Standing in the need of prayer!
It's me, it's me, it's me Oh Lord standing in the need of prayer! The song goes on to say it's not my mother or my brother. Actually, today it is others more than me that are on my heart who are in need to prayer right now!
While scanning Facebook friends, family members and ministry partners it becomes clear that many are in need of someone to "stand" with them in prayer agreement for their needs. Some of those needs are physical while others are spiritual, emotional or relational. We should be aware of the fact that God has provided for all of the above. The problem is more in the area of "appropriating" the answers to those needs. We know that it is written in the Bible and that His Word does not lie, but how Oh how do we lay hold on the hem of His Garment to get our healing, deliverance or answer?
Some follow the stream of "Name it and claim it" where we confess a scriptural promise and it is over with! Others advocate "spiritual travail" as a woman in childbirth. And some emphasize persistence as contained in the acronym P.U.S.H. - Pray Until Something Happens. I am somewhere in the area of the latter. It just happens that I believe that our confession is important. It is also necessary to be persistent as in the case of the "unjust judge" and that there are time of spiritual travail when we come before the Throne of Grace. In the end, I just keep on praying until there is evidence of the manifestation of an answer.
1 Samuel 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: KJV This Old Testament verse has made a major impact upon my life. Not out of fear of retribution or punishment from an angry Father, but fear that I may give up before the answer comes or that someone needs the simple spiritual covering that my prayers may provide. A few years ago I realized that there were many precious Japanese people who had no one else in this nation praying for their salvation. What would happen to them if I failed to hold their souls up before the Heavenly Father? Of course, there are thousands of people who pray for the people of Japan and engage either in direct ministry or support of ministries here. There is a part that I have been destined to play in the salvation of many Japanese who have been brought into our lives.
How about you? I imagine you have many family members, neighbors and friends who are in need of prayer also. Let me know if you have any specific prayer requests that we can join in with you about. However you choose to pray, let's keep on ringing those "Prayer Bells of Heaven". God is on His Throne and He still answers our prayers!
God bless you as you pray!
Dan Corbett
Reaching One Among Millions
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
"Never grow old, we'll never grow old"
The words for this old hymn go to to explain that we are going to a "land" where we will never grow old, obviously referring to Heaven. But, what about aging while we are still residents of the earth? Many scripture references speak of our outer man dying and (physical) corruption.
Several years ago I was traveling with a senior church leader and the subject of aging came up. He (now deceased) quipped that he wasn't getting older. Then he went on to explain that our spirit does not age. It was a refreshing thought! Perhaps if we spend more time in the Word of God basking in His Presence and Walking more in the Spirit we may act, talk and think much younger than our chronological or biological age.
Recently, I have been very engaged in Japanese/English translation and proof reading. It is amazing to me how much my sixty plus year old mind can still process and retain in respect to at least, three of the languages I have learned over my lifetime. Some worry about memory loss and spend a lot of time talking about the subject, even making a lot of jokes about "losing their mind". I am a little cautious about joking in this area. I have made too many visits, as a pastor, to nursing homes and seen those who have lost their memories, no longer clearly aware of their surrounding not even able to recognize close family members who come to visit them.
There is a Japanese expression (石の頭) which roughly translates to "stone head" in respect to not being able to learn something new. I have repented over that negative confession I used to make over myself. It was an excuse for struggling to learn the Japanese language. Now I am much more positive about Japanese and in a more advanced age I am finding myself able to learn and utilize both oral and written Japanese better then 20 years ago.
Someone once said, "when one stops learning, they begin dying"! There is so much to learn in life. I am thankful for the health and strength to rise in the morning and be able to put in a full day of work at the age of 70+. How about you? The scripture says, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! There is no mention of age in this verse. I claim the promises of Psalms 92:14 "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age and be fat and flourishing..." In fact, I am fulfilling this scripture in the very literal sense, both bringing forth fruit and being fat and flourishing. Seriously, one New Years resolution is safe and sensible weight loss.
Thanks for taking time to stop and read these thoughts. As believers in Christ, we are preparing and looking forward to Heaven and that definitely is a place where no one will ever grow old.
God bless you as you walk daily in His Spirit, Love and Power!
Dan Corbett
"Reaching One Among Millions"
The words for this old hymn go to to explain that we are going to a "land" where we will never grow old, obviously referring to Heaven. But, what about aging while we are still residents of the earth? Many scripture references speak of our outer man dying and (physical) corruption.
Several years ago I was traveling with a senior church leader and the subject of aging came up. He (now deceased) quipped that he wasn't getting older. Then he went on to explain that our spirit does not age. It was a refreshing thought! Perhaps if we spend more time in the Word of God basking in His Presence and Walking more in the Spirit we may act, talk and think much younger than our chronological or biological age.
Recently, I have been very engaged in Japanese/English translation and proof reading. It is amazing to me how much my sixty plus year old mind can still process and retain in respect to at least, three of the languages I have learned over my lifetime. Some worry about memory loss and spend a lot of time talking about the subject, even making a lot of jokes about "losing their mind". I am a little cautious about joking in this area. I have made too many visits, as a pastor, to nursing homes and seen those who have lost their memories, no longer clearly aware of their surrounding not even able to recognize close family members who come to visit them.
There is a Japanese expression (石の頭) which roughly translates to "stone head" in respect to not being able to learn something new. I have repented over that negative confession I used to make over myself. It was an excuse for struggling to learn the Japanese language. Now I am much more positive about Japanese and in a more advanced age I am finding myself able to learn and utilize both oral and written Japanese better then 20 years ago.
Someone once said, "when one stops learning, they begin dying"! There is so much to learn in life. I am thankful for the health and strength to rise in the morning and be able to put in a full day of work at the age of 70+. How about you? The scripture says, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! There is no mention of age in this verse. I claim the promises of Psalms 92:14 "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age and be fat and flourishing..." In fact, I am fulfilling this scripture in the very literal sense, both bringing forth fruit and being fat and flourishing. Seriously, one New Years resolution is safe and sensible weight loss.
Thanks for taking time to stop and read these thoughts. As believers in Christ, we are preparing and looking forward to Heaven and that definitely is a place where no one will ever grow old.
God bless you as you walk daily in His Spirit, Love and Power!
Dan Corbett
"Reaching One Among Millions"
Monday, January 14, 2013
Happy New Year!
January 14, 2013! I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote the last blog on the Jpnwatchman Blog! Time has passed so quickly! In this brief blog several things need to take place. One is an apology for neglecting this important spiritual discipline of writing (blogging). The other is to inform you that, as the founder of Japan Prayer Network, we basically have been without a functioning web site for nearly a year. It has been up and down for weeks at a time. I still am using Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Youtube. Most of those pages can be found by using the key word of "jpnwatchman". We are considering a new domain and website in the near future. In the meantime, I hope to be much more faithful in maintaining this blog.
I noticed the URL for the blog ends in ".jp". Depending on your location and operating system language, you may find some Japanese characters on the page. Once you get into the blog I think everything should be in English.
For those of you wishing to get in direct email contact please feel free to write me at: jpnpray@gmail.com. Especially if you are interested in receiving a periodic email update of what is going on in Japan with Sharon, me and family. There is a lot of good news to be shared. Let us know how we best can pray for you!
Gonna let you go now. It is time to ring the "Prayer Bells"! There is much to be prayed over in lives of family, friends, ministry partners, cities and nations of the world.
God bless you richly as you pray!
Daniel Corbett
Reaching One Among Millions
January 14, 2013! I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote the last blog on the Jpnwatchman Blog! Time has passed so quickly! In this brief blog several things need to take place. One is an apology for neglecting this important spiritual discipline of writing (blogging). The other is to inform you that, as the founder of Japan Prayer Network, we basically have been without a functioning web site for nearly a year. It has been up and down for weeks at a time. I still am using Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Youtube. Most of those pages can be found by using the key word of "jpnwatchman". We are considering a new domain and website in the near future. In the meantime, I hope to be much more faithful in maintaining this blog.
I noticed the URL for the blog ends in ".jp". Depending on your location and operating system language, you may find some Japanese characters on the page. Once you get into the blog I think everything should be in English.
For those of you wishing to get in direct email contact please feel free to write me at: jpnpray@gmail.com. Especially if you are interested in receiving a periodic email update of what is going on in Japan with Sharon, me and family. There is a lot of good news to be shared. Let us know how we best can pray for you!
Gonna let you go now. It is time to ring the "Prayer Bells"! There is much to be prayed over in lives of family, friends, ministry partners, cities and nations of the world.
God bless you richly as you pray!
Daniel Corbett
Reaching One Among Millions
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