The Atmosphere of Unbelief
"But as for me, I shall walk in integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on a level place; in the congregations I shall bless the Lord." Psalm 26:11-12
Today's devotional is from DAILY WITH THE KING (Moody) and is a thought-provoker:
Lord, I must be aware of the negative power of unbelief, and, even more, of the negative power of the ATMOSPHERE of unbelief. "He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief." (Matthew 13:58).
The state of my spiritual health affects others, and it even affects You, Lord. How often a meeting has been destroyed by a negative, critical attitude on the part of one of the members and how often has the power of God been expressed simply because ONE PERSON was in tune with the Spirit.
Lord, I often pray for the preacher, but now I realize that the congregation must be prayed for as zealously. The crowd needs an anointing to be channels of the Lord's power, lest an evil spirit of doubt, distrust, bitterness, or criticism choke out the Lord's presence. If I leave the gathering unblessed, it is because I came in that way and was unwilling to change during the meeting. I can easily see how King Saul's dark moods affected the course of the nation.
Lord, I often pray for the preacher, but now I realize that the congregation must be prayed for as zealously. The crowd needs an anointing to be channels of the Lord's power, lest an evil spirit of doubt, distrust, bitterness, or criticism choke out the Lord's presence. If I leave the gathering unblessed, it is because I came in that way and was unwilling to change during the meeting. I can easily see how King Saul's dark moods affected the course of the nation.
In any gathering of Your people, Lord, I must be OF them, or soon I will be AWAY from them (1 John 2:19). I must be in tune with You, but I must also be in tune with those around me. For if I am not in tune with them, it will affect their being in tune with you.
We often blame the preacher for a lukewarm sermon when is is really the people's lukewarmness that inhibits the Spirit's moving. Lord, teach ME my responsibility in the gather of YOUR people; I must be my fervent best when I walk in to worship You. Otherwise I am a destroyer of unborn blessings.
We often blame the preacher for a lukewarm sermon when is is really the people's lukewarmness that inhibits the Spirit's moving. Lord, teach ME my responsibility in the gather of YOUR people; I must be my fervent best when I walk in to worship You. Otherwise I am a destroyer of unborn blessings.
I thank You, Lord, that Jesus Christ was "anointed" by the Spirit (Isaiah 61:1) to do many things, one of which was to keep me from my negative moods; He gives me "beauty for ashes" and "oil of gladness instead of morning." (vs. 3c)
Lord, I need to take a look at this in my life. Do I have a negative attitude that will breed an atmosphere of unbelief? Search my heart, Lord. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK
Dig This Quote: Faith in the sheltering wings of God does not remove physical danger or the need for precaution against it. We cannot ignore Beirut tourist advisories, or feed wild animals on our camping trips, or jump a hot motorcycle over a row of parked cars and trust God to keep us safe. We cannot smoke cigarettes like the Marlboro man and then claim the promises of Psalm 91 as our protection against lung cancer. A person who did these things would be a foolish believer and a foolish reader of Psalm 91. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr
Determined Digging: Level 1 -- Jeremiah 33:3; Level 2 -- Psalm 128:1-5
Determined Praying: We must wrestle earnestly in prayer, like men contending with a deadly enemy for life. J. C. Ryle
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