As a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28.
Had not Jacob previously repented of his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud, God could not have heard his prayer and mercifully preserved his life. So in the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance. But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness, they will have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins will have been blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ, and they cannot bring them to remembrance….
All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins, and permit them to remain upon the books of heaven, unconfessed and unforgiven, will be overcome by Satan. The more exalted their profession, and the more honorable the position which they hold, the more grievous is their course in the sight of God, and the more certain the triumph of the great adversary.
Yet Jacob’s history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by self-surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved. Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely upon the merits of the atonement…. None will ever perish while they do this….
Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined…. It is now that we are to learn this lesson of prevailing prayer, of unyielding faith. The greatest victories to the church of Christ or to the individual Christian are not those that are gained by talent or education, by wealth or the favor of men. They are those victories that are gained in the audience chamber with God, when earnest, agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power.
Conflict and Courage p. 69
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Prayer Requests
—–update—Currently my husband is back home but has been fighting a major UTI, It has landed him in the ER and hospital a couple of times. About a couple of weeks ago I found him incoherent sitting in bed. Unable to answer any questions and was not easy to obtain vitals. I called 911 and they took him to the local hospital where he was admitted, USC had him transported down there. They had to perform a biopsy on the kidney to see if it was being rejrcted. Negative. He has been given a nurse to give him IV antibiotics for his UTI every 48 hours. He has an allergic reaction that the doctor is aware of but he is continuing the treatment because the benefits outweigh the reaction. Please pray for him and for my endurance and health and that of my youngest daughter, that we will see this thru in a way that is pleasing to our LORD. Karen
—–update—Day 65-66. Major milestones were achieved the last two days. On Monday, Kris had his feeding tube removed. The Dobhoff tube had been inserted up through his nose since day one. It got in the way when eating, inhibited his swallowing, and irritated his throat. It did however, allow him to get complete nurishment and most oral medications without actually swallowing anything. For all the good it did, it’s still something he couldn’t wait to have removed. Now that it’s out, he’s eating even better, and is a lot more comfortable. On Tuesday, he had his tracheostomy tube removed. No more breathing through a hole in his neck. The tube, valve and collar which wraped around his neck to hold it in place, had also been in place since day one. This means the only invasive item left is an untethered IV access line in his right arm. So he’s just about ready to leave the ICU, and that may happen any day now. He still has some substantial wounds, and his mobility is still an issue, so he needs a little more time in a standard hospital room before moving on to a live-in rehab facility. As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers, and the honor of your time. Jack
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Dear Friends,
We had a pastor, many years ago, who became ill and was given a very strong medicine for too long a time. This caused some real problems to his mind. It was very sad. Every week he preached the same sermon on Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. For years, I could not read that chapter without thinking of him.
Yet, Peter’s sermon holds so much food for thought, that each part is worth reading and contemplating often. A mighty miracle happened on that day. Jews from far away countries had come to the feast. These Jews spoke the language of whatever country in which they lived. Through the power of the Holy Spirit they heard in their own language the good news of the Messiah’s coming and giving His Life for them. Peter shows how Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled that day, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” Joel 2:28,29
Peter, then preaches unto them about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He refers to the tenth verse of the sixteenth p! salm: “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” He declares, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy ! countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool” Acts 2: 22-35
Paul also used this psalm when he was speaking to those in the synagogue in Antioch. He said, “Wherefore h! e saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.” Acts 13:35-37 Praise God that we serve a living Saviour! This very same Jesus Who loved us so much that He bore our sins on the cross, is the very same Jesus Who intercedes for us in the Heavenly Sanctuary! “We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Heb 8:1,2 John speaks of His Heavenly Ministry when he says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1
Praise God! We have a Sin-Bearing Savio! ur! Paul asks, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom 8:34-39 Isaiah also speaks of this in his great prophecy of Jesus, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,! and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isa 53:12 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb 7:25
May we continually look “to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” Heb 12:2 May we always rely upon His atoning sacrifice to both justify us and sanctify us. May we look in faith to the Courts Above where our Dear Saviour is interceding for us.
Rose