Author: Charles Spurgeon

Pray with Spurgeon: The victory is the Lord’s

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Oh, let the masses of the people yet come to seek after Christ: by some means, by all means, by every means, may the ears of men be reached, and then their hearts be touched. May they hear, that their souls may live; and may the Lord who in everlasting covenant sets forth his Son, glorify him in the midst of the nations.

Let all the nations know the Christ of God. Our Father, we pray, help the few, valiant few, that press forward into the dense area of the enemy. Help them to fight valiantly! May these pioneers of the Christian host in mission lands be increased in number, may they be kept in good heart, may they have confidence in God, and may the Lord send the day of victory much sooner than our feeble faith has dared to hope.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“He told them, ‘The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.’” (Luke 10:2)

The seventy were very few compared with the many that were needed. There were many loiterers about then as there are now; but the laborers were few. There were preachers of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and they were not worth a penny a hundred; but the true laborers, who watched for souls, and preached Christ with all their hearts, were very few.

It is the same today; and therefore we are to pray for more laborers. A good minister always desires to see more good ministers. In a trade, every tradesman would be glad if those of the same trade as himself would move to another place; but in the profession of a Christian minister, the more the merrier.

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The (not-so-surprising) cure for anxiety

The path to a peaceful life, free of anxiety, starts by laying down your pride, by relying on the Savior instead of yourself. If you want peace in your life, start by growing in humility.

That’s the point of Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson. This book discusses Christ’s call to humility and practical steps to walk in it. It will definitely encourage you, shape you into Christlikeness, and fill you up with peace.

The Kindle edition of Humble Roots in on sale now for just $1.99, so this is a great time to grab a copy!

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Pray with Spurgeon: Jesus, redeem this cursed world

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We have to bring before you a great burden, and that is the godlessness of this present age. Wise men and men without knowledge do not seek after God.

O Lord, the multitude delight in sin. Drunkenness defiles our city, and filthy words are heard on every side. Do not show your wrath to this nation, we beseech you. It has been entrusted with wondrous privileges. Forgive it and have mercy upon its aggravated sin. Lay not its heavy responsibilities to its charge, but let this nation be saved. We pray for it, as we are in duty bound to do, and as our love constrains us to do.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“The earth has produced its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.” (Psalm 67:6)

Sin first laid a curse on the soil, and grace alone can remove it. Under tyrannical governments lands become unproductive, but, when the principles of true religion shall have elevated mankind, and the dominion of Jesus shall be universally acknowledged, the science of tillage shall be perfected, men shall be encouraged to labor, industry shall banish penury, and the soil shall be restored to more than its highest condition of fertility. There is certainly an intimate relation between moral and physical evil, and between spiritual and physical good.

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Grow in prayer and grow in hope

To be honest, consistency in prayer has always been a challenge for me. It’s easy for the demands of this life to keep me from my most important work — communicating with the Lord in prayer. But I’ve been so refreshed recently to read A Praying Life by Paul Miller.

A Praying Life is a great, encouraging book on Christian prayer. Reading this book has cultivated Scripture-saturated prayers of childlike faith in my life. Miller describes prayer in a way that is thoroughly biblical and incredible desirable.

I hope A Praying Life will help you deepen your prayer life this year.

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Pray with Spurgeon: Jesus, be glorified this Easter weekend

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Editor’s Note: This prayer for God’s truth to be proclaimed clearly is a great one to pray while leading into Easter weekend, when many non-believers will be present in our churches. Oh, may they hear the good news of Christ and believe!

O Jesus, Son of the Highest, we know that the truth is powerful, because you are the soul of it—the very essence of it. Put your life into it, we pray. May the Eternal Spirit go with every word which God-sent ministers shall proclaim this Easter weekend, and may the Lord grant that as the mists fly before the sun, and the clouds before the wind, so error and superstition may be driven away by the rising of the Sun of Righteousness in all the glory of his brightness.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.” (Malachi 4:2)

This promise has also had a practical fulfillment in the deathbed experiences of God’s people. Tortured with disease, they have been lying in the darkness and gloom of death. But suddenly a wondrous light has surprised them—their dying bed has become a throne of glory. They have found themselves arrayed in royal garments as though it were their coronation rather than their departure out of this world.

Though the body has been bound fast with cords, the soul has mounted up as on the wings of eagles, in sacred rapture and holy bliss. The sun of righteousness has risen upon them. Before their earthly sun went down, the heavenly sun lit up their sky with a sacred high, eternal noon. And unto you who fear the name of the Lord, whatever gloom may surround your departure from the earth, the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings, and one day you will find him rise even upon your mortal bodies.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus?

Christ calls his people to an amazing, grace-fueled life of self-denial. It’s an exciting life, but what does it actually look like to lay down your life and take up your cross?

A great and short book on this topic is A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin. It describes, in a beautifully biblical way, Christ’s call to deny yourself. This book is a stunning invitation to lay down your life in order to start really living.

A warning: If you grab a copy of this book today, get ready. This book is not for the faint of heart. It will expose sin and challenge you to live righteously. It is a challenging read (in the best way), but it is full of treasure!

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Pray with Spurgeon: I am not ashamed of the gospel

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

May we never be ashamed to glory in the good old way, the way the fathers trod, the way which leads to heaven and to God. May we not be ashamed to defend the gospel, and to bear reproach; for your gospel has of old been “a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23); and so we expect it ever to be a stumbling-block to those who go after the way of superstition, and also to be foolishness to the wise men of the world.

O God, again confuse the knowledge of men by what they think to be the foolishness of the gospel. Again let it be seen that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Many other people were ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It was too simple; it had not enough of mystery about it; it had not enough of worldly wisdom about it. Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” and then he gives his reason for not being ashamed of it: The gospel tells us about this living by faith, this believing, this receiving righteousness through believing, and not through working. This is the sweet story of the cross, of which Paul was not ashamed.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Christ gives a hope-filled life in the midst of a hate-filled world

In today’s prayer, Spurgeon asked for faithfulness to defend the gospel which is hated by the world. I preached a similar message to my own church this past weekend from John 15:18–16:4. In that passage, Jesus warned his disciples that the world will surely hate them, but that it would unquestionably be worth it.

I hope that this sermon encourages you to preserve in following Christ, knowing that you will be hated, but also knowing that it will be worth it.

You can listen to the full sermon audio here.

Pray with Spurgeon: God, revive our hearts

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We would ask you to do this, if it please you: revive deep spirituality in our hearts, your own children. Oh, that we might live so near to the great Shepherd as to be familiar with his voice, to know its tones, that so a stranger we may not follow; for we know not the voice of strangers. If it were possible, strangers and false teachers would deceive even the very elect; and how shall your elect be kept from their deceptions but by abiding in the truth, and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Oh, revive your church, we pray, in this respect! Give to those who know you a more intense faith in the eternal truths, burning into us by experience the things which we do know; may they be beyond all question to us.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:5)

Christ’s sheep will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” They are frightened at the very sight of him. They cannot tell what deadly pasture he is preparing for them, so they “flee from him.” They know the voice of their Shepherd, but they know not the voice of strangers, so they flee from them.

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FINAL DAY: Save 50% on the Spurgeon Study Bible

This month, the Spurgeon Study Bible is 50% off. That means today is the final day for this offer.

The Spurgeon Study Bible is an incredible resource for Bible study — I know that you will benefit from using it in your daily reading.

The study Bible contains hundreds of notes taken right from Spurgeon’s sermons, as well as a short biography of Spurgeon, 20 outlines of his earliest sermons (in his own handwriting), an introduction from Spurgeon for each book of the Bible, and more. The Bible is available in the CSB, KJV, and Spanish RVR 1960 translations.

Today is the last day to save, so grab your Spurgeon Study Bible now!
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Pray with Spurgeon: Worldly people deny the gospel. But God is in control.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, we have a burden which we must now lay before you, and ask you to help us in it. We mourn over the condition of your church; for on every side as we look around, we see men endeavoring to undermine the doctrines of the everlasting gospel. Time was when a man was famous for lifting up his axe upon the trees of the forest; but now they with axes break down the carved work of your sanctuary—they despoil your truth.

There is not a single doctrine of your word which the wise men among us do not deny. Yes, and those that pretend to be the ministers of the gospel are among the first to speak against it, and to denounce it, and to sanction license to sin because you will no more punish it, and to declare that Jesus Christ is not your Son.

O Lord God, our heart often sinks within us; we are apt to wish to lay our hand upon the ark to steady it, for the oxen shake it; but we know it is in your hand; and having spread the case before you, we leave it there.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him…” (Colossians 2:6)

Whatever else you have done or have not done, you have received Christ. The act of faith was the putting out of your empty hands to receive all the fullness of the Godhead in receiving Christ. There are some precious experiences to which you have not yet attained, some lofty heights to which you have not yet climbed, but you “have received Christ Jesus as Lord.” That is the distinguishing mark of all true Christians. Though you may not all belong to the same denomination, yet without a single exception this is true concerning you. Whether you are old or young, whether you are well instructed or ill taught, whether you are full of faith or are troubled with many doubts and fears, you “have received Christ Jesus as Lord.”

This verse and commentary were taken from the Spurgeon Study Bible. Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to get the Spurgeon Study Bible for 50% off — use promo code SPURGEONBOOKS. Click here to learn more.*

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A Beautiful Book to Help Children Understand Loss

The God that we proclaim to our children is in control of all things. And even when the most unimaginably horrible circumstances come against us, we can trust that he is good.

That’s the theme of The Moon is Always Round by Jonathan Gibson. This book for kids of any age tells the story of a family grieving the loss of their baby. This book encourages children (and their grownups) to trust in our good God, no matter what our circumstances tell us to believe.

This book is absolutely beautiful. Words can’t express how wonderfully deep, simple, and beautiful this book is.

Even if the worst of trials come against us, the moon is always round, and God is always good.

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Pray with Spurgeon: God cares about you. Why should you worry?

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

As for our cares, we are ashamed that we have them, seeing that you care for us. We have trusted you now for many years, and your faithfulness has never been under suspicion, nor your love a matter of question. We therefore leave every concern about our families or about ourselves, about our business, or about our souls, entirely with our God.

And as for our sin, we bless you for a sight of the precious blood of Jesus: when you see it you pass over us. No angel of justice smites where once the blood is sprinkled. Oh, let us have a sight of the blood of Jesus, too and rest because you have forever put away our sin, because we believe in Jesus.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:6–7)

He does not say “laying all your cares on him,” but he uses a much more energetic word. You have to cast the load upon the Lord; the act will require effort. It is no child’s play to cast all our cares on our Lord when there are six little children, shoes worn out, cupboard empty, purse bare, and the deacons talking of reducing the scanty salary. Here is a work worthy of faith.

You will have to lift with all your soul before the burden can be shifted and the anxiety cast upon the Lord. That effort, however, will not be half so exhausting as the effort of carrying your load yourself.

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Last Week to Save on the Spurgeon Study Bible

This month, the Spurgeon Study Bible is available for 50% off for “Pray with Spurgeon” subscribers (Just use promo code SPURGEONBOOKS).

There’s just a few days left in March, which means there’s just a few days left to grab this great deal and add the Spurgeon Study Bible to your library.

Here’s what you’ll find inside…

  • Hundreds of notes taken right from Spurgeon’s sermons
  • A short biography of Spurgeon
  • 20 outlines of his earliest sermons (in his own handwriting)
  • Spurgeon’s illustrations for key themes throughout the Bible.
  • An introduction from Spurgeon for each book of the Bible
  • Available in the CSB, KJV, and Spanish RVR 1960 translations.

This is a great resource. I hope you’ll add The Spurgeon Study Bible to your library today and save!

Buy the Spurgeon Study Bible on LifeWay.com (Use promo code SPURGEONBOOKS to save 50%)

Pray with Spurgeon: God is an awesome forgiving King

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Glory be to the Lord most high, who sits on the clouds, who sits as King forever and ever. Our hearts rejoice to hear the gladsome tidings that the Lord reigns. Let his kingdom be established over the sons of men; for his kingdom must come, and of it there will be no end.

Behold, we come to your throne this morning bearing about with us a body of sin and death, and consequently much of sin, and much of care, and it may be much of sorrow; but we would be unburdened at your mercy-seat now.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.’ As for the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones. All my delight is in them.” (Psalm 16:2–3)

I cannot do any good, my God; you are too great to need anything from me; but I may be the means of blessing to your people, your saints may reap some little benefit from what I do. They are the company I keep, they are the choicest friends I know; and if you will but help me to do something for you which shall bring blessing to them, I shall indeed rejoice.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Get your anger under control.

If you’re feeling angry in your workplace, home, or anywhere, I want to recommend a short booklet to you, Help! My Anger is Out of Control by Jim Newheiser.

This booklet is packed with biblical truth to help us understand and address anger in a way that glorifies God and depends on Christ. I’m exaggerating when I say that this book saved my life and my marriage.

Whether you want to get your own anger under control or help someone else with their anger, Help! My Anger is Out of Control is a great resource.

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Pray with Spurgeon: I belong to Jesus — in life and death.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Oh, glorify yourself in us! Dear Savior, we pray. Come and mark us all distinctly with the blood mark, as being wholly yours, and henceforth may we say with Paul, “Let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17).

As we have been buried with you by baptism into death, so would we be dead to all the world and only live for Christ. God grant it may be so, and we will glorify you in life, and death, and forever.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17)

I have the marks of the whips upon my body. I am the branded slave of Jesus Christ. There is no getting the marks out of me. I cannot run away. I cannot deny that he is my Master and my Owner: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A Free Resource for Pastors and Church Leaders

In the midst of the pandemic, I became a pastor last year. And while I already had a lot of ministry leadership experience. Nothing could have prepared me for the unique challenges and joys of pastoral ministry. My schedule has never been more full, but my heart has never been more full either.

Pastoral ministry is challenging. And we all need encouragement to persevere.

So I’m launching a new weekly Spurgeon newsletter, just for pastors. It’s called the Pastor’s Note. Each newsletter will feature encouragement for ministry from Spurgeon, a preaching illustration from Spurgeon that you can use in your own teaching, and a prayer request from a pastor. You can check out a sample here.

If you’re a pastor, click here to subscribe for free.
Spurgeon’s instructions for pastors have been so encouraging to me, and I know they will encourage you as well.

If you’re not a pastor, please send this page to your pastors and invite them to subscribe. (They’ll thank you later 😉)

Subscribe to The Pastor’s Note for free right here.

Pray with Spurgeon: God is eternally happy

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O God, most high and glorious, the thought of your infinite serenity has often cheered us; for we are toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed here below, beneath the moon; but you sit forever in perfect happiness.

Your designs cause you no care or fear; for you will surely carry them out. Your purposes stand as fast as the eternal hills: your power knows no bound, your goodness no stint. You bring order out of confusion, and our defeats are but your victories. We sow in tears, but you do see us reap in joy. Our everlasting happiness is present to you, even while groans and mourning are our present lot.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:11)

Our Lord’s miracles were worked in each case to meet a need. The wine had failed at the wedding feast, and our Lord had come in at the time of the need, when the bridegroom was fearful of being made ashamed. That need was a great blessing. If there had been sufficient wine for the feast, Jesus would not have worked this miracle, and they would not have tasted this purest and best of wine.

It is a blessed need that makes room for Jesus to come in with miracles of love. It is good to run short that we may be driven to the Lord by our necessity, for he will more than supply it. If we have no need, Christ will not come to us. But if we are in dire necessity, his hands will stretch out to us. If our needs stand before us like huge empty water pots, or if our souls are as full of grief as those same pots were filled with water up to the brim, Jesus can, by his sweet will, turn all the water into wine—the sighing into singing. We should be glad to be weak so the power of God may rest on us.

This verse and commentary were taken from the Spurgeon Study Bible. This month only, you can get the Spurgeon Study Bible for 50% off — use promo code SPURGEONBOOKS. Click here to learn more.*

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Address conflict with a biblical strategy

We all face conflict in our homes, in our workplaces, and anywhere else we interact with other sinners like us, so we need a robust and biblical strategy for addressing conflict. One of the best books I’ve read on dealing with conflict in a distinctly Christian way is The Peacemaker by Ken Sande.

We should also aspire to be peacemakers because Christ promised that peacemakers will be blessed (Matthew 5:9). The Peacemaker offers biblical guidance for dealing with conflict and sin, and becoming a peacemaker.

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