Not knowing what we ourselves are responsible for is even more devastating when it comes to spiritual conflicts. If a child suddenly becomes aware of some spiritual presence in his room on a dark stormy night and he pulls the covers over his head and cries, God, do something! If God doesnt do anything, the childs left wondering, Why dont You do something God? You are all powerful and You can make it go away. I guess maybe You dont care about me. I must not be a good enough Christian! Likewise, by the time many Christians seek help for their struggles, they are usually questioning God and their salvation. Why didnt He do anything? Im here this morning to tell you that He did. He defeated the devil and positioned the church with His authority over the kingdom of darkness. So whos responsibility is it to resist the devil, put on the whole armor of God and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ? What if we dont do these things? Will God do them for us? We have been counseling over the years with many defeated Christians who have asked God to assume their responsibilities in many ways. Some have even hoped God would change or altar His ways just this one time and overlook His Word. If He did, He would no longer be God! God will always stay true to His character and always Keep His Word! To my knowledge there is only one place in Scripture that explains what we need to do if we are sick or suffering. James 5:13-16 tells us, Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing Psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The focus of this Scripture is commonly placed on the elders but what is most often overlooked is the role and responsibility of the suffering and the sick! Initially, the one who is suffering is the one who should be praying. I believe in intercessory prayer, but not for the purpose of replacing anothers responsibility to pray. The point is, I cant do your praying for you! 1 Timothy 2:15 tells us, For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ. We should never try to play the role of a mediator in another persons life as every child of God has the same access to Jesus.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:39:53 +0000
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