Please pray for the families of IDF soldiers—especially the reservists who have left their homes and businesses behind to answer the call of their country—as they cope with incredible stress, worry, and fear. The government of Israel has issued a call up notice for 450,000 reservists, which is the largest one in Israel’s history.
Today I’m asking you to help a grieving nation that’s suffering from post-traumatic stress and going through an unspeakable financial crisis. So many of them have lost their homes, their furniture, their cars, everything in the world, including loved ones. I would like you to send an emergency gift today.
Please pray for the people of Israel who are living with an even higher level of danger and threat than usual. I don’t have a bomb shelter, and you probably don’t either. We don’t need them. But every Jewish person needs to know where the closest place is to take shelter in the event of an attack. The warning sirens go off over and over, forcing millions to flee to safety. It’s a sad part of daily life in Israel, and the Jewish people need our help right now.
Have you read about or heard of a story…regarding a tough situation,
where prayer turned things around with a kind of heavenly litigation?
It’s good to remember such times, of great breakthroughs coming about,
when believers joined their faith in prayer, effectively driving evil agendas out.
This can also be likened to a soldier in battle–weary from fighting hard,
when suddenly fresh troops come to his aid, to relieve him and stand guard.
It’s wise to make declarations of faith when traveling down a difficult way;
but often we need our family in Christ, to join together with us to pray.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19-20
“Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” Acts 12:5
“So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.” Acts 12:12 (and Peter escaped prison by an angel of the Lord, sent in answer to their prayers)
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–” Ephesians 6:17-18
“Be kindly affectionate to one another, with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:10-13
“When I cry out to you, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.” Psalm 56:9
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
You may want to review “The Four Miracles of Dunkirk” in this blog’s archives.
Please see today’s message on a great need for prayer in America, especially before this coming Saturday, at: http://www.givehim15.com
…today’s post, on tenacious persistence, can be read, along with that on the same Bible account at: http://www.givehim15.com
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While Jesus, His disciples, and a great multitude were going out of Jericho, a beggar was there sitting by the side of the road.
He was Bartimaeus; and though blind, his hearing was fine to have heard of how Jesus’ healing ministry had flowed.
So, when, that day, Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, Himself, who was passing by…
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” became his earnest and heartfelt cry.
Many, among the crowd, told him to be quiet, as if, for him, there could be nothing in store.
But his plea of “Son of David, have mercy on me!” he kept shouting out all the more.
So Jesus heard Bartimaeus, then stood still, and commanded that he be called.
The persistence and “prayer” of Bartimaeus had caused the pace of Jesus’ journey temporarily to be stalled.
Bartimaeus was now beckoned, instead, with words of encouragement, “Rise, be of good cheer; He is calling you.”
Throwing aside his garment, he got up and came to Jesus, who asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Victory was breaking through…
At that point, Bartimaeus said, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight!”
“Go your way, your faith has made you well,” Jesus said; and immediately his world turned from darkness to light.
Walls had fallen down at Jericho through faith in God in an earlier, historical Biblical story.
And a “wall” of blindness fell at Jericho for Bartimaeus, when by faith in God’s mercy, he saw the Lord’s glory.
The account closes with Bartimaeus following Jesus down that outer Jericho road…
He had been confident of mercy and grace through Jesus Christ—from whom God’s marvelous light had flowed….
and still does today!
P. A. Oltrogge
Based on the account from Mark 10…and referenced is the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho in Joshua 6)
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.” Hebrews 11:30 NKJV
“But you are a chosen generation, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 NKJV
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
Proverbs 4:20-22
…if still available, consider the article, “God picks YOU to be His healing agent” at: http://www.elijahlist.com
If something has occurred in your life that may not have been God’s perfect will, keep faith in His supernaturalpower to come to your aid still.
God’s plans for us are good–we can come boldly to His throne. When involved in something troubling, we’re never in it alone.
We’re living in an hour when His help is needed all the more. Believe that the Father of lights has your total wellbeing in store.
At those times when you’re tempted to have anxiety, worry, or doubt–believe, instead, for the good that God is bringing about.
To some, these thoughts might sound simplistic, but they’re based on words that are God’s. “…but with God, all things are possible.” He can help us, against all odds.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV
“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, oh Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” Psalm 138:8
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21
“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:17-18 KJV
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19 KJV
“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Psalm 56:3
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 and the entire Psalm
“Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling…” Psalm 91:9-10
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”…throughout Psalm 107
“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 7:17
Scriptures: NKJV or as noted
At his blog, you can read of salvations and wonderful miracles taking place presently at tent crusades conducted by Mario Murillo. His latest blog post tells of an upcoming crusade in Santa Barbara, CA. (Sometimes his website or blog do not connect from this blog, so it’s best to just find his site via an internet search.)
Jairus, a synagogue official, came earnestly looking for Jesus, and knelt at the Teacher’s feet. His daughter was at the point of death; and he knew it was Jesus whom he needed to entreat.
He begged, “Please come and lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” Jesus went off with Jairus–a great throng followed, for they knew He had so much to give.
On the way to Jairus’s home, a woman who needed healing, too, would draw from the Lord’s power first. She had suffered twelve years, and had sought help of many physicians, yet the condition was at its worst.
Having heard about Jesus, she thought of putting action to the faith that had risen inside her heart–that a mere touch to His garment would release enough power for the constant plague to depart.
She may have rehearsed in her mind what she intended to do, complete healing being her goal. But she also gave voice to the faith in her heart, “If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.”
She came up in the crowd; and upon touching His cloak, immediately sensed she was healed! Perceiving that His power had just gone forth, Jesus asked that the recipient be revealed.
The disciples were surprised that He would ask this, as so many were pressing in on Him all about. Jesus looked around to see the woman who had touched Him, who’d received by faith, without any doubt.
Fearing and trembling, she came and fell at His feet; and He listened to her story that she then told. He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace…” Her faith had been subtle, but yet it had been bold.
While He still spoke, some from Jairus’s house came, with news that cut to the heart’s core. With finality, they said to Jairus, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher any more?”
Jesus heard what they’d said, but turned to Jairus, with these calming words that assured: “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe,” which gave him hope that she still could be cured.
Only Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, were allowed to follow further to Jairus’s place. There, they found many people loudly weeping and wailing, because of his daughter’s case.
“Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died but is asleep,” Jesus declared. Then they laughed Him to scorn; but He sent them all out, knowing that her life was already spared.
He took along the child’s father and mother and His companions to enter where the child lay. Taking her by the hand, “Talitha, kum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” was all that He needed to say.
Immediately, Jairus’s daughter got up; and she began to walk, to the amazement of those in the room. This was another of the miracles of Jesus–where what spoke of death suddenly reversed to live and bloom!
The faith of a father acting on behalf of his daughter, or a daughter acting on her own–in either case, the compassion of God to answer is certainly emphatically shown.
Likewise, the miracle power of Jesus Christ is available for any of us today… Perhaps think of the stories of either of these daughters at those times when you have a need about which to pray.
P. A. Oltrogge
…a poetic telling of the account in Mark 5…
(“Talitha cumi” in the King James version)
“My son, give attention to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those that find them, And health to all their flesh.” Proverbs 4:20-22 NKJV
You can enter “101” in the search bar, above, to review “101 Things God Said About Healing”
“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 2 NASB
“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths, reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.” Acts 17:1-4
This Jesus… Who suffered and died and rose again from the dead– This Jesus is the Christ, the Chief Cornerstone and Head of His Church.
Through this Jesus… our lives can take on a whole new scope… The Father has provided us new birth into a living hope.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” 1 Peter 1:3 NIV
“Therefore, it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’” 1 Peter 2:6 NKJV (…from 1 Peter 2:4-10)
Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Ephesians 2:19
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The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. She is His new creation, by water and the word. From Heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride. With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
Hymn author: S. J. Stone
(Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25-26)
The above image of Jesus used by permission of artist, Bob Berran
Be a believer today… Don’t let negative thoughts get in the way.
Today, make sure you’re really being a believer… Correct any thoughts that lean towards agreeing with the deceiver.
All things are possible to him who believes… The one who believes is the one who receives!
Believe that God’s love for you is deep… Believe that His wonderful promises He’ll keep.
Be a believer today… Trust that He’ll answer (even if it takes a while) when you pray…
Be a believer today… Give the devil no place…rely on God’s amazing grace!
P. A. Oltrogge
“…do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” from Ephesians 4:26-27
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'” Mark 9:23
“So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.'” Mark 11:22-24
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:11-12
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him… Psalm 103:11 NIV
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:15-16 NRSV
“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the Lord– For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all.”
Jeremiah 31:12 NKJV
The above portion of scripture makes me think of time spent with Jesus, our Lord and King. Such time causes the soul to be as a garden– well-watered from His everlasting spring.
And gardens are always in need of guidance, or else, they will only run wild. Look to your life’s divine Gardener, trusting in Him, for you’re God’s beloved child.
P. A. Oltrogge
“…she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’
“Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).”
John 20:14-16 NASB
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 NIV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6
…from a Morning Glory to an Evening Primrose, God’s creativity and love of beauty shows…
P. A. Oltrogge
“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” Psalm 65:8 NIV
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night, That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
The Porch of the Lord 