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A Christmas prayer for you
My prayer for you this Christmas is that you love Christ Jesus fully more than ever before. May your family and friends come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior as they believe in the Gospel. May your words and actions bring honor to the Lord God in season and out of season as you speak the Word of God always. I pray that the Holy Spirit brings you peace, hope, and joy as you make room for Jesus in your heart.
Don’t ever stop praying for those hardened hearts…
Don’t ever stop praying for those hardened hearts because you never know, they too could have a Paul Encounter.
The Holy Word of God speaks the following about those with hardened hearts:
- Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. (Proverbs 28:13-14)
- Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ (Matthew 13:14-15)
- As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15)
O friends of God, do not grow weary of praying for sinners, especially hardened sinners. For the Lord God can transform the hearts of stone into hearts of flesh as mentioned in His Holy Word:
- And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. (Jeremiah 24:7)
- And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)
Pray for each person you can think of who is in need of repentance, and pray for that person in faith. We are not forcing people to change but simply praying to the Lord God to transform them from darkness to light and from sin to holiness. And yes, if they wish to follow the Lord God, that they be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to continue in the way of the Lord no matter what the world says.
Also, while you pray for the worst of sinners, don’t forget to pray for each other, for the devil seeks to devour who ever he can
- Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13)
- Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
Remember our responsibility is to pray and to preach the Gospel to everyone and then let Jesus take over the situation. Do it by the way of the Lord instead of the way of man and see the difference.
Keep in mind that if any sinner listens to the Word of God and repents there will be much joy in heaven as mentioned by Jesus in the Parable of the Lost Sheep mentioned below:
So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:3-7)
Christ be with you as you pray for hardened sinners!
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2)
Be bold enough to preach the Gospel. Be always ready everytime to preach the Gospel.
You will have to reprove sometimes. You’ll have to do some rebuking. And yes of course exorting. All of this to preach the Gospel while being patient and willing to teach.
Christ be with you as you preach the Gospel!
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)
The grace of God has made available salvation for all people of all nations if they repent and believe in the Gospel. If were open to God’s grace, it’ll train us. This training is good, because we need to accept what is holy and reject the evil, in our thoughts, words and deeds.
Being self-controlled is a sign of wisdom when you life a that is both godly and upright. Be of good hope dear believer in Jesus Christ for the glory of God will appear when Jesus returns.
Never forget the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who loves us. Because of this we redeemed from our sinful nature and are being sanctified. So that we by our faith live a life that gives glory to God by our good deeds, which the Lord God has called us to do.
Jesus Saves Sinners
All creation since Adam’s fall has been groaning,
But man by himself couldn’t do the atoning.
Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son,
Against sin, hell and death he has won.
Christ died on cross to save sinners,
That by believing in him they be winners.
Those who truly crucify the flesh,
Can live holy, free and afresh.
Jesus saves sinners both big and small,
If they confess their sin when they fall.
He forgives their sins if they repent,
From a sinful life which they have spent.
Know that terrible is the punishment for the unjust,
Hell and suffering eternal after turning to dust.
So call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved,
Lest you be unrepentant and enslaved.
Use your blessings for the Lord
Use your blessings for the Lord,
Be in sync with God’s plan in accord.
For such blessings are not for insanity,
So rid yourself of selfishness and vanity.
Use your blessings for God’s holy name,
So that his love to all you truly proclaim.
Your talents, your wealth, your security, your time,
Are loaned to you to preach the Gospel Divine.
Be not like Gehazi who carried out a conspiracy,
Seeking unlawful gain that he got cursed with leprosy.
His master Elisha was told of his sin,
In Spirit before he got back to him therein.
For eyes of God roam the whole earth,
To show His strength to those who act with true worth.
So live your life with obedience to his commands,
For God’s grace and mercy have only just demands.
Don’t give your offerings to heretics
Some people unfortunately love to be generous to the wrong persons and end up suffering for it. Keeping in context with what I want to say, I mean they give their offerings to heretics but cry when they don’t see good days and times in their life. They are upset when the preacher who committed just a little heresy now is even more blasphemous towards God, that it no longer can be ignored.
Others are mistaken that just because the preacher or ministry belongs to their own denomination, they are not supposed to discern the words and works done by them. Such a stance is not consistent with what Lord God has given for those who believe in Jesus Christ and must be repented of with immediate effect
It is written in 1 John 4:1-3 that: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
Jude 1:3-4 very clearly says : 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
If you sow good seed expect good fruit, but if sow bad seed expect bad fruit. Never be surprised that after sowing bad seed you never see good fruit emerge from it. In a similar way if you put your offerings those who actually preach the Word of God without any deception, you can be sure of good fruit in this life and the one that is to come. Besides, no matter how good you feel about any heretic, never give your offerings to them, lest you end up eating their bad fruit in this life and at Final Judgement.
Ephesians 6:6-14 says: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
O people of the faith always keep in the mind what Jesus Christ in Luke 6:38 says “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
No doubt we are to support the preaching of Gospel of Jesus Christ, in both word and deed. Pray for the Gospel to reach the ends of the earth. Pray for those who are preaching the Gospel in true holiness. And yes support them financially as how God leads you to. But at the end of the day do keep it mind, be generous for the work of God but never ever for the work of heretics. Because just like those who will be rewarded for giving unto the Kingdom of God, so also those who support deceivers and liars will receive their due reward in the form of judgement sometimes in this world but always for sure in the world that is to come
Further reading:
- 8 Symptoms of False Doctrine (disciplesofhope.wordpress.com)
- Never trust your Church elders more than God (disciplesofhope.wordpress.com)
- Effects and dangers of preaching an incomplete Gospel (disciplesofhope.wordpress.com)
Be On Guard Against False Doctrine
Let us be on our guard against false doctrine. Unsound faith will never be the mother of really sound practice, and in these latter days, departures from the faith abound. See then that your loins be girded about with truth, and be very jealous of receiving anything which cannot be proved by the Bible.
Do not think for a moment that false doctrine will meet you face to face, saying, “I am false doctrine, and I want to come into your heart.” Satan does not go to work in that way. He dresses up false doctrine like Jezebel — he paints her face and attires her hair, and tries to make her like truth. Do not think that those who preach error will never preach anything that is true. Error would do little harm if that was the case. No! Error will come before you mingled with much that is sound and scriptural.
~ J.C. Ryle
Prayers leading to Christmas – 23
O Lord Jesus, help me to keep waiting for your return with expectation and purity. The prophets and saints of old, waited for your first coming and were not disappointed, for they are comforted in your presence in heaven. Give me hope and joy, as I ponder on your second coming. Keep the faith in me ever glowing, for glory of God our Father. By your Holy Spirit counsel me that I remember your Gospel each and everyday of my life. Give me the grace to be unblemished by the cares, pleasures and allure of this world, so that I’m truly ready to receive you. I ask this in your Holy Name. Amen.
Prayers leading to Christmas – 19
O Lord Jesus, there are many in this world who have still not heard of you. While we celebrate your birth, we pray for the lost and the unsaved. We ask that we are able to preach to all nations. Let all resources and graces be available for your Church, to reach out to them. Cause the people of the Church to remember again and again, that there are still lost sheep who need to be with their One true Shepherd. Awaken all my Christian brothers and sisters to preach your Gospel to everyone whom you lead them to by your Holy Spirit. Help us to reconcile all men, women and children to our Father the Lord God in heaven. I ask this in your Holy Name. Amen.
Disciples of hope 