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Devotionals by Dr. Jeff Schreve

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HAVE YOU THROWN IN THE TOWEL ON PRAYER?

Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up. Luke 18:1 CEV

I have always been a boxing fan. Without question, boxing is a brutal sport that can get out of hand in a hurry. Sometimes, to protect his fighter from serious harm, a manager has to "throw in the towel" to get the referee to stop the fight.

The phrase "throw in the towel" quickly moved from the boxing world to everyday life. As we all know, when you throw in the towel, you quit... you give up... you accept defeat. And people do it all the time. They throw in the towel on their marriage, or their degree, or their dreams, or their very lives. It is easy to throw in the towel. It is much harder to push through and keep going.

THE STRUGGLE WITH PRAYER

Now when it comes to the spiritual discipline called prayer, we are routinely confronted with the temptation to throw in the towel and quit. Much of the time, the answers to our prayers are seemingly slow in coming. We can start out so gung-ho over a need or a dream or a desire only to lose steam as nothing visibly changes. The devil likes to show up in those moments and whisper in our ear, "You are wasting your time, your fool. God is not going to answer your prayer. He either doesn't care about your need, or He is unable to help you. Regardless, you ought to cut your losses, get off your knees, and stop believing in the pipe dream that prayer changes things. It doesn't." Have you ever heard those thoughts swirl through your mind? I know I have.

THE LORD'S ENCOURAGEMENT

In our discouragement over unanswered prayer, the Lord reminds us, "Don't quit! Keep praying! Keep Believing! Keep coming before me with your needs. I hear you, and I care. I will answer at the proper time... if you don't quit."

You see, the Lord loves persistence. He loves it when we dig in and choose to trust Him, no matter what the circumstances say. He loves it when we refuse to throw in the towel on the prayer need that He put in our heart. When we pray according to His will, we can have great confidence that He will answer us when the time is right (see 1 John 5:14-15).

SHANDI'S STORY

Shandi is a beautiful young wife and mom in our church. She had been married to her husband Sean for twelve years. She was a Christian, and he was not ... and she was praying for his salvation. She was not pushy or preachy, but she longed for him to know Christ and to have a Christian marriage. She prayed for him, and did not quit. One Sunday at church, she could tell the Lord was working on Sean. Shandi went down to the altar to pray, and she prayed fervently for Sean's salvation. Her prayers were answered that day! While she was on her knees praying for him, he slipped out of the pew and went done to the altar to give his life to Jesus... and his nine-year-old son, Preston, followed him to do the same. Sean and Preston were baptized together two weeks later! Shandi was beside herself with joy!

That was three years ago. They told me this story just last Sunday night, and both of them were fighting back the tears. God had done such a great thing in their lives, marriage, and family. Shandi knew Jesus wanted to save Sean, and she would not quit until He answered her prayer!

KEEP GOING

Have you thrown in the towel on prayer? Have you given up on that dream, that need, that desire God placed within you? Pick up the towel, and get back on your knees. If your prayer is a little off center, ask God to refine it so that is in complete accordance with His will.

Prayer really does change things because God answers prayer! So, don't quit!

Love,

Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries


Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.

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About From His Heart

From His Heart Ministries is the TV, Radio and Internet broadcast outreach of Dr. Jeff Schreve who believes that no matter how badly you have messed up in life, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. We’re on mission to help a new generation discover their creator through the preaching of the compassionate, relevant, yet uncompromised truth of the Gospel. Pastor Jeff speaks the truth in love with clear biblical content combined with engaging, personal stories. His messages are filled with life-giving principles for everyday living and eternal assurance.

On Television: From His Heart is seen each week on Lightsource and also around the world on The Hillsong Channel, NRBTV, The Walk TV, and hundreds of TV stations across America and around the world. Go to Click Here to find the station near you.

On Radio: Click Here to listen to the daily radio broadcast available on OnePlace.com as well as 720+ outlets across America.

About Dr. Jeff Schreve

Jeff's life has been radically changed by Jesus Christ.
Growing up in a church-going home, Jeff learned a lot about God, but he did not know God. He believed in Jesus in the same way he believed in George Washington: he knew Jesus was real, but had not personally met Him. All this changed one night after a Young Life meeting when he was alone in his bedroom. There Jeff saw his need for Christ and His forgiveness and surrendered his life to Jesus.

As a student at the University of Texas, Jeff grew in his Christian life. He graduated with a degree in business and moved back home to Houston, Texas to start a career in business. There he met his future wife, Debbie, at a single's group meeting at Champion Forest Baptist Church. They were married in 1986 and have been blessed with a wonderful relationship and three awesome daughters and two beautiful grandchildren.

A New Direction
After spending 13 years as a chemical salesman, God called Dr. Schreve to preach. He left his secure position and moved his family to North Carolina to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was a scary and difficult move to make ... but it was one of the best decisions they have ever made. One year later, God called them to serve on staff at Champion Forest Baptist Church. In 2000, he completed his Master of Divinity degree graduating from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He graduated with a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2014 from Southeastern Seminary.

Jeff Schreve has been the senior Pastor of First Baptist Texarkana in 2003, a growing and exciting church with 4500+ members.

Contact From His Heart with Dr. Jeff Schreve

Mailing Address:
From His Heart Ministries
Box 7267
Texarkana, TX 75505

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