Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - July 21, 2011


Thursday, July 21, 2011

Foxhole Christians

Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. —Psalm 5:2

Before I became a Christian, I thought I already was one. Whenever I was in trouble, I cried out to Jesus. I thought I must surely be a Christian because I was praying. But I did not understand what being a Christian really was.

When the chips are down, most people do pray. It has been said, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” If your life is on the line, you will pray. I think back on my own life and recognize that whenever trouble hit, I would call on God. I would pray, “God, if you get me out of this crisis, I promise I will serve You. I will do whatever You ask me to do.” He would get me out of that one and I would say, “Thanks, God. See you next crisis.” So in a sense, you could say that I prayed. But my prayer life consisted of moments of crisis when I called out to God out of fear.

In the Book of Jonah, we find the story of a great storm that arose on the sea. We read that all the sailors on the ship with Jonah began to call on their gods. That is what people will do. They will call upon their god when they are in trouble. But that doesn’t mean God is necessarily living in their lives. It’s possible to pray and not even know the God you are praying to.

If you are a Christian, you should certainly pray. But praying does not necessarily mean you are a Christian. You need to have a personal relationship with God. You need to believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him.

Summary sentence: Do you pray to God only when you’re in a crisis?

Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries.  All rights reserved.  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

SPECIAL OFFER

Is “happily ever after” possible?

Whether you are thinking about marriage, are newly married, or have been married for many years, this book will guide you to build, strengthen, or repair the biblical foundation of your marriage. For the couple whose marriage is hanging by a thread, it is not too late to have your marriage be what God designed. The application of the biblical principles found in this book, will make your marriage stronger than it has ever been before.

“It is God’s desire that your marriage be a vibrant, flourishing, blessed marriage…dare I say a happy marriage?”  –Greg Laurie

You can have Married. Happily. in appreciation for your gift to Harvest Ministries this month.

SHARE

Christianity / Devotionals / Greg Laurie Daily Devotions / Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - July 21, 2011