“Jack, listen closely. Praying for God’s will to be done doesn’t mean asking Him to follow you and giving Him directions for what you think He should do. It means you seek out His will and follow Him to be His hands extended to others.
“You’ve asked God to come into your world and help you live in it, and you’ll be a shining light for Him. You need to turn 180 degrees and listen to Him say, ‘No, you come into My world, and I’ll show you how to live in it, and I’ll be a shining light for you.’
“There are things we know are in God’s will and things we don’t. Reading the Bible every day and praying continually are two examples of knowing God’s will. Likewise, praying for a family member’s or friend’s salvation are also in God’s will.
“What you don’t know is whether your brother-in-law getting what seems like the perfect job is in God’s will for him or not. You don’t know if praying for your best friend’s wife to be cured of cancer will be what’s best for her. It may be she’ll come to Christ because of her disease, and you’d be praying for her not to be saved. Do you see what I mean, Jack?”
From FINDING THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH, my soon-to-be-published book.
“That’s the way it needs to be with you, Jack. If you think you’re in charge of your life and all you need is for Jesus to help you every now and again, like a person you’ve hired part-time for the job, then you’ll fail over and over. In the end, you’ll be a hopeless drunk.” Those were strong words, but spoken in love. Jack winced at the words “hopeless drunk” but trusted Manny wouldn’t let him get to that point. He was half right. It was Jesus who wouldn’t let him get to that point, using Manny as His hands extended. Manny continued. “But if you apprentice yourself to Jesus and follow Him where He goes, you’ll be safe. In fact, that’s the safest place on earth for you. There will be storms and troubling times ahead, yet you’re safe if you stay by Him, if you let Him be before you, not alongside you. Jesus isn’t your buddy. He’s your Lord and Master.
From FINDING THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH, my upcoming novel
Have you recently suffered from spiritual warfare, physical decline, mental challenges, or financial hardships? David Wilkerson offers this perspective.
“God’s Spirit has led you into the wilderness. Let Him complete His work of building into you utter dependence and trust. You will come out with confidence—and you will have godly compassion and strength to help others.”
Salvation is so simple. God offers the free grace of His Son’s death on the cross, and all we need do is accept it. It’s sad so many people reject His gift. “No thank You, God,” the rejectors say. “I have to do it on my own. I have to earn my salvation. I’m going to do more good than bad. I’m going to go to church every Sunday. I’m going to tithe.” But you can’t earn grace. It’s a gift from God. That’s all there is to it.
From Finding the Safest Place on Earth, due to be published by September 1, 2023
Lord, I often find myself not taking time to spend with You because I’m so busy with personal and worldly affairs. I let things distract me from what is really important.
In order to grow closer to You on a daily basis, I need to avoid some of the distractions and entanglements of the world. I need to be less focused on the stresses and cares that come up over the course of each day because they distract me from Your will and purpose for my life.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise.
“My prayer for you, Jack, is that, through an ongoing communication with God, you’ll fall in love with Jesus. And you’ll see Him as the King in your life and relish His goodness, faithfulness, and wonderful direction for you. Then you’ll find strength and wisdom for every turn in your path throughout every day.
“When you become a man of prayer, your communication with the Lord will become your first instinct in every situation. I pray that, in time, it will never occur to you not to pray. Now do you understand what it means to pray continually?”
From Finding the Safest Place on Earth, my latest book.