EFM Monthly Devotional
The Possibilities of Prayer
November 2011
By Faith Hemmeter
Mr. Tozer makes a statement I like very much in his book - Mornings with Tozer: “Prayer engages the Omnipresent God and brings Him into our human affairs.” In other words, prayer brings the ever-present God into our lives and involves Him in our human affairs. What a glorious privilege is ours to pray! A little chorus says, “Why worry when you can pray? Trust Jesus, He knows the way. Don’t be a doubting Thomas. Rest fully on His promise. Why worry, worry, worry, worry when you can pray?”
The only prayer God promises to answer for the sinner is a prayer of repentance, and asking forgiveness for our sins. Once we do that and believe Him to forgive us, we become his children. Then we can come to Him with all of our problems and requests, seek His face and He will hear us. He said, “Ask, and it shall be given you...” Read Matthew 7:7-8 and also James 4:2b - “Ye have not, because ye ask not.”
A few years ago a friend of mine up in Michigan told me the following experience she had had. She said that one time she had asked God for a good, used dress. And He let her find one. As she was thanking Him for it, He replied, “Yes, but you could have had a new one if you had asked for it! “ Indeed God wants to become involved in our lives and help us with all our problems and supply all our needs. (Philippians 4:19) Glory to His Name! Remember Jesus said, “. . . your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask him.” (Matthew 6: 7-8)
Month of Splendor!
October 2011
By Faith Hemmeter
Don’t you love to see the beautiful colored leaves that our Jesus created for us? Isn’t it fun to hear the crunching of the leaves under foot as you walk through them? Oh, I am so glad for eyes to see and ears to hear! God is so good!
October is the month of splendor! Our God has promised us, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22 We have all seen it throughout our lifetimes. Truly, you can trust God! He can help you. Read the Bible, God’s Word. I like to tell people that everyone wants to go to Heaven. The Bible tells us how to get there. We ought to read it!
I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Read also from the Gospel of John 3 where it speaks of being born again.
Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
For a glimpse of Heaven read Revelation 21. It will tell you what Heaven looks like and who is going there and who is not going. God bless you as you read. Pray and ask Jesus to help you understand. He is ever faithful!
God bless you.
Freedom!
July 2011
By Faith Hemmeter 
Liberty is the word that comes to mind when we think of the month of July. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” My encyclopedia tells me that he said those words in 1775 before the Virginia Provincial Convention. Our American forefathers wanted freedom!
Jesus, the only begotten Son of God said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 That is, if Jesus the Son of God makes you free you will really be free! Free from what? We could answer on the basis of God’s Word, the Bible: 1. Free from sin, Rom.6:17 & 18 2. Free from guilt and condemnation. Read John 8: 4 – 11 in your Bible. 3. Freedom from fear. Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Once we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us, then through faith, He forgives us and we are free of the fear of meeting God at the final judgment. Praise the Lord!
Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in our country. Jesus has freed many from their sins and He wants to free you, your friends, and loved ones. The songwriter said in the song Glorious Freedom, “Once I was bound by sin’s galling fetters; Chained like a slave, I struggled in vain. But I received a glorious freedom when Jesus broke my fetters in twain.” The chorus says, “Glorious freedom! Wonderful freedom! No more in chains of sin I repine! Jesus, the glorious Emancipator! Now and forever He shall be mine.”
The Wedding
June 2011
By Faith Hemmeter
The very mention of June calls to mind beautiful weddings, roses, a time for rejoicing, and bright hope for tomorrow! Especially is this so when the one to be married is an only child!
The Bible, tells us about just such a wedding that is soon to take place. You can find the account of it in the book of Revelation, chapter 19 and verses 7, 8, and 9. However, it does not tell us just when it is to take place. Rather, we are encouraged to be sure we are ready for this wedding. Notice in verse 7 it says, “ Let us be glad and rejoice, and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. “
This wedding is the wedding of the only Son of God. See John 3:16 where it speaks of God’s only begotten Son.
You may wonder who the Lamb is. Do you remember the poem “The Lamb” by William Blake? In part, it goes, “Little lamb, who made thee? . . . Little lamb, I’ll tell thee, little lamb, I’ll tell thee; He is called by thy name, For he calls himself a Lamb; . . . “The Lamb is speaking of Jesus. I urge you to read Isaiah 53 verses 6 – 12. Jesus is the sheep that laid down His life that He might redeem us.
So the Lamb is Jesus and we who have given our lives to Him are His bride. The time for the wedding is unknown, but we are encouraged to make ourselves ready for this wonderful wedding which is soon to take place in Heaven. See Matthew 24: 36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
Just as those who receive a wedding invitation here on earth consider themselves blessed to have received it, so those who have their sins forgiven and have their names written in the Book of Life are blessed. See Revelation 19 verse 9. It says,” Then he said to me, ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’”
I would encourage you to be sure you are ready for this great wedding which is soon to come!
Godly Mothers
May 2011
By Faith Hemmeter
The very mention of the month of May evokes all kinds of pleasant thoughts. Among them are thoughts of flowers, warmer weather and mother!
God’s Word tells us of many godly mothers. Among them is the Virgin Mary, who was faithful to believe God to do with her as He said He would. He told her she would become the mother of the Son of God. (Luke 1:28 -33) There is a lesson here for us. Do we take God at His word? Do we believe what He says to us? She also trusted Him. Do we trust God?
Let us look at another mother of the Bible - Ruth. She became the mother of Boaz, who was the father of Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. So Ruth, through choosing to go with her mother-in-law Naomi and to serve Naomi’s God, became the great great grandmother of King David. (Ruth 1: 11- 19) Ruth left all - her country, her people, and her gods, because she saw in Naomi’s life something that convinced her of the truth. As we read or hear the story of Ruth, we learn to fully follow God, to trust Him and obey. Also we find the lesson of how- Naomi who through her life brought a heathen girl to the full knowledge of the only True God who is revealed to us in the Bible.
If we follow the example of these mothers our lives will become as beautiful as the May flowers that we see all around us. God bless you and make your life beautiful and fragrant.
