Free Range Preacher on Prayer

This is a review of sorts, and also, if you are new to the podcast and are not sure why we pray as Christians or if God even wants us to pray, today we will, in a meditative way, one of the answers to both those objections. Psalm 65:2 O Thou who dost hear prayer, To Thee all men come. If God did not hear prayer, why would all men come to Him? With the roadblock of wonder at God’s desire to hear fr...

We have seen God's will is clearly Salvation, and being Spirit-filled, today we are examining the next cascading revealed will of God, that we are Sanctified. Romans 8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, t...

So critical is the role of the Holy Spirit that Jesus said: "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' 6 "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 16:5...

Salvation is the paramount will of God. The message of the Church, given to us by our Savior, is the Good News's proclamation that there is a way to God. There is reconciliation between God and man. Two Biblical truths that must drive us to our knees for friends' loved ones, acquaintances, strangers, and enemies is their need for salvation. Barring the saving knowledge of Jesus, who is the Christ,...

We emphasized the last episode on God's will, in regards to the spread of the gospel, but there are times critical times when we seem to flounder for His will, what it may be. Our devotional today centers on the truth that God's will is crystal clear in every significant aspect of our lives. No doubt about that. I steal… umm… borrow liberally from a study by John MacArthur from a few years ago foc...

Repentance begins with sorrow. It is not a sorrow that leads us to punish ourselves that is counterproductive, and we have no right to scourge ourselves in payment for our sins. They have already been paid for by Christ's blood. There is a feeling of Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7:10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading...

Often we feel like we are losing our battle against sin, so we say with Paul: Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Romans 7:24 Oddly enough, the reason for gratitude comes in verse 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then, on the one hand, I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. How can...

From time to time, through circumstances, trials mostly, but sometimes fighting my own unworthy thoughts, I find it very hard to give thanks. I have developed two fallback positions, I call them, in which I am always able to Give thanks. I am continually thankful that He is my Creator: The encouragement of Isaiah 40:28 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Crea...

"in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 2 Thessalonians 5:18 Instead of fearing circumstances which are unexpected, but rather give thanks because God is in control. I will not gossip about those I know or only hear about but rather give thanks they are in my life for a divine purpose. I will not focus on those who I disagree with, but rather give thanks, for G...

A quick reminder of our call and a couple of reasons for our gratitude. Psalm 100:4-5 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations. Assistant Editor: Seven Jefferson Gossard freerangeprayer@gmail.com Facebook - Free Range Preacher Ministries Instagr...

You may have noticed the new podcast art. This is our anniversary month at Free Range. This quarter, we are moving this month, even this last Quarter of 2020 to be a thanksgiving Quarter. I think it is time we make a concerted effort to redeem these days to the glory of God. In keeping with the celebration of our second year's end, we are giving away Popsicle Crosses to everyone who emails us here...

All God's people are called to Prayer. It is the need of our new inner man to experience communion with our Savior, Almighty God. We might say we are all under a general call to Prayer. Some though, are called to have a prayer ministry. A prayer ministry is defined as a personal call to take up daily prayers for specific people to minister to them. Jonathan Edwards is an example of our general cal...

I was reminded recently of the value of silence before God. The Bible tells us about the incredible value of resting quietly. Psalm 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 131:1-2 O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. 2 Surely...

Praying “Thy will be done” with discernment means we understand job one in God’s present economy is the building of His kingdom. Discernment also teaches us that we begin with ourselves as we do with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. We are each gifted by the Holy Ghost to be not only a part of the Body of Christ but an active part of the Body of Christ. We are called to do His will through the...

Prayer is never to be constrained by form. If we are to expect in our communication with others, “only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:9b We can indeed know, our God, who knows our frame, will hear us when our need of the moment is so great, we abandon all formality. 30 But seeing the wind, he became...

If you bet, Fred couldn’t get sappy love songs, Englebert Humperdink, Casey Stengel, and Psalm 24 into a Wednesday review… You lost! Like all things in Christ, we come full circle. We learn to pray in the same way we learned to talk and for the same reasons. We were born physically with the drive and need to talk - communicate.  We were born-again with the drive to pray to our Savior - commun...

As we come to more and more honor God as God, hallowing His name with all our heart, mind, and soul, His will, will be our prayer more and more. When we hear Jesus, then say, ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. ‘Thy kingdom come…’ Our hearts say, ah-ha! If God tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish,...

No matter his brothers' motive, Joseph saw God's beauty in working out His divine will, not just selfishly in Joesph's life but also for his enemies... his brothers. At any time, Joseph had the power to take revenge on his family, saving perhaps Benjamin and Jacob. Still, the God of all comfort who comforted him before he was reunited with his father Jacob moved Joseph that he "comforted them and...

When we pray, we join the long list of saints we know, and the great cloud of witnesses gone before us as we long to be fully understood by our God. Yes, it may be silly to tell Him stuff we know He already knows, but we still do, we need too, we long too. I had an occasion to talk to my daughter a couple of days ago. I expressed to her again that I cannot imagine living out our Christian lives wi...

The artwork on the podcast today shows a bottle my wife found when she was a teenager. I know it was created by sand, the lightning, wind, and cooling rain. If you buy that, I can tell you that our universe was created by mysterious forces, cosmic lighting, and luck. And after you buy that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I can let go for a bargain-basement price! (Only us old guys will get that....

For those with ears to hear, our God reveals Himself in various and sundry ways. (I love that phrase, various and sundry!) Critical to the revelation of who the true God, Creator, and Ruler of the universe really is, are the names of God given to us in Holy Writ. (I love that one too.) We rest in the knowledge that God our Savior is also demonstrated to be: Yahweh Yahweh Maccadeshem Yahweh Tisdkne...

We have been created, by our blessed God, as a unique creation fit for eternal communion with Him, being moved by His divine power and attributes; we were meant to understand the glory of God and enjoy who He is for all eternity. We have inherited one other trait from Adam, the enmity between our Creator and ourselves. However, by the mercies of God and our Savior's blood, we have been born again...

"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name." The Lord's prayer is not only our blueprint for prayer but sets the standard of content for our prayers. When Jesus said "hallowed by Thy name," it does imply worship, but more than that it sets our goal to bring Him glory because He is Holy Holy Holy. Acknowledging who He is will assuredly help us avoid believing Him...

We are beginning the main text from the Sermon on the Mount the Lord's Prayer. For the next several weeks, we will be looking at prayer's framework and the standards of prayer. I in no way desire these standards to discourage anyone's prayer life. Therefore, as I may sound more like a preacher in the next few episodes, my request is if faced with standards you have not considered yet, do not let t...

Just when you thought the four elements of prayer (Worship, Confession, Intercession, and Thanksgiving) were enough, along comes Isaac Watts, yes, that Isaac Watts, and gives us his view on "The Nature of Prayer" from His book, "A Guide to Prayer." "In speaking of prayer as a duty of worship required of us, we may, in order to understand the whole nature of prayer better, divide it into several pa...