministry. Anything short of this simply leaves us with empty “Profession without the benefit of Possession” ——in other words, “I got a whole lot...of nothing.” In St. Luke 6:48 the same truth is set forth—-Luke goes on to say that the wise builder “digs deep” and lays the foundation for his house on the rock. These two writers contrast “built on the sand” and “built on the rock.” Sand shifts, moves, and it can be blown out of place by the wind depending on what the weather is like. Sand may represent the praises of man, material possessions, popularity, successful business; all of which are commendable but subject to shifts and changes at a moment’s notice that we may find ourselves unprepared for. Secondly, testing time will come (“the rain, the floods & the winds of life”). Your preacher, the only one you ever trusted dies or moves away; hence, your storm. Your wife or husband of many years sud-denly says, “ I don’t love you anymore.” Hence, your storm. That great company folds or lays you off—- hence, your storm. You’re not as young as you use to be, folks don’t call you much anymore—hence, your storm. “Crack” is destroying your son’s or daughter’s life—hence, your storm. A tragic car accident takes the life of your teenage friend—hence, your storm. Unless you have built with the Word of God as a foundation for your life, you may be devastated by such things. Doing what the Word of

“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” St. Matthew 7:21 (read also verses 22, 23)

Prayer of Petition The prayer of petition is asking God for help. Hannah was a woman who

had no children. In those days it was very important to bear children, par-

ticularly boys. She was troubled and deeply sorrowful for her condition, so

she went to the temple daily to pray to God for a child. Hannah was very

intense in her prayer to God. The priest whose name was Eli watched her

as she prayed, and because she didn’t make an audible sound, but he no-

ticed her lips moving, he assumed she had a drinking problem. “How long

will you keep getting drunk—-put away your wine.” He said to her. But

Hannah quickly pleaded her case to Eli the Priest. 1 Sam 1:15 (NIV)

Eli gave his blessing to her saying go in peace and may God grant you what

you’ve asked for. The Bible says that Hannah went away from the temple

and she was no longer sad. When we read God’s Word regarding His

blessings, we should lift our heads and be no longer sad! Later, Hannah

gave birth to a son whom she named Samuel (“heard of God”).

Let us learn at least three things from Hannah: One, In her distress she

poured her heart out to God; two, when the priest gave her a word, with

confidence she went away believing God would answer; and three, After

God granted her request she kept her vow to God, bringing Samuel to the

temple to be dedicated when he was weaned.

We too, can go to God and pour our heart to Him. When we do, we should

have the assurance that He will answer. Go away NO LONG SAD!

Also, let us keep our vows to God. Too often when God grants us what we

wanted, we go away with no real commitment to His service. When you

make a vow to God—keep it!

As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth, Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard, Eli though she was drunk. 1 Sam 1:12-13 (NIV)

Meditation in Prayer

Meditation is serious thought, contemplation, musing & reflecting on anything. To meditate in prayer is to fill your thoughts with God.. Rid yourself of any distraction and sit quietly in God’s presence. David who was a skilled musician, warrior and ruler left for us on record the art of prayer & meditation— The prayer of meditation is the heart & soul & spiritual restoration. When the cares of this world leaves us feeling distressed & stressed; when it saps our strength and spirits, when we are too perplexed to even think of the right words to say; we can quiet ourselves and refocus on the Lord, God. Never at anytime, more than at this time, that our thoughts fight for us to bring peace and reassur-ance through meditation on the Lord and His Word. In meditation our thoughts reach up to God to draw from His powerful presence. David said in Psalm 121:1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills to where my help comes from. It comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Psalm 119:7-9 David meditates the law of the Lord, the statues of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the commands of the Lord, the fear of the Lord and the ordinances of the Lord. Isaiah 26:3-4 says: “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHO-VAH is everlasting strength.” (KJV) Philippians 4:8-9 gives these thoughts for meditation: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praisewor-thy—think about such things.” (NIV)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, Oh Lord my strength and my redeemer.” Psalms 19:14 (KJV)

Immanuel— “God With Us” Cell phones are wonderful to have. They are a security blanket of sorts. For the most part you have the assurance of being able to reach someone between points, or have someone reach you. But every now and again you hit an area where the thing just doesn’t work! It will go dead. Again, sometimes you could be in the middle of a call and suddenly, you don’t hear anything. This is called “dropped calls.” This is not the case with our God—Hallelujah! You will never, ever be in a place, situation or circumstance where God drops your call! Nothing can stop or get in the way of God’s answering your call. The chil-dren of Israel thought because they had gone into captivity that surely God couldn’t be there! But the prophet Ezekiel had news for them. He brought comfort to them saying that God was present—Even in your dismay He IS with you! There are times in our lives when adverse circumstances seem to be all around us. In those times we often feel abandoned by God. As much as we want to believe God is with us, our circumstances seem to say otherwise. Dis-couragement and even sometimes depression can set in—you sort of feel like you’re at the other end of a “dropped call.” “Look what’s happened to me, where is God; has He left me?” We either have forgotten or never understood from the start that no matter what our situation or circumstance might be. Let’s read the record shall we? Moses had the sea in front of him and Phar-aoh’s army behind him; did this mean that God was not with him? Jacob wres-tled for his blessing; did this mean that God was not with him? Joseph was thrown in a pit, falsely accused of being a rapist and thrown in prison; did this mean that God was not with him? Daniel was thrown to the lions; did that mean that God was not with him? Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into a furnace of fire; did this mean that God was not with them? Paul & Silas were beaten, their feet were put in stocks and they were thrown in jail; did this mean that God was not with them? On the contrary God is ALWAYS with us—through the fire and through the flood! He’s there all the time.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

Faith & Hearing On Sunday mornings many churches are full with people of every kind of race and denominations and some of no denomination. For the most part America goes to church. Mega churches are full and the smaller churches experience good attendance as well. There are not too many places you could go where people have no knowledge of God’s Word and His church at all. No, the prob-lem is not getting folks to come to hear the Word of God today, it is getting them to BELIEF and PRACTICE! Folks attend church week after week merely hearing the Word without any real belief or practice—doing of it. It is not enough to hear the Word, it must also be believed and obeyed. (do what God said). Reading Hebrews the 4th chapter in its entirety shows a reflec-tion of this very thing. In this lesson Israel renounced the prom-ises of God through their disbelief after they heard it! Because of this they died in the wilderness, failing to possess the inheritance God intended for them. Folks are dying in their wilderness with-out the dynamic power of God’s Word at work in their lives. Have you heard God’s Word, but have no practice of it? You are dying in your wilderness failing to possess what God has for you. Again, James says in 1:22-23 “But be doers of the word, and not bearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immedi-ately forgets what kind of man he was.” When one merely hears the word without practicing it, he will very likely forget it. When one hears the Word with faith, a transformation (a change) will take place that will lead to faithful ministry. Let us not deceive ourselves by church attendance only, without any practice of the Word or dutiful service in the ministry. Faith and Hearing are hand in hand on the way to obedience.

“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them: but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Heb. 1:2

Prayer of Praise & Thanksgiving The Spiritual Dynamic Duo “Prayer & Praise!” Earlier we talked about “Unceasing prayer” without its counterpart— “praise.” Praise is power-ful! Praise is the only thing that both heaven and earth engage in simul-taneously! Praise is the only earthly ministry that will continue in heaven! Paul & Silas had just been severely beaten and thrown in a dungeon (deepest part of a prison). Their feet fast in the stocks - - an instrument of torture as well as confinement, made of wood bound with iron, with holes for the feet, which were stretched more or less apart according to the severity intended —- they must’ve been in excruciating pain. Rather than be depressed, rather than begin wondering how God allowed such things, rather than beat each other up about whose fault it was that they were there, rather than bad-mouth the people who put them there, rather than they figure out what they should do to get out, rather than plot to trick the jailer; the Bible says —- “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God and the prisoners heard them.” Their bodies no doubt were still bleeding, but they triumphed over their suffering through a praise prayer. If you want to WIN IT—-Praise God IN IT! The other prisoners were listening to them. Then suddenly (vs. 26) there was a great earthquake that shook the foundation of the prison and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed. Experiencing a “suddenly” in your life happens when you pray & praise. Prayer & praise to God will open doors for you. Interestingly, not only Paul & Silas’ bands were loosed, EVERYONE’S bands were loosed! Whenever you are tempted to stress or complain because of a situation or adverse circumstance, get your breakthrough by prayer & praise! Bless others around you by your spirit of praise!

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.” Acts 16:25-26 (NIV)

Come & Drink Every living creature that God has made is familiar with thirst. The

human race is no exception. We know what it is like to be thirsty, and

we are keenly aware of our need for water. Thirst will immediately

put you on a quest to get satisfaction. We will go after whatever we

need to satisfy our thirst.

In the above scripture verse Jesus gives a divine invitation— “come

and drink”. But before His invitation He speaks of an existing condi-

tion. . .that condition is “thirst.” We must have a thirst for the things of

God. When we become thirsty for the infilling of the Holy Spirit,

when we become thirsty for the Word of God, when we become thirsty

for the presence of God, we can expect God to satisfy us.

“Come and Drink.” Jesus Christ will satisfy our deepest cravings, if

we will come to Him. Not only to “come” but also to “drink” - as in

ABSORBING, SOAKING UP, IMBIBE HIS WORD & HIS SPIRIT AS A SPONGE IMBIBES MOISTURE. Allow yourself be saturated in

Him. He will then fill you to overflowing with His Spirit, and not only

will you be satisfied, but others will be touched by His powerful pres-

ence in your life that is impossible to ignore!

“Come and Drink” Drain the cup! Take all that God has promised

you. Jesus said I’ve come that you might have life more abundantly

(John 10:10). He will impart life both rich and exuberant. Again, Je-

sus says in Matthew 5:6 “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for THEY will be filled.”

January 2014 If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Who-ever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” St. John 7:37-38 (NIV)

Have Faith in God

This is a short but one of the most powerful words Jesus ever spoke! The beginning and end of our salvation is Faith. Whatever we receive from God comes by Faith. The very existence of our spiritual life hinges upon Faith. Faith takes us by the hand and brings us to God. Faith is conviction, confidence, trust, belief, reliance, trustworthiness and persuasion in God and all that He says. If you have any Faith in God at all, you can be blessed. In the Gospels Jesus mentions three kinds of faith— “great faith,” “little faith, “ and “no faith,” leaving only one of them fruitless—- “no Faith.” Matthew 13:58 records: “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” The writer of Hebrews says emphatically in 11:6; “But without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must be-lieve that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (NIV) If you have “no faith,” you need only to believe that God is REAL, and that He will answer your prayers. If you have “little faith, “ heed the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:17: “Consequently, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (KJV) Read and study God’s Word. Faith will only grow through the feeding on of the Word of God. If you have “great Faith,” then share it with someone else who may need help along the way of life. Your faith can also help oth-ers. There are instances in both the Old and New Testaments where the faith of one person served to be the door to another’s healing & blessings. (see 2Kings 5 and St. Mark 2). Are you in need of a blessing? Have Faith in God. Are you facing some sort of affliction or adversity—have Faith in God. Is your heart broken due to the loss of a loved one? Have faith in God, He is the healer of broken hearts. Be encouraged by the words of this hymn: “Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out!”

“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.”

Young Advocate of God (Speak for God)

The speaker in this verse is Elihu. In the well-known story of Job we meet another young speaker rarely mentioned. What an awe-some young man he was. He had the courage to confront Job about his self-righteousness. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, Job’s three friends, only accused him but had no answers for Job as to why God allowed adversity in his life. The Bible says: “So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with job for justifying himself rather than God. He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.” Job 32:1-3 (NIV) After Elihu had patiently listened to Job’s three friends, he rose to the occasion and spoke with both Job and his three friends. After Elihu had spoken with them, the next speaker on the scene was God himself! In chapters 38-42 God questions Job sixty-six times (see last pages of this book to view the questions), revealing His sovereignty and divine majesty in all the universe. We may say that sixty-six represents the sixty-six books of the Bible through which God is revealed. Elihu, though a young man, was amazingly strong & confident in his approach, and his words to Job were powerful and full of wisdom. Never before in scripture has anyone stood up in God’s defense to vindicate Him as Elihu did. He says in 36:2: “Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God’s be-half.” Through six chapters (32-37) ELihu masters his words sharp and piercing, not leaving the spirit and soul untouched! Much wis-dom is spoken by a young man to those of seasoned age. He was indeed a “Young Advocate of God.” Young man or woman of God, God will use you just as he did Elihu! Refuse to be silent anymore! Speak for God.

“I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, ‘Age should speak’; advanced years should

Be Filled with The Spirit The things that we really do desire and long for, are the things that we expend much effort to get. When we have a deep desire for something we stop at nothing. We A.S.K. That is we ASK, SEEK, KNOCK. If we seek the infilling of the Holy Spirit in this way, then God has promised to give it to us. As we seek the Lord daily, one of our most earnest prayer and desire should be to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul admonishes the believers: “Be careful how you live.” When we do not make the most of every opportunity to seek the Lord, we are unwise; when we do not seek to know and understand God’s will for our lives—then we are foolish. God’s will is for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in St. Luke 11:13 that the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. The Holy Spirit answers every need of the human soul and spirit. In the Old Testament, oil, wine and water were symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Like oil, the Holy Spirit knows how to sweeten our trials to make things better through things bitter. Like wine, He will touch and influence every area of our lives manifesting in our speech, our behavior and our worship. Like a stream of cool, running water He will keep us exhilarated, re-freshed, renewed and empowered for service. Paul unequivocally declares; “Be filled with the Spirit.” This is a com-mand. However, this is not done through any will power on our part; this is something that God does for us—”Be filled” simply means opening your heart and allowing the Holy Spirit to fill your soul by submission to Him. Do not let another moment pass you by! Today is YOUR day. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and receive it! It is yours for the asking!

“Be filled with the Spirit, Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Eph 5:15-20 (NIV)

Overcoming Jealousy & Envy (part 1)

Jealously & envy are the thieves of peace, love, faith and self-worth. Recognize where jealousy & envy come from—they are from Satan’s tool box. They are used to sabotage one’s relationship with God and his fellow man. Satan is the adversary of our souls. He is always waiting, lurking about for an opportunity to trick us into sinning against God. He will suggest wrong thoughts through what you see, hear, think or feel. Your mind is the battlefield of good and evil. Paul says in Romans 7:21 “when I would do good, evil is present.” You must, then, take charge of the thoughts of your mind! If you entertain a thought that Satan brings to your mind and believe it, it is only a matter of time before it is reflected in your behavior. Jealousy & envy do to you what the serpent did to Eve. “You can be just like God, if you eat the fruit.” Eve did not gain anything by eating the fruit. She only lost what she already had—THE IMAGE & LIKENESS OF GOD! He uses this ancient trick today— “you can be just like Jane or John, if you do this or that.” “Everyone will really like you, if you go there or here.” If you buy into this, you too will lose your own unique-ness, something that only YOU have! Do not be robbed of your own gifting by being jealous or envious of another. Do not be robbed of your light that God gave you. Others WILL love you and they WILL fol-low you, if you’ll just hold-up your light for them to see! You have something that God gave you only. Spin the cocoon of prayer & God’s Word in and around your life and very soon the worm will emerge as the beautiful butterfly. A songwriter wrote “Its Amazing What God Can Do Through You! You can do the impossible, be the incredible—God’s doing it all through You! Incredible, Wonderful You!

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:13-16 (NIV)

Young Prophet of God (Say yes to God)

“I made you, I chose you, I set you apart for a special work, I appointed you.” These are the words God spoke to Jeremiah, though he was young. Of course Jeremiah’s response was one of fear, because of his youth. Young people are very often intimidated in the house of God because of their age. 90% of preachers, teachers, soloists, ministers of music or whatever have you, are well into adult age; however, God makes it clear that He can choose to use you in a mighty way even in your youth. God also encouraged Jeremiah to not be afraid of anyone, because He was with him. Take courage young man—young woman that God IS with you. When He has a special call on your life, He is there to lead you and guide you and to see you through. Not only did God tell the young prophet He was with Him, but he also told him to “prepare your-self and arise..” Many young people want to rise up but they are not prepared. Operation without preparation is the recipe for failure. God made three (3) things very clear to Jeremiah: Why he called Him (purpose), what Jeremiah should do (prepare), and what God would do for him (promise). God told the young prophet that He made him a for-tified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall—- representing the three things the young prophet will do: “Stand out” like a fortified city, “Stand on God’s Word” like an iron pillar and “Stand against” false beliefs as a bronze wall. Youth is not an excuse to not live for God, it is a badge of honor to rep-resent Him! Solomon encourages in Ecclesiastes 12:1 (paraphrased): Remember your creator is the days of your youth, before you’re too old to do very much.

“The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak, I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to pro-tect you, “says the Lord.” Jer. 1:4-8 (NIV)

Young Warrior of God (Slay your Giant)

This is the all familiar story of David, a young boy who went against and defeated a giant named Goliath, of whom everyone else was afraid. Goliath stood and invited the Israelites to fight against him. He was about 9 feet, 4 inches tall, and the blade of his sword weighed about 15lbs. Goliath challenged Israel to a fight. He defied them with his words, and when they heard the things Goliath said they were very afraid and ran away from him. No one wanted to go against Goliath. He seemed too tall and too strong for them. When David heard such things, he wasn’t afraid but told the king he would answer Goliath’s challenge. The king’s reply was “you are notable, you are only a youth.” Goliath had given them a proposition: “Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your sub-jects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 1 Sam 17:9 (NIV) The bible says in verse 16 that for 40 days, both morning and evening Goliath took this stand. Beware of the “King Sauls” of today in 2007 who may say “you can’t fight Goliath, you’re too young.” Beware of the Goliaths of today who you constantly see and hear, morning and evening shouting “since you can’t defeat me, you must serve me.” What and who are the Goliaths of today? They are the clubs & bars shouting to you “come & serve me.”. They are sexual immoralities who are shouting to you “come and serve me.” “Weed” and “Crack” shout “come and serve me.” Gang violence shouts “come and serve me.” The Goliaths of today are still shouting with impudent boldness, “who is able to stand against me?” In 1 Sam. 17:45-46 David shouted in reply, “You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of the armies of heaven and of Israel—the very God whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head.” David defeated Goliath! He slew the giant. Young Warriors of 2007—slay your giant. Annihilate his authority. God will give you victory!

“ You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and be a man of war from his youth.” 1 Samuel 17:33

Overcoming Jealousy & Envy (part 2)

The scripture (James 3:13-16) specifically teaches the sources of jeal-ousy and envy and the fruit of them. The source is the Devil, the types are described as “bitter” and “selfish, “ and the fruit is disorder and evil practice. Satan uses jealousy & envy to distort our self image and to stir up strife & struggles in relationships. This is not of God! When you understand and know who you are, there is no place in your heart for Satanic tools. God has made you special. There isn’t another person before or after you with your specific DNA! This teaches you that God has purpose specifically designed for you! Jealousy and envy of others distract you from developing your own special gifts & wonderful qualities that God has placed deep within you—waiting to be manifested. You can overcome jealousy and envy by taking charge of your thoughts. You cannot “think wrong” and “act right” Thoughts become your be-liefs, beliefs will be reflected by your actions. Think of “thoughts” as different people knocking at your door desiring entrance. Either you can let them in, or turn them away. You must disciple and manage your thoughts by making them obey God’s Word: 2 Corinthians 10:5b—. . . and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV) Use what God has given you! Abraham used his faith, Moses used his rod, Queen Esther used her beauty, Solomon used his wisdom, David used his sling shot to kill a giant, the Apostle Paul used his power of persuasion, Samson used his great strength, Israel used their ability to praise to tear down the walls of Jericho and win the battle! You too, must use what God has given you—you will know what it is because He (God) has made you extremely good at it! Paul reminds Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6 to stir up the gift of God within him.

Young Helper of God Society has been guilty of fostering the belief that we do not have the benefit of possessing both wisdom & youth simultaneously. If you have one, you don’t have the other. Most folks believe that wisdom comes with age. It is also believed that wisdom comes from one’s life experiences. Though this can be true (“you live and learn”), the Bible gives a different view. The Bible teaches that wisdom comes from God—Job 32: 8-9 records: “But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged understand what is right.” God is willing to give wisdom to anyone who asks for it (James 1:5). The book of Prov-erbs is full of the wise words of Solomon encouraging the young to gain wisdom. It may also come as quite a shock to know that many of those who were used by God to accomplish great things were actually very young people! Jesus mother Mary was very young. Daniel, Shadrech, Meshach & Abednego were all very young men! The vast majority of us are familiar with the story of Moses, but we rarely hear about his sister Miriam whom God used to preserve his life. Moses’ mother hid him for as long as she could. When she made a basket and put Moses in the river, Miriam watched carefully to see whose hands Moses would fall into. Miriam watched as Pharoah’s daughter took the babe from the river. Miriam quickly offered help to Pharoah’s daughter by asking “Should I call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you.?” She never told Pharoah’s daughter that she was actually gonna get Moses’ own mother. Upon permission to do so she quickly fetched Moses’ own Mom! Young people should beware of the world’s distorted & twisted mind-set about youthfulness, wisdom and godliness. Paul refutes the world’s few in his word to Timothy a young pastor: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” 1Tim 4:12 (NIV)

“Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” Ex. 2:7 (NIV)

Young Messenger of God (Tell someone about God)

This is one of the most poignant, as well as powerful witnesses of how God uses young people. In this scripture God began a divine process of healing and deliverance through a very young girl, referred to in 2 Kings 5 as “a little maid girl.” This young girl’s family was ripped apart by the Syrians. She was taken away from her parents and possibly sib-lings and brought to a strange place. Not only was she brought there, but she was also made to be a slave there. Her heart must’ve been bro-ken. Her parents must’ve been stricken at losing her. However, this little girl never harbored any resentment; she was not bitter nor venge-ful because of her circumstances. The Bible records in 2 Kings 5: “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of His master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a radiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.” Notice the chain of events that followed this young girl’s proclamation. God used her to set His plan in motion. The little girl told Naaman’s wife, Naaman’s wife told Naaman, Naamann told the king of Syria, the King of Syria sent a letter to the King of Israel, the king of Israel became alarmed at the letter because he thought that the King of Syria was try-ing to “start somethin” and when Elisha the prophet of God heard that the king of Israel was alarmed, he said: “why are you alarmed? Please let him come to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” As a result Naaman was healed of his leprosy. After he was healed from dipping in Jordan seven times as Elisha told him to do he says in 2 Kings 5: “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, ex-

“And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, “If only my mas-ter were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal