The Truth, James 5:19-20

 

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

For a Grand Finale, to the book of James, the Holy Spirit, through James, provides a colossal warning and a powerful promise.  

Notice, the “Brethren” are being addressed, and among them are those who wander and those who turn.

Wanderers and turners.

Brethren... Fifteen times we’ve read that familial word in this short letter. It’s like saying, “My dear family.”

If anyone among you... not anyone in the world, but anyone, among you, our dear family, dear Church family.

If anyone among you wanders...

It’s important to understand the meaning of the words the Holy Spirit used in the original text.  

Wanders: Greek word: planaó: from which we get our word planet, like a wandering planet. (Like some of your minds might be doing right now, wandering, yawning, wondering, “why do we need to talk about some other language?”

Why? Because you never want to planaó. You’ll know why in a moment—if you don’t wander.

Jesus used it in Matthew 18:12-13 when talking about the one sheep that had gone astray (planaó).

Hebrews 11:38 uses it speaking of our Faith heroes, “of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.”

However, the Greek word planaó is normally, not so harmless. It means to lead astray, to deceive, moral deception, to cause to wander. It almost always suggests the sin of wandering.

Isaiah 53:6. All like sheep have gone astray.

Anyone who denies The Truth in one area, is usually deceived in many.  

Planaó was used by Jesus of the hypocrites trying to trap Him. “You are mistaken, (planaó) not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:29.

 Jesus repeats it multiple times when speaking of the end times. “Take heed that no one deceives (planaó) you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive (planaó) many.... ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:4-5.

We are living in days of deception (planaó).

You do not want to wander, unless you want to swim in the lake of fire, forever:

Then the beast (antichrist) was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived (planaó) those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two (antichrist and false prophet) were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.... 20:10, the devil, who deceived (planaó) them, was cast into the lake of fire... 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 15.

Whoa!

Wandering (planaó) is serious!

DO NOT WANDER!

Wandering leads to the lake of fire!

If anyone among you wanders....

Do you see the gravity of these Words?

Wandering can happen to anyone. It can happen to anyone among us, Church attending, Bible believing Christians, anyone of us, Pastors, Teachers, Preachers, anyone of us can wander, can be deceived and deceive; can go astray, and lead astray, and away... From the Truth.

 

Dear family, if anyone among you wanders from The Truth.

Definite article, the.

Not a truth, your truth, my truth...

The One and Only Truth.

If anyone among you wanders from The Truth.

Wandering always leads away from The Truth.

Jesus is The Way, The Truth, The Life, no one gets to heaven except through Him. John 14:6.

No one wanders into heaven.

What a sobering warning for the Church.

This is not talking to the world, because the world doesn’t have The Truth, is not in The Truth, with The Truth, so they can’t wander from The Truth.

God is Love.

In Love is Freedom.     

So, the “Brethren” the Church, we the people of God have freedom to leave His Presence, to wander (planaó) from His Truth... to the world.

1 Corinthians 10:12
Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

Anyone of us can willingly wander, be deceived, go astray.  

Jesus said if we abide (dwell, remain, stay, live) in His Word, we shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make us free. John 8:31-32.

Truth and Freedom go hand in hand.

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back...

Notice: If anyone wanders and someone turns him... Anyone and someone are the exact same word in the original text. Greek: tis.

Therefore: anyone can wander... and anyone can be used by God to turn them around.

No one is too big to fall or too small to help someone rise.

You can be a soul winner and a disciple maker.

That is my prayer for you, every single day.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Okay, let's look again at the last verse in our text in James:

^{James 5:20} let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

So, the “anyone” who wanders from the Truth in verse 19, is called “a sinner” in verse 20. A sinner in error, with a soul headed toward death carrying a multitude of sins.

Notice it says, “save a soul from death” not “save a body from death.”

This is talking about soul saving Salvation from hell.

Notice the wanderer's spiral downward and the turner's trajectory upward.  

The wanderer, wanders from the truth, devolves into a sinner, in error, headed to hell covered in sin. You do NOT want to wander. It’s a lava slide into the lake of fire.

The turner, turns, reverts, converts, the sinner, saving a soul, covering a multitude of sins.

Remember, “anyone” referred to the wanderer, and “someone” referred to the turner, but in the original text it is the exact same word.

So, choose you this day, which will you be?

Turner?

Or wanderer?

My prayer, and God’s will, is that you will choose to be:

A SOUL WINNER AND A DISCIPLE MAKER.

‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’ Ezekiel 33:11.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, oh how we need You. Our hearts are prone to wander. Please hold us and help us to stay the course and abide in Your Truth, with every breath. Thank You for teaching us to turn sinners to You. So that of all those You’ve given us, none are lost.

We look forward to seeing You soon. When we do, we pray You will find us faithful, busy, about Your business, being soul winners and disciple makers.

Come quickly Lord Jesus.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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Thank you for sharing.

 

America, We Hold These Truths

Independence Day is  much, much, more than a birthday celebration, it is a Declaration of Freedom.

A sacred memorial for the day our forefathers took a stand against tyranny.

For over a dozen years our founding fathers tried to make a peaceful union with Great Britain’s ever increasing tyranny.

But the controlling spirit of a tyrant is never satisfied.

So, finally, they had to put pen to parchment and write a “Dear John” letter.

We call it our Declaration of Independence.

They prayed and labored for seventeen days. The history making, world changing document was only a little over 1,300 words.

 They gracefully echoed the sentiment of Patrick Henry a year earlier. “Give me liberty or give me death!”

They meant it, and proved it, by signing their names after these final words of the Declaration:  with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

We totally trust God and are totally committed to the cause of Freedom.

They meant it, and proved it, by giving their Lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor.

Some died in battle, others in poverty, their houses burned, their businesses destroyed, their families shattered and scattered.

Like the disciples of Christ, not one, surrendered, turned back or gave up the fight for the Freedom, we celebrate today.

The fight for Freedom continues.

Yesterday, one of the baby doves in the nest outside our dining room window gained her independence, on Independence Day. Not long after she took the leap of faith from the nest, I found her on the ground hiding under a little evergreen tree.

As she sat there, a long black snake, an enemy of her freedom, was heading her way, for lunch.

Perhaps by Providence, I happened to be there to go between the little dove and the serpent and chase it away.   

There have always been enemies against Freedom.

The first enemy of Freedom was deception, in the garden, when the serpent (devil) hissed to Eve, “Has God said you cannot eat from any tree in the garden?” Genesis 3:1.

Eve: No, we can freely eat from every tree in the garden, except for one...” Genesis 3:2-3.

They (Adam and Eve) ignored the Word of God, listened to the word of the devil, lost freedom, gained bondage, to sin and death... for all mankind.

Today, we the people, stand at the marvelous milestone of 250 years of Freedom.

At 250 years we are a relatively young nation, yet we have the oldest active constitution. The average length of a nation’s constitution is 17 years.

As we look back over America’s HIStory the golden thread of Providence, is obvious.

By the grace of God, our rag-tag militia of farmers, businessmen, pastors, regular folks, stood against the world’s strongest military might.

George Washington’s coat had bullet holes, his hair had bullet fragments, yet he was untouched.

Our troops were trapped, surrounded by thousands of Britain’s best; but then, a deep fog dropped and hid them and they made their escape.

Battle after battle, little America against Giant Great Britain, David against Goliath. Some we won, some we lost. All, we prayed.

When the smoke cleared, America was standing, and Britain was waving a white flag.  

September 3, 1783, we signed the Treaty of Paris formally ending the American Revolutionary War. At the very top of the treaty, written large, are the words:

  In the Name of the Most Holy & undivided Trinity

What a powerful statement. In reference, of course, to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Three in One.  

They knew where their Strength came from.

Today, our currency reads: In God We Trust.

By His Strength, we’re still standing.

By His Grace we’ve become among the most blessed of nations. In turn, we’ve blessed hundreds of millions around the world.

In that bloody battle with Britain, we left a blood trail in the snow from the bloody feet of our hungry soldiers in worn out boots, and clothes.

Today, we give $50-$80 billion a year, to help shelter and feed and clothe multiplied millions around the world. America is the largest provider of foreign aid in history. We give more than the next three donors combined (Germany, Japan, UK). We even helped rebuild nations that warred against us (Germany, Japan...)

Freedom is conducive to creativity and American creativity is unsurpassed.

With only 4% of the world’s population each year we produce more inventions and patents than the rest of the world. Our 4% have won more than 50% of the world’s Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences.

Additionally, our 4% produces 25% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP, total global market value of goods produced).

How does that translate to the kitchen table? Our bank account?

The World Bank sets the global poverty level at $785 per year ($2.15 day). Adjusted for more prosperous countries at an annual income of $2,500 (6.58 day).

However, the poverty level in America is $15,960 per year ($44 per day).

Common health problems for the poor around the world are malnutrition, hunger, thinness, and stuntedness.

In America, the common health problem among the poor is obesity.

America is exceptional in racial equality. Even though many Marxists, Progressives, and race baiting left wing extremists, deliberately deceive like the serpent, rewriting history and then, deceiving naïve souls.

The Truth is that in the 400 years of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade from 1501 to 1875 only 3% went to American colonies. That’s 3% too much, and America went to war to stop it. The US is the only nation where whites went to war against whites on behalf of blacks. Resulting in over half a million white lives, given for the sake of ending slavery.

In America as early as 1641 blacks were elected to office and more than 1,000 were elected to local, state, and federal positions by the late 1800s.

By comparison, it wasn’t until 1987 that a black person was elected in Great Britain, 2006 in Italy, 2010 in Russia.

America’s colonies became the first major region in the world to abolish slavery, with all the northern states passing abolition laws by 1804, long before any other nation on earth.

America was the first nation in the world to sign a law banning slave trade (March 2, 1807). Today, of 193 nations on earth, 94 still have not outlawed slave trade.    

America purchases and distributes around the world more Bibles than any other nation.

America, more than any other nation, has been, an ally to Israel.

Today, America stands, at this marvelous milestone of 250 years of Freedom.

Yet we also stand at a threshold of deception. As in the garden, when Freedom was stolen by deception. 

Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Jesus said if we abide in His Word, we shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make us free. John 8:31-32.

Truth and Freedom go hand in hand.

It is encouraging that, we the people, as a nation, have just celebrated five events focused on Truth. God’s Truth. Jesus said, I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life. John 14:6.

1.    April 19-25 America Reads the Bible (Initiated by Church)

2.    May 7 America's National Day of Prayer (Initiated by state (government).

3.    May 17 America Rededication to the Lord (state)

4.    May 24 Pentecost Sunday (Church)

5.    July 4th America's 250th Anniversary (state)

(How beautiful! Church and State, united honoring Christ. Our Founding Fathers would be so pleased).

2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Yeah, but Doug, the 4^th of July isn’t focused on Truth, on Jesus, it’s focused on hotdogs, apple pie and fireworks.

Glad you mentioned that.

What happened on the 4^th of July 1776?

Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

And what does it say?

Did you know the Bible is quoted and referred to, many times more, than any other resource in our founding documents? Our Declaration is saturated with the Word of God and prayer. In a Word: Truth.  

Speaking of Truth, let’s look at it.

Declaration of Independence

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,

Ephesians 5:11. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them.

2 Corinthians 6:14. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them...

Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Matthew 18:15-17. Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ ¹⁷ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal

Romans 1:20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

Genesis 1:27-28. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Galatians 5:1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

John 10:10. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.

Romans 13:1a. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.

Exodus 18:25-26. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

Our Declaration, our Constitution, our very Foundation, is built upon the Rock Solid Foundation of The Word of God. 

Next, twenty-seven grievances are listed, followed by a prayer in closing.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

They are all in. Fully committed.

Mark 8:34. If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Colossians 3:17. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Since the beginning there’s always been enemies of Freedom.

Our Patriots proved Freedom is worth fighting for, and can be won.  

But each generation must follow in their footsteps, as they followed the footsteps of Christ. Pursuing peace, preprayered for war, “ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6).

 And when necessary... Fight. Fight. Fight.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for preserving the HIStory of our Faithful Forefathers, those in Your Bible, and those in our nation. As they did their part, help us do ours by building the wall set before us, like in Nehemiah 3.

Lord, we need Your help to tear down the wall of separation that has divided US. Please open our eyes to these Truths that unite US, so once again, we will be One Nation Under God, experiencing the smile of Heaven.

In You we trust.

Thank You. We love You, forever.

Amen.  

Prayer Requests:

Call or text: 612-554-2522

Email: pray4measap@aol.com

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing. 

Prayer that Avails Much, James 5:16-18

 

 ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

 ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

It’s hot. You’re thirsty.                                                                                                

You lift the handle and plunge it back down.

The old pump squeaks.

You do it again.

Nothing happens…or so it seems.

You do it again. And again. And again….

The old pump gurgles.

You cup your hands under the spout.

The coldest, freshest water pours out.

You splash your face and hair and drink long and deep.

Refreshed.

That’s prayer.

It’s work.

It works.

It taps reservoirs unseen.

It draws the answer at first pull.

If quit too soon, the answer is never seen.  

 ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses...

Confess... More than the words being spoken, or the confession being made, this is an open, honest, humble transparency, no hypocricy, no façade.

Confess your trespasses, your sins, yours, not somebody else’s.

Confess your trespasses, sins, iniquities, where you miss the mark, fall short, cross the line.

Confessing sins must be done with a spirit of humility, not an attitude of arrogance like showing off battle scars.

Confessing sins must be done with a heart for victory, not intoxicated by victimhood.

Confess your sins to one another... it does not say confess to the priest, the padre, the pastor, the whatever... Confess your sins to one another. The body of Christ, the family of God, the Ekklésia, which is called and equipped to do the work of the ministry.

Ephesians 4:11-13
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another...

Pray.

Not diagnose, not rambling psychobabble.

Pray.

The prayer has a purpose... that you may be healed.

The word for “healed” means exactly what we think it means, physical healing.

However, we’re not talking about healing physical sickness. We’re talking about confessing sins.

James 5:14-15 talks about physical sickness, saying, “the prayer of faith will save the sick.” The word for, “save” is sózó, it means to save, to rescue, to deliver, to heal, to preserve.

That’s no mistake. God didn’t use the wrong words in the wrong place. He’s revealing priority.

He’s more interested in healing our soul from sin than our body from sickness.

But no matter the situation, our directive from Scripture is the same.

Pray.

Prayer is consequential. Prayer reaps results. Prayer is powerful and effective.

Prayer Avails Much. 

¹⁶...The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Prayer in the hands of Love is the most powerful force on earth..

God is Love.

Not all prayers reach God. Not all prayers are powerful and effective. Not all prayers are heard.

Whose prayers are heard, powerful and effective and avail much?

The prayers of the righteous... Those in right standing with God.

RIGHTEOUS

Psalm 66:18, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer.

Proverbs 15:29, The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Isaiah 59:2, But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

James 4:3, You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective.

 ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours...

WOW!

Can you believe it?

The Holy Spirit compares you and I, to Elijah, the mighty prophet of God.

Elijah, the man the Lord used to raise the widow’s son from the dead. 1 Kings 17:21-22.

Elijah called fire down from heaven, more than once. 1 Kings 18:38, 2 Kings 1:10.

Elijah parted the Jordan River. 2 Kings 2:8.

Elijah never died, he took a chariot ride into heaven. 2 Kings 2:11.

Elijah, a man with a nature like ours.

WOW!!!!

and he prayed earnestly...

EARNEST

The Lord compares Elijah to us and then immediately says “he prayed earnestly” because He expects us to do the same.

that it would not rain...

This is not something Elijah would’ve prayed for of his own volition. But he yielded his will to God’s and thus his prayers were prompted and propelled by the Spirit of God.  

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours...  So, that means our prayers ought to be prompted and propelled by the Spirit of God, too. Ephesians 6:18, Jude 1:20.

Elijah prayed, and then led by the Lord, sprang into action.

Elijah told Ahab the king, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1.

You better know for sure and certain you heard from the Lord if you make such a statement.

He did.

and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

Drought and famine hit hard.

Answered prayers aren’t always easy, but always right.

Elijah camped by a brook and was miraculously fed by ravens. 1 Kings 17:2-5.

But because there was no rain, the brook dried up. 1 Kings 17:7.

Then, the Lord sent him to stay with a poor widow. She was about to eat her last meal, but God made her jar of flour and jug of oil never run empty until the famine ended. 1 Kings 17:8-14.

During the drought the widow’s son died.

Elijah prayed earnestly, and the Lord raised the boy back to life. 1 Kings 17:17-24.

And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” 1 Kings 18:1,

¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

OBEDIENT

So, Elijah obeyed the Lord and went to Ahab.

Then, Elijah said to 450 pagan prophets: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” 1 Kings 18:21.

He challenged them. You set up your altar and I’ll set up mine. The God who answers by fire, is God. You can go first. 1 Kings 18:24.

After the 450 false prophets begged and pleaded all day for their non-existent god to answer. 1 Kings 18:25-29.

Elijah prayed.

God answered.

Fire consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones, and the dust, and it licked up all the water in the trench around the altar. (Elijah had his sacrifice saturated with water).

Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” 1 Kings 18:30-39.

Then, Elijah executed all 450 of the prophets of the false god baal. 1 Kings 18:40.

After that, while there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, he said to Ahab, “I hear the sound of an abundance of rain.” 1 Kings 18:41.

PERSISTENT

From the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah bowed and prayed for rain.  

Elijah knew it was God’s idea and God’s timing, but it was up to him to pray it through.

God created the earth and then handed the keys to man (Genesis 1:28).

Therefore, by Divine design, God is willing to help us, to work with us, and through us, but not enable us to be lazy by doing everything for us.

He expects us to do our part, to bring His will on earth as it is in heaven, through the power of prayer and the walk of faith.

After praying, Elijah sent his servant to look toward the sea.

Nothing but blue skies was all his servant could see.

Elijah prayed more and sent him again.

Nothing.

Elijah was persistent, he prayed and sent again.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Again, and again, and again.

He didn’t quit, he kept pumping prayers toward Heaven.  

Seven times he prayed and sent.

Seven, God’s perfect number, of completion.

Teaching us to pray without ceasing, until completion.

The seventh time the servant saw a small cloud, the size of a man’s hand.

A small cumulus cloud.

That’s all it took.

Elijah sent word to Ahab. Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you. 1 Kings 18:44.

Cumulus: means accumulate, heap up, pile up. Cumulus clouds become Cumulonimbus clouds (rain clouds, thunder clouds, big black burly storm clouds) by an accumulation of water vapor carried up on powerful currents.

As powerful and effective, fervent and earnest, currents of prayer accumulated in Heaven...

The clouds grew, the wind blew, the sky went black and there was a mighty outpouring of an abundance of answered prayer in the form of rain. 1 Kings 18:45.

The Holy Spirit knew what He was doing when He chose this example of Elijah for prayers that avail much.

Elijah, a man with a nature like ours, walked righteously, prayed earnestly, obediently, persistently...

So can we.  

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for this example of Elijah, and even more for encouraging us by comparing us, to him. WOW! So, in accordance with Your will, we pray we, like Elijah, walk righteously, pray earnestly, obediently and persistently, that Your will is done in our lives, and in all those You’ve given us.

Thank You.

We love and trust and follow You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests:

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Facebook: Prayer That Avails Much, James 5:16-18

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.