Ivor Bailey prayed: “I enjoy talking to you every night, Lord. I tell you what’s on my mind—the things that bug me, the people I meet, the challenges I face, questions I can’t answer.

“Because you’re my friend, I don’t feel I have to dress up or use out-dated language. I can relax with you.

“Isn’t that what prayer is all about, Lord? You and I sharing things we think are important. Thank you, Lord.”

Besides the Lord’s Prayer this is another excellent way to approach prayer—just share with God what’s on your heart, what’s on your mind, what you are feeling, your joys, sorrows, and so on.

Sharing feelings is what intimacy, communication and connection are all about—not only with people, but also with God. We can do this not only at night but anytime, anywhere.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be open, honest, and real with you. You desire truth in the innermost being. Help me to share my inner truth with you—the good, the bad, the indifferent—share it all, God, no matter what. Thank you for hearing, accepting all my feelings, and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

A Daily Encounter reader writes, “I am feeling lost before God and fear that I will never get to heaven and am on my way to hell. Please can you help me?”

Dear Janet (name changed), feeling lost in relationship to God and feeling far from him is something many people experience, so you are not alone in your struggle. This can be caused by various things such as the following:

First, it can be because we are depending on our feelings rather than trusting in what God’s Word says. So be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian at http://tinyurl.com/8glq9. If you prayed the prayer to receive Jesus as your Savior and truly meant it, God has forgiven all your sins and has guaranteed that you have the gift of eternal life in Heaven with God forever. You need to believe God’s Word and what he says regardless of your feelings. We are saved by faith in God and not by our feelings.

Second, feeling lost or far from God can be caused by guilt … that is, if we are acting in ways that we know are sinful and wrong. This causes a barrier to come between us and God. If this is the case, you need to confess your sins to God, ask for his forgiveness, and change your ways.

Third, another major reason for feeling lost and/or feeling far from God is because of impaired relationships which can go back all the way from yesterday to early childhood. If you have any unresolved issues with any significant person in your life, ask God to help you to resolve this if at all possible. If this isn’t possible, you need to resolve any repressed negative feelings in you (such as hurt and/or anger) regarding this relationship so you can freely forgive the person (or persons) whom you feel have hurt you. These supercharged negative feelings not only build a barrier between ourselves and loved ones, but also between ourselves and God. For further help be sure to read the article, “Forgiveness: The Power to Heal” at http://tinyurl.com/dvwh5. You may also need the help of a well trained counselor to help you resolve repressed negative emotions.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you are close to me regardless of how I feel. Please reveal to me the cause (or causes) of my feelings when I am feeling lost or when it seems that you are far away. With your help I choose to trust in you no matter what, and please help my feelings to catch up with my choice. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Acts 17:26-28 (NIV).

The man huddled on the cabin floor was slowly freezing to death. It was high in the Rockies in southwestern Alberta, and outside a blizzard raged. John Elliott had logged miles that day through the deep snows of the mountain passes. As he checked for avalanches and as dusk and exhaustion overcame him he had decided to “hole-up for the night.”

He made it wearily to his cabin but somewhat dazed with fatigue, he did not light a fire or remove his wet clothing. As the blizzard blasted through the cracks in the old cabin walls, the sleeping forest ranger sank into oblivion, paralyzed by the pleasure of the storm’s icy caress.

Suddenly, however, his dog sprang into action, and with unrelenting whines, finally managed to rouse his near-comatose friend. The dog was John’s constant companion, a St. Bernard, one of a long line of dogs famous for their heroics in times of crisis.

“If that dog hadn’t been with me, I’d be dead today,” John Elliott says. “When you’re freezing to death you actually feel warm all over, and don’t wake up because it feels too good.”²

Life can be like that too. Millions of people, whose lives are filled with the pleasures and occupied with the pursuits of the world, are lulled to sleep spiritually, warm and cozy in their complacency, oblivious to the fact that they are heading pell-mell towards a lost eternity without God and without hope.*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please use me to help awaken those who are spiritually asleep and unaware that they are on their way to a lost eternity without you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 5:14-15 (NIV).

2. “Paralyzed by the Pleasure of an Icy Caress,” The Prairie Overcomer. Cited on Aces Online www.acesonline.org.

*To discover hope click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

According to Jim Green, Executive Director of The JESUS Film Project, “A Jesus film team was driving to a film showing site in a Muslim nation, a remote region that has hardly been touched by the Good News. It was a restricted area, with many hazards for those who would dare to openly share their faith. As the team drove along, they prayed that God would go before them and open doors of opportunity and give them safety.

“Just before they arrived at the village, a policeman flagged down their car. It seemed that an Islamic teacher needed a ride. The officer made the introductions and asked if they could help. Feeling it was an acceptable and necessary risk, they agreed and offered a ride, and continued towards town.

“You can imagine the anxiety the team must have felt when this highly respected teacher asked, ‘Tell me, are you the ones planning to tell people about God?’

“Entrusting themselves to the Lord, they responded, ‘Yes, we are.’ Apprehension turned to astonishment as they listened to what this teacher said next. Bouncing along the dusty road, the teacher told the team how he had experienced a unique dream.

“‘I was told to come to this spot in the road, at this time, and that I would encounter someone who would tell me about God. It must be you.’

“They gave him some literature that JESUS film teams carry in the local language, and invited him to come the showing of JESUS that night. He not only came but also helped distribute literature to the people!”²

It is my personal conviction that if an individual sincerely seeks God and his truth, God will reveal himself to him/her in whatever way or through whomever he chooses.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that whenever I or anyone sincerely seeks you with all their heart, they will find you. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For more information about “Jesus Christ: Is He God or Man?” click on http://tinyurl.com/award

For help to know Jesus personally click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV).

2. Jim Green, Executive Director of The JESUS Film Project, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ International. Monthly report letter, July 8, 2005.

Recently a friend sent me an audio video of the wonderful old hymn written in 1912 by evangelist George Bennard. It made me homesick—not only for heaven—but also for the hymns of the faith that so many of “we oldies” grew up with and that, for many years, we sang regularly in our churches. It was “The Old Rugged Cross.” What a soul-stirring message.

I can’t even remember the last time I heard this hymn sung in church. Nor can I remember the last time I heard another equally grand old hymn: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” which I am playing on my computer right now. Hear the words—what a message:

“When I survey the wondrous cross/on which the Prince of Glory died/my richest gain I count but loss/and pour contempt on all my pride. Were the whole realm of nature mine/that were an offering far too small/love so amazing, so divine/demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Hear “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” at: http://tinyurl.com/42wfntt, or at this we address http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C_GJAnPOpw&feature=related, and hear “The Old Rugged Cross” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rylsA5_0jcM&feature=related.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the grand old hymns of the Christian faith that express your great love and sacrifice for mankind. What a joy it will be when we all get to heaven and sing these great messages together with you in person. In the meantime, please help me always to live the words that I sing for the glory and praise of your holy and eternal name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Colossians 3:16 (NKJV).

B. Hinn tells the following story about the days of slavery. “During the years when slavery was legal in the United States, a gentleman happened upon a slave-bidding in a crowed street. The man paused to observe the activities. As he watched from the edge of the crowd, he saw one slave after another led to a platform, their arms and legs shackled with ropes as if they were animals. Displayed before the jeering crowd, they were auctioned off, one by one.

“Some onlookers would inspect the ‘merchandise,’ grabbing disrespectfully at the women, examining the muscular arms of the men. The gentleman studied the group of slaves waiting nearby. He paused when he saw a young girl standing at the back. Her eyes were filled with fear. She looked so frightened. He hesitated for a moment and then disappeared briefly. When he returned, the auctioneer was about to start the bidding for the young girl he had noticed beforehand.

“As the auctioneer opened the bidding, the gentleman shouted out a bid that was twice the amount of any other selling price offered that day. There was silence for an instance, and then the gavel fell as ‘sold to the gentleman’ was heard. The gentleman stepped forward, and waited at the bottom of the steps as the young girl was led down to her new owner. The rope which bound her was handed to the man, who accepted it without saying anything. The young girl stared at the ground. Suddenly she looked up and spat in his face. Silently, he reached for a handkerchief and wiped the spittle from his face. He smiled gently at the young girl and said, ‘Follow me.’ She followed him reluctantly. As they reached the edge of the crowd, he continued to a nearby area where each deal was closed legally.

“When a slave was set free, legal documents, called manumission papers, were necessary. The gentleman paid the purchase price and signed the necessary documents. When the transaction was complete, he turned to the young girl and presented the documents to her. Startled, she looked at him with uncertainty. Her narrowed eyes asked, ‘What are you doing?’ The gentlemen responded to her questioning look. He said, ‘Here, take these papers. I bought you to make you free. As long as you have these papers in your possession, no man can ever make you a slave again.’

“The girl looked into his face. What was happening? There was silence. Slowly, she said, ‘You bought me to make me free? You bought me to make me free?’ As she repeated this phrase over and over, the significance of what had just happened became more and more real to her. ‘You bought me to make me free?’ Was it possible that a stranger had just granted her freedom and never again could she be held in bondage and servitude to any man? As she began to grasp the significance of the documents which she now held in her hand, she fell to her knees and wept at the gentleman’s feet. Through her tears of joy and gratitude, she said, ‘You bought me to make me free. I’ll serve you forever!’”²

And, Dear Reader, this is exactly what Jesus Christ did for you and me. He died on the cross in your place and mine to pay the ransom price for our sins so we could be fully forgiven by God and set free from the slavery of sin and its eternal damnation.

Have you accepted God’s free pardon and forgiveness? If not, I encourage you to do that today. For help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for giving your son, Jesus, to die on the cross in my place to set me free from slavery to sin and its eternal consequences. In the words of the slave girl, ‘You bought me to make me free. I’ll serve you forever.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Exodus 20:2 (NIV).

2. B. Hinn, “The Blood: It’s Power From Genesis to Jesus to You.”

4. Entreat God for His filling. “Entreat” simply means to ask. Jesus said, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”¹² And again, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”¹³

We can ask God with confidence because we know that it is his will for every Christian to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In fact, God has commanded it, saying, “… be filled with the Spirit.”¹⁴ Therefore “ask and you will receive.”

5. Receive the filling by faith. The Bible says, “By this he [Jesus] meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”¹⁵ And again, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”¹⁶

If you adhere to God’s principles for the filling of the Holy Spirit—Present, Obey, Want, Entreat, and Receive— God will fill you with his Spirit regardless of how you feel. God’s Word doesn’t say that you will receive “good feelings” when you are filled with the Holy Spirit (although you may or may not) but that you will receive POWER. We need to take God at his Word, believe him, and act accordingly.

What is the evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit? The sure-fire evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit, according to God’s Word, is power—power to be an effective witness for Christ, power to serve Christ, power to live a life that is in harmony with God’s will, and power to bear the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”¹⁷

Having a gift or gifts of the Spirit are not necessarily evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit because a person may have many gifts of the Spirit but be anything but filled with God’s Spirit.

How to maintain the filling of the Holy Spirit: The filling of the Spirit is not a once-for-all experience. It is a continual action and a daily need. The literal translation of the command to be filled with the Spirit¹⁸ is to “be on being filled with the Spirit.” The disciples of Jesus were repeatedly filled with the Holy Spirit.¹⁹ Learn to continually abide in Christ who said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”²⁰ We abide in Christ by spending time regularly with him in his Word, in prayer, and by daily maintaining the five key steps.

A suggested prayer for the filling of the Holy Spirit: “Lord Jesus, I surrender my heart and life unconditionally to you. Please take complete control of my life, forgive me for every sin, and fill me with your Holy Spirit and power so that my life will always be lived for you and thereby glorify your name. Thank you for taking control of my life, forgiving me for all my sins, and filling me with your Holy Spirit as you have commanded and promised to all who obey you, ask for, and believe. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

2. Ephesians 5:18 (NIV).

3. Acts 1:8 (NIV).
12. Luke 11:13 (NIV).

13. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV).

14. Ephesians 5:18(NIV).

15. John 7:39 (NIV).

16. Mark 11:24 (NIV).

17. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV).

18. Ephesians 5:18 (NIV).

19. See Acts 2:4, 4:31, 9:17 and 13:9.

20. John 15:5 (NIV).

As genuine Christians if we are to live a successful Christian life—one that empowers us to overcome sinful ways, gives us a sense of inner peace, and empowers us to live a fruitful life that glorifies God—it is essential that we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit.

In fact, it is God’s will that every Christian “be filled with the Spirit,”² the evidence of which is P-O-W-E-R. As Jesus said to his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”³ So the question is: How can we be filled with God’s Holy Spirit? Following are five key steps:

1. Present your life to Jesus Christ. To be filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit for fruitful and dynamic living, it is essential that we daily present, commit and trust our life to Jesus Christ in unconditional surrender—in deed and not just in word. The Bible says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”⁴

2. Obey God on every issue. The second step to being filled with God’s Spirit is obedience; that is, obedience to every command and direction of God as found in his Word, the Bible. His Word says, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given to those who obey him.”⁵

We need to realize that, like the laws of the land, all of God’s laws are for our benefit, protection and well-being. They are not to keep us bound in rigid, false-religion legalism. Thus it is imperative to search the Scriptures daily to learn what is essential for living in harmony with all that God’s Word teaches.

Realize, too, that disobedience to God’s laws is sin and this grieves the Holy Spirit which, in turn, breaks communion and fellowship with God.⁶ Thus all sin needs to be confessed and forgiveness received from God, which God always gives to those who confess their sins to him.⁷ Should you fall down, get up immediately, confess, ask God for forgiveness, and go on.⁸

3. Want sincerely to be filled. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst [strongly desire] for righteousness, for they will be filled.”⁹ This principle also applies to being filled with God’s Holy Spirit. As Jesus also stated, “‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”¹⁰

And as Jesus said to the lame man lying by the pool of Bethesda who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, “Do you want to get well?”¹¹ He didn’t say, “Do you wish to get well?” He said, “Do you want to get well?” So we, too, to be filled with God’s Spirit need to want this with all of our heart and be willing to meet the requirements that God says are needed for to be filled with God’s Spirit.

To be continued ….

1. Lee Tan, Paul, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Assurance Publishers, Rockville, Maryland 20851, p. 555. © 1979 by Paul Lee Tan.

2. Ephesians 5:18 (NIV).

3. Acts 1:8 (NIV).

4. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB).

5. Acts 5:32 (NIV).

6. See Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19.

7. 1 John 1:9.

8. See Proverbs 24:16.

9. Matthew 5:6.

10. John 7:37-39 (NIV).

11. John 5:6 (NIV).

I remember reading a few years ago about a strange occurrence which I was informed took place in Haiti. A man reported to a gas (petrol/fuel) station owner that he had picked up a hitchhiker who was sitting in the back seat when, as they were driving along, suddenly blurted out, “Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!” Whereupon the man looked around and his passenger had disappeared.

Even more strange was the response from the gas station owner who said, “You’re the third person who has told me the exact same story.”

Whether this incident was a strange coincidence, the figment of someone’s imagination, or something supernatural I cannot be certain. But of one thing we can be sure, Jesus is coming again. He himself promised he would.

Christ’s first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming is just as certain. He said he would come when we least expect it. The important thing is to be ready by receiving him as our personal Lord and Savior. He is coming again. It may be today. If so, are you ready?

For help, be sure to read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian.

Remember, too, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, Thank you for the wonderful hope you have given us that Jesus is coming again so we can all be together forever in heaven. I pray today for all who haven’t received you as their Lord and Savior. Please use me to help share your gospel message of salvation to others around the world, which is now possible with e-Mail and the Internet. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jesus in John 14:2-3 (NIV).

I don’t think it was an accident that the first book ever printed mechanically was the Bible. It was printed in 1455 or 1456 by Johannes Gutenberg, the German who invented the first printing press with movable type—an invention that revolutionized worldwide communications. For several hundred years following, the Bible was the most printed book in the world.

Today the commercial world, false cults, pornographers, and political groups are taking the fullest possible advantage of super high-speed computer controlled printing presses to publish and promote their messages either for good or evil. They are doing the same with the Internet and e-mail—and every other means of modern communication.

I believe God gave Gutenberg the ability to invent movable type and the printing press primarily to print the Bible so people worldwide could receive the gospel and Word of God in their own language. The same goes for radio, television, film, the World Wide Web of the Internet, and every other God-given modern means of communication—perhaps today more than ever—to reach a lost and dying world with the gospel in preparation for Christ’s possible soon return. Jesus indicated that when the gospel was preached [proclaimed] in all the world then the end would come.²

Like the printing press of old, today the Internet has absolutely revolutionized worldwide communications—it is the most economical way ever to reach millions world-wide with the gospel. ACTS alone in the past month has seen visitors to our websites from more than 194 countries and territories, and at the time of writing, in the last four months we have received 1,095 salvation and re-commitment to Jesus Christ responses from 77 countries. People need the Lord, but it is your and my responsibility to take God’s message of salvation to them, and invite them to make a commitment of their life to Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, in Christendom we are mostly using all these modern and incredible means of communication to talk to ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with this except that the balance is way out of proportion. Furthermore, almost all of the money given to churches is spent on ourselves with only an average of 5 percent being spent on missions. Also, take the average church website and you will be hard pressed to find a presentation of the gospel. They are mostly an electronic bulletin board for church members.

And yet, as the late Oswald J. Smith of Canada said, “The supreme task of the church is the evangelization of the world.” And this is certainly in direct harmony with Jesus’ commission to his followers to “go into all the world and preach [communicate] the Good News to everyone, everywhere.”³ This is God’s plan and the wisest thing we can do is to get in on his plan and what he is doing in the world today.

And how can you and I do this? It’s incredibly simple and we’ll answer this question in tomorrow’s Daily Encounter.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I don’t ask that you bless my plans, but please help me to be a part of your plans and what you are doing in the world today. And please use me to be an effective witness for the gospel in everything I do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (NIV).

2. Matthew 24:24.

3. Mark 16:15 (NLT).