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Spare Change - February 2023

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The Power of Prayer

One of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard on prayer is by Jim Cymbala called, “My House Shall Be Called A House of Prayer.”  This sermon reiterates for me an age old truth that is often ignored by modern Christians.  We need to be on our knees praying!  For all the “arranging” and “planning” we do in ministry, we miss the most powerful asset that we possess.  We simply are not doing enough praying.  There is real power in prayer. I encourage you to watch this sermon on YouTube or download it off of the web, but for now, here is Jim’s testimony to the power of prayer.  It is about his oldest daughter who was raised in the church but chose to leave behind her parents and her faith to live completely for the world.  I hope it encourages you to spend more time in prayer, even today, even right now!

On a February night in the prayer meeting…someone sent a note up to me. A woman, a young lady who is sensitive to the Lord, she sent a note up through the usher. She said, “I feel deeply
impressed that we should stop the prayer meeting and pray for your daughter.” I looked at the note. People were praying all around me. I looked at the note and said, "God, is this really you?" I don’t want to be the center of attraction. People have their own needs. But I felt impressed it was [God]. 
I stopped the prayer meeting after a little while and everybody gathered together in that room in that church and held hands—over a thousand people probably that night—and I called one of my associate pastors in the front, and he began to pray. All that I can tell you, I don’t know what your theology is, and it really doesn't matter. I'm just going to tell you what happened. You know where Paul said, “I travail like a mother giving birth till Christ be formed on you” (Galatians 4:19). 

Well, I told the people, "My daughter thinks up is down and down is up, and she thinks light is dark and dark is light, and unless God visits her and intervenes, my daughter is out there. Someone wants me to stop the meeting so you can pray. My associate is going to come, and he is going to pray." Suddenly, it turned into a labor room. You ever hear women when they are giving labor? It's not pleasant, but it has great results. They began to pray. I was overwhelmed by it. They went to the throne of grace like, “And now Satan, you will give up that girl.” And they prayed. I came home. My wife wasn't there that night, and over a cup of coffee I told her, “Carol, it’s over.” She said, “What's over.” I said, “It's over. If there is a God in heaven, what I
experienced tonight, it is over, finito.”

Just about a day later, I was shaving and my wife burst into the bathroom and said, “Chrissy is here.” Chrissy, I hadn't seen her in four months. I went down the steps, wiping off the shaving cream, and on the kitchen floor was my daughter on her knees. I walked into the kitchen. She grabbed at my pants leg, and she pulled it. She was weeping, and she said, “Daddy, I’ve sinned against God. I've sinned against myself. I've sinned against you and mommy. Daddy, forgive me for being rebellious, etc. Daddy, it's
different. But Daddy, who was praying for me? Who was praying Tuesday night for me?”

“What Chrissy, what happened?” And she said, “In the middle of the night, God woke me up and He showed me I was heading towards a chasm, and it had no bottom. But Daddy, even as He showed me that, He showed me how awful I was. He put His arms around me and showed me that He loved me, and He had a plan for my life. Daddy, I’ve made it right with God.” I could tell by her face that she was my daughter again, the one I had raised. Very soon, God opened the door, and for the next four years she
directed the music program at a Bible school. She married a man of God. They are both in the ministry today.

And God reminded me once again, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, because when you call, I will answer." And the hard cases that some of you are facing, I want to tell you now, it won't come from another seminar. Seminars have their limit. All they can do is be an arrow that gets you to the throne of grace. But when you get there, watch out because God can do
exceedingly
beyond what we ask of Him. I’m not being emotional. I'm not being simplistic. But we have too many technicians now invading the church that are into methodology. The answer is not in methodology; the answer is in the power of the Holy
Spirit. The answer is in the grace of God.

“Even those I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” Isaiah 56:7

Posted by Bryan Gotcher with

Spare Change - January 2023

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One thing I have learned is that change is inevitable.  There are some that welcome change and some that revile it, but one constant in life is change.  I have always been one that doesn’t want things to change.  I like the simple things in life, and I am fine if things stay just the way they are.  This has always been a challenge for me because as much as I try, life circumstances, people, the world, etc. are always changing.  Since change is unavoidable, how do I deal with it?  What can I do as a Christian to not only understand change but to leverage it for the glory of God? Here are 3 ways to deal with change:

The first thing we need to understand about change is everything changes, except for our Lord.  The Bible is replete with passages about the unchanging character (i.e. Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6, Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 40:8, Psalm 119:89, Psalm 102:27) of God.  This is very comforting in a world that is always changing.  We can always count on the Lord to be the same today as He was a thousand years ago.  This is important because it means we can trust the Lord.  We can also trust the promises that He made in the scriptures.  The unchanging nature of God is a distinct characteristic that should fill us with hope.  We can always count on our Lord, today and every day in the future.

2. Change gives us hope.  As much as I don’t like change, I realize that I am a product of change.  When I became a Christian, I was transformed and I have been on a trajectory of transformation ever since.  Change, or as it is also known - sanctification, is a reality for all believers.  We should relish the fact that we are not the person we used to be.  We should be thankful that the Lord works in our heart to make us more like Him.  In this way, change is good.  Change gives us hope.  We don’t have to remain stuck in our sin and disobedience.  God will help us to move out of it for His glory.  The main driver for this is still the basics of the faith.  The Word of God is the catalyst for change in our lives.  If you really desire to change, you must dive into God’s Word.  Embrace the fact that you are God’s ongoing masterpiece, and He will do an amazing work in your life.

3. Change is coming, so be ready.  You have one advantage in dealing with change: you know it is coming.  If you know something is coming then you can be ready for it.  You can’t ever be completely ready because you don’t know the specific things that will happen, however, there are some general principles that we can apply to be ready for any situation as a believer.  Peter shares this truth in 1 Peter 1:13-16:

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

How do we prepare for any challenge in life?  Set our focus on Jesus, live for Him instead of ourselves, and pursue holiness.  When we live this passage out in our lives then we can overcome any changes that come our way.

We can’t stop the world from changing, but we can rest in the fact that the unchanging Lord of Creation is sovereign over everything.  We can also look to Him to help us grow and change to be more like Him; in this way we can be prepared for whatever comes our way.  Change is inevitable, but that shouldn’t scare us. Rather, we should embrace it and be ready for the challenge.

Posted by Bryan Gotcher with

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