New Life Ministries of New Madrid, MO

Calling 911 . . . God! Someone needs help!

John 15:18-20 – “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (NIV)

Jesus understood what it was like to be rejected by the world. He knew what His disciples would face. That is why he prayed so earnestly for them. He interceded for them so that they would find strength to continue. Jesus, felt their pain. He feels our pain. He not only felt it but he DID something about it. He not only went away to send the comforter – the Holy Spirit to us, but while he was here on earth, he prayed for and interceded for us. He put himself in our place . . .

Can we say we do that? Or are we so caught up in our own drama we forget to pray for others? Honestly, do we even realize others have needs? Maybe we say an occasional prayer for someone who is sick or hurting but how many times do we stop in our tracks and really intercede or “standing in the gap” for them before our Father God.

Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Yes, the Word tells us to “put ourselves in their place”. Most of us are so self-absorbed we do not even think about what others go through much less place ourselves mentally or emotionally in their position. Still, the Bible says we should do exactly that. If we did, we would quickly realize our perspective has changed; therefore, our prayer intensity would change as well.

Naturally, we always cry out to God louder when we are the one in trouble but God wants us to cry out to Him for others equally as loud. Why? Because sometimes they are unable to do so for themselves. I know many times in my life I have been carried through by the prayer of intercessors (those standing in the gap spiritually on my behalf and for my situation) because I did not have strength or even the desire to do so for myself.

Think about it. . . Who calls 911 when someone is injured? The injured? Or someone else? Usually, it’s someone standing nearby that realizes help is needed. The one who is injured is often incapable of helping themselves . . . or calling out to someone who can.  

Walk in the Word of Hebrews 13:3 and treat others as if what is happening to them is happening to you or someone you love. Put yourself in their place. Get out of yourself for a moment and intercede – stand in the gap – call 911 to God for another . . . you never know when you may need someone to call out on your behalf.

(The following piece was buried deep in my files from years ago and was no doubt pulled from my bible at one point along the way. As I am evaluating my own spiritual life, I thought of others who might be doing the same and decided to share. I have submitted it word for word in order that it be kept exactly as authored. I have a deep respect for copyright issues and another’s personal work. There is no author or entity listed on the page and so I am presenting it “author unknown”. If after reading you recognize the work or can help me locate the original author, I welcome feedback either here or by email. Thanks and enjoy! –Angi Payne Sutton)

Overcoming Lack By Prophetic Decisions

The targeted audience: Anyone that has made lack their enemy and is willing to do whatever is necessary, within the boundaries of righteousness, to overcome it.

LACK: the fact or state of not having enough or not having anything.

Suggested areas of Lack:  salvation, health, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, relationships, marriage, finances

How to overcome lack by making prophetic decisions.

PROPHETIC DECISION: It is a decision made today based on plans that will affect our future.

How to make a prophetic decision.

• identify exactly what you want to become or accomplish
• write the goal in a goal book
• identify why you want to reach the goal
• identify the obstacles that you will have to overcome
• identify the people, groups, and organizations you will have to work with to reach your goal
• develop a plan of action based upon what you know that will take you to the desired goal
• assign a due date for completion
• be strong and very courageous and do it to the completion.

QUOTE: Man is designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness.

Question: Why do people not set goals? Answer: They have no vision.

Proverbs 29:18 TLB Where there is no vision, the people perish.

People will not set goals nor plan for a future that they cannot see, so they need to be convinced of the possibility of achievement according to what God has already prophesied about them. Gaining knowledge of the Bible promises will create a vision of the future that God has planned for His children. When vision has come, then faith has an achievable goal. Prophetic vision allows you to see beyond the present conditions and gives you hope for the future.

Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has a future and hope for us, but what is it? It is all that the Bible declares about us, but fear keeps us from planning for it.

Fear is the oppositie of God’s faith.

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real destroys faith as surely as cancer does the flesh. Fear that I cannot change to overcome the challenges is a definite obstacle to overcoming lack. This type of fear is not from God but from other sources.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Sound Mind (sophronismos) is a safe-thinking mind that denotes good judgment, disciplined thought patterns, and the ability to understand and make right decisions.

God has given us a safe mind, a mind that can be trusted if it is renewed and transformed and conformed to the written Word of God, the Bible.

1. A mind that can and does judge accurately between good and evil.
2. A mind that has been disciplined and focused on the desired goal.
3. A mind that understands the information it receives.
4. A mind that makes the right decisions that will enhance life in the future.

FAITH: Forward Advancement Initiated Through Him.

Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

Romans 12:3 . . . God has dealt to every man a measure of faith.

Luke 17:5 The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith when they were faced with what seemed to be an impossible request (repeated forgiveness for repeated offenses). Note: Ask Jesus to increase your faith to change.

Romans 4:17-21 Ask God to convince and fully persuade you out of His Word. Once you have been fully persuaded by Him, you are in the faith of God.

2 Corinthians 4:18 Faith does not look at the things that are seen because they can be changed, but faith is moved by what is written in the Bible, which does not change.

NOTE: Find the promises and the conditions you will have to meet to receive the promises, then develop a plan that will move you into the promises.

“If you read history you will find out that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.”

—C.S. Lewis