Invitation to Pray-Faiths Checkbook by C.H. Spurgeon

Faiths Checkbook by C.H. Spurgeon



God encourages us to pray. They tell us that prayer is a pious exercise which has no influence except upon the mind engaged in it. We know better. Our experience gives the lie a thousand times over to this infidel assertion. Here Jehovah, the living God, distinctly promises to answer the prayer of His servant. Let us call upon Him again and admit no doubt upon the question of His hearing us and answering us. He that made the ear, shall He not hear? He that gave parents a love to their children, will He not listen to the cries of His own sons and daughters!
God will answer His pleading people in their anguish. He has wonders in store for them. What they have never seen, heard of, or dreamed of, He will do for them. He will invent new blessings if needful. He will ransack sea and land to feed them: He will send every angel out of heaven to succor them if their distress requires it. He will astound us with His grace and make us feel that it was never before done in this fashion. All He asks of us is that we will call upon Him. He cannot ask less of us. Let us cheerfully render Him our prayers at once.

Wants and Needs: The Difference

Wants and Needs: The Difference

Philippians 4:19

Sometimes people perceive a desire as a necessity. The heart can become so consumed with a craving that fulfilling it feels critical to well-being. Then, unless God meets the “need,” frustration occurs.

Believers wondering why they’ve been neglected should honestly answer one question: Is my petition essential to achieving God’s purpose, or is it only for my enjoyment? Beyond basics like food and shelter, necessities might include money for a mission trip or counseling for a troubled marriage. If we can’t complete God’s plan without something, then it is a need, and He’ll answer when we bring the matter before Him in prayer (Phil. 4:19).

God is also pleased to satisfy desires that fit within the confines of His purpose and will. The things we long for bring pleasure, entertainment, or a sense of joy. Many are good and worth pursuing, but they become troublesome when we deem them essential for our plans. God isn’t obligated to grant wishes or fulfill any plans but His own. However, He says that those who seek Him won’t lack any good thing (Ps. 34:10).Matthew 6:33 tells us we are to pursue the Lord above all else. That means making our desires subject to His will. And when we “delight in the Lord” (Ps. 37:4), He’ll also shape our desires to be most beneficial.

The heavenly Father wants to be His children’s greatest delight—the One in whom fulfillment and satisfaction are found. When that is true in a believer’s life, then he or she does not require a lot of “stuff,” entertainment, or other people in order to be happy. Genuine joy is found in the Lord.

The Danger of Money

The Danger of Money

1 Timothy 6:6-19

Money is a neutral commodity—it is inherently neither good nor evil. However, a strong yearning for wealth can cause great danger for our souls.

God created mankind to love Him, but ever since the temptation in the garden of Eden, people have given their heart to lesser desires. Love of money not only robs God of His rightful place in our affections; it also steals contentment, leads to various temptations, and can cause us to wander from our Creator.

The amount of money we possess is not the source of the problem. The root originates in the desires of the heart. We never seem to think we have enough, no matter what our financial situation is. The lure of wealth promises pleasures and security, but if we devote ourselves to the pursuit of affluence, we will find that it does not satisfy. Even worse, it will ultimately lead to ruin and grief.

Mark 4:19 speaks of the “deceitfulness of riches.” Think back to a time when you purchased something you really wanted. Remember the delight you had in that item when it was new? What about now-—do you still feel the same joy, or has the pleasure decreased? The satisfaction of possession is fleeting and, therefore, requires the pursuit of more in an effort to regain the same feeling of gratification.

Lasting pleasure and security are found only in God. He “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). But if we let His tangible benefits become our main desire, we’ll lose our contentment. Seek the Lord through His Word and prayer—as you learn to delight in Him, you’ll discover enduring satisfaction for your soul.

Success and Money

Success and Money

Luke 12:13-21

The belief that wealth equals success is a common misconception. True success means becoming who God wants you to be and doing the work He has prepared for you to accomplish. Jesus said the man in Luke 12 was a fool because he spent his life pursuing wealth but was not rich toward the Lord.

An idolatrous attitude about money is revealed by an insatiable desire for more, and materialism affects rich and poor alike. So whenever financial concerns have top priority in our thoughts and begin to dictate goals and desires, we can know we’ve succumbed to the foolishness of greed. Worrying about finances is actually a warning sign of not only misplaced priorities but also lack of trust in God.

Money is a vital part of our lives, but it should never come to have a higher place than the Lord intends. Everything belongs to God. We are merely stewards of all that He entrusts to us, and one day we’ll give an account to Him of how we have used what He gave us to oversee. Our goal shouldn’t be to become wealthy but, rather, to be found faithful.

In His great wisdom, the Lord has prescribed a remedy for our tendency to overvalue money. Giving it away breaks the grip of greed, teaches us to trust and obey God, and is an avenue through which treasure can be stored in heaven.

If you hunger for worldly riches more than the riches of knowing God, you’re climbing the wrong ladder of success. Eternal blessing is measured by a relationship with Jesus, not accumulation of money. Make Him your top priority and chief joy, and you’ll know true prosperity.

When We Feel Lonely

When We Feel Lonely

Psalm 25:15-18

As believers, we have a Father who loves us and desires the best for us. We are part of a large spiritual family with many brothers and sisters. But if that’s the case, why do we sometimes still feel lonely, even when there’s no major crisis in our lives?

The greatest loneliness man can experience is due to separation from the Father. This is a spiritual problem whose source is sin. We experience a break in our close fellowship with the Lord when we disobey Him and go our own way. The remedy is confession (1 John 1:9), which leads to restored fellowship with God. If we refuse to admit our sin, the separation grows worse.

Busyness and preoccupation with earthly affairs also cause this isolation. Sometimes we push aside time with God in order to fulfill our obligations. Or we might focus so heavily on daily living that we ignore Him. To overcome loneliness, spend time reconnecting with God through His Word—take in the knowledge of His deep, abiding love, and meditate on His great promises (Eph. 3:16-18).

Being in harmony with the Lord renews our purpose and energy for life. Then that sense of isolation lessens, hope replaces discouragement, and our focus shifts from “self” to others. It’s important to reconnect with people, so look for opportunities to practice the “one anothers”—encouraging, serving, loving, and supporting those around you.

When David felt isolated and lonely, he turned to the Lord and sought His help. Intimacy with God is both the antidote to loneliness and protection from it.

Times of Temptation

Times of Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Scripture teaches that at times we’ll all be tempted to act in ways contrary to God’s commands. Our circumstances are not unique to us; others have faced similar situations. ... we learned an acrostic to help us resist enticement: we can put a “halt” to letting ourselves be too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. That is, we are wise to eat regularly, experience the peace God offers, stay in fellowship with others, and get enough rest.

But where does the urge to sin come from? Sources of temptation can be the world we live in, the Devil, or something within ourselves. The world wants us to join in on its sensual, selfish pursuits. Satan wants to turn us away from God. And our  self-focused “flesh” nature wants usto be in control, not the Lord.

Does God ever tempt us? No, according to James 1:13. Our Father doesn’t want us to do evil; He will, however, test us to reveal to you and me our motives and attitudes. He also uses times of testing to mature us and transform us into Christ’s likeness. His work is always for our good.

Remember, it is not sinful to experience temptation. Feeling tempted is not the same as committing a sin. Jesus Himself was tempted by the Devil at a time of great weariness and physical need, after spending 40 days in the desert without food. Do not judge yourself harshly when you feel enticed toward ungodliness. Only when we act upon the enticement do we cross the line into sin.

The Lord knows exactly how to rescue every one of us from the temptations that we encounter. The question is, How good are you at responding to His direction?

He with Us; We with Him-Faiths Checkbook by C.H. Spurgeon

Faiths Checkbook by C.H. Spurgeon

He with Us; We with Him

"The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened"  (Proverbs 10:27).

There is no doubt about it. The fear of the LORD leads to virtuous habits, and these prevent that waste of life which comes of sin and vice. The holy rest which springs out of faith in the LORD Jesus also greatly helps a man when he is ill. Every physician rejoices to have a patient whose mind is fully at ease. Worry kills, but confidence in God is like healing medicine.

We have therefore all the arrangements for long life, and if it be really for our good, we shall see a good old age and come to our graves as shocks of corn in their season. Let us not be overcome with sudden expectation of death the moment we have a finger-ache, but let us rather expect that we may have to work on through a considerable length of days.

And what if we should soon be called to the higher sphere? Certainly there would be nothing to deplore in such a summons but everything to rejoice in. Living or dying we are the LORD's. If we live, Jesus will be with us; if we die, we shall be with Jesus.

The truest lengthening of life is to live while we live, wasting no time but using every hour for the highest ends. So be it this day.