"Just One Person's Prayer"

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:6

 

The other night my pastor was preaching about prayer and he said something that I knew but I haven't really thought about. When the men schemed against Daniel by tricking the king into signing a decree that no one could pray to any god but him for thirty days, the whole plot was to keep one man from praying.

 

When he said that, it rang loud and clear in my spirit. One the surface it appeared to be an act of jealousy on these men's part. But in reality it was a plot of hell to stop Daniel from praying. Hell/the adversary/the devil doesn't fear when all we do is "talk" about prayer. He fears when we actually put prayer into practice. We can talk about it, preach it, say we need to do it, but until we pray we are not a threat to his work or plans at all. Daniel did more than think about praying, he prayed. Three times a day he prayed. He didn't let anything stop him. He didn't let his busy schedule stop him. He didn't let his responsibilities stop him. He didn't even let the decree of the king stop him. 

 

The adversary wants to stop you from praying. He wants to keep you from petitioning God for your needs, for direction, for wisdom, etc. Prayer is powerful, because it is the avenue that the All-Powerful God uses to administer His will in the earth. Scriptures are very plain about the power of prayer. It is our communion with God. It is our weapon to thwart the plans of the enemy. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Where do we take it by force? On our knees. Where is the battleground upon which we fight? On our knees. Where is the enemy defeated? On our knees. 

 

Why would the adversary go to such lengths to try to stop just one man from praying? What threat was one man? He knows that when men and women pray, he is defeated. He was afraid of just one man's prayer. Imagine what would happen to his plans if all of us who profess to be Christians would take prayer seriously and actually pray.

 

Have a great day. Hell trembles at the prayer of even one person because it knows how powerful prayer is. 

 

For further reading:

James 4:2

Matthew 18:19

John 16:24

Psalm 34:4

Daniel 6

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"The Prepared Place"

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:17 

 

There is a blessed day that is coming when the Lord will return in the clouds and take His people home. Do we know when that day is? No. Do we know if we will be alive when it happens? No. There is much we don't know concerning the future-- even our own future. We don't know if we will go up with the Lord when He returns or if we will already be "in the grave". But there is one thing that we can know for sure-- regardless of how and when we leave this world-- "we will forever be with the Lord".

 

We will all leave this world one day. It is appointed unto man once to die. We all have an appointment with death. We just don't have the luxury of knowing when and how we will meet that appointment. That is not the important issue. The important issue is what will happen to you after you leave. When we leave this earth, we leave this earth. We don't come back in another form. We don't get a second chance to do it all over again. 

 

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (verse 18) Have you made preparation for that day? If you have and Jesus is your Savior and Lord, then you will forever be with the Lord. What a comforting thought. This life is not all there is. There is a better one that the Lord has prepared for those who love Him. It is a place of unimagined beauty. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) It is a place where there is joy, peace and pleasure. It is a place of light, no darkness. It's a place of love, no hate. It is a place where the Lord rules and reigns. It is indescribable-- and it is a place where we will never have to worry about being away from His presence any more. We will forever be "with the Lord". That is what makes that place so wonderful. His presence. Are you going to go there when that day comes?

 

Have a great day. There is a wonderful place prepared for those who love the Lord, and have surrendered their lives to Him, when they leave this earth. That place is the eternal presence of God. 

 

For further reading:

John 14:1-3

2 Corinthians 5:8

Revelation 21:22,23,27

Hebrews 9:27

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"You Are More Than A Conqueror"

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37

 

Before I got out of bed this morning the words to a song that I haven't heard in years began to repeat over and over in my thoughts. Let me share them with you. "We've been made more than conquerors, overcomers in this life. We've been made victorious through the blood of Jesus Christ." 

 

Daily I hear so many prayer requests. I can't get over how many needs there are among us. The list seems endless. The Bible says that the kingdom suffers violence, and that we have an adversary who comes to steal, kill and destroy, and that he is seeking whom he may devour. Jesus even told us that we would have tribulation in this world. But this morning I don't want to focus on the needs, the sickness, the problems, the trials. Instead I want to focus on the fact that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. That is why this song was on my heart. There is no doubt that we will face difficulties while in this world, but because of Jesus and His victory we can say with the Apostle Paul- "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8,9)

 

Let me share another verse of this song. "When trouble comes knocking at your door, don't be afraid it's not like before. Don't you give in, don't let it bring you down, you don't have to worry any more. Jesus said there would be tribulation, but He said, I have overcome. Brothers and sisters now is the time to stand. Don't you know the battles all are won."

 

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) If you are going through a battle/trial this morning, you need to look it squarely in the eyes and say, "I am more than a conqueror over you through Jesus Christ". As you do, some of you who are reading this will receive your deliverance, and for some you may still walk through it but you will receive the supernatural grace and strength of the Lord that will cause you to "run through a troop and leap over a wall". Either way stand upon God's word and hold fast your profession of faith- which is "I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ!"

 

Have a great day. "We've been made more than conquerors, over comers in this life. We've been made victorious through the blood of Jesus Christ." 

 

For further reading:

Hebrews 10:23

1 John 4:4

John 10:10

1 Peter 5:8

Psalm 18:29

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"The Flashlight"

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

 

God's word is many things to us. His word is a lamp and a light unto our path. Have you ever walked into a dark room or outside in the dark? My mother in law lives next door to us so many times we will just walk across the yard to her house. If we go late in the day and stay too long we have to walk home in the dark. There is no light outside to see by and if the moon is hid behind the clouds it is very dark. The darkness leaves us with the inability to see where we are going. Although I have walked that path many times, without a light I am still unsure of where to place my next step. Because we are unable to see we don't know what lies ahead of us making it easy to stumble or fall. At those times my one wish is for a flashlight. 

 

Life has its times of "light" and "darkness". There are times when we see everything clearly. We know where we are going, what we are doing, and have clear direction. But then there are times when it is "dark". The way before us is unclear, we don't know what to do, we can't see to make the next step. This happens on "familiar" paths of life-- those places we have been through before-- and on "unfamiliar" paths-- the places we have never been through before. On either path, the familiar and unfamiliar, we have one desire-- light! 

 

The good news is that there is "light" for us so that we don't have to walk in darkness down any path that we are on. That light is God's word. His word will give us light to "see" as we walk the path of life. It will give us the light of peace, of direction, of comfort and of joy. When we read God's word, hide it in our hearts and apply it in the situation, it is like having a "flashlight" with us to light up our path. Also, when we have Jesus living in our lives, He is the Living Word and the Light of men, His presence gives us light. 

 

As long as we have God's Word-- the written promises-- and God's Word-- the Lord Jesus-- in our lives, we will never walk in darkness. The Light will always be with us shining on our path of life. 

 

Have a great day. We need a flashlight when walking through dark places. When we come to dark places/times in our lives, we need a flashlight then too-- it is God's Word. 

 

For further reading:

Isaiah 9:2

John 1:1,4,5

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Seeking The Ark - part 2"

"Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood." Psalm 132:6

 

Yesterday we said that the ark represents the presence of God and the Israelites we searching for it because it was not where it was suppose to be. They did finally find it-- "in the fields of the wood". The commentaries say that this was a place- the "city of woods". 

 

Wood symbolizes humanity, flesh. When we "lose the presence of God" it is because we are giving into the flesh. When I say we "lose the presence of God", the presence of God is with us always-- He never leaves us nor forsakes us-- I am talking more specifically about the presence that we sense and know is actively involved in our lives. 

 

Giving into the flesh means letting your flesh do what it wants to do and have its own way. It means over indulging in worldly activities, spending too much time on things that your flesh enjoys, and less time on the things that provide a place for God-- Bible study, prayer, fasting, praise, worship. It also means spending your time worrying, gossiping, giving in to unforgiveness and bitterness, etc. 

 

If we are walking after the flesh, instead of the spirit, then we are not yielding to the presence of God. We are not giving Him place, we are not making room for Him. You can't serve two masters. You can't yield to flesh and spirit at the same time. You can't walk in both simultaneously. You can't live in fear and faith both. 

 

Does the presence of God seem far away in your life? Do you lack the peace and joy that comes from His presence? Does it seem like He is in the distant or the back of your life? Then pay attention to what you are doing each day. Are you giving place and time to Him? Are you living after your own desires? Are you more involved with fleshly or spiritual activity? God doesn't live in flesh. The Israelites brought the ark back to its rightful place of belonging. The rightful place of belonging in our lives is in the spirit and not in the flesh.

 

Have a great day. If the presence of God seems distant in your life, it may be because you have placed Him among the "woods"- the place of flesh.

 

For further reading:

Matthew 6:24

Galatians 5

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.