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From Desperados
- Call to Prayer -
God has given us a vision for restoration within the body of Christ. We recognize each other as such and have come together to "...Strengthen what remains."
Revelation of John 3:2 - Be alert, and strengthen the things that are left which are about to die. I have found that what you are doing has not been completed in the sight of my God.
Psalms 27:14 - Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
I Samuel 23:16 - And Jonathan, Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.
Colossians 1:9-11 - For this reason we have not stopped praying for you since the day we heard about you. We ask [God] to fill you with the knowledge of his will through every kind of spiritual wisdom and insight. We ask this so that you will live the kind of lives that prove you belong to the Lord. Then you will want to please him in every way as you grow in producing every kind of good work by this knowledge about God. We ask him to strengthen you by his glorious might with all the power you need to patiently endure everything with joy.
II Samuel 2:7 - Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant:for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
I John 3:14 - We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love other believers. The person who doesn't grow in love remains in death. Why do we need to "strengthen"?
We represent embers in a dying fire, regardless of whose fault it is. God wants to burn strong in us, so that we will be a light to the world. Warmth and light to draw the lost and cold. As we are drawn together God is going to restore his bride and blaze his love to the world. Making Christ our King, our Head will make us, the body work and be what he wants.
"Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."
"...you've slept long enough. Time's up." Message Bible
I Samuel 22:1-2 - So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it , they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.
"Here he (David) began to raise forces in his own defence, v. 2. He found by the late experiments he had made that he could not save himself by flight, and therefore was necessitated to do it by force, wherein he never acted offensively, never offered any violence to his prince nor gave any disturbance to the peace of the kingdom, but only used his forces as a guard to his own person. But, whatever defence his soldiers were to him, they did him no great credit, for the regiment he had was made up not of great men, nor rich men, nor stout men, no, nor good men, but men in distress, in debt, and discontented, men of broken fortunes and restless spirits, that were put to their shifts, and knew not well what to do with themselves. When David had fixed his headquarters in the cave of Adullam, they came and enlisted themselves under him to the number of about 400. See what weak instruments God sometimes makes use of, by which to bring about his own purposes. The Son of David is ready to receive distressed souls, that will appoint him their captain and be commanded by him. " Matthew Henry Commentary
We are distressed...(feel confined, like we deserve our misery, sad about our losses) Distress comes not only from ourselves, others and hell, it can also come from God, and ultimately bring us to God.
Judges 2:15 - Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had taken his oath it would be; and things became very hard for them.
Psalms 60:1 - O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us.
Psalms 52:7 - See, this is the man who did not make God his strength, but had faith in his goods and his property, and made himself strong in his wealth. bitter...(discontent, angry)
Job 7:11 - So I won't keep my mouth shut, but I will speak from the distress that is in my spirit and complain about the bitterness in my soul.
Jeremiah 4:18 - "You brought this on yourself. This is your punishment. It is bitter. It breaks your heart."
Jeremiah 13:17 - If you won't listen, I will cry secretly over your arrogance. I will cry bitterly, and my eyes will flow with tears because the LORD's flock will be taken captive.
Lamentations 1:20 - "O LORD, see the distress I'm in! My stomach is churning. My heart is pounding because I've been very bitter. In the streets swords kill my children. Inside the houses it's like death. in debt...(led astray, mentally deceived, morally seduced)
II Chronicles 21:11 - Jehoram made illegal places of worship in the hills of Judah. This caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to chase after foreign gods as if they were prostitutes. So he led Judah astray.
Jeremiah 50:6 - My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray. They wander around on the mountains. They go from mountains to hills. They have forgotten their resting place.
Genesis 27:35 - Isaac said, "Your brother came and deceived me and has taken away your blessing."
Isaiah 44:20 - They eat ashes because they are deceived. Their own misguided minds lead them astray. They can't rescue themselves or ask themselves, "Isn't what I hold in my right hand a false god?"
Obadiah 1:3 - Your arrogance has deceived you. You live on rocky cliffs. You make your home up high. You say to yourself, 'No one can bring me down to earth.'
Romans 7:11 - Sin, taking the opportunity provided by this commandment, deceived me and then killed me.
How do we strengthen?
"...For this reason we have not stopped praying for you..."
Standing together, and coming to Christ. For God and each other...united...As one with Jesus and each other. Our will to surrender to His will. Our mind to his mind. Our hand to his hand. As we confess our sin... Psalms 32:5 I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to confess them to you, O LORD. Then you forgave all my sins. I John 1:9 God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we've done wrong. Mark 1:5 All Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went to him. As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. ...and surrender to God,... (in his body - for Him and each other) Psalms 37:7 Surrender yourself to the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with [an evildoer] who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes. Job 22:21 "Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you." Romans 6:17 "Offer yourself to the ways of God and the freedom never quits...[his] commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!" 'You know you're surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don't always have to be "in charge."' ...'As Joshua approached the biggest battle of his life, he encountered God, fell in worship before him, and surrendered his plans. That surrender led to a stunning victory at Jericho. This is the paradox: Victory comes through surrender. Surrender doesn't weaken you; it strengthens you.' ...Surrendering is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing else works. All other approaches lead to frustration, disappointment and self- destruction. ...surrendering is never just a one-time event. Paul said "...I die daily,"
(1 Corinthians 15:31).
There is a moment of surrender, and there is the practice of surrender, which is moment -by-moment and lifelong. The problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar, so you may have to surrender your life fifty times a day. You must make it a daily habit. Jesus said, "If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me." Luke 9:23 The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren ...we receive His mercy Exodus 20:6 But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments. I Kings 9:3 The LORD said to him, "I have heard your prayer for mercy that you made to me. I have declared that this temple which you have built is holy so that my name may be placed there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. Psalms 17:7 Reveal your miraculous deeds of mercy, O Savior of those who find refuge by your side from those who attack them. Psalms 31:7 I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy. You have seen my misery. You have known the troubles in my soul. Psalms 31:21 Thank the LORD! He has shown me the miracle of his mercy in a city under attack. Psalms 86:5 You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, full of mercy toward everyone who calls out to you. Zechariah 10:6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy on them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them. The beginning of his strength to us--His mercy! As we cry out to God, he will answer us with strength for restoration -- first in our homes and then in our church. God will speak to us by his Holy Spirit in us as we read his word in the Bible. Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried you answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul. If we obey God's spirit and word, we have his "hand of righteousness" in our lives, personally and for others. This means Christ in us, a reality the church and the world desperately needs. Isaiah 41:10 Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. Daniel 10:19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be to you, be strong, yes, be strong. And when he had spoken to me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for you have strengthened me. Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. We need God's wisdom, in addition to his mercy, word, Spirit and righteousness, and as we cry out to God, he will answer us with wisdom for his work in us and the world. Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city. Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried you answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul. Nehemiah 6:9 They were all trying to intimidate us.They thought we would give up and not finish the work. But God made me strong. ...the work at hand... Man has a heritage of worship for God that hell has hijacked. The restoration of that worship begins with turning to God and seeking Him. II Chronicles 15:4-7 But when they were in trouble, they turned to the LORD God of Israel. When they searched for him, he let them find him. 5At those times no one could come and go in peace, because everyone living in the land had a lot of turmoil. 6One nation crushed another nation; one city crushed another. God had tormented them with every kind of trouble. 7But you must remain strong and not become discouraged. Your actions will be rewarded." Turning to God usually means turning away from something other than God. God is looking for someone who understands what is going on and who will “seek after Him.” Psalms 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven on Adam's descendants to see if there is anyone who acts wisely, if there is anyone who seeks help from God. II Chronicles 24:13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God according to its specifications and strengthened it.
David refused to build his own kingdom his way. He sought God for the establishment of His kingdom and in the process he became the leader of his people. This is what God wants for each of us to be and do. Our leader, our foundation is Christ, and as we serve him he leads us out of distress, bitterness and moral debt, and into the victory of God’s plan for our lives, his church and the world.
