Dr Paul Allen

Ever been in physical, mental or relationship pain? You pray then wait, but what do you do while you wait? Panic? Worry? Take excessive medication?  Today we meet a lady that had been waiting for relief from her condition for a long, long time. 2 WAYS TO WAIT FOR JESUS SO YOU CAN GIVE GOD GLORY WHEN HELP IS DELAYED 1. PASSIONATELY PURSUE JESUS WHEN YOU NEED HIM In Luke 8:40-48, we see two cases of passionate pursuit… A) THE SYNAGOGUE LEADER  Luke 8:40-42 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. Jesus is swamped in a crowd of fans and somehow a desperate man worms his way through the crowd and collapses at Jesus’ feet. The crowd recognizes Jairus as a ruler of their synagogue. Can you...

Christ and The Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In Matthew 6:5 –8, in the midst of His discussion of the contrast between true and false righteousness, Jesus condemns the Pharisees ’ current practice of prayer in two specific areas: self-centered prayer and prayer that had no meaning. Each area manifests one or more of the faults that had so corrupted true prayer in the life of the nation. Self-Centered Prayer Since pride was at its root, our Lord first dealt with those who prayed to exhibit their supposed spirituality before men. “ When you pray , you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” ( Matt. 6:5). Prayer that focuses on self is always hypocritical because every true prayer focuses on God. The term hypocrite originally referred to Greek actors who wore masks that portrayed in an exaggerated way the roles they were dra...

Christ the Saviourt: Wikipedia ) Praying in Jesus’ name is more than a formula. Some people think that they have to close every prayer with the phrase “In Jesus’ name, amen.”  But the proper kind of prayer involves much more than a formula. What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? In Scripture, the name of God embodies all that He is. When God told Moses His name, He said, “I am who I am” (Ex. 3:14). Likewise, Jesus’ name embodies all that He is. When you pray in His name, what you ask should be consistent with who He is. Praying in Jesus’ name is praying in accord with God’s will. When our requests are in line with God’s sovereign plan, He will answer them and our faith will increase. Instead of invoking a formula at the end of your prayers, perhaps you could say, “I pray this because I believe it to be the will of Christ .”  When God answers prayers about a particular situation, we have the privilege of being a part of His work and of praising Him for it...