Pray For the Lost

# 57 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 2:3,4, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3,4) All that has been said about prayer thus far in Timothy is linked to God's desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. That truth can be summed up in Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Jesus ever lives to intercede on behalf of sinners as we read in Isa 53:12, “Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.” Even on the cross He prayed on behalf of sinners when He said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” As Jesus prayed for the lost, shall we His church, not also pray for them? Sometimes we struggle with the concept of praying the will of God. Well, the salvation of souls is a good place to start! Any and all things that would be helpful to leading souls to Christ is certainly worthy of prayer! How close is this to the heart of God? Listen! Eze 33:11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Yes, we may pray for other things as well, but let us never forget that God's bottom line is to “set the captives free,” and anyone who is not with Christ is captive to the evil one, so pray! Pray for the lost!

Three Words You Don't Want To Hear From God

# 207 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:10,11 “Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.” (1 Sam 15:10,11) Three words you don't want to hear from God, “I greatly regret,” The King James puts it this way, “It repenteth me that I have set Saul up to be king,” This same word is found in Ge 6:6 before God destroyed the earth with the flood. “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” The word means to sigh deeply. I think we've all heard that sigh at one time or another, it is usually associated with extreme disappointment over something we did or didn't do, and is a precursor of action that must be regrettably taken by someone in authority over us. This “repenting of God” is simply God's expression of the truth found in Eze 33:11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?' God was sighing over what He was going to have to do to Saul because of his continued disregard for God's commands. Samuel knew what that sigh meant and note his reaction. He stayed up all night grieving over Saul and no doubt interceding for him. We could learn from that. When we hear of someone who has rejected God or fallen into deep sin we are often quick to say something like, “they are going to hell and it serves them right.” Would it not be better to “sigh” with God and Samuel and get on your knees and pray for mercy? God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and neither should we.