WORLD RADIO NEWS     VOLUME 51 ISSUE 1

Prayer Fellowship                                Carolyn Jo Gower

     

                        Don’t pray, I’ve had enough ... 

Joesph Shulam, World Radio Speaker, Israel, came to our office for a few days.  While visiting he shared this thought with me that God does not always have to listen to us...

   ¹⁶ “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. Jeremiah 7:16

That may sound like an unusual statement coming from me, don’t pray, but our Heavenly Father told Jeremiah exactly that…don’t ask me anymore for these people. 

Prayer is more about talking with God, rather than a ritual. When with my grandchildren sometimes they pray right from their heart and other times it is like "rote" praying...exact same learned prayer. 

And yet in their defense, I've been in congregations where I’d hear grown men do the same thing; repeating the same prayers in a rote manner. As though they went to a "creed prayer class" and learned the correct verbiage that is acceptable at "church". Think about that, if at that same service we spoke to each other that way, people would call in the funny farm to pick us up for examination.  We would be talking 'at”, not “with” each other.

God goes on to tell Jeremiah in 7:23-26  “²³ This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ ²⁴ “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. ²⁵ From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. ²⁶ But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.” (NLT)

When we are not interested in listening and obeying God, there comes a time when God says okay, I've had enough of your stubborn hearts; just go ahead and do what you want to do; he turns us over to our own evil desires and there are severe consequences we will suffer. (Romans 1)

The answer to a stubborn heart is to repent as we read that David did in Psalm 51 “¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a loyal spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me”. (NLT)

God wants to hear from us but not when living in continual rebellion against Him, instead He wants us to face our sin, repenting so that we can enjoy the everlasting presence of God moment by moment today! So you see God does want us to pray!!

Carolyn Jo Gower            email: jgower@wfr.org

SCRIPTURES TO PRAY FOR YOUR HUSBAND...

Pray these Scriptures for your Husband:

• When he is overwhelmed: Psalm 27:1 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?
The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” NLT

• When he feels inadequate: John 14:27

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” NLT

• When he is overcome with worry: Eph. 3:20
“ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

• Understanding God’s Plan for his life: Matthew 6:33

“ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” NLT

• His relationships with others: Luke 6:36-38

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” NLT

• His relationship with you: Philippians 2:1-6

Be United and Care for Each Other…
“Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings,  then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves.  Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.

Learn From Christ to Be Unselfish… 
In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit.” (ERV)

Hedge of Thorns Prayer...

Prayer is the wing wherewith the soul flies to heaven.
"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You. Psalm 102:1 NKJV

Heavenly Father, I ask you to rebuke (1) and bind Satan in the name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ(2).

I ask you to build a “hedge of thorns” around my spouse, so that anyone with wrong influence will lose interest in him (or her) and leave (3).

I base this prayer on the command of Your Word (4) which states, “what therefore God hath joined together, let not man separate (5)”.

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer (6). Amen


The above prayer is based on the following scriptures:
The first few chapters of the book of Job tell us that God had a hedge around Job ….read it and see how Satan approached God about this. When God took the hedge down Satan could attack.

Pray the Hedge of Thorns Prayer around anyone or circumstance that needs God’s special attention to protect the person from Satan.

(1). Mark 3:27; Jude 1:9
(2) John 14:13-14
(3) Hosea 2:5-7
(4) I John 5:14
(5) Matthew 19:6
(6) I John 5:15

Straight from the Word…Prayer Guide
Carolyn Jo Gower

The Bible mentions prayer more than 870 times. There seems to be a pattern of prayer in the Bible that should get our attention regarding our relationship with the Father. We are to communicate often with Him using his word and prayer.
Prayer is not “saying prayers” but rather prayer becomes as natural as breathing as we draw closer to God. Jesus said “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32 NIV) Therefore “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart…” (Heb. 10:22a NIV)

The Bible chronicles some 650 prayers and records 450 answers. The Bible also records 10 major lessons on prayer by Jesus himself during His ministry. His disciples considered prayer training to be essential: “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1 NIV)

So how important is it to learn how to effectively pray? We miss out on blessings, “…You do not have because you do not ask God” James 4:2. We could miss out on playing a part in bringing many people to Christ, in Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Jesus wants to use our prayer life as a tool to provide more workers, whether you become someone who is sent, or God uses you to do the sending. Both ways more workers will go and this will continue in fulfilling the Great Commission, Matthew 28:16-20.

Here are a few suggestions from scripture that can be used as a guide in prayer:
• Pray for your enemies. Matthew 5:43-44, Luke 6:27-28
• Pray in sincerity. Matthew 6:5-8
• The Model Prayer. Matthew 6:9-15, Luke 11:1-4
• Ask and it shall be given. Matthew 7:7-12, I John 5:13-15, Luke 11:5-13
• Ask for workers. Matthew 9:35-38, Luke 10:1-2
• Pray as a group in unity. Matthew 18:18-20
• Pray for all nations. Mark 11:15-17, Matthew 21:12-13, Luke 19:45-46
• Always pray and don’t give up. Luke 18:1-8
• Humble yourself before the Lord. Luke 18:9-14
• Effective prayer makes the difference. Mark 9:28-29
• Believe and don’t doubt. Mark 11:20-25, Matthew 21:18-22
• Don’t pray for show. Mark 12:38-40, Luke 20:47
• Pray to overcome temptation. Mark 14:38; Luke 22:40, 46; 1 Corinthians 10:13
• Pray in Jesus name and obey His commands. John 14:13-15; 15:7; 15:16; 16:23-27
• Pray with passion. Hebrews 5:7

All of life’s questions can be answered straight from the Word of God including how to pray. Even when we don’t know what to pray there is help, “26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26 ESV
Isn’t it great to serve God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that will help us pray! I’m praying for you as you serve Him.

Praying Beyond Quick-Fix Prayers

Can you recall the last time someone told you that he or she was praying for you? No doubt it was meant to reassure you. Telling someone that you’ve prayed concerning a situation is a way of saying I’ve got you covered, don’t worry. Only once do we find Jesus telling someone that He had prayed for that person. It was not a reassuring cliché; Jesus was not praying a quick-fix solution for an everyday need. His prayer focused on the Father’s purposes being accomplished, while surrounded by evil. Jesus spoke directly to Peter even though others could hear Him: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). This was not a warning or a threat. Jesus was not trying to coach Peter in ways to avoid tough circumstances. Jesus was showing not only the power of His prayer but God’s mighty purpose in Peter’s life. Jesus narrowed His prayer just for Peter. Christ looks him in the eye and says, “But I have prayed for you.” His prayer shows that Jesus was focused not only what mattered to one person, but also the greater purposes of God. He prayed “that your faith may not fail.” This simple prayer was attached to a larger purpose: “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” This prayer is not your typical prayer we’d hear today; some would expect Jesus to pray “against” the enemy. But instead of undoing Satan’s plans Jesus simply prayed for something greater that would overcome whatever Satan had plotted. This is not the only way to pray, of course. But it may be the simplest way. Jesus’ prayer was focused beyond the crisis toward the fulfillment of the Father’s eternal purpose. Peter, even though falling would become full of faith so that he would end up strengthening his brothers. During what was obviously a crisis moment in Peter’s life, Jesus prayed a greater prayer that can teach us how to pray beyond crisis in our own friends’ lives. Pray for people instead of merely praying about problems. When we only pray for circumstances to change, we can overlook praying for people themselves to change to be more like Jesus. Pray for people to overcome the enemy to become what God wants them to be rather than against the enemy. Pray before and beyond crisis; you’ve got to pray before a crisis in order to pray through it and then beyond it. Jesus had focused His prayers on what God had purposed for Peter. And you can do the same, for family and friends, as well as cities and peoples. Use God’s Word in praying for His desires. Thanking God for what He’s already done will open the door to deeper prayer for God’s kingdom agenda. When you pray the way Jesus did you can say with faith and assurance to those around you: “But I have prayed for you”. Carolyn “Jo” Gower jogopray@gmail.com

Discerning the Will of God

Discerning God’s Guidance in Prayer

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6).

George Müller was a preacher in England during the nineteenth century who knew what it meant to live a life that was focused on knowing and doing the will of God. God led him in a walk of faith that has become an incredible testimony to all who hear his story. Whenever he lacked for something, he prayed for the resources. During his ministry in Bristol, England, George built four orphan houses to care for 2,000 children at the time. When he died at the age of 93, over 10,000 children had been provided for through his orphanages, and he had distributed over eight million dollars that had been given to him in answer to prayer.

Here is how George Müller summed up the way he entered into a “heart” relationship with God and learned to discern God’s Word and guidance:

1) I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter.

2) Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

3) I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined.

4) Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

5) I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

Thus, (1) through prayer to God, (2) the study of the Word, and (3) reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.”

Consider these five steps when discerning God’s guidance in your life. George Müller (1805-1898) http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpmueller.html.
It is my hope that this has en-couraged you in your prayer life.
Carolyn "Jo" Gower, World Radio Gospel Broadcasts www.wfrchurch.org
Feel free to contact me: jgower@wfr.org

A time to Evaluate...

You probably already know that today is Ash Wednesday; Lent is in the news and everywhere on the web. I know some are opposed to it, after all every first day of the week we celebrate Christ when we take the Lord's Supper together. This means we think and pray about our lives as we turn to Christ thinking about all he went through; his death, burial and resurrection ( First Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 6).

But that being said, I do see this "Lent" season as an opportunity to step back, slow down and put away distractions so that I can focus on my walk with Christ. What will I do to be more transformed into His image?

In 2012 will I become more Christ-like so that people will see Him living not only "in" me but "through" me? It has made me realize to say the least - I've neglected my daily quiet time with the Lord, sad to say that it takes a yearly event to make me focus again on the number one priorty.

Another great thing about "Lent" is that it is a unique chance to "encourage" folks to draw closer to Christ and if not a Christian to become one.

I say don't let this opportunity slip by us instead think of ways this can be used to bring people to the foot of the Cross. Pray asking the Lord to direct us in how to bring glory to Him for all He has done for us.
God bless,
Jo