Video Bible Lesson - Pray and Never Give Up by SHEILA WALSH

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

02/18/2020

Pray and Never Give Up
SHEILA WALSH

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” Luke 18:1 (NLT)
I was 38 years old when Barry and I were married. Because of my age, we took the business of getting pregnant very seriously, but as happens to many women, each passing month was another disappointment.
For the first time in my life, I found myself longing for a child. I prayed and prayed and prayed.
Then it happened. When I saw the positive sign on the pregnancy test, I dropped it. It lay wrong-way up on the bathroom floor, and I was afraid to pick it up in case I was wrong. Finally I had the courage to pick it up — and there was that little plus sign — we were expecting!
The first few weeks of my pregnancy were a blur of absolute joy. At our sonogram, we learned the baby was a boy. We were so happy. Then one phone call interrupted our happiness. I would be 40 years old when our baby would be born, and my doctor asked for additional tests, one being an amniocentesis. When the results came back, she asked us to come to her office.
I’ll never forget that day.
We sat on one side of her desk as she sat on the other with a brown folder in front of her. I don’t remember everything she said, but I remember this: “Your baby is incompatible with life.”
I stared at her as if she were speaking a foreign language. Barry and I sat in silence, stunned. Then she said something that snapped me back into reality. She said she recommended performing a termination the following day. “No!” I said vehemently. “Absolutely not. This little one will have every day God has planned for him to live.”
We drove home in silence. There was nothing to say.
I didn’t know how to pray. I’d asked God for this little one, and now he might be gone before I could hold him. How do you pray when it feels as if everything is going wrong? How do you pray when God gave you what you asked for, but it’s not what you hoped for? Perhaps you prayed for a husband, and now you struggle with a difficult marriage. Or you prayed for a new opportunity at work, and now you wish you could go back to where you were.
Over the next few weeks, I cried countless tears, but then one day turned the tide for me. My early-morning reading was from Luke 18 where Jesus told His friends to pray and never give up. “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1), and He shared the parable of the persistent widow.
I drove to the beach where we were living at the time. The beach was deserted; my only companions were seagulls. Taking my shoes off, I walked to the edge of the water and prayed like I’d never prayed before, out loud to the wind, the waves, the birds and to my Savior.
Dear Jesus! My heart is aching. I don’t understand this at all, but I just want to declare here and now we are in this together. I’ve always needed You, but I know right now I need You more than I ever have. I don’t know how this will end, but I’m not letting go of You for one moment. You didn’t promise me happiness, but You did promise You would never leave me.
Something shifted inside me. I had no idea how long I could carry our son, but my prayers became relentless, not for a perfect outcome but for the presence of a perfect Father. (In my 35th week of pregnancy, my doctor called to tell me she’d made a mistake. Another patient’s result went into my chart and mine into hers. So now every year on my son’s birthday, I pray and pray for the other mother who got a very different phone call.)
I don’t know what kind of battle you’re facing right now, dear sister. It may be for a child, your family, your marriage, your health or your very sanity, but I want you to know this: When we pray and refuse to give up, our circumstances might not change, but we’re changed by the love of our Father who never lets us go.
Lord, You know the burdens I’m carrying. Sometimes I’m tempted to stop praying because I don’t see the answer I want, but today I choose to believe You love me and You are listening. So I will pray and pray and never give up. Thank You for never leaving me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 5:3, “Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” (NLT)
1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Never stop praying.” (NLT)

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you, and you will find that it will be (Mark 11:24).

When my little son was about ten years of age, his grandmother promised him a stamp album for Christmas. Christmas came, but no stamp album, and no word from grandmother. The matter, however, was not mentioned; but when his playmates came to see his Christmas presents, I was astonished, after he had named over this and that as gifts received, to hear him add, "And a stamp album from grandmother."

I had heard it several times, when I called him to me, and said, "But, Georgie, you did not get an album from your grandmother. Why do you say so?"

There was a wondering look on his face, as if he thought it strange that I should ask such a question, and he replied, "Well,  mamma, grandma said, so it is the same as." I could not say a word to check his faith.

A month went by, and nothing was heard from the album. Finally, one day, I said, to test his faith, and really wondering in my heart why the album had not been sent, "Well, Georgie, I think grandma has forgotten her promise."

"Oh, no, mamma," he quickly and firmly said, "she hasn't."

I watched the dear, trusting face, which, for a while, looked very sober, as if debating the possibilities I had suggested. Finally a bright light passed over it, and he said, "Mamma, do you think it would do any good if I should write to her thanking her for the album?"

"I do not know," I said, "but you might try it." A rich spiritual truth began to dawn upon me.

In a few minutes a letter was prepared and committed to the mail, and he went off whistling his confidence in his grandma. In just a short time a letter came, saying:

"My dear Georgie: I have not forgotten my promise to you, of an album. I tried to get such a book as you desired, but could not get the sort you wanted; so I sent on to New York. It did not get here till after Christmas, and it was still not right, so I sent for another, and as it has not come as yet, I send you three dollars to get one in Chicago. Your loving grandma."

As he read the letter, his face was the face of a victor. "Now, mamma, didn't I tell you?" came from the depths of a heart that never doubted, that, "against hope, believed in hope" that the stamp album would come. While he was trusting, grandma was working, and in due season faith became sight.

It is so human to want sight when we step out on the promises of God, but our Savior said to Thomas, and to the long roll of doubters who have ever since followed him: "Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed."
--Mrs. Rounds

Responding to God's Love.............Dr. Charles Stanley

Responding to God's Love

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 3:16

God has to be true to Himself. People are foolish to entertain the hope that He will ignore justice and sacrifice holiness in order to allow unbelievers into heaven. Living a mostly moral life will not satisfy a righteous Judge.

As much as the Lord loves us and desires to save us from our sins, He cannot deny His holiness by accepting sin in His presence. The Father is pristine perfection--a holy Being who, by His very nature, must condemn all sin. Therefore, it is the height of egotism to think that God will bend both His law and His nature to welcome one whom still bears the stain of wrongdoing.

There is not one person who's good enough to enter heaven on his or her own merit. Every one of us needs Jesus. The stain of sin is washed clean only by the sacrifice of God's holy and blameless Son. Those who believe in Christ are forgiven their wrongs and cloaked in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).

Let me make it very clear that trusting Jesus is far more than giving intellectual assent to His existence--that's something even the Devil acknowledges. A true believer enters into a relationship with the One who loves his soul enough to save him from eternal punishment.

Those who remain tightly wrapped in their mantle of sin cannot hope to sneak into heaven. God's holy nature demands perfection, and since we can't provide this for ourselves, the Lord has given it to all who believe in Him. He has exchanged our filthy rags for a cloak of righteousness (Zech. 3:4).

God’s Grace Speaks of His Love for You

God’s Grace Speaks of His Love for You
KIA STEPHENS

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

“If this is how God loves, then I don’t want any part of it,” a friend said to me as I sat across from her in a coffee shop.

She had experienced a long season of difficulty that left her discouraged and disillusioned with God. “I’m a good person,” she reasoned. “I try to live right.”

Her statements expressed the sentiment of the age-old question: “If God is loving, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?” I could relate. I, too, had experienced difficult seasons, not once or twice but multiple times in my life.

In those times, I’d been tempted to doubt the love of God. This is because I, like my friend, had mistakenly equated God’s love with a trouble-less life. Although this type of life does not exist, there is a strong temptation to assume if you worship, serve and love God, your life will be void of problems.

When we look at the men and women of the Bible, we realize God’s love is constant in the midst of difficulties. We see this when we examine the life of Paul: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:8‑9 NIV).

Paul, a bold servant of God, made a desperate plea for resolution not once but three times, yet he was denied. Scripture does not indicate the source of Paul’s discomfort, but we know he was tormented by it. Paul had every reason to question the love of God because his life was anything but trouble free.

As he served and loved God, he experienced rejection, stoning, shipwrecks and extreme persecution. He may have been tempted to feel unloved by the very God he purposed to serve. From Paul, however, we learn God’s love is seen in the sufficient grace He gives us in the midst of our times of trouble.

In Hebrew, the word grace translates to “loving kindness” or “the Lord’s favor.” From this single word, God extends His favor toward humanity, demonstrating how He is inclined to be near to us. When we experience seasons of difficulty, we can seek safety in the shelter of God’s grace.

Although the temptation to equate God’s love with the absence of trouble may persist, we can choose to shift our focus to His unmatched favor and loving kindness. This grace continuously communicates we are loved deeply by God regardless of what we experience in life. What He allows may be the very tool He uses to draw us closer to Him. If you find yourself in the middle of a difficult season, know that God’s sustaining grace speaks of His great love for you.

Dear God, when I am faced with seasons of difficulty, please help me to see Your sufficient grace as a reminder of Your great love for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Daniel 10:19, “‘Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,’ he said. ‘Peace! Be strong now; be strong.’ When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.’” (NIV)

A Prayer for Dishing Out Truth

A Prayer for Dishing Out TruthBy Liz Curtis Higgs

‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’” John 11:27 (NIV)

Over the centuries, Martha has gotten a bum rap for wanting her sister, Mary of Bethany, to stop sitting at the feet of Jesus and start serving the meal. “Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40, NIV) Martha demanded of their guest of honor.

Jesus was gentle with Martha, but firm. “You are worried and upset about many things” (Luke 10:41, NIV), the Lord told her, discerning the real problem — Martha thought her efforts were of greater significance than Mary’s. Those of us who are talkers and doers often discount others who are listeners and thinkers. The good news is, Martha learned from Mary’s example, and most of all, from their Master Teacher.

The next time Jesus came to Bethany — summoned by both sisters on behalf of their dying brother, Lazarus — Martha leaped to her feet and ran out to greet Him. “‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died’” (John 11:21, NIV).

Jesus pushed her faith to the next level in telling her “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25b, NIV) Then He made a mind-boggling, eternity-spanning promise that “whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (John 11:26a, NIV) Finally, He asked Martha the Big Question, the one we all must answer: “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26b, NIV)

This means all of it: Who He is, and why He came and what that means for us.

Martha’s response was swift and sure, a courageous expression of faith and our key verse today: “‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world’” (John 11:27).

Go, Martha! When Jesus said, “I am,” she affirmed, “You are.” Her “I believe” confession is remarkable because she stated His title, His divine nature and His calling. Neither Peter nor John made this bold proclamation that day in Bethany. But a woman did. God’s woman.

Martha’s faith was now as solid and unshakable as her sister Mary’s. She who served the food also dished out the truth: “It is for Your coming that the world has waited” (John 11:27, AMPC).

What Martha did is something you and I can do as well: Profess our faith. Proclaim His truth. Promote His kingdom. Jesus expects and deserves nothing less than our total commitment. We don’t all need to be dazzling hostesses or confident cooks, just women who throw open the doors of our hearts and make Him welcome.

Lord, teach us how to be as faith-filled as Martha, and trust Your promises, no matter how impossible they seem. Remind us that with You all things are possible, including Your resurrection and ours. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How to Overcome Evil

How to Overcome Evil
by Lynette Kittle

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” -- Romans 12:21

Do you realize by doing good, you are defeating evil?

Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? Yet many still believe you have to fight evil on its own playing field. Recognize how the enemy of God wants you to play at his level, rather than understanding how your simple, loving acts of kindness and compassion throw a wrench into his most devious plans.

1 Peter 2:15 explains, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”

Unlike popular belief, shouting others down or putting them in their place isn’t the most effective approach in responding to angry words. Rather, the way to silence tactless talk is through good works.

Because of your relationship with God, doing good should come easy, too, since, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” (Matthew 12:35)

Scripture describes how Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit went around doing good (Acts 10:38).

As Jesus lived, you are called to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 spells it out explaining, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Like Jesus went around doing good, God has prepared good things for you to do, setting it all up ahead of time so all you have to do is follow His lead.

In the same way, Galatians 6:10 directs, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

As 3 John 1:11 urges, “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

Likewise Amos 5:15 urges you to hate evil and love good because as Proverbs 17:13 explains, “Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.”

By doing good, you follow God’s example of kindness and mercy towards you, as described in Titus 3:4,5. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”