DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
There appears to be a growing prayer movement in North America. But have you ever wondered why the spiritual and moral climate seems to be getting worse? One reason may possibly be related to the secret things in our hearts. Prayer is intimacy with God. In order to be effective in prayer, nothing must stand between you and a deep and intimate fellowship with God.
Immediately prior to the fall of the former Soviet Union, I conducted city wide evangelistic meetings in five cities in Ukraine. We battled the rain in every one of them. It would rain the entire day, and we prayed that God would stop the rain so that people could come to the stadium to hear the Gospel. God was not under obligation to stop the rain, but in His mercy, He granted our request. One hour before our evangelistic meetings began, God stopped the rain in every city. It was such a thrill to see thousands listening and responding to the Gospel for the first time.
Meanwhile, while traveling throughout Ukraine and Romania I found some beautiful oriental rugs at a very inexpensive price. I purchased one in Ukraine and one in Romania. However, when I attempted to leave Romania, the border guard told me that I could bring the carpet from Ukraine out of the country but not the one from Romania. One friend said, “Sammy we could change the tags on the back of the carpet, and he would never know the difference. Then you could leave the Ukrainian carpet here and take the Romanian one with you.” I must admit that I really considered doing that.
Just at that moment another friend spoke up. “Sammy, I think he’s right. You could take the Romanian carpet out of the country. But the next time you asked God to stop the rain, He may not do it.” Conviction struck my heart. I was almost ready to trade intimacy with God and power in prayer for an old piece of carpet. What a tragedy that would have been! Perhaps that’s why God hasn’t answered some of your prayers. There may be an old piece of carpet in a secret closet of your heart. Confess it to God and get rid of it. The book of James says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NIV). If you long for power in prayer, then you must clean up the secret places in your heart.
1 Chronicles : Chapter 28
2) King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. 3) But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’ 4) “Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5) Of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6) He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7) I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’ 8) “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. 9) “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10) Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”
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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