Saul was Knocked to the Ground! Forced Dismount from a Horse?

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EVER heard the saying “Get off your high horse!”? Where do you think that came from? … Do You Still Need Him?

“GET OFF that high horse” – Some believe there was a horse or donkey involved and yet there is no mention of such in the text. Saul was knocked to the ground, that’s for sure and yet such does not require riding a beast. The road from Jerusalem to Damascus covered over 135 miles (220 kilometers), so he would have wanted to ride a horse to get to Damascus faster, and yet there is no indication he was on a horse. It seems some early “Christian” art depicts Saul on a horse in his conversion account on the road to Damascus. We do know from the text, as we read it in a moment, that Saul definitely knocked to the ground at there appearance and hearing of the voice of the LORD. So, for the sake of example, let’s know he was knocked down and if you wish, one can imagine that Paul was riding a horse or donkey in his mission to stamp out Christianity. EVERY true disciple has the divine Person of the Holy Ghost living in them and so EVERY disciple is anointed! YES, every believer needs a fresh infilling and to be more anointed, but stop acting as if you are superior to other believers. You simply aren’t and fooling no one but yourself and the gullible you seek to look up to you as you rob glory from the One who bled to redeem sinners like us! It’s all about Jesus, not you! Dismount or you will be abased into the bowels of hell by Christ, the anointed One (Matthew 23:12). Drop the flesh-flattering title, cease drawing attention away from Christ, and just be Jesus’ disciple and servant – which we do not deserve to be!

LIKE SIMON THE SORCERER IN ACTS 8, THOSE WHO FLASH AND WIELD THEIR TITLES AND POSITIONS OVER YOU SEEK TO BRING YOU UNDER THEIR WITCHCRAFT SPELL SO THEY CAN EXERCISE CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE WHICH IS SOMETHING GOD ALONE IS DUE. BY REASON OF CREATION, THE LORD OWNS ALL SOULS AND ALONE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RULE OVER EACH HUMAN BEING (EZEKIEL 18:4; REVELATION 4:9-11, ETC.).

Of course you still and will always need the LORD and His saving mercy, and yet, do you realize this great need for Him?

Listen to the very one who was ousted from his proverbial high horse and blinded (knocked down) by the LORD for his arrogance and murderous rage against the Christ and His beloved people. Listen to what Saul of Tarsus, now Paul, had learned since being blessed to be brought low:

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: ¹⁰Who delivered (past) us from so great a death, and doth deliver (present): in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us (future).” 2 Corinthians 1:10

Saul of Tarsus went from his self-elevated position on the high horse to being brought low in humility by the Savior. Let’s peek into this monumental event.

Acts 9

“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, ²And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. ³And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: ⁴And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? ⁵And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. ⁶And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. ⁷And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. ⁸And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. ⁹And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.”

Jesus abruptly interrupted Saul’s crusade to destroy His Gospel and His people. Saul of Tarsus was mercifully granted repentance unto everlasting life as participated with his own free will.

The whole of the world received the Gospel of Jesus Christ largely due to this man Saul/Paul. What would have happened if Saul of Tarsus has not been found by Christ and brought low in humility?

Saul was a Jew among Jews, extremely accomplished in his religion (Philippians 3:4-8). As he was humbled in repentance and regenerated, only then could God use Saul who was renamed Paul. The same is the case for you and I – As we are brought low in humility, and only according to the depth of that brokenness, can we be used of the LORD.

Are we truly saved? Do we not know that salvation is His gift and that we truly merit His wrath? (Romans 3:10-26; 5:17-19; 6:23) If so, just WHAT boasting have we? What iota of self-boast still remains in our hearts? Our only boasting should be exclusively in the saving mercy of Jesus Christ Himself!

“…that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4:6-7

Someone has wisely stated that:

“There’s not a saint without a past or a sinner without a future.” unknown

With the LORD, this statement is so true. Oh and this is no license to live ungodly after He finds and saves us! Never. Yet, somewhere in each life, our eyes must be placed upon the nail-scarred, risen Savior and LORD Himself and not mere men who are all faulty.

Paul said he did not preach himself but rather Christ.

“We preach Christ crucified.” 1 Corinthians 1:23

Showing people Jesus – preaching Jesus and Him crucified – is what Paul did and he also said that “no good thing” except Christ dwelled in Him (Romans 7:18). We must announce our own utter and perpetual need for Christ and God’s grace which is truly what being “poor in spirit” means (Matthew 5:3). Preaching Christ should include our own testimony of His saving grace in our own lives – both in the past, in the now/present, and future.

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:9

He’s the only Savior and we are His servants – “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5)

ALL men need God – severely and perpetually!

NO mere man ever ceases the desperate need for the LORD and His saving mercy!

Some in Christ realize this and some don’t yet understand this, due to their spiritual immaturity.

Personally, as a soul saved by the mercy of Jesus Christ, I do not wish to act or pretend as if I live in some zone that is not penetrable or that there is the slightest goodness in and of myself. Remember how David let down his guard and found out that without Christ reigning presently, he was susceptible to the enemy and sin (2 Samuel 11). We must learn from this and that’s exactly why God has this in His blessed Word (Romans 15:4). The believer should remain in a posture of desperate need – hungering, thirsting, and in great need of God, every minute of the day. The things this man after God’s own heart (king David) cried out in Psalms is our example (Ps. 42:1-2; 57:7; 62:8; 63:8, etc.). Perhaps we need a real trust in God that makes us vulnerable to and dependent upon Him and not try to put up some pious, religious facade, a mere act, as if we have no more need of God’s saving mercy. Such a disposition is under girded with pride and arrogance which God hates (Proverbs 8:13). His saving grace in salvation is given to us in the past, present, and future and yet that grace of His salvation is contingent upon our current humility (2 Corinthians 1:10; James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 1:9, etc.).

Are we not instructed to be open and transparent?

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16

Perhaps there is a time when each of us would do well to readily and publicly admit what God already knows – that we all have “faults,” are nothing without Christ, and are desperately in need of His present and perpetual mercy and saving grace.

We must rid our minds of the falsehood that salvation is only something of our past. We must understand that God requires genuine faith and repentance both initially and ongoing (Hebrews 3:6, 12-14; 10:26-39).

There’s a great breakthrough in this honesty. We are not self-sufficient and by ourselves we are totally nothing, even when at our “best.” Grab this:

“LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am. 5Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.” Psalms 39:4-5

What did the Bible just tell us that man is, even “at his BEST state”? – “altogether VANITY.” Any questions?

Saul was Knocked to the Ground!

The LORD knocked Saul of Tarsus “off his high horse” of pride and unwarranted religious arrogance. Does the LORD need to do the same to us?

Jesus said that “without me ye can do nothing” and so it’s time that we admit that we need God and stop hiding behind the farce that we have arrived (John 15:5).

THERE IS SO MUCH EXCUSE-MAKING IN MUCH OF WHAT PRETENDS TO BE CHRISTIANITY. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR SIN, PERIOD. YET, IN ORDER TO BE DELIVERED, EDIFIED IN CHRIST, AND EMPOWERED BY HIS DIVINE GRACE TO OVERCOME, VICTORY BEGINS WITH HONESTY – BEING HONEST ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND WHO HE IS AND ANNOUNCING HOW DESPERATELY AND PRESENTLY WE NEED HIM.
JESUS SPEAKS OF THE “HONEST AND GOOD HEART” BEING THE ONLY TYPE HEART THAT GLORIFIES HIM (LUKE 8:15). CATCH THIS. MEMORIZE THIS TRUTH.

ANYone still holding a stone of condenmation in their fist? – “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7) The quicker we own up to what God said about all men – that without Him we are ALL utterly corrupt, depraved, have grossly sinned against Him, and are desperately wicked – the quicker it is that we will be broken and humbled with contrite hearts before Him (Genesis 6:5, 12; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-23, etc.). That’s exactly what pleases God (Psalms 34:18; 51:17; Isaiah 66:1-2, etc.).

JESUS WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO QUALIFIED TO CONDEMN THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY AND HE DIDN’T. IN LIGHT OF THIS SIMPLE FACT, JUST HOW ARROGANT AND BLINDED WE WOULD BE TO RENDER UNDUE, SINFUL CONDEMNATION TOWARDS ANOTHER PERSON IS OUR ATTITUDES OR WORDS! BE AWARE THAT GOD IS WATCHING AND HE SEES THE VERY THOUGHTS OF OUR HEART ATTITUDES.

Concerning those in our midst who render undue judgments on others who have fallen, one sister writes:

“That’s true. We do have a past, but thank God we been forgiven. BUT, some people won’t let you live it down!”

Can you sense her pain? Can you relate? Have you also been beat over the head with a sin you have long ago repented of?

Those people who wrongly condemn are controlled by their own sin and therefore the accuser of the brethren himself, Satan (Revelation 12:10). But look at how readily Jesus forgave vile sinners. Think about the mercy the unchanging Savior bestowed upon the thief on the cross in his last moments (Luke 23:41-43). Think about how uncondemning HE was to the woman at the well who previously had 5 husbands and was living with another man (John 4) … then, did God not use her to go into town and tell everyone she had just met the Jewish Messiah!!!! put that in your pharisee pipe and smoke it (as the saying goes)… how about how merciful JESUS was to the woman caught in the very act of adultery …. notice that the only people He condemned were those self-righteous devils who threw her at His beautiful feet (John 8)….when the smoke cleared, that women was forgiven, told to go and sin no more and those unrepentant religious devils were sent packing on their way to hell …. go figure … we don’t have a clue yet about how loving and merciful God is to those who turn to Him ….. memorizing these 2 verses from HIS Word changed my view of God (Ps 86:5, 15)…. also, the whole chapter of Lk 15 is all about the restoring grace of God! Somebody should shout Thank YOU JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that You Know You are Totally Washed, Forgiven, and Cleansed, Let’s Ask: Can God Use You?

“Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old,… and Lazarus was dead…. Now, what’s YOUR excuse? Can God use you or not? God doesn’t CALL the QUALIFIED, He QUALIFIES the CALLED.”

Paul wrote “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10

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How to Give Alms, Pray, Forgive Others, Fast, and Lay Up Treasure in Heaven [podcast]

Breakdown of Jesus’ Teaching in Matthew 6

How to Give Alms.
How to Pray.
The Essential of Forgiving Others.
How to Fast and How Not to Fast.
The Importance of Laying up Treasure in Heaven.

Matthew 6

Giving to the Needy

“1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”

The Disciple’s Prayer

“5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Fasting

“16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

“19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Fear Not

“25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

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The “church growth” industry is a multi-million dollar enterprise with books, seminars, selling sermons, etc., on how to build a large church, how to grow the nickels, noses, and numbers. Is this what Jesus had in mind when He stated “I will build my church”? (Matthew 16:18)

“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23

Do you spend more time in “church” than in the Bible itself? Wow! Red flags flying!

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” 2 Peter 3:17

So you are listening to some slick talker preach and yet he’s not using the BIBLE essential words like hell, repentance, holiness, the cross, the blood of Jesus, the return of Christ, etc? Repent and RUN!

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Mary hath Chosen that Good Part [podcast]

Luke 10:38-42

Mary = loving relationship with Jesus, not just being busy with doing, with labor, with performing works such as what Martha was doing. First and foremost, Jesus saved us for relationship with Him and the Father (John 17:3). And here our Savior expresses that knowing, loving, adoring, and listening to Him are at a divine premium, they are most important to God. That’s what God desires – for us to delight ourselves in Him (Psalms 37:4).

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4

David’s brothers looked the part but they couldn’t and wouldn’t even face Goliath, much less slay him. David though, was spending time alone with the LORD, listening to His voice and tending to the sheep. He who is the only man God ever said was “a man after mine own heart,” was used mightily of God to slay the giant (Acts 13:22; 1 Samuel 17).

Isn’t this how we are with our children? Wouldn’t every parent rather their precious children sit in their mom or dad’s lap telling their parent how much they (the child) loves them (the parent)? That’s the biggest heart melt we know, right?

Like David, the most powerfully used warriors are first worshippers.

Our real, our genuine relationship with the LORD is that place out of which His power and grace (divine enablement) will flow. Like David, we must be primarily, and first and foremost worshippers. Out of that rich communion with the Savior will flow the warrior anointing of the LORD who is “a man of war” (Exodus 15:3).

Many who sense the call of God on their lives to minister go to seminary. Sad. We must go to God ourselves – in prayer, a life of prayer, relentlessly seeking His holy face in His Word for ourselves.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6

Private prayer with the LORD precedes God using us. Those who seek God in “secret” will be “openly” rewarded by Him.

“The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it.” EM Bounds

“A sinning man stops praying. A praying man stops sinning.” – Leonard Ravenhill

Luke 10

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

“Mary hath Chosen that Good Part”

The “good part” Mary chose consists of…

Mary made the only wise choice “Mary hath chosen.”
Mary put Jesus first. She put the Savior first, not herself or her idea of what it meant to serve Him.
Jesus says here that choosing to put and keep Him first is the “one thing [that] is needful” or most necessary (v39, 42).
Sitting before Jesus Himself and not searching for God outside of God Himself, primarily that is. All other learning is supplemental and subservient to that which the LORD tells us specifically, in His Word.

Worshippers become the most powerful workers God uses!

Like many today who are shallow rooted, Martha was a worker but not first and foremost a worshipper. Mary was a worshipper who loved to spend time with Jesus. Therefore she was empowered by God Himself via that fellowship with Him to walk in His holy compassion and to do His works with His power and for His glory (1 Corinthians 15:10).

When our works are not fruitful as they should be, perhaps it can be traced back to our lack of fellowship with our LORD. As we fellowship with Him, putting Him first and not ourselves, our vessel, our cup will run over with His goodness…. it will spill over onto others! (See Psalms 23:5.) That’s when our labor will carry His eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Psalms 23:5

When Jesus came, it was God bringing Heaven to the people – to forgive their sins and make them whole (Matthew 9:6). This was the foretold fulfillment of His kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

When Jesus came, He went to the people, to heal, to save, to make whole (Matthew 9:35-38; Acts 10:38, etc.).

As we go, Jesus is with us, “even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

Daily, our LORD is using His people to bring Heaven to the people. As the Holy Spirit fills our lives, His blessed presence and fruit in our lives is going to over overflow onto others.

A sister in Christ once told me that “The best Marthas are first Marys.” Think about that one in light of what we read in this passage when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). Those who sit at Jesus’ feet to hear His holy counsel, are changed into His image and become reservoirs for His blessed glory. Their cups run over onto others!

“Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God’s work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God’s work. Prayer succeeds when all else fails.” E.M. Bounds

When worshiping Jesus is our first priority, the work He uses us to do WILL carry His unction and bring fruit to bear for His eternal glory.

Rote obedience to minister to others, while not anchored in intimacy with our LORD, will not yield an abundant harvest, fruit. In contrast, we can be blessed to have God’s power and grace to do His work and that happens as we are truly communing, fellowshipping in the construct of that oneness relationship He made us for (John 15; 17).

Knowing God’s Word and obeying Him is not an automatic progression (John 8:31-36). One can know the Bible and not its Author. Or, one can know the Bible well and not know the Author well (Job 22:21-28). Obeying God’s Word requires knowing Him, abiding in an intimate fellowship with Him, thereby enabling that saint the grace (divine enablement) to obey Him (John 5:39-40; 7:17; 14:21-23; 15:1-16, etc.).

Martha “received him.” Many of us have “received” Jesus, have been saved by Him (John 1:12), yet like Martha we aren’t sitting at His holy feet, listening to Him speak through His Word. Like Martha, we also are “cumbered about much serving.”

It should be understood that our work can exceed our worship, our hospitality can exceed our holiness, our serving can exceed our sanctification, etc. That would be defined as imbalance (Proverbs 11:1).

In Luke 10:38-42, notice that Mary sat directly at Jesus’ feet and no other. When we arise in the morning to commune with the LORD, such is to be direct communication between you and Him, alone (Matthew 6:6). That would mean perhaps that when you arise in the morning you aren’t reading some other book about God or turning on a podcast or TV program to find and commune with the LORD. No, those things involve others. We must directly commune with the LORD in prayer and in HIS Word. How else shall we be able to discern the “MANY false prophets” Jesus warned us “shall deceive many”? (Read Matthew 24:11; 1 John 4:1.) How can we know the counterfeit if we don’t know the real? We can’t.

In principle, Martha is a person like Cain, a person who chose to do things their own way, not God’s – because they are not truly submitted to God. Does that describe your life friend? Jesus calls us home to Himself (Matthew 11:28-30).

Are we attempting to serve the LORD on our own terms or are we sitting before Him, hearing His voice as we are worshipfully, joyfully submitted to Him on His stated terms?

“The men who have done mighty things for God have always been mighty in prayer, have well understood the possibilities of prayer, and made the most of these possibilities. The Son of God, the first of all and the mightiest of all, has shown us the all-potent and far reaching possibilities of prayer. Paul was mighty for because he knew, how to use, and how to get others to use, the mighty spiritual forces of prayer.” EM Bounds, The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer, P. 341

When we are brought to the point of true repentance it will be obvious in that we will do things God’s way and no longer our own. Like Mary, we will be settled at His feet, hearing His Word, His voice. The Mary person is in love with and submitted to the LORD and Savior she so joyfully worships.

“Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. To know how to speak to God is more than knowing how to speak to people. Power with God is the first thing, not power with people. Christ loves to teach us how to pray.” –Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, pp. xxiii-xxiv

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