Tag Archives: ephesians 3 20

Uncategorized

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – More Than We Could Hope For

Leave a comment

 

“Now glory be to God who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (Ephesians 3:20).

Few verses describe the supernatural life better than does this powerful promise. On hundreds, if not thousands, of occasions I have meditated upon this truth and have been inspired to claim increasingly great and mighty things for the glory of God because of the inspiration contained in this Word. Think of it, the omnipotent Creator, God who created the heavens and the earth and the vastness of all the hundreds of millions of galaxies, has come to take up residence within us! Our bodies have become His temple. That omnipotnet, divine, supernatural, inexhaustible resource power dwells within every believer.

How much power? Far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of! Let your mind race, your prayers be without limit, and yet, whatever you believe, whatever you think, whatever you pray for, God’s power is infinitely beyond it all.

I have come to the conclusion, after many years of serving our wonderful Lord, that there is nothing too big for us to attempt for the glory of God. If our hearts and motives are pure, if what we do is according to the Word of God, He hears, and is able to do more than we ask or even think.

For example, is it God’s will that the Great Commission be fulfilled? Of course. It is His command. We read further in 2 Peter 3:9 that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and has, according to verse 15 of this chapter, delayed His return in order that more people might have a chance to hear.

Let your mind soar over the vastness of the earth, where there is a continuous population explosion, and each generation is faced with another billion or more souls to pray for. I challenge you to believe God for the entire world to be blanketed with His love and forgiveness.

I am presently praying for a billion souls to come to Christ before A.D. 2000, and on the basis of what we are now seeing, God is putting His plan together through many members of the Body of Christ cooperating under many umbrellas, including Here’s Life, World Changers, to see that prayer fulfilled.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:13-19

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Today I will let my mind soar and my prayers expand. I will ask the Holy Spirit to give me the faith to comprehend the magnitude of God’s purpose in my life and never be satisfied with anything less than the reality of this great promise, Ephesians 3:20, in my life.

Uncategorized

John MacArthur – Overcoming Pessimism

1 Comment

 

The twelve apostles included “Philip” (Matt. 10:3).

It’s been said that an optimist sees a glass half full; a pessimist sees it half empty. An optimist sees opportunities; a pessimist sees obstacles. In one sense Philip was an optimist. He recognized Jesus as the Messiah and immediately saw an opportunity to share his discovery with Nathanael. In another sense, Philip was a pessimist because on occasions he failed to see what Christ could accomplish despite the apparent obstacles.

On one such occasion Jesus had just finished teaching and healing a crowd of thousands of people. Night was falling and the people were beginning to get hungry. Apparently Philip was responsible for the food, so Jesus asked him, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:5). Philip said, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little” (v. 7). In other words, “We don’t have enough resources in our whole savings account to buy enough food for a group this size!” Philip’s calculating, pragmatic, pessimistic mind could reach only one conclusion: this is an utter impossibility.

Jesus knew all along how He was going to solve the problem, but He wanted to test Philip’s faith (v. 6). Philip should have passed the test because he had already seen Jesus create wine from water at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). Despite Philip’s failure, Jesus didn’t give up on him. Instead, from five barley loaves and two fish He created enough food to feed the entire crowd, thus replacing Philip’s pessimism with a reaffirmation of divine sufficiency.

There’s a little of Philip in each of us. We’ve experienced God’s saving power and have seen Him answer prayer, yet there are times when we let pessimism rob us of the joy of seeing Him work through obstacles in our lives. Don’t let that happen to you. Keep your eyes on Christ and trust in His sufficiency. He will never fail you!

Suggestions for Prayer:

Memorize Ephesians 3:20-21. Recite it often as a hymn of praise and an affirmation of your faith in God.

For Further Study:

Read Numbers 13 and 14.

What kind of report did the pessimistic spies bring back from the Promised Land?

How did the people react to their report?

How did God react to their report?

Uncategorized

Presidential Prayer Team; C.H. – More Than Shoes

Leave a comment

 

When Francisco came to know Christ, he left home to study. From a farming family, Francisco was very poor. When asked to share his testimony, he looked down at the toes poking through his shoes and prayed, “Lord, how could I preach in these shoes?” Not wanting to dishonor God, he prayed all night for shoes. Before the week’s end, Francisco had not one…but three pairs of shoes!

Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

God is more than shoes. He is capable of meeting your every need. Today’s verse reminds you He can do more than you can imagine. In Acts 3, a lame beggar asks Peter and John for money as they enter the temple. Peter told him, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6) The beggar asked for money, but received a miracle.

The Lord can do more than you can conceive, too. In what areas do you need Him to do abundantly more? Ask God to open your eyes to how He is capable of anything. Then pray for God to do move abundantly and beyond your expectations in the lives of the president and his cabinet members.

Recommended Reading: Acts 3:1-10

Uncategorized

Joyce Meyer – Don’t “Just” Pray

Leave a comment

 

Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse…and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. —Malachi 3:10

One of the prayers I hear people pray often, and have prayed many times myself, is what I call a “just” prayer, which sounds something like this: “Now Lord, we just thank You for this food,” “God, we just ask You to protect us,” “Father, we just come to You tonight…” “Oh, God, if You would just help us in this situation we would be so thankful…” Do you see what I mean? We sound as if we are afraid to ask God for very much.

The word just can mean “righteous” or “fair,” but it can also mean “barely enough to get by” or “by a narrow margin.” God wants to give us exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that we can dare to hope, ask, or think (see Ephesians 3:20). He wants to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings, so why should we approach Him asking for barely enough to get by on? Why should we approach God as if we are afraid to ask for too much? When we approach Him that way, it seems as if we do not believe He is generous and good. We must realize that He is not a God who gives “just” enough to barely get by, but He desires to bless us abundantly, as the verse for today promises.

God does not want to hear fearful, insecure “just” prayers. He wants to hear bold, confident, faith-filled prayers prayed by people who are secure in their friendship with Him.

God’s word for you today: When it comes to prayer, “just” just isn’t enough.