God wants you to help other people walk out their faith!

1/25/2018

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. James 5:16 NKJV

The context of this portion of scripture is meeting specific needs. It is not the power of prayer although prayer is mentioned seven times in James 5:13-17. Anyone who is suffering should pray. Anyone who is sick should be anointed with oil and prayed over.

Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours. God told him to pray for the rain to stop. It did not rain for three years and six months. The Lord sent Elijah to pray when He was ready to send rain. Elijah obeyed. It rained.

Elijah prayed according to God’s will. The Lord answered. God answers when we pray according to His will. There are times when God will not act until we pray. Why did God wait until Elijah prayed before He did what He already determined to do?

God sent Elijah to pray publicly so there would be no doubt He was withholding the rain. He wanted to show Israel He is God of the heavens above and the Earth below. The Lord wanted to show Israel He answered when they prayed according to His will.

The Lord created us to live in interdependent relationships. God did not send an angel to declare it would not rain. He sent a man to speak to other men. He wants us to make our needs known so we can lift each other up in prayer.

God does not need us to confess our sins to each other so He can forgive them. He does not need us to turn to each other so He can bring healing and restoration into our lives. He knows everything we have done. Nothing is kept secret from Him.

God tells us to confess our sins and make our needs known so we can help each other. When we pray for someone who is caught in sin we are praying according to God’s will.

God wants to set people free from bondage. He wants us to hold each other up in prayer. He wants to use us to meet each other’s needs.

God wants us to help each other walk out our faith. A person who is struggling with sin cannot confess if no one is willing to listen. A person who sits in self righteous judgment cannot pray the effective fervent prayer of righteousness.

We all struggle with sin. Saying we have no sin is the same as calling God a liar!

Sometimes we just need someone to be open and honest with. We need people who care to pray for us!

Love Jesus with all of your heart mind soul and strength. Demonstrate your love for Jesus by loving people!

Push every hindrance aside. Pray effectively and fervently for the people you love. Your faith in Jesus makes you righteous in God’s eyes!

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Louie Garcia

Joyfor2day daily devotional goes out over the internet to thousands of people all over the world five days a week

Jesus can use you to shake the foundations of the prison and set people free!

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out that very hour. Acts 16:16-18 NKJV

The slave girl was speaking the truth. She was possessed by an evil spirit. The evil spirit was drawing people away from Christ!

This attack came as God’s servants went to prayer. The enemy of our souls attacks when we step out in faith. Satan seeks to distract us. He wants us to focus our attention on things other than Jesus.

The devil perverts the truth. He uses it against us. No one can serve two masters. This girl was speaking the truth about Paul and his companions while practicing witchcraft. When people claim to speak for God we must consider how they live.

The girl followed the disciples for several days before they cast the demon out of her. It is important for us to wait on the Lord before stepping out in faith. The bible tells us Paul was greatly annoyed by this girl. Paul was not fearful. The Lord was with Him!

Paul and Silas were put in jail. The owners of the slave girl were angry at the loss of income when the demon was cast out of her. While Paul and Silas were in jail they shared the gospel with the jailer. His entire household was saved.

God uses Satan’s attacks for His glory and our salvation!

Satan is a real being. He takes people captive to do his will. There really are demons who seek to destroy God’s people and bring destruction to our world.

We have nothing to fear from the devil or his demons when we live according to God’s will. We have nothing to fear from anyone or anything when we step out in faith to serve Jesus!

Jesus wants us to fear Him and Him alone. He wants us to know His power and authority are unequaled in all of creation.

God wants you share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people in your life. Jesus wants you to walk in great boldness because He is with you everywhere you go!

Jesus can use you to shake the foundations of the prison and set people free!

God wants you to help other people walk out their faith!

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Louie Garcia

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