DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
There’s a principle of prayer that we don’t hear much talk about today – restitution. Yet, it’s an area we must deal with if we’re going to have power in prayer. Prayer isn’t just a vertical relationship with God. It also includes a practical horizontal fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Prayer isn’t an escape mechanism from the complex issues and relationships in life. Prayer is that which enables us to confront and deal with those difficult problems in our lives.
When Jesus taught His disciples the principles of prayer, He told them, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23, 24 NIV).
We often come to God with our sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, but have broken relationships with others. In order for us to experience the manifest presence of God in our prayer lives, we must be reconciled to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Often, that requires that we make restitution. If we’ve cheated someone, then we must repay that person. If we’ve wronged them, then we must make it right with them. Too often, Christians parade around with a mask of spirituality but are lacking in genuine intimacy with God, because they’ve never made restitution to someone they’ve wronged.
Many years ago, God used an evangelist in Northern Ireland named W. P. Nicholson. A great revival came to many churches in Belfast during his times of preaching. Many came to know Christ as Savior. There’s one Presbyterian church where it’s said that part of the walls of the church were pushed out because of so many people in attendance. People would stand in line for hours to hear the evangelist.
Belfast was known in those days as one of the foremost ports in the world. Nicholson would preach at lunch at the shipyards, and many of the workers were converted to Christ. But there was something very special that took place during that time. Many of the workers not only made things right with God, but they also made things right with their fellow man. Many of them brought things back to the shipyard that they had stolen. So many things were returned that there wasn’t room for all of the returned stolen property. It was necessary to rent a warehouse to store all of the returned stolen goods!
Prayer and revival isn’t some pie-in-the-sky, funny feeling we have during times of emotional outpourings of religion. Prayer is a genuine encounter with a holy God. It brings us into the presence of the One who is ultimate reality. When we meet Him in prayer, then we will deal with real issues in our lives. He will enable us to make the most difficult decisions. Those decisions will always lead us to genuine revival.
If we want to know genuine power in our prayer lives, then we must make anything and everything right with God. And we must do whatever it takes to restore our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Prayer and restitution – a potent combination that will ultimately lead to revival.
Matthew : Chapter 5
21) “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22) But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23) “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24) leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25) “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26) Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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