Isaiah 12:4
In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations
what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.’’
Have you ever gone a day without praying or thanking God?
For most of us, the answer is ‘of course’. I’ve started to come to the
realisation of how blessed I am to even have the opportunity to practice my
faith openly and willingly. Although it’s something many of us look over
because it is deemed as normal, we often neglect that precious time of worship
or chance to evangelise because we’ve gotten so comfortable with our freedom.
Simply reflecting on the thought of how the practice of religion
or building a relationship with God is so restricted globally, brings my heart
to an insane level of humility. Thinking of the amount of still prosecuted
Christians, our brothers and sisters in Christ who are condemned because they
are saved and believe in Jesus, it brings you to a place of natural sadness. It
makes you realise the extent of how Jesus reaches out to particular people
within families of other religions, who are discriminated against because they
have been revealed to the truth and want to openly share the good news.
Do you take your time with God for granted? Because I know I
have. We let our busy daily schedules take over and can often let it replace
our desire to just sit before God in His presence. I recall a time I woke up
and was determined to read a bit of my Bible but I was literally absolutely exhausted.
The Holy Spirit spoke to me so quickly and said ‘’Caitlin some people don’t
even have access to a Bible and you can’t even be bothered to open yours for 5
minutes?’’ We overlook our blessing of God’s word because we immediately assume
everyone has the same open accepting society, when this is not the case in all
parts of the world. Bible access is so limited in many countries within the
world, so many cannot even be revealed to the CHANCE to read what they are so
desperate for, let alone share it the way we can through social media, evangelising
and directly to one another. So let us approach God’s word with a excited desire
to receive revelations from Him so that we may apply the word and share it.
The same goes for prayer. It is a tool of direct communication
with God and the ultimate way of building our own personal relationships with
Our Father. We forget that many don’t have the freedom to openly pray amongst
family, friends, or even attend a Church to fellowship and pray with others in
the faith. Many Christians still have to live in fear of corrupt governments
and attacks, and can’t necessarily pray as regularly or expressively as we can.
So let us not neglect our times of worship, praise, and prayer – whether it is
alone in our own personal prayer time or prayer with masses at churches and
events, because it is the most precious time to unravel everything on your
heart to the Creator of all things.
So make an effort to be disciplined in your own devotional
time with God. Don’t allow the enemy to distract you from speaking with God,
but instead let the Holy Spirit lead you to spend that intimate time with Him
despite what is going on around you. Approach God with grateful heart, knowing
that some people do not even have the open freedom to worship Him without being
threatened or marginalised, and let Him soften your heart to the point where
every encounter with Him is one of overwhelming thanksgiving for His presence
and word.
PRAYER POINT - All the prosecuted Christians around the world. That they may consistently place their trust in Christ alone and that God may provide comfort, restoration of peace within countries, and spiritual freedom for ALL believers.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - New
Living Translation (NLT)
Always be joyful. Never stop
praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who
belong to Christ Jesus.
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