THE POWER OF PRAYER, PRAISE AND WORSHIP

BARBARA E. PERKINS

THE POWER OF PRAYER, PRAISE AND WORSHIP

There is a beautiful narrative in the word of God from the book of 2 Chronicle Chapter 20. This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible on the power of prayer, praise and worship, as well as leaning totally in faith upon Almighty God. This is the answer to what do you do, when you don’t know what to do? It is also the answer to how do we develop I closer relationship with the LORD? In this chapter Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, was no match for the powerful enemy army that confronted him. In the midst of tremendous fear, Jehoshaphat sought the LORD GOD (as a vital need) and declared a fast in all of Judah. He fervently prayed God’s word, reminding the LORD GOD of all of the promises He had made to the descendants of Abraham forever. Jehoshaphat prayed, O LORD, You promised that if evil would come upon us, “You will hear and save.” God’s answer to Jehoshaphat came through the prophet, Jahaziel, saying, “Don’t be afraid or dismayed for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” Even better, God said, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.” Then some of the leaders stood up to praise the LORD with a very loud voice. Hallelujah!!! God gave Jehoshaphat battle orders which included having the praise and worship leaders leading his army in their holy garments. As they praised the LORD, giving thanks, He set up ambushments against their enemies causing the enemy to slaughter each other. Jehoshaphat and his army did not have to fight, but they collected the spoils for three days. LORD, thank You for giving us this wonderful example of the power of prayer, praise, worship, and totally trusting You. Thank You for always making a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). All glory to You, Almighty God! Praise Your holy name!

BY THEE I HAVE STRENGTH TO RUN

BARBARA E. PERKINS

BY THEE I HAVE STRENGTH TO RUN

The word of God says in Psalm 18:28-32 (NKJV), 28 “For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. 29 For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. 30 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 31 For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? 32 It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.” Oh, how I love these Scriptures, especially when I find myself rejoicing because the LORD my GOD has brought me through another challenging situation. I am quick to say to the LORD, “By Thee I have run through a troop, by my God I have leaped over a wall (of adversity).” Thank You, LORD, for all of the challenges you have brought my Family and me through. Thank You, LORD, for enlightening our darkness with Your wisdom and strength. There are usually several options to a problem, but Your way, LORD GOD, is always the perfect way because Your way is proven (tried and true). Thank You, LORD, for all the victories we have won. What a wonderful blessing to trust You, my Awesome LORD!

A TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT

BARBARA E. PERKINS

A TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT

God’s word in Luke 6:43-45 (NKJV) declares, 43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” What kind of fruit are we bearing in our lives? Is the LORD pleased with the fruit that we are bearing in our lives? Does our fruit point others to the LORD? Or, does our fruit even verify that we know the LORD and belong to the Him? There is another well-known Scripture that confirms the idea of having GOOD FRUIT (actually the Holy Spirit guiding us) in our lives and this fruit is found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” This fruit is well-known and yet is so often overlooked by many. We are known by our fruit—the fruit of the Holy Spirit!!! Heavenly Father, I want to be known by bearing good fruit. I want my fruit to confirm that I am born again—that You are living on the inside of me directing my actions and my lifestyle. I want to be known by the fruit of the Holy Spirit that indicates I am Yours, LORD. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your loving kindness and Your tender mercies for always giving me another chance to get my life in line with Your word. What an AWESOME God I serve!!!

PEOPLE, RUN TO GOD’S SECRET PLACE!

BARBARA E. PERKINS

PEOPLE, RUN TO GOD’S SECRET PLACE!

In Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV), the word of God says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’ ” People, I have found there is safety in God’s Secret place. There is comfort in God’s secret Place. There is peace and happiness in God’s in Secret Place. But, the only way we can get to God’s Secret Place is through Jesus Christ, God’s Son. In the Gospel of John 14:6 Jesus emphatically proclaimed, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” I believe this and I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. By accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we have access to the Father and we can run into God, the Father’s, Secret Place of protection. God loves us and He is constantly reaching out His loving arms to meet us there—in His Secret Place. Praise God, my Heavenly Father for His awesome love! And I Praise Jesus Christ for the great sacrifice He made for me and humanity. Hallelujah!!!