You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing— if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Consider Abraham: He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Galatians 3:1-6

Prayer Points

Check that you have not slipped into thinking that your prayers are going to be answered by human effort. Ask God to realign your praying into faith. Of the things you have been praying about what do you have faith that God will do?

What do you need: filling with the Holy Spirit, a closer walk with God, patience, etc? Ask and receive.

Pray for your church that its ministry will be one of faith rather than human effort.

     DAY 22 : RECEIVING

It would be quite comical. Imagine someone at a cash machine putting in their card then, instead of keying in details, getting down on their knees and pleading with the machine to give them money. It would even more so, if their pleadings included that their need was great, their family was depending on it and if they didn’t get the money, then quite frankly, they wouldn’t know what to do.

Now when it comes to making our requests to God we often miss the point: we will receive what we ask for by faith. God has promised to give us what we need, so. So we can trust him to fulfil his promise. We can therefore approach God with confidence not diffidence (Hebrews 4:16).

The Galatian Christians got this idea right at first. However they slipped back into human effort and missed faith. Paul chides them, ‘After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? ... Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?’

God gives promises. He may test us, and in so doing cause us to grow. We may have to wait, and in so doing learn patience. But there comes a time of fulfilment, when what has been promised is given, what has been longed for is received and what has been hoped for is accomplished.

It is simple. We receive what we ask for because of faith, not human effort.

As it is promised so shall it be.

Pray

*    Pray for your ‘big issue’

*    Pray for your ‘three friends’

*    Pray for a new wave of revival.