2017 40 Days of Prayer, Day 28
The Abiding Presence of God:
A Life of Complete Dependence
Day 28
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
Intuitive Knowledge
“And we know that…” Paul assumed that all believers have a working, intuitive knowledge of the goodness and sovereignty of God. “Paul assumes they know this because they have come to know God in Christ and experienced the fullness of His grace in their lives.” (Moo, Romans, NICNT) We know that God causes “all things” to work toward a particular purpose. The “all things” includes trials, difficulties, sufferings, joys, celebrations, and on and on. Paul gives his definitive list of the “all things” in the verses that follow: famine, nakedness, peril, sword… Consider the final verses of this chapter, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our suffering in this world was Paul’s focus when it concerned the “all things” of Romans 8:28. This intuitive knowledge provides additional protection for our hearts in the midst of our difficulties. What we know about God, allows us to persevere when we face “all things.” We know that He constantly works toward a purpose. His purpose is the glory of His Son and the everlasting joy of His children. In order to bring that about, He is working toward the glorification of the children of God so that we will be able to glorify the Son and we will be able to experience the fullness of the joy of the Lord. We know God is at work in a particular group of people. The particular group that Paul had in mind is believers. Paul identified them as “those who love God” and “those called according to His purpose.” One of the distinctive marks of believers is a love for God. Believers love God while unbelievers live in a hostile relationship with God. Unbelievers are at war with God. They cannot glorify God because they have their backs turned to Him in rebellion. God’s ultimate purpose is His glory. Believers have been called into a relationship with God through faith in Christ. The purpose of this relationship is to glorifying God. This is the “good” of which Paul spoke. God works in our lives to bring about our greater good. Our greater good is to know, experience, and enjoy the glory of God forever. It is His purpose and the greatest thing that could happen to us. We see from this verse that believers in Jesus Christ can have confidence that God is at work in us. God works to bring about our greater good even in the midst of suffering. The greater good looks to the future experience of unending joy in the exalting of the Son of God forever.
Prayer Focus
Lord, I want to trust You in every circumstance. Help me to trust You to accomplish what You have promised. The events of this day are in Your hands. Take my day and establish Your glorious cause even in the mundane activities. Help me to live in absolute submission to You. Forgive me for the times I have not trusted You, especially when I faced trials. Protect my heart from bitterness, knowing that You are at work toward the goal of Your own glory. Now, Oh Lord, hear the prayers of Your people. We as a church want to experience the power of Your Holy Spirit. We long to be part of this divine plan of bringing You glory through the declaration of the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord.
DL Moody “Secret Power”
SPIRITS THAT PEEP AND MUTTER
There is another passage which reads, “And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”( Isaiah 8:19 KJV) If it was a message from God, do you think you would have to go into a dark room and put out all the lights? In secret my Master taught nothing. God is not in that movement, and what we want, as children of God, is to keep ourselves from this evil. Then notice the verse following, quoted so often out of context: “to the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”(Isaiah 8:20 KJV) Any man, any woman, who comes to us with any doctrine that is not according to the law and the testimony, let us understand that they are from the evil one, and that they are enemies of righteousness. They have no light in them.
Now, you will find these people who are consulting familiar spirits, first and last, attack the Word of God. They don’t believe it. Still a great many people say, you must hear both sides. But if a man should write me a most slanderous letter about my wife, I don’t think I would have to read it. I should tear it up and throw it to the winds. Do I read all the infidel books that are written, to hear both sides? Do I take up a book that is a slander on my Lord and Master, who has redeemed me with His blood? Ten thousand times No! I will not touch it.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1NKJV) That is pretty plain language, isn’t it? “Doctrines of demons.” There are other passages of Scripture warning against every delusion of Satan. Let us ever remember the Spirit has been sent into the world to guide us into all truth. We don’t want any other guide. He is enough. Some people say, “Is not conscience a safer guide than the Word and the Spirit?” No, it is not. Some people don’t seem to have any conscience, and don’t know what it means. Their education has a good deal to do with their conscience. There are persons who will say that their conscience did not tell them that they had done wrong until after the wrong was done. But what we want, is something to tell us a thing is wrong before we do it. Very often a man will go and commit some awful crime, and after it is done his conscience will wake up and lash and scourge him, and then it is too late, the act is done.