NEVER GIVE UP ON PRAYER

by R.T. Kendall

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. —Luke 18:1

Did you ever let go when you had a struggle? Did you ever feel you were taking the right course of action, only to hear someone suggest otherwise, and so you gave up?

There comes a time when we all need to be confronted with the fact that we don't know God as well as we may think. God has a way of putting us in our place lest our preconceived ideas and our small way of thinking keep us from seeing Him when He comes.

Reading church history reveals that God turns up in different ways. Take, for example, Hebrews 11. Not one of the people described there—Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Elijah—could have the luxury of seeing God as He had appeared in previous times. They each had to accept that which was different to them and be regarded as a fool. That is what made faith, faith.

We have to come to the place where we see when God is at work for ourselves, and if no one else believes it, we do. That is how real God must become to us. The difficulty is that in knowing Him a little, we assume we know God better than we really do.

Perhaps you are seeking God, and someone, perhaps a person whom you greatly respect, has persuaded you to give up. Perhaps you have prayed about something, and because God didn't answer you within a short time you gave up. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had held on?

The point Jesus made in the parable of the importunate widow was to keep praying and not to give up. Wrestling in prayer isn't all that much fun, and I wonder how many of us have given up too hastily, feeling God was not going to answer.

God graciously comes again. Seek God again with all your heart, and you will find Him.

ONE TICKET PLEASE

By Pastor Marquis Boone

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 is so powerful and filled with nuggets to help us as we face this thing called spiritual warfare. See I have learned that when God is moving in your life, that’s an indication to get ready for the warfare. When things seem to be going great, that’s a representation to get ready for the warfare. Just ask Job. When you’re doing what God said, get ready for the warfare.

I don’t know about you but it seems like since the start of this year the warfare in the believers’ life has intensified. To intensify means to make something greater or stronger, or to increase in strength.

When you break the word warfare down it becomes two words. The first word is “WAR,” which means conflict, struggle and battle. The next word is “FARE,” which means charge, price, cost and ticket. Basically the amount charged for a journey. When you put the word back together it is the battle price, the struggle ticket. No matter how you say it or what you’re going through, you're a paying passenger.

This spiritual warfare is the amount you charged for your journey; your conflict is the amount you charged for a journey; your struggle is the amount you charged for a journey; your battle is the amount you charged for your journey.

You want to know why spiritual warfare is necessary. You pay a fare to ride a bus, plane or train with a destination in mind. After you have your ticket anything can happen. There could be a delay, a crash, or just a smooth ride, but at the end you still get to where you wanted to be.

I just want you to know that even though you are going through this spiritual warfare, trust God, and know that you are on your way to your destiny.

Spiritual warfare – the amount charged for a journey.

Scripture Of The Day: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” - 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NKJV)