Powerful Prayer Deuteronomy 4:7-8 Psalms 65:2-4 1 Samuel 12:22-24 Psalms 66:16-20 Proverbs 28:9 James 5:16-18 Matthew 6:5-8 Matthew 7:7-8 Matthew 21:21-22 1 Thessalonians 5:17 08.31.16

POWERFUL PRAYER

BREAD

7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?  Deuteronomy 4:7-8 (NIV)

2 O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come. 3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. 4 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.  Psalms 65:2-4 (NIV)

22 For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.   1 Samuel 12:22-24 (NIV)

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!  Psalms 66:16-20 (NIV)

9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.  Proverbs 28:9 (NIV)

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.  James 5:16-18 (NIV)

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”   Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”   Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

21 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  Matthew 21:21-22 (NIV)

17 pray continually;   1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The kind of prayer that changes hearts and transforms neighborhoods and rebuilds communities and revives nations is intense, fervent, and all business. It’s that kind of dedicated ministry though which the real work of God gets done.”   David Jeremiah

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”    Charles H. Spurgeon

“We err when we judge our prayers solely by what we can see happening around us. Prayer is a matter of faith. Prayer is taking God at His word. Prayer is understanding God's promise that if we pray, He will work. And we must keep on praying even when we cannot see what He is doing. We do not see into the world in which God lives, but He definitely sees into ours.”  David Jeremiah

“Pleading the promises of God is the whole secret of prayer.”   Martyn Lloyd-Jones 

“God loves to do astounding things. And most of the time, He does those things in response to the prayers of His people.”   David Jeremiah

“The Word of God represents all the possibilities of God as at the disposal of true prayer.”   A. T. Pierson

“And we do well to remember that this gracious God, who has condescended to place His almighty power at the command of believing prayer looks not lightly on the blood guiltiness of those who neglect to avail themselves of it for the benefit of the perishing….”   Hudson Taylor

“We need more Christians for whom prayer is the first resort, not the last.”   John Blanchard

“We are never more like Christ than in prayers of intercession.”   Austin Phelps

“It is by prayer that we couple the powers of heaven to our helplessness … and make the impossible possible.”   O. Hallesby

“Pray as if everything depended upon your prayer.”   William Booth

Prayer is not so much a formula as it is a friendship – rote as it is relational.  Prayer is a 24/7 access to “Abba” (Daddy) Father Who loves us with an everlasting love as well as rejoices over us with singing.  Further, He “brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name.  Because of His great power and mighty strength not one of them is missing.”  He is all love and all ability – all achieving power – nothing is too hard for Him.  Prayer is coming into His Presence with singing and into His courts with praise.  It is listening with Faith for His “still, small voice” as well as pouring out our hearts in Trust resting our heads gently “between His shoulders”.  It is knowing His answer always has our best interest at heart because He loves us.  It is an unspeakably high gift from the Creator to the created.  Prayers moves the hand and heart of God.  BHY

“Prayer is a direct address to God. Prayer secures blessings and betters people because it reaches the ear of God. Prayer affects people by affecting God to move them. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world. The utmost possibilities of prayer have rarely been realized. The promises of God are so great to those who truly pray, that when He puts Himself fully into the hands of the praying ones, it almost staggers our faith and leaves us amazed.”   E.M. Bounds

“The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer.”  F. B. Meyer

“You know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all price.  Never, never neglect it.”   Thomas Buxton 

  

HEART SAVOR

• ·       Prayer is both a gift and a responsibility.
• ·       Prayer takes our petitions into the very throne room of God.  It is communion with the Father Who loves us.
• ·       Prayer is the believer’s privilege and it is a mighty weapon against the adversary.

Rest For The Soul Deuteronomy 33:12 Psalms 16:8-9 Psalms 62:1-2 Psalms 62:5-6 Psalms 33:22 Isaiah 30:15 Jeremiah 6:16 Isaiah 32:17-18 John 14:27 Matthew 11:28-30 08.29.16

REST FOR THE SOUL

BUTTER

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”   Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)

8 I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.  Psalms 16:8-9 (NIV)

1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.   Psalms 62:1-2 (NIV)

5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  Psalms 62:5-6 (NIV)

22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.   Psalms 33:22 (NIV)

15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”   Isaiah 30:15 (NIV)

16 This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”  Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

17 The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. 18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.  Isaiah 32:17-18 (NIV)

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.   John 14:27 (NIV)

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”   Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Faith raises the soul above the difficulty, straight to God Himself, and enables one to stand still.  We gain nothing by our restless and anxious efforts….It is therefore true wisdom, in all times of difficulty and perplexity, to stand still – to wait only upon God, and He will assuredly open a way for us.”  C.H. Mackintosh 

“To every toiling, heavy-laden sinner, Jesus says, ‘Come to me and rest’.  But there are many toiling, heavy-laden believers, too.  For them this same invitation is meant. Note well the words of Jesus, if you are heavy-laden with your service, and do not mistake it. It is not, ‘Go, labor on,’ as perhaps you imagine. On the contrary, it is stop, turn back, ‘Come to me and rest.’  Never, never did Christ send a heavy laden one to work; never, never did He send a hungry one, a weary one, a sick or sorrowing one, away on any service. For such the Bible only says, ‘Come, come, come.’”   Hudson Taylor

“We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus’.  Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him.  Oh!  Let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.”     C. H. Spurgeon

“In Christ the heart of the Father is revealed, and higher comfort there cannot be than to rest in the Father’s heart.”   Andrew Murray

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.  Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His bosom.  Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God……Maintain a holy simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under any pretext.”     St. Francis de Sales 

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, and the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”   Augustine

“Jesus knows we must come apart and rest awhile, or else we may just plain come apart.”   Vance Havner

“When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul.”   Hotatio G. Spafford

HEART SAVOR

·       My soul can find rest in God alone – He is my soul silence with complete calmness.

·       Jesus gives a peace that is not like the world’s peace – He alone can fully satisfy.

·       Jesus will never fail you.

The Compelling Love Of Jesus Romans 5:6-8 John 13:1 Romans 8:35-39 John 3:16-17 John 13:34-35 John 14:21 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 1 John 4:9-11 08.26.16

THE COMPELLING LOVE OF JESUS

BREAD

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)

1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.  John 13:1 (NIV)

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”   John 3:16-17 (NIV)

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   John 13:34-35 (NIV)

21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”   John 14:21 (NIV)

14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   1 John 4:9-11 (NIV)

BUTTER

“In the gospel we discover that we are far more wicked than we ever dared believe, yet more loved than we ever dared hope.” Tim Keller

“Do you know who you are? Do you know who you were designed to be? Do you know the Father’s intent for your life? You are meant to hear in your spirit the same thing Jesus heard when he came out of the waters of baptism at the beginning of his ministry: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’….J I Packer puts it simply. ‘What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God for his Father’…Our highest privilege and deepest need is to experience the holy God as our loving Father, to approach him without fear and to be assured of his fatherly care and concern.”  Greg Ogden

“Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness.”  Charles Spurgeon

“No sea is deeper than the ocean of His love.  There is no army stronger than His hosts, no force greater than His throne of grace, no enemy who can overcome His direct and indirect work in our lives.”  Robert J. Morgan

“We cannot help conforming ourselves to what we love.”  Francis de Sales

“Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God.”  Oswald Chambers

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”  Amy Carmichael

“A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee.  I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths its flow, may richer fuller be.  O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to Thee.  My heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day, may brighter fairer be.  O joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee.  I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.  O cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee.  I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red, life that shall endless be.”   George Matheson 

“While I regarded God as a tyrant I thought my sin a trifle; But when I knew Him to be my Father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against Him.  When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.”  C.H. Spurgeon

“We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.”   Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

HEART SAVOR

• ·       Jesus’ love goes deeper and wider, reaches higher and further than mind can conceive.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.   Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)
• ·       Jesus always has my best interest at heart.
• ·       I am called to love as He loved through His power for His glory.

Our Great Deliverer 1 Samuel 2:1-2 Psalms 3:8 Deuteronomy 32:39 Psalms 18:1-3 Psalms 72:12 Psalms 91 :14-16 Psalms 119:170 Matthew 6:9-13 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 Psalms 33:15-22 08.24.16

OUR GREAT DELIVERER

BREAD

1 Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 2 There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”   1 Samuel 2:1-2 (NIV)

8 From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.  Selah  Psalms 3:8 (NIV)

39 “See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.”   Deuteronomy 32:39 (NIV)

1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalms 18:1-3 (NIV)

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.  Psalms 72:12 (NIV)

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”   Psalms 91:14-16 (NIV)

170 May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.    Psalms 119:170 (NIV)

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”   Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.   2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (NIV)

15 He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.   Psalms 33:15-22 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The Lord is in the business of delivering His people in His own way, in His own time and for His own glory.”  Robert J. Morgan

“The very essence of Christ’s deliverance is the substitution of Himself for us – His life for ours!”  Horatius Bonar

“See God in everything, and God will calm and color all that thou doest see!  It may be that the circumstances of our sorrows will not be removed, their condition will remain unchanged; but if Christ, as Lord and Master of our life, is brought into our grief and gloom, ‘He will compass us about with songs of deliverance.’  To see HIM, and to be sure that His wisdom cannot err, His power cannot fail, His love can never change; to know that even His direst dealings with us are for our deepest spiritual gain, is to be able to say, in the midst of bereavement, sorrow, pain, and loss, ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’  Nothing else but seeing God in everything will make us loving and patient with those who annoy and trouble us.  They will be to us then only instruments for accomplishing His tender and wise purposes toward us, and we shall even find ourselves at last inwardly thanking them for the blessing they bring us.  Nothing else will completely put an end to all murmuring or rebelling thoughts.”  Hannah W. Smith

 

“The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist.  He announces a Saviour from Hell rather than a Saviour from sin.  And that is why so many are fatally deceived…there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness.”   A. W. Pink

“Forgetfulness is the fuel for idolatry (Deuteronomy 4:23). Spiritual amnesia often leads to faithlessness. This is the most important lesson for us in Deuteronomy 4. God's concern is that his people might ‘forget the things’ that they had seen and that the memory of their gracious deliverance might ‘depart’ from their hearts (Deuteronomy 4:9). Thus we read here of the critical importance of remembrance, of calling to mind again and again the history of God's dealing with us and His faithfulness at every turn.”   Sam Storms

“The truth and beauty of the gospel expose our idol-myths as feeble substitutes and garish counterfeits. And the power of the gospel enables us to break free from their enslaving and destructive grasp. Indeed, as our deliverer and liberator, Jesus is freeing us for the great adventure of living as characters in and carriers of God’s archetypal Story of all stories. It’s like being taking from starring in your own self-produced, 8 mm black and white home movies to playing one of the hobbits in the grand production of The Return of the King.”   Scotty Smith

“He is near to the broken, He is close to the weary of heart.  In His Name is a refuge, Safety for the weak and discarded.  There is help for the hopeless, For the wounded in need.  In the presence of Jesus, There is power unleashed.  Call upon the Name of the Lord, He’s our Defender, our Deliverer.  A Shelter in the midst of the storm, Jesus, our Savior, He is King over all the earth.  I will sing of my Redeemer, Testify to the touch of His hand, Lifted me from disaster, Set my feet on a solid rock to stand.  God is our Refuge, our Strength and Salvation, A Mighty Fortress is the Lord Almighty.  There is no equal, no power beside Him.  Forever our Champion is the Lord our God.  Our Savior, He is King over all the earth.”    Lyrics to Defender

HEART SAVOR

• ·       God delivers me from sin and for salvation.  He places my feet on a solid rock to stand.  He causes me to stand because He is faithful and able to cause me to stand.
• ·       I am to constantly remember His works of deliverance and faithfulness as I am so prone to forgetfulness and forgetfulness often turns to waywardness.
• ·       There is no equal, no power beside Him.  He’s forever my Champion, the Lord Almighty.     

March Not Coast To Zion 2 Timothy 2:1-7 1 Timothy 1:18-19 1 Timothy 6:11-12 2 Timothy 4:6-8 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Ephesians 6:10-13 Romans 10:14-15 08.22.16

MARCH NOT COAST TO ZION

BREAD

1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.  2 Timothy 2:1-7 (NIV)

18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.   1 Timothy 1:18-19 (NIV)

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NIV)

6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NIV)

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.  1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”   Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)

BUTTER

“The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before!  Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle, see his banner go!   At the sign triumph Satan’s host doth flee; On, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!  Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise; Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise!  Like a mighty army moves the church of God; Brother, we are treading where the saints have trod; We are not divided; all one body we, One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.  Onward, then, ye people, join our happy throng, Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song; Glory, laud, and honor, unto Christ the King; This through countless ages men and angels sing.   Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before.”     Sabine Baring-Gould

“Christianity is a warfare, and Christians are spiritual soldiers.”   Robert Southwell

“Temptation exercises our faith and teaches us to pray. It is like military drill and a taste of battle to the young soldier. It puts us under fire and compels us to exercise our weapons and prove their potency. It shows us the recourse of Christ and the preciousness of the promises of God. Every victory gives us new confidence in our victorious leader and new courage for the next onslaught of the foe.”  A. B. Simpson

“No joy can excel that of the soldier of Christ:  Jesus reveals Himself so graciously, and gives such sweet refreshment, that the warrior feels more calm and peace in his daily strife than others in their hours of rest.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“Hear the prayers of Your people as we call out to You. Give us self-control on those occasions when we're tempted to demoralize and put people down. Make us aware that a godly life preaches an unforgettable message to the unsaved. Help us remember that we're soldiers away from our home in heaven, living in a culture that's lost its way and is in desperate need of Jesus Christ. Keep us easy to live with, strong in faith, unbending in our convictions yet full of grace toward those who are bound by sin and captured by habits they cannot break. Enable us to shock this pagan culture with lives that are authentic, that stay balanced, that are still fun, and that ultimately glorify You, O God . . . just like Jesus did.”   Chuck Swindoll

“Strong faith enables the servants of God to look with calm contempt upon their most haughty foes.  We know that our enemies are attempting impossibilities…When the Lord arises, they shall fly as chaff before the wind, and be consumed as crackling thorns.  Their utter powerlessness to do damage to the cause of God and His truth may make the weakest soldiers in Zion’s ranks laugh them to scorn.  Above all, we know that the Most High is with us, and when He dresses Himself in arms, where are His enemies?  The kingdom is safe in the King’s hands.”  Charles H. Spurgeon

HEART SAVOR

• ·       Christians are marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion.  We are marching onward to Zion the beautiful City of God.
• ·       May those who come behind us find us faithful.  We are to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel and to leave the aroma of Christ in our circumstances rather than the stench of death.
• ·       Our times are in His hands.