Pastor Dustin…
Welcome to morning prayer. I like to say something I always heard Pastor Kent can’t say who is our Missions pastor here. He would always say, “If we all do what we feel led to do, what we believe the Lord’s directing us to do, we’ll accomplish everything that we need to.” If we all pray out what we’re supposed to pray out… And so that’s always the the goal with corporate prayer, right? We all have our supply to give.
John chapter 15…
I want to begin by reading John 15:1. Jesus said, “I am the vine and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes it.” He prunes it! “He removes things that are unnecessary that it may bear more fruit.”
Verse 3 “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
A lot of commentaries say that’s not really a commentary on hell or anything like that. It’s just kind of part of the metaphor that He’s using. If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit. And so prove to be My disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants for the servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends for all that I have heard from my Father. I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you.”
That’s a good truth to let soak into your heart.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask my Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you so that you will love one another.”
Verse 18. “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you are not of the world but I chose you out of this world. Therefore, the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you? A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If you kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me, hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated me and my Father, but the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without cause. But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from my Father, the spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me and you will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.”
The 30-Day Shred…
You read one chapter of the Bible today. Congratulations! If you read along, you read one chapter of the Bible. I like reading. I used to do this thing. I didn’t do it this year. I might do in the future. I used to do this thing though, called the 30-Day Shred. And it’s not an ab workout. It’s where you read the entire book of the Bible in the month of January. And so it works out to between 40 and 60 chapters a day or something like that. And you just don’t want to miss a day because it just starts compounding and it feels like it’s impossible. It’s just a very different way of reading the Bible. And I like starting my year out like that. That’s usually why I do it in January. Cause I like starting my year out just reading the whole thing. And then as I’m reading it, the Spirit of God will illuminate different things to my heart and I’ll see things that I didn’t see before. And you’re just reminded that the Bible isn’t just a book of a bunch of random verses. It’s one story. It’s one picture that the Lord’s giving us, and that He’s so amazing in that there’s just an infinite number of things and details that you can pull from it.
But I like reading more than one verse at a time. I like trying to get a fuller picture of these things, and I just love how the Jesus in this chapter, He talks about our connection to Him and how vital and how important that connection is to Him. He talks about how He will remove things from our life that are dead and unnecessary so that we can have more produced in our life. I love that He talks about the Spirit of God’s role in our life. I love that He prepares the disciples for difficult things they might go through. There’s just so much in it, you know? And so from that place, let’s pray today. I believe the Lord will speak through us what He needs to speak.
Prayed…
Father, we just thank you for these truths that we read this morning. We are not separate from you. We’re connected to you. We aren’t our own entity. We’re not down here on this earth by ourselves crying out to you. And you’re up there somewhere in heaven listening to us. We’re one together with you. We’re in you and you’re in us.
You live and abide on the inside of us, and you lead us, and you guide us, and you strengthen us, and you reveal truth to us. You help us.
We remember this morning that we’re not at any sort of disadvantage in this life regardless of what we’re looking at or facing… regardless of what we’re experiencing. We know that we’re not at a disadvantage because we have your Spirit on the inside of us, and you have equipped us for this life that we’re in. You’ve equipped us for what you’ve called us to do. You’ve equipped us to not just survive, but to help establish your kingdom in this earth. You’ve equipped us to…
He’s equipped you…
When I say you’re equipped to do what He’s called you to do, I’m not just talking about like preaching the Gospel. That’s certainly a part of it. But if you’re married, He’s equipped you. If you’re raising kids or grandkids or whatever, you’re equipped to do that. The Spirit of God will help you do that. Before you had a need, He had already provided for that need.
The Lamb was slain before the foundations of the world were laid…
The Bible says that Jesus was slain before the foundations of the earth were laid. The Lamb was slain before the foundations of the earth were laid, meaning before we even had a need for salvation, Jesus was already sacrificed. I think that even helps us with prayer, because think about that. It doesn’t make sense unless you understand that God is eternal and He sits outside of time. We have time as a reference, and we know about yesterday and the past, and we live in the present. And even if you think too much about that, it’s strange because it’s like, you know, the present is now, but it’s the past now. You know what I mean? Like even that’s like kind of bizarre. And then we know about the future, but because God works within time, but He’s not bound by time. And so in prayer, to us it’s like Adam sinned. And then thousands of years later, God provided the answer. But to Him it’s before Adam sinned, Jesus was already sacrificed.
Don’t get frustrated about timing…
And so we don’t need to be looking at our circumstances. We don’t need to be looking at getting frustrated over timing and all of that kind of stuff. We need to certainly pray and trust and believe God, but we need to trust Him with the timing of things and just be confident of the promises that He’s made over us. The things that He’s spoken over you, the promises that He’s made, understand you might not have seen the full manifestation of it yet, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less true. If He spoke it over you, it’s the truth. If the Bible says it, it’s the truth.
Prayed…
Father, I pray that you would help us fix our eyes on what isn’t seen… that we wouldn’t be so moved by what’s happening to us and around us…. that we would be sensitive to your voice and we would allow your Spirit to lead us and guide us and direct us. I thank you that you said in your Word that you keep us on track when we look not to people, not to circumstances. When we acknowledge you in all of our ways, you keep us on track. Father, I just thank you for your Spirit that is alive on the inside of us, strengthening us even now.
Before you knew you had a need, the Lord already had the solution and the answer…
If you’re here in the room or watching online and you need strength this morning, just receive that wherever you’re at. There is a supply, a reservoir of strength and grace that’s available to you. Before we start talking about Jesus being slain before the foundations of the earth, what I was saying was before you ever knew that you had a need, the Lord Jesus already had the solution to the problem and He already made the provision that was necessary. Everything that you need, you already have. It’s your inheritance in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says every spiritual blessing in heavenly places has already been provided to you. Thank you, Father.
