THE POWER OF PRAYER AND PRAISE

Proclamation:

"After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.  At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose."  Acts 16:23-26 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were recorded, under the influence and direction of The Holy Spirit of God, by Luke, the physician and traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. (Acts 16:16)  The owners of the slave girl earned a great deal of money because of her unique ability, and they were not happy with Paul and Silas for ending their source of income.  They seized them and turned them over to the authorities for conducting unlawful activities. (Acts 16:19-21)  In spite of their situation and circumstances, being falsely accused, in prison, physically beaten, and locked in the stocks and chains, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God.  In their darkest hour, they praised God.  Their prayers were heard, things began to shake, and their chains came loose, along with the chains of all who were in prison with them.  The jailer was so impressed that he asked them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"   Then he led them out of the prison to his house, and all in his household were saved. (Acts 16:30-33)  

Application:

The world is watching to see how believers respond to the events of life.  They make judgments about all believers based upon our behavior.  We are representatives of The Lord God on earth, and we never know who is watching us, or what effect our behavior will have upon them.  Therefore, it behooves us to always act and speak in a Christ-like manner.  There is power in prayer and in praising God, chains can be broken and doors can be opened.  We ought to do both more often, and we ought to give God the glory for the good things which result from our prayers and praise.   As the saying goes: “No prayer, no power; little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power.” (Author unknown) 

WE SHOULD GIVE GOD OUR BEST EFFORT

Proclamation:

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."  Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)

Explanation:

The wisest man to ever live, King Solomon, the son of King David, wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to warn the young people, and all of the other people of God, to avoid just going through life relying on human wisdom and doing just enough to get by.  He encouraged them to do their best at whatever they do.

Application:

I was taught that a person should do their very best to be the best at whatever they do.  The Bible teaches us that we should do our best at whatever we do and that we should work as if what we are doing is for The Lord. (Colossians 3:23)  We are also taught that we should get busy and not procrastinate because this life is short and it will soon be over. (John 9:4)  Whatever we do, and in all that we do, we should do our best to do it to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)  Nothing that we do should be done in a half-hearted manner.  Everything that we do should be done to the best of our ability.  Anything that is worth doing, is worth doing right, and it is worthy of our best effort.  We are working for The Lord God and He deserves our best effort.

BLESSED FOR HOLDING GOD IN REVERENTIAL AWE

Proclamation:

"Blessed are all who fear The LORD, who walk in His ways."  Psalms 128:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

The human author of this psalm, and the context and occasion for which it was written are unknown.  The purpose clearly was to inform the people of God that those who hold The Lord in reverential awe, who are humbly submissive to Him, and who obey His Word, will be blessed. The author goes on in this psalm to say that such a person's work will be productive, and all will be well with them, their spouse, and their children.

Application:

To fear The Lord God is to hold Him in reverential awe.  In order to be truly happy, one must be truly holy.  The believer who truly enjoys life is the one who acknowledges that The Lord God is in every aspect of their life.  By living in practical obedience to The Word of God and walking with God, one can truly enjoy a happy, healthy, productive, and long life. (Proverbs 3:1-2)  If we fear The Lord, are obedient to His Word, and walk in His ways, then we will be truly blessed.

PRAY FOR IT AND THEN PREPARE FOR IT

Proclamation:

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."  Matthew 21:22 (KJV)  The New International Version of The Holy Bible reads: "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (NIV)

Explanation:

The Apostle Matthew recorded these words which Jesus spoke to His disciples after He spoke and the fig tree withered.  He told them that if they had faith, and did not doubt, they could speak to a mountain and tell it to throw itself into the sea, and it would be done.  Jesus told them that they would receive whatever they asked for in prayer, if they had faith, and believed without a doubt that they would receive it. 

Application:
As believers today, we need to increase our faith in The Lord.  When we pray and ask for something, we need to begin to prepare to receive it.  We shouldn't just pray for it, we should believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt that it will happen and then prepare to receive it.  We should act like it is already done.  If it is in His will, it is already done. (John 15:7)  We could do so much more if we sincerely prayed and believed. (James 5:16)  Pray for it, believe it, prepare for it, and receive it.

BLESSED COMING AND GOING

Proclamation:

 "You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out."  Deuteronomy 28:6 (NIV)

Explanation:

Moses told the people of God that if they obeyed The Word of God, they would be blessed throughout all of their journeys, going wherever they go and coming back home. (Deuteronomy 28:1 and 6)

Application:

As Christians we belong to God, we are also His people, and therefore this conditional blessing also applies to us today.  Hearing The Word of God on Sundays, and reading The Bible, does not do us any good if we do not internalize The Word and live by it.  The Word of God must change our lives if we truly believe.  If we obey Him, God will bless us wherever we go, (Deuteronomy 28:3 & 6) bless whatever we do, (Deuteronomy 28:8) bless our children, (Deuteronomy 28:4) protect us from our enemies, (Deuteronomy 28:7) and God will bless us with abundant prosperity. (Deuteronomy 28:11)  We will receive all of these special conditional blessings and they will accompany us as we go through our lives, if we obey The LORD. (Deuteronomy 28:2)  Whether we are at home or away from home, coming in or going out, God will bless us, if we are obedient to His Word.

CONFESS AND REPENT TO REGAIN GOD'S FAVOR

Proclamation:

"Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, 'You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt.  Now make confession to The LORD, The God of your fathers, and do His will.  Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.'  The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: 'You are right!  We must do as you say.'" Ezra 10:10-12 (NIV)

Explanation:

When Ezra, the prophet and a priest, learned that the people of Israel, including some of the priests and the Levites, had not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples, with their detestable idol worshiping practices and had even married them, he tore his clothes, wept, fasted, and prayed because they had gone against the commandments of God. (Ezra 9:1-15)  As the people saw him and heard him, they began to join in with him.  They confessed, repented, and promised to correct the error of their ways. (Ezra 10:1-5) 

Application:

Every sin is a sin against God. (Psalm 51:4 and Jeremiah 3:25)  When we sin, we go against The Word of God and we fall out of His favor.  The relationship does not end but the fellowship is interrupted.  Once we are saved we remain saved. (John 10:29)  In order to get back into the goodness of God' favor, we must confess our sins, and repent, and turn from our sinful ways.  The Lord God said: "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  (2 Chronicles 7:14)  We must confess and repent in order to get back into the good graces of God and be restored to a right fellowship with Him. (Job 33:26) 

TRUST IN THE LORD AND NOT IN MAN

Proclamation:

"Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught ... My heart is in anguish within me ... If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.  But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God ... My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.  His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.  Cast your cares on The Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall … But as for me, I trust in you." Psalms 55:1-23 (NIV) Shortened

Explanation:

This psalm of David is one of his prayers. He prayed this prayer when he was being attacked from without and from within, and even some of his friends had turned on him.

Application:

Not only are we suffering from the attacks and disappointments from others, but our thoughts and emotions are negative and out of control.  This psalm of David advises us to pray when things seem to be going wrong.  David also warns us to watch out for our "so-called" friends.  We expect attacks from our enemies, but not from our "friends."  These "friends" will attack us, usually verbally, and break promises made to us that they never really intended to keep.  They are smooth talkers, but they have malice in their hearts.  Even our friends with good intentions will let us down and disappoint us. Some times, like the Apostle Paul, when they want to do good and do the right thing, they don’t do it and they do wrong instead. (Romans 7:19)  It is better to put our trust in The Lord. (Psalms 118:8)  Trust in The Lord, for only He can protect and sustain us, (Psalm 28:7 and Proverbs 29:25) and He will never leave us of forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8)