A Midnight Talk With God

Psalm 119:62; Acts 16:25

At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Today's topical discussion is reflecting on the power of prayer and the results of prayers being made to God. Acts 16:25 gives a vivid reminder of the power of prayer; when Paul and Silas was bound in prison they held a midnight prayer meeting and God sent an earthquake as His method to free them. In doing so the jailer and his household were saved.

There are several lessons that can be learned form Paul and Silas' prayer meeting, an they are; (a) take all your troubles, burdens, and concerns to God in prayer with an assured belief that God will deliver. This brings into focus 1 Peter 5:7; we are to cast all our cares upon God. We are to leave the situation in God's hand. (b) If you are going to pray then don't worry, if you are going to worry after you pray is showing a lack of trust in your prayer. (c) God is the deliverer and He delivers His people.

Let me to close by giving a personal testimony; I was facing heart surgery; that night around midnight I prayed and asked God to take His holy finger and open my arteries. I proceeded to go to sleep; on the morning of the surgery the doctor told me I didn't need the surgery because the artery was open and for me to go home. This was almost twenty years ago. My current prayer is that next year I still will not have to have heart surgery to replace a valve. I praise God constantly and will continue praising and thanking God for His deliverance.

I understand why the Psalmist was continually thanking God for His goodness, grace and mercy, because He surrounds us daily with His everlasting love.

Yes, there is power in prayer whether you pray at midnight, early in the morning or even at noon, just pray knowing God hears and He will deliver.

There nothing like a midnight prayer meeting.

Comments are welcome.

Author's contacts:

white3285@sbcglobal.net

http://willie-writingblogspot.com

www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

Shinning The Light Of Christ

II Corinthians 4:4

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Our scripture text makes a profound statement as it relates to the god-Satan of this world and how he has blinded the minds of the masses in our society today just as he did during the writing of this text. Let’s be very clear, Satan is a defeated foe and his control on society is temporary. All humanity is encouraged to get right with God, accept His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and spend eternity in His presence instead of being tormented for ever after this life is over. Believers are to walk in the light of Christ because we are of His righteousness.

It is Satan’s mission to destroy God’s kingdom by deceiving as many as he can. He does this by spreading false truths and or lies while making them very believable. What we as believers must do is to know the truth for ourselves and stand firm on the truth of God’s Word. We shine bright the light of Christ by standing firm on His word, living a godly life in word and in our walk. Knowing the truth of God’s Word comes from studying His word so we can rightly divide the word (2 Timothy 2:15).

Prayer is an important component in the Christian life as it our communication with God. When Satan sees believers in constant prayer he knows there is a strong relationship between the believer and God.

Believers, we are Christ’s lit candle so let your light shine for men to see Christ in you.

Comments are welcomed.

Author's contacts:

white3285@sbcglobal.net

http://willie-writing.blogspot.com

www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

Christ Is Alive

Revelation 1:18

I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

If the question was raised, how do we know that Jesus Christ is alive? On Crucifixion Friday He was crucified and on Resurrection Sunday when Mary Magdalene and others went to the tomb, Christ’s body was not there for He had risen as promised. All who believe died with Him on Friday and rose with Him on Sunday morning and as He live so do all believers.

We can make this our personal testimony and say, Christ is alive in my soul; as He live I live.

All believers serve a risen Savior.

Comments are welcome.

Author’s contacts:

White3285@sbcglobal.net

http://willie-writing.blogspot.com

www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

Jesus’ seven last words

Jesus’ seven last words

Luke 23:34; John 19:26-30, Mark 15:34

Friday being what is commonly referred to as Good Friday; however, I prefer to refer to this day as the day my Lord was crucified fulfilling prophecy. Reflect with me if you will on the last seven words Jesus spoke and consider what they mean to each of us.

Let’s begin with the phrase “Father, forgive them”, Jesus is asking His father to forgive the persons carrying out this treacherous act. Consider this thought for a moment, Jesus asking the Father to forgive all humanity for our sins. What love! Jesus was nailed to the cross from 9AM to noon suffering excruciating pain while bearing the sins of the world expresses pure love. His second words “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (v 43) speaks of salvation to all who trust Him as Lord and Savior. This peak to the issue of some will recognize Jesus for who He really is and accept Him while desiring to spend eternity with Him while others will not make the connection or refuse to accept Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus’ third words speak of love when He utters “Woman, behold thy son…Behold thy mother” (John 19:26-27). What is being displayed during His dying hours is Jesus expressing concerns for the welfare of His mother while leaving her in the trusted hands of someone who would care for her every need. Also, these words give children the responsibility caring for their dependent parents.

According to scripture during the three hours of darkness from noon until 3 PM Jesus spoke no words. During those hours of darkness history records that all of the elements of nature went out of control as we know them to operate. The earth acted as if it was drunk, the sun refused to shine; you could say it turned its face toward heaven and looked at the Father, saying “I cannot watch Your Son die.” The moon hid itself. About 3 o’clock Jesus began to speak what is considered spiritual words on this order, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46). This phrase depicts the separation Jesus experienced from His father as the sinner’s substitute. These words can be looked upon as the apex of Christ’s suffering for a lost world and the Father could not look on His Son dying for all humanity’s sins. The thought of Christ dying forsaken so mankind would never be forsaken should make us all shout Hallelujah! Thank God for Jesus!  Next Christ addresses His physical need, again fulfilling scripture by saying “I thirst” (John 19:28); they gave Jesus vinegar to quench His thirst. From this we see again prophecy being fulfilled according to Psalm 69:21. Christ’s victory/triumph over death and sin states “It is finished” (John19:30). This phrase states that Christ’s earthly mission was complete. He had fulfilled all prophecies. He had completed the redemptive work as the sacrificial Lamb of God by shedding His blood as atonement for sin. He had won a decisive victory over Satan. He had reconciled man back to God bridging the spiritual divide that once existed between humanity and God. Finally, when Christ stated “It is finished”, He committed Himself to the Father when He stated “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). At this point Jesus gave His life over to death and His spirit went home to the Father (Psalm 31:5). Therefore, no one can say that they took Jesus’ life because He came to earth to give His life as a ransom for humanity and through all the physical agony He experienced Christ remained on the cross until the end. Jesus may have died on Friday, but the Savior Jesus Christ rose on Sunday (Resurrection) morning with all power.

I am glad He did what He did! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Comments are welcome

Author's contact:

White3285@sbcglobal.net

http://willie-writing.blogspot.com.

www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

Follow me on Twitter and FaceBook.

Forgiveness

Psalm 147:3, Psalm 130:3-4

If thou, Lord shouldest mark iniquities, who shall stand? But, there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. He healest the broken heart; He gathered together the outcasts of Israel.

This being the Crucifixion and resurrection season, I felt compelled to write about forgiveness which is what God does once we as believers accept His Son Jesus’ atoning work on Calvary’s cross, which was to atone and forgive sin.  The difference between Christ’s atonement and the earthly priests atonement is that Christ’s atonement forgave sin whereas the earthly priests atonement covered over sin and this ritual was repeated yearly while Christ’s was a one-time event.

We celebrate this season with full knowledge that we all were pardoned of our sins and our LORD was bruised for our iniquities. He forgave us for our sins, but when our fellowman wrongs us, often times we lack the forgiving spirit of our Savior. We are to forgive others as we have been forgiven by God and our sins are remembered no more. Once we learn to forgive our fellowman as our Savior has forgiven us a healing will begin. It is as though a heavy burden has been lifted.

Genesis 20:17-18 deals with healing and forgiveness that was granted by God when Moses asks God for forgiveness for the people of Israel because of their sins. This occurred during their exodus out of Egypt. God forgave Israel and continues to forgive; must we.

God the Father deals with the heart of humanity and sees the repentant heart where He heals the broken hearted; He gathers the outcasts who say, Lord I need forgiveness and a Savior, then transformation occurs. The person’s sins are forgiven and is restored to a life of righteousness. The transformation that has taken place in the heart will manifest itself in living godly lives which include forgiving others as we have been forgiven.

Let us forgive, heal, and live.

We welcome your comments.

Author’s Contacts:

White3285@sbcglobal.net

http://willie-writing.blogspot.com

www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com