This morning during your morning prayers ... did your prayers feel like they were going somewhere or more like nowhere?

Ever feel like your praying the same ol prayers so much that you are getting bored with them?

If your bored ...
Ever wonder, if God is bored with your prayers?

You do have mornings prayer don't you? ... Evening prayers?
Ummmmm.

So ... whenever you do pray, are you praying what you think "you" need to be praying?

Or are you praying for what God wants you to pray for?

Is it your prayer list, or His? Something to consider.

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

It's a rough ride sometimes. Jesus never said it wouldn't be. In fact, He knew exactly what He was sending us into.

See. Presenting the gospel to a lost and dying world can be downright hazardous to one's health. There are some people who don't want to listen.

However, the only other alternative ... is to not do what Jesus has commissioned us to do. And that's not much of an alternative at all.

Finally ...
Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

It doesn't take much to spread the pure gospel of Jesus Christ.

We would never know that by some of todays standards. There are Lots expensive ways to get the gospel out to people, you can buy them books, tapes, entire tape series, there is television and radio airtime, and lots innovative ways. Some of them are even effective, from time to time.

However, sometimes we get wrapped up in getting someone else to do our evangelizing for us, or feeling that we first have to be better educated before we are able to share with others.

Nothing is farther from the truth. In fact I met a man several years ago, that started witnessing after being a Christian three weeks and knew only one verse. John 3:16

The fact is, Jesus saw it as a basically simple endeavor
.
Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

In other words ...
Leave your money home, as you don't have to travel far to share the gospel. Some of us only have to walk next door. Don't take a spare pair of shoes, you won't have to walk very far before you run into someone who needs to hear about Lord.

Do not greet anyone on the road.
Don't get sidetracked along the way. You might be there to pick up milk and bread, but that's not the mission, that's the excuse to be there. Maybe it's a doctors appointment, or your trying to drop of your car at the repair shop. But that is not the misssion. The misssion is to shine the light on Jesus Christ. You don't have to beat them up, just shine the light. That is the mission.

Travel light and don't let anything interfere with the task at hand!

There is also a shortage of workers to go out and reap and gather the harvest. This is due to a lot of reasons. Some are ignorant, they just don't know that Jesus wants us to do this. Some are just plain lazy or some, know, and they are not lazy, they are just disobedient.

This is why Jesus Himself has called us to prayer. He knows all the excuses, and He knows how many are desperately in need of salvation. He calls us to pray to the Lord of the harvest, which is His Father in heaven, that He would send forth those needed to gather in the harvest of souls.

See here is how it works, In order to not be quilty of being ignorant, lazy, or disobedient, we can pray. We can pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He send workers.

So, pray that God will work in the hearts of all the Christians and give them a desire to get with the program. Now if every body is praying for everybody to get it together and get with God's program. Then everybody else is praying for you to get it together with God's program.

Now I'm not making this up. I didn't write the book. This is how it works.

Jesus told them,

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

The harvest Jesus is speaking about here is not corn, wheat, sugar beets, or turnips. The harvest He is talking about is one of people. Eternal souls.

There are lots and lots of people who have never heard the gospel, or made a commitment to Christ. Oh, they have heard about God or even about Jesus. I have a good friend who has shared many times that in growing up in a major denomination, he heard all the stories, but not once did anybody ever ask him to commit his life to christ.

Sometimes it works like this ...
I'm walking down the street and I pass a house where an elderly women is having trouble bending over to get the weeds out of her flower gardens. So I jump over her little picket fence and pull the weeds for her. While I'm there, I mow the grass, trim the edge and water the flowers too. As I jump over the fence to leave, she says something like, "Thank you so much, I really appreciate this.: And I say " Your welcome it is my pleasure".

I just sinned ...
I just stole God's light and God's glory.

Shine the light on Him. That is the mission.

See I know me. If left to my own devices and I say, "your welcome it's my pleasure." that makes me look good. Kind of like if someone says "And I give all the glory to God" enough times it makes them look Godly and humble. And steals God's glory. Because it shines the light on the person, not God.

Maybe I should say something like ... "I helped you with your garden, because God loves you.

See I know He spent a lot of time and energy over the years to make me who I am and get me here today, so that I could help you because He wants you to know just how much He loves you.

Without God's Spirit working in me. I don't help anybody do anything. So I know it's because He loves you."

Going before the Lord,
because it is His will for you.

There is a passage of scripture ... In the bible ... I'm not kidding

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. Luke 10:1-4

Wow! there is an awful lot going on there. Let's take it a little bit at a time.

It starts out ...
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go.

Did you get that?
We have a solemn appointment. Jesus Himself has appointed us to go before Him.

*Where ever you were yesterday, that is where He wants to go next.*

He has operated this way from the time John the Baptist went before, making straight the paths of the Lord, through the time He appointed the disciples to go before Him into every city He would visit.

It says ...
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Where you went, is where He is going. Now why do you suppose He sent you there first?

It was to shine the light on Him. Now It says that He sent you there. The question is ...
did you do what you were supposed to do when you got there?

Dear Christians, I cannot speak strongly enough on this issue. It is imperative, perhaps more now today than ever before, that we realize once again that we are going before the Lord.

It's important because He is once again planning to visit the places we go to. Every city, every town, every store, every person, every hamlet and village in the world will see Him again, very soon.

Jesus is coming again. We are to go forth before Him and prepare the world to receive Him. That means to shine the light on Him.

I have no heaven to put you in and no hell to keep you out of. So, I shine the light on Him

The problem with quoting Jesus is that He is such a spiritual heavy weight. I can't measure up.
Same problem with Peter and Paul. You know they were Apostles and all. The simple but effective prayers of George Mueller would blow your mind. Such a powerful man of the ministry.

But I came across the prayer of a man who was not an evangelist. Not a revivalist. Not so called, even in the ministry. He spent most of his life doing and accomplishing worldly things. He wasn't famous for writing Godly books, or hymns or going on missions. Wasn't even a preacher.

Just a man. A soldier, fought in a couple of wars. Became a statesman, a politician. Helped start a nation, form a government, became president.

If ever someone had reason to have a large prayer list. It was George Washington. Can you imagine his prayer list?

" O' God help me overcome and defeat the best equipped and most well trained military in the world". As he prayed for the continental congress, because he needed their support and their success. Can you just see his list of names?

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry. All He did with his prayers was win the war, become president and helped change the course of modern history.

But before he started on his list, each day he had a daily prayer he prayed first. It was a kind of list. In his own handwriting from his personal journal.

Daily He prayed,
"Almighty God...
I yield to you humble and hearty thanks that you have preserved me from the danger of the night past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated to your own service and for your own honor.

Let my heart, therefore, Gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do my own works, but wait on you, and discharge those weighty duties that you require of me.

Give me grace to hear you calling on me in your Word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it.

Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God and guide this day and for ever for His sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."
--From the Prayer Journal of George Washington

All He did with his prayers was win the war, become president and helped change the course of modern history. Consider what your prayers are accomplishing and how much time you spend praying His list before you start yours. How much time you spend seeking first the kingdom of God rather then yours.

I believe a lot of the trouble is the type of self centered prayers that we tend to pray in today's Christianity.

First, way to many don't hardly take the time to acknowledge God in their daily lives.
Second, way to many of us have a prayer lists that consist of what we want, or think we need. Lists that consist of what we think others want or need. Either because they requested the prayers or maybe we just decided for them what they needed.

Its a small wonder that when it comes to selling Jesus Christ, we just don't seem to have much punch in what we say.

I'd like to share something that God has taught me. Perhaps it can make a difference in your life too. It's a type of prayer list.

Consider the Lord's prayer, Our Father who is in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Do we understand what we just prayed for?

See it's good to recite our prayers, especially this one. But we need to be in touch with the fact that this is God's prayer list. We have just prayed for something. His name to be hallowed. That's first on His list and should be first on mine.

To hold in glorious reverence, to magnify, to glorify, to worship and stand in absolute awe of the very name of God. That His name should be exalted throughout all the world.

Starting with my world. How many pray for that, outside of reciting the Lords prayer?

Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Can I give you another way to pray that? I mean say that.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matt 6:33

What things? All the things you have been praying for without this part in your prayer.
See ... Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What are you praying for now? That His dreams, His aspirations, His desires, ... His list would be done. Not yours ... His.

Before you pray for your list or anybody else's, Pray for His. All the other things will be given to you as well.

But first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. First pray for His list. That is how you get the other things you have prayed about. Anyway that is what Jesus said.

Brother Lee

http://www,ThoughtsFromGod.com

Because I know Jesus ...
I believe in prayer, healing, and faith, love, and hope. Always hope. I believe in Healing of the mind, healing of the heart, and healing of the body.

I am saved, delivered, and totally healed from the ailments of this world.
Because of Jesus in my life,
My yesterday is forgiven; My today is full of hope; and my future is absolutely sure and forever.

That is the Stuff people need to start with, concerning Jesus..
When you talk about Jesus, don't talk about His majesty, talk about the lepers, drunks prostitutes. Instead tell how He told em to stop sinning, but loved and accepted em. Never condemned any one except the Pharisee
Brother Lee

http://www.ThoughtsFromGod.com