The Violent take it by Force
When still a young man, the great evangelist, Charles Finney, realized that he needed God's touch on his life. He hiked to a wooded area north of his village, hoping to avoid prying eyes.
Finney records, "An overwhelming sense of my wickedness in being ashamed to have a human being see me on my knees before God took such powerful possession of me that I cried at the top of my voice and exclaimed that I would not leave that place if all the men on earth and all the devils surrounded me.
I prayed until my mind became so full that, before I was aware of it, I was on my feet and tripping up the ascent toward the road."
He reached home at noon, having prayed in the woods since dawn. Time had become unimportant. He sat down to dinner but realized that he had no appetite.
He tried to play hymns on his bass viol but was so moved by God that he could not sing without weeping. He says, "All my feelings seemed to rise and flow out. The utterance of my heart was, 'I want to pour my whole soul to God.'
The rising of my soul was so great that I rushed into the room back of the front office to pray. I wept aloud like a child and made such confession as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed His feet with my tears."
FINNEY DEEPLY DESIRED AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD and, as a result, he became one of the world's most powerful preachers. His sermons were like those of a gifted attorney pleading for the lives of condemned men. Surveys indicate that 75 percent of his converts remained true until death.
John Wesley and the early Methodists learned how to hang onto God!
In his Journal, John Wesley writes about the beginning of the revival that was to shake England and America: "On Monday, January 1, 1739, Mr. Hall, Kinchin, Ingham, Whitefield, Hutchins, and my brother Charles were present in Fetters lane, with about sixty of our brethren.
ABOUT THREE IN THE MORNING [Please note the time!] as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground."
John Wesley received such a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this meeting that his preaching transformed entire cities. Today, Methodist churches everywhere witness to the power of God apparent in that man's life.
The Lord is looking for men and women who, like John Wesley, will wait until 3:00 a.m. to see the glory of God. God says, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Psalms 2:8
Never give up!
When it comes to desire in getting something done, a speech of Winston Churchill's is worth remembering. When Churchill became Prime Minister of Great Britain, he was invited to give a speech at the school he attended as a boy.
That day the teachers and students assembled and waited expectantly for the great orator to begin.
They would never forget his speech.
Churchill stood up and said, "NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER GIVE UP." Then he sat down. That was all he needed to say in order to get his message across.
Apply Winston Churchill's advice to your prayer life - "Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never ever give up." Remember the Lord's statement: ' ... the kingdom of heaven suffereth [allows] violence and the violent take it by force." Matthew 11:12.
If you really want God to answer your prayers, Never Give Up! and you shall be rewarded.
Prayer is Spiritual Breath
