A pitiful, sickly, and self-centered kind of prayer and a determined effort and selfish desire to be right with God are never found in the New Testament. The fact that I am trying to be right with God is actually a sign that I am rebelling against the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I pray, “Lord, I will purify my heart if You will answer my prayer— I will walk rightly before You if You will help me.” But I cannot make myself right with God; I cannot make my life perfect. I can only be right with God if I accept the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift. Am I humble enough to accept it? I have to surrender all my rights and demands, and cease from every self-effort. I must leave myself completely alone in His hands, and then I can begin to pour my life out in the priestly work of intercession. There is a great deal of prayer that comes from actual disbelief in the atonement. Jesus is not just beginning to save us— He has already saved us completely. It is an accomplished fact, and it is an insult to Him for us to ask Him to do what He has already done.

If you are not now receiving the “hundredfold” which Jesus promised (see Matthew 19:29), and not getting insight into God’s Word, then start praying for your friends— enter into the ministry of the inner life. “The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.” As a saved soul, the real business of your life is intercessory prayer. Whatever circumstances God may place you in, always pray immediately that His atonement may be recognized and as fully understood in the lives of others as it has been in yours. Pray for your friends now, and pray for those with whom you come in contact now.

________________________________________________________

June 20, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, with all due respect to Oswald Chambers, I am wary of lessons that say I must do this first, or that first, before You will answer my prayer or touch my heart. I understand that we must take our eyes off our own wants and needs, but I am not so sure that this is step one in any kind of formula. And to be blunt and honest Lord, I am suspicious of any lesson by any Bible teacher that lays out a formula that tells me I must do this or that or this other thing before I will be healed or made  complete. The lesson You have been teaching me Lord is that I am simply to come to You……and that nothing can keep me from Your love.

And God says…”The truth is so simple and complete that many miss it. My love for you is beyond anything you can hope or imagine. I accept you just as you are because of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. No mountain, valley or desert can keep you from My love. No bad choice or selfish ambition will keep you from My love. Your present, past and future are covered by the blood of Jesus. Healing is in My hands. Trust in Me with all your heart; do not rely on your own direction or the power of this world. No matter where you are…you can and will find My love.”