Category: Pray with Spurgeon

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We are wretched, because of this, and we cry out to you to deliver us. Oh that you would deliver us! We do thank you, that Jesus gives us the victory; but we long to have that victory in ourselves more constantly realized—more perfectly enjoyed.

We would lie in the very dust before you because of sin; and yet, at the same time, rejoice in the great Sin-bearer, that the sin is not imputed to us, that it is put away by his precious blood, that we are accepted in the Beloved. But even this does not content us; we are crying after the work of the Holy Ghost within, until Satan shall be bruised under our feet, and sin shall be utterly destroyed.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.” (2 Peter 1:10)

We are told not to be slothful in business, and this matter of which Peter writes is the most important of all business. To prosper in this world may bring some advantages, but to prosper in heavenly things is infinitely better. “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure,”—that you may be sure of it, and that others may be sure of it too. Let it not continue a subject of question with you, “Am I the Lord’s, or am I not? Am I called by grace, am I chosen by God, or am I not?” Make these things sure beyond all doubt.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Lay a Crucial Foundation for Your Bible Study, Small Group, or Discipleship*

We have a responsibility — not just to deepen our own faith, but to help others grow as well. Every Christian must turn to the Word to understand God and the world he created, and we must point OTHERS to the Word as well!

I’m always looking for good resources to help other Christians grow — especially resources that can easily be used in small groups or one-on-one. And I’m really excited about Learn the Gospel by Tony Payne.

This isn’t just a book. It’s a “Learn Together” book, which means it’s been carefully designed for you to use with OTHERS, so that you can help one another grow.

Some of the key features…

There are reflection questions throughout the book to help you reflect on the material (and the Scripture passages throughout), which I know will spark really useful discussion.

There are also free videos that will be referenced throughout the book, which your group can watch together to help keep everyone engaged.

(And the videos are really cool. They have really helpful graphics and visuals to help illustrate key concepts from the book.)

There are simple follow-up activities to help you and other participants continue reflecting on the material and even memorizing a simple gospel presentation you can share with others.

Seriously, this is a REALLY great resource. I know you and other Christians you know will benefit from it.

AND, to make it even better, THIS MONTH ONLY, if you buy one or more copies of Learn the Gospel, you’ll also receive FIVE FREE copies of The Essential Jesus (which walks non-Christians through Luke’s Gospel).

Buy Learn the Gospel from Matthias Media and receive five free copies of The Essential Jesus.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We ask for ourselves that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We long to be confirmed and established in the truth, and in the life of God. We wish to rise higher and higher in the likeness to our Lord, and in the possession of his Spirit. Oh bring us up out of our grave, out of our sins, out of the world, and everything that drags us down. Bring us up into the higher regions of spirituality, and of divine light and power. Oh, be with us our God; give us all the blessings of the Covenant without restraint.

Take care of all sick ones very graciously, and may such as are appointed unto death feel a sweet agreement with the appointment and find heaven begun in their hearts while yet they linger here below. The Lord prosper his own cause throughout the earth. Let the nations be brought to Christ by myriads. May men that now sit in darkness behold great light.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Who is like the LORD our God— the one enthroned on high,” (Psalm 113:5)

The challenge will never be answered. None can be compared with him for an instant; Israel’s God is without parallel; our own God in covenant stands alone, and none can be likened unto him. Even those whom he has made like himself in some respects are not like him in godhead, for his divine attributes are many of them incommunicable and inimitable. None of the metaphors and figures by which the Lord is set forth in the Scriptures can give us a complete idea of him: his full resemblance is borne by nothing in earth or in heaven. Only in Jesus is the Godhead seen, but he unhesitatingly declared, “he who has seen me has seen the Father.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Finding Scripture-saturated hope in the midst of doubt and suffering

For Christians, doubt is often associated with our own experiences of suffering. It is hard to believe in a good and powerful God when we feel so much pain in this broken world.

In the midst of suffering, it is easy to doubt God’s love for us and feel as if he has deserted us. An excellent book to help you find hope and faith through that kind of suffering is Deserted by God? by Sinclair Ferguson.

This book offers several reflections on the Psalms of lament in the Bible, where divinely-inspired authors cried out to God in the midst of their pain.

No matter what trials you are currently going through (or will go through in the future), Deserted by God? will give you the kind of Bible-saturated firm faith you need to endure. I hope you will grab a copy today.

Buy Deserted by God?:

• Amazon (Paperback edition)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback edition)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O our Blessed Lord, you have ascended on high and given gifts to men. We pray that you would grant us our measure of those gifts. Give to your believing people the Holy Spirit. May we receive him abundantly, in clearness of insight into your Word, in closeness of fellowship with yourself, in greater likeness to your character, in greater zeal for your glory. What are your people, without your Spirit resting on us? Holy Spirit, dwell in us. We cannot even pray aright without you; and for those works of holiness to which we are set apart, we have no strength without you. But if you are with us, we can do all things.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.” (1 John 1:5)

Not a light, nor the light, though he is both, but that he is light. Scripture uses the term light for knowledge, for purity, for prosperity, for happiness, and for truth. God is light—and then in his usual style John, who not only tells you a truth but always guards it, adds, “and there is no darkness in him at all,” there is no darkness of sin, or ignorance, or error about God.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Plunge further into 1 John

Each day this week, the “Verse of the Day” section in this newsletter has featured Spurgeon’s commentary on 1 John. This is such a wonderful book for understanding what it really means to follow Christ and how to have true assurance.

If you’re looking for a simple, easy-to-use Bible study that will help you unpack and understand every part of 1 John, I highly recommend the Knowing the Bible series from Crossway. These books are really simple Bible studies that help you read the book for yourself (rather than just telling you exactly how to think).

This series is really incredible and, for some reason, no one really ever talks about them.

I hope you’ll check out the book on 1 John (and maybe bring someone along with you to study together?) and dive deeper into God’s word this fall.

Buy 1–3 John (Knowing the Bible):

• Amazon (Paperback or Kindle editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback edition)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O Lord, give to all who have believed in you a sense of perfect deliverance from sin. Let us not be saying, “I know that I shall be justified in the Day of Judgement.” Let us not postpone that blessing, but may we enjoy it now; for truly if you are the Resurrection so that we may believe in you now, surely you are our justification to be accepted and rejoiced in now? And we do accept you—Jesus. Your blood is our cleansing; your righteousness is our clothing. We stand accepted in the Beloved, all of us who have believed in your holy name. Let your people enjoy now that sweet peace which comes of being justified by faith.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” (1 John 1:4)

What an evidence of our Savior’s deep attachment to his people that he is not content with having made their ultimate salvation sure, but he is anxious concerning their present state of mind! He delights that his people should not only be safe, but happy; not merely saved, but rejoicing in his salvation.

Hear this, people of God! The object of the revelation of Jesus Christ is that you may have joy—indeed, that you may have a heart full of joy, and that you may know what full joy means. Here below, we get but drops and dashes of joy unless we are brought into fellowship with God through Jesus Christ; then, we have the very joy of God in our souls. Oh, the delight of it! Oh, that you could all know it to the full!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Understanding Christianity’s Alternatives (And Why They’re Not Enough)*

Part of forming a robust Christian worldview is to understand its alternatives — the other stories and systems that mankind has constructed to explain the world and everything in it.

We don’t need to run from these alternatives, because we’re confident in the truth of Scripture.

And when we look hard at these alternatives, what we find is that they don’t really work out or effectively make sense of reality.

This is one of the things I love about Learn the Gospel by Tony Payne, a new book from Matthias Media.

This book unpacks the message of Jesus in a simple, straightforward, interactive way that will boost your confidence in the Christian worldview.

And along the way, the author addresses some common alternatives to Christianity, and shows how the truth of Scripture is better in every way.

Some of the alternatives addressed in the book are materialism (matter is all there is), mysticism, deism, the idea that all people are basically good, a God who won’t punish sin because he loves, and more. (These are dangerous ideas, and we need to have a firm grasp on how to address them!)

Learn the Gospel is a really helpful resource. I hope you’ll check it out and buy a copy today.

THIS MONTH ONLY, if you buy one or more copies of Learn the Gospel, you’ll also receive FIVE FREE copies of The Essential Jesus to share with others.

(The Essential Jesus helps non-Christians read, understand, and apply the complete text of Luke’s Gospel.)

Both of these books are INCREDIBLE resources for discipleship. I really hope you’ll grab a copy of Learn the Gospel today.

Buy Learn the Gospel from Matthias Media and receive five free copies of The Essential Jesus.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Oh for the Kingdom and the coming! Oh that Christ himself would soon appear! But if in mercy he tarries until men repent, then come, divine Spirit, and lead them to repentance, and let the elect of God be gathered together out from among the sons of men, and the divine purpose be accomplished, and let Jesus see of the fruit of his work. Our heart asks infinitely better than our lips can do. Oh hear us for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“… what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

Sin, as it banished man from Eden, banished man from God, and from that time our face has been turned from the Most High, and his face has been turned from us—we have hated God, and God has been angry with us every day. Christ came into the world to restore to us our lost patrimony. It was the great object of his wondrous sacrifice to put us into a position that should be equal and even superior to that which we occupied in Adam before the fall.

And as he has already restored to us many things that we lost, so among the rest—fellowship with God. Those who have by his grace believed, and have been washed by the precious blood, have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord; they are “no longer strangers and foreigners, but … fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19), and they have access with boldness into this grace in which we stand.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

God’s grace will grow you. Here’s a practical guide.

Today we prayed, looking forward to the day that Jesus would come back to bring us home. While we are waiting for that day, we must not sit back comfortably, but we should STRIVE to root out sin, prepare ourselves for heaven, and become more like Christ. But here’s the thing: we can’t grow in godliness without God’s help.

God didn’t just start your salvation, he’s going to complete it as well. And the path to true growth is not just trying harder, but by pressing deeper into the truths of God’s saving, sanctifying grace.

That’s the point of Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners by Dane Ortlund. In this book, Dane (author of Gentle and Lowly) offers a beautiful, biblical picture of what it looks like to actually grow in godliness. The teaching is incredibly practical and will leave you amazed at the wonder of God’s grace to change you.

I hope you’ll grab a copy of Deeper and use it to slay sin in your life, by God’s grace.

Buy Deeper:

• Amazon (Hardback, Kindle, or audiobook editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Hardback or ebook edition)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Now look upon our country. God bless it. Oh, in infinite mercy end the horrible wars around the world. O God Almighty, may they come to a speedy close, and may a permanent peace be established. Let the whole earth sit still and be at peace. Sword of the Lord, will you never rest? Will you never be quiet? We ask you, O God of infinite mercy, turn men’s minds from all the sins that breed the cruelties and wickednesses of war, and may there come next a peace of soul and heart with God, and then a peace with our fellow men.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“… what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

What the apostles learned, they learned in order that they might tell it to others. All that John saw he was prepared to speak of according to his ability, that others might have fellowship with him. Remember that, if you ever learn anything of Christ—if you have any enjoyment of his presence at any time—it is not for yourself alone, but for others also to share with you.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Understanding the Roman Catholic Church

Later this month, we’ll celebrate Reformation Day, the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg — an event that sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Today, more than 500 years later, the Reformation is not finished. It’s just as important now that we seek to understand and engage our Roman Catholic neighbors. A great resource for starting (or continuing) your study on this important issue is 40 Questions about Roman Catholicism by Gregg Allison.

I received a review copy of this book, and I’m incredibly thankful for the thorough, biblical, honest, and fair approach to Roman Catholic theology and practice that the book takes.

Many Protestants have an unfair, simplistic view of Roman Catholic theology, based on a few erroneous doctrines. This book takes a big-picture approach to understanding what Catholics believe and makes them different from Protestants. The question-and-answer format makes the book easy to read and accessible to reference.

Reading 40 Questions about Roman Catholicism will fill you with love for God’s Word and God’s gospel, rejecting any counterfeits, like Roman Catholicism. This book will equip you to better understand Roman Catholic theology and more faithfully engage your Catholic neighbor in evangelism.

Buy 40 Questions about Roman Catholicism:

• Amazon (Paperback or Kindle editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback or ebook edition)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Bless, at this time, those who are beginning to seek after better things. Though perhaps as yet they do not know the Lord, if there is any stirring up of grace to seek something better, Lord, lead them further than they mean to go. Bring them to yourself. O dear Savior, bring men up from the very depths of transgression, from lust, and drunkenness, and wrath, and rioting, and evil speaking—bring them up, Eternal Spirit. How glad we are to get a word with them; how anxious that that word should, like the Master’s, reveal them to themselves, and then reveal him to them.

Let the dark parts of the wicked city see the flame-flash of Christ’s eye. May it come to pass that there should be added to our church of such as shall be saved, who once were among the number who seemed right to be damned.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…” (1 John 1:1)

The facts of Christ’s history on earth are recorded by eyewitnesses who could not be deceived concerning them. They exercised their various senses with regard to Christ—hearing, seeing, and touching him again and again. They were veracious witnesses, and they died in testimony of their faith in what they asserted. And when anything has been heard, seen, inspected, and even touched and handled, by a company of reliable witnesses, the testimony of such witnesses concerning it must be accepted as true.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Get a FREE Evangelistic Resource*

Today we prayed that we would see many sinners come to know Christ. This is the great desire of every Christian, but do you know that you have a part to play in this?

If we want to see sinners come to Jesus, we need to share the truth of SCRIPTURE, not our own opinions. It’s absolutely amazing to see the fruit that comes about when a Christian simply opens and reads God’s Word with a non-Christian.

(And we shouldn’t be surprised by that! After all, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ,” Romans 10:17).

And yet, reading with a non-Christian can seem a little daunting. Thankfully, there are a lot of GREAT resources to help you, like The Essential Jesus.

The Essential Jesus contains the complete text of Luke’s Gospel with really helpful comments throughout that help explain the context, culture, and content of the Gospel.

It even has a brief overview of EVERYTHING that took place in the Bible’s storyline, leading up to Jesus (“Previously in the Bible”).

And the back of the book has a complete “Two Ways to Live” presentation, encouraging readers to decide if they will continue to walk in their own path or to submit to King Jesus and find true and lasting life.

This is a really helpful resource to have available to give away.

And THIS MONTH ONLY, Matthias Media is giving away FIVE FREE COPIES to anyone who orders their new book Learn the Gospel by Tony Payne.

(“Learn the Gospel” will help you and other Christians gain a better understanding of the Bible’s storyline and train you to share it with others. It’s an INCREDIBLE resource for small groups or discipleship.)

Buy Learn the Gospel from Matthias Media and receive five free copies of The Essential Jesus.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Bless your dear saints—all of them. Comfort them in their afflictions, and bear them up in any trouble of mind. Be very gracious to your people here, binding us more and more firmly together in a holy, living unity; and stir us up more and more to seek the good of the sons of men, and more especially to seek the glory of our divine Lord and Master.

Jesus, we are yours and belong to nobody else. No cause engages our hearts but yours. All our sympathies run one way—in the channel where flows the precious blood of our redeeming Lord. All for Christ and none besides, in our heart at this time. Oh keep it so; keep it so till we behold the well-beloved in his glory, and are wrapped up in his splendor with him.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

In this chapter Paul dealt with the fact of the resurrection and argued in defense of it. Yet he closes with these words. This is a lesson for us. Let us never think we have learned a doctrine until we have seen its fruit in our lives. The text has in it two things—first, it mentions two great points of Christian character—“steadfast, immovable” and “always excelling in the Lord’s work.” And, second, it gives us a grand motive—“because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A New Book to Help You (And Others) Learn the Bible’s Story*

The Bible tells a grand story that helps us make sense of everything in this world — including our suffering. If we’re going to walk faithfully throughout our lives, we need to cultivate a strong Christian worldview, and that begins by understanding the story of Scripture.

There’s a new resource available now from Matthias Media that does a REALLY great job at helping you (and others) grow your understanding of the big story of Scripture, so that you’ll be more equipped to share it with others.

Learn the Gospel by Tony Payne isn’t just a book. It’s a “Learn Together” book — designed from the ground-up to be most useful in a small group setting.

The book walks through the biggest themes and scenes in the Bible’s storyline and gives helpful comments and application along the way.

It’s interactive, with reflection questions and free videos to help you apply and understand the material.

THIS MONTH ONLY, if you buy one or more copies of Learn the Gospel, you’ll also receive FIVE FREE copies of The Essential Jesus to share with others.

(The Essential Jesus helps non-Christians read, understand, and apply the complete text of Luke’s Gospel.)

This is an INCREDIBLE resource for discipleship. I really hope you’ll grab a copy of Learn the Gospel today.

Buy Learn the Gospel from Matthias Media and receive five free copies of The Essential Jesus.

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord Jesus, cure our sins, and among the rest, take away our fears. Give us to trust you with a simple childlike confidence. May we have no difficulties, because God is with us. May we have no disturbance, because the peace of God keeps our heart and mind by Christ Jesus. Oh now to come to you over again—our Life, our Health, our Righteousness, our All-in-All, from this time forth and even forevermore. Spirit of God—come upon us now, that this may be so with all you people.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

Without Christ Jesus this peace would not exist; without Christ Jesus this peace, even where it has existed, cannot be maintained. Daily visits from the Savior, continual lookings by the eye of faith to him that bled upon the cross, continual drawings from his ever-flowing fountain, make this peace broad, and long, and enduring. But take Christ Jesus, the channel of our peace, away, and it fades and dies, and droops, and comes to nothing. A Christian has no peace with God except through the atonement of his Lord Jesus Christ.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A devotional to help you run from sin and cling to Christ

Today we prayed that God would take away our fears. Often, the biggest cause of fear in our lives is questioning the truth of God’s forgiveness. But God wants us to have confidence that our sins are forgiven, to help us know that we are forgiven of our sin by the great mercy of Christ.

One resource that’s been helpful as I’ve studied God’s Word and his promise of forgiveness is Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy by Paul Tripp. This book features 52 short devotionals (one for every week of the year) on Psalm 51. This is an incredible resource to help you remember the horrors of your sin and the wonders of God’s amazing grace.

You could read the book over the next few months with just five minutes a day, or read one devotional each week for the next year. I can’t think of a better way to spend your time than reflecting on God’s mercy towards broken sinners like us.

I hope you’ll buy a copy and enjoy mediating on God’s unending mercy with me.

Buy Whiter Than Snow:

• Amazon (Paperback or Kindle editions)
• ChristianBook.com (Paperback or ebook editions)

Get a prayer from Spurgeon in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Pray with Spurgeon newsletter for free.

DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Blessed Lord Jesus, you will never cast away a soul that has cast away everything else for you. You are bound to those who trust you by the ropes of your promises that never can be broken. And here we are, this morning, babes that hang upon your bosom—emptinesses that are being filled, and sometimes are filled, only they cannot hold all of you. The sea is in us, but we are in the sea. We are filled with the fullness of God, and into that fullness are we still sinking deeper and deeper.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

If bought, we are not our own. Now if it is true that we are not our own, then the inferences from this are that we have no right to injure what does not belong to us; and, as we are not our own, we have no right to be idle or to waste our talents. Further, we have no right to do what our old will would do; we are to desire to be obedient to the will of our Father who is in heaven. Yet again, if we are not our own, then we have no right to serve ourselves. The person who is living entirely for himself, whose object is his own ease, comfort, honor, or wealth—what does he know about redemption by Christ? If our aims rise no higher than our personal advantages, we are false to the fact that we “are bought at a price;” we are traitors to him in whose redemption we pretend to share.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Two FREE Purity Bible Studies for Men and Women*

Pornography and other forms of sexual immorality run RAMPANT in our world today. Even within the church, men and women are held captive by the lure of pornography.

There are some great tools available to limit your access to pornography — but what we really need to do is have our hearts purified.

Two great resources to help you along this battle are available now from HarvestUSA:

• “Discovery” is a Bible study for men stuck in sexual sin. It is gospel-centered and will help you see and address the root of your sin.
• “Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey” is a study for wives of men who are stuck in sexual sin. It will help you walk through this difficult season with compassion, honestly, and biblical truth.

These great resources are available for FREE, so I hope you’ll download them and get started today.