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Who Am I in Christ?In Christ, I am:The Temple of the Holy Spirit |
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| Written by Lynne Fister |
| Thursday, 05 February 2009 20:43 |
 What a way to begin 2009 … with purpose and commitment. It has been my annual ritual to meet with the Lord but since coming back from the Philippines, it was difficult to get back in the groove, so to speak. But I was glad that this past Saturday, Jan 31, 2009, God encountered me. Ten members of Filipino Christian Center (FCC), led by Pastor Gabor attended the Church of God sponsored event on prayer. It was one of the DELMARVA-DC (acronym for Delaware-Maryland-Virginia-DC) organized seminars which took place in Severn, MD. Though I have heard many prayer topics in the past, this one left an impact in me. It is truly the Holy Spirit that teaches and inspires. Simply put, Pastor Doug Small, the seminar speaker, walked the talk. He shared from the rich treasure house of his own time with God, alone in his prayer room. The seminar was entitled “Power Prayer Days” because intercession is a powerful engagement of God’s kingdom authority in our everyday situations. There were many insightful points throughout the seminar but there are three insights I will share here. MEET WITH THE LORD CONSISTENTLY. I need to meet with the Lord consistently. Yes consistently. Pastor Doug repeatedly mentioned that prayer is a discipline. It is a purposeful, deliberate attempt in meeting with God regularly. It may seem tedious and overwhelming for others if you have never done it before. But as a Chinese proverb says … a thousand mile journey begins with a single step. The first step will be the challenging part but later on you will see the reward of meeting with your God daily. He mentioned five things to direct our time with the Lord: THANKSGIVING, COMMUNION, INTERCESSION, PETITION then end in PRAISE. GOD CAN BUT HE WON’T? Pastor Doug Small reminded us that the enemy will not test us in the ability of God. Why? Because we already know that God is able and powerful. We know He is the Creator, Healer, Merciful God. Rather, the enemy will test our belief in the character of God. Don’t you find yourself dwelling on this thought – I know that God can provide … but he won’t because my situation is difficult. But if our thought life is soaked in thanksgiving and worship, and our prayers are consistently anchored in the word of God, we then have assurance and confidence that God can and He will! God can and He will fulfill His promises because God loves me, period! REWARD OF FAITH IS NOT THE SAME AS ANSWERED PRAYER. For many years, I have not grasped this thought until Pastor Doug explained it. In my own personal faith walk, I have experienced the longing for a specific prayer request. Instead of answering my specific prayer, he gave me my heart’s desire. Those are two different things. You may want and need a car. You set your prayer on a BMW convertible. Instead, you get a brand new Volvo C70 T5 Convertible, fully loaded and it’s for free! This is merely an illustration and is in no way simplifying faith. In reality, our faith will be tested through the furnace so that our faith is purified from external wants so that only what pleases God comes out. Ultimately, the reward of faith is so much more beautiful and worth the wait. God rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Pastor Doug reiterated that if you seek Jesus in private, he will reward you in public. The beauty of God’s reward is that it’s so much more than what you specifically prayed for. It’s fully loaded! If you want to know more about Pastor Doug Small’s ministry, you can go to www.projectpray.org. You can participate in the prayer movement within the Church of God family by going to www.cogdelmarva-dc.org. Click on the “prayer center” link to post your prayer requests. Past FCC Member's News Articles | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 05 February 2009 20:49 |