Author: BTP

Necessity of Prayer

“Praying always” (Ephesians 6:18).

Are you a prayer warrior or a prayer worrier?

It is interesting to see how much of the Bible is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in providing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26). Then, just as we are about to close the Book, the “Amen” of an earnest supplication meets our ear: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

In God’s Word we find Daniel who prayed three times a day, David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elijah; in the prison dungeon we see Paul and Silas, and many more. All men of prayer!

These examples teach us the importance and necessity of prayer. We may be certain that whatever God made prominent in His Word, He intends to be conspicuous and prevalent in our daily life. He has said much about prayer, and this is because He knows that we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Monthly Scripture Reading

Daniel 6

6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Lonely

Have you ever been alone? I mean, really lonely? I suppose all of us from time to time, even in our Christian experience, have felt alone.

But this need not be the case. There is One who is always with us. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He has promised, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20). Later in Scripture we read a further statement by the Lord. “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). The next time you feel that you are all by yourself, just remember what the Psalmist said: “Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:23-24). Nothing can change that! If we do not enjoy His company it is not His fault but ours. We need never feel lonely!

I often feel lonely,

When I forget the Lord:

When I neglect my Jesus,

And fail to read His Word.

But when my heart remembers,

And hand in hand we walk,

I never feel lonely,

With Jesus I can talk.

Dear Young Christian:

I realize that quite a few of my readers are on holidays this week. Maybe some of you are attending a Bible conference, special meetings, or even a Christian youth camp. Whatever you are doing, remember, we should never take a holiday from following the Lord, reading our Bible or spending time in prayer. Let’s be like David who said, “I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalm 16:8). Every day, he sought to have one goal and object: to have the Lord as his focus and to live a life pleasing to Him. Sometimes he failed, got discouraged and allowed sin in his life. But when this happened, he soon came back to the realization that he needed to confess his shortcomings. He needed to refocus on what really mattered, what truly satisfied his soul and brought happiness and peace of mind.

The year is fast drawing to a close and this is the last personal letter I will write to our readers this year. If the Lord hasn’t come by the new year we look forward to keeping in touch once more.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

The Lord’s Day

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10).

The Lord’s day, referred to in this verse, is the same day of the week the Lord rose from the dead. “Jesus was risen early the first day of the week” (Mark 16:9). It is also the day when He appeared to His disciples with a message of assurance and peace. “The first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you” (John 20:19). It was on this day that the Lord ascended back to heaven, and this day when the early believers in the city of Troas met for breaking of bread, fellowship and to hear the preaching of the Apostle Paul who was visiting at that time. “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them” (Acts 20:7).

What does the “Lord’s Day” mean to you? John saw and heard wonderful things concerning the person of Christ because he was in tune with the Spirit of God on the first day of the week. Will this be your experience today?

Freedom

The “Four Freedoms” were goals set out by the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941.

“Freedom from fear” for all mankind was one the “Four Freedoms” proclaimed in the Atlantic Charter by the President and other of the world’s great statesmen at the time. But none of the signers has lived to realize the ideal. In many countries millions still live in fear, as terrorism, disunity, unstable regimes, terrible armaments, and “wars and rumors of wars” (Mark 13:7), raise grave concern throughout the world. But millions more live only in fear of death, their consciences warning them that one day they must stand before God. This is by far the most serious prospect. And be assured it is real! “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

The question arises, “Is there no way of escape from judgment and from the bondage of fear?” The answer is Yes! The Lord Jesus came into this world to save us, and “that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Day By Day — Part 4

3. “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

We grow old! Every one of us, sooner or later, realizes that the body gets older and weaker. If we have aches and pains with our natural bodies, we know that as we feed the “inward man,” there is a daily renewal of spiritual strength. The more we feed the new life the more we are renewed.

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16). We need to take the shield of faith to stop the arrows of Satan, and to have the Lord as our resource “day by day.” There is a serious warning concerning Abraham’s nephew, Lot. “For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds” (2 Peter 2:8). There can never be the blessing of the Lord or power to meet the enemy while we are in such a situation as Lot. It is important for a Christian to walk in separation “and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). In this way we will be preserved “day by day.”

Day By Day — Part 3

2. “Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner” (Nehemiah 8:18).

Here we learn the necessity of a daily reading of the Scriptures. When we read our Bibles we learn to appreciate the practical truth of the verse that says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily [day by day] loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19). Do you read your Bible on a day-by-day basis?

We also need to have fellowship with other believers, in the feast of remembrance that we have in Christianity. Like the early believers, of whom we read, “And they, continuing daily with one accord … and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46). The Lord has asked us to do this until He returns. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Corinthians 11:26). This will strengthen us “day by day,” and Satan will have no space to put in his terrible doubts.

Day By Day — Part 2

In the young man Joseph we see a firm commitment to trust and obey, and “the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy” (Genesis 39:21). Do you also know how to act and what to say in such dangerous moments of life? Have you ever been in such a situation? How great is the Lord’s mercy. He gives us these stories in the Bible to encourage us to be faithful at all times. We honor Him very much, when we trust Him in faith and resist the temptation. The Lord gives us tools that we can use in the trials of “day by day” living. Here are just three of them:

1. “And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the Lord” (2 Chronicles 30:21).

Satan always wants to steal our joy in the Lord, and hinder our praises. This verse teaches us the need to live for the Lord seven days of the week, by keeping sin — of which leaven is a picture — out of our lives, walking in separation from the world and cultivating the habit of praise and thanksgiving every day.

Day By Day — Part 1

“And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by
day, that he hearkened not unto her” (Genesis 39:10).

In Genesis 39 we find Joseph in very special circumstances. His brothers had sold him as a slave into Egypt, and there he came into the house of Potiphar. We don’t know how long he stayed in the house of this important man, but we know that he was in a responsible position, and Potiphar’s house prospered because of Joseph. But after some time a very dangerous problem started. Potiphar’s wife became a tool in the hand of Satan, to try and cause Joseph to sin. Satan knows human nature very well, and so he used this woman as a tool to tempt him, “day by day.” However Joseph said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Satan never gives up. If something “day by day” is pressed on us, we become worn down and vulnerable. Amidst all this Joseph was steadfast, and the time came when he “fled, and got him out” (Genesis 39:12).

In our lives the Lord uses these things to test our faith and obedience to Him and His Word.