Some one has said, "Prayerlessness on the part of a Christian, is not a weakness, it is wickedness!" Another has said, "The greatest sin in the Christian life is prayerlessness!" John R. Rice said that, "all our failures are prayer failures." The following is a list of blessing we receive by praying: THE BLESSING OF KNOWING I AM OBEYING & PLEASING GOD. (Jeremiah 33:3, "...call unto me...") God wants His people to pray. He doesn't suggest we pray, or even ask us to pray, H

The following list is not original to me. I'm not sure where I originally came across these questions, but they have been very helpful in my spiritual growth over the years. I believe they can help prepare our hearts for the revival we so desperately need in our hearts, homes, and churches. Prayerfully, consider the following questions. Go through these questions one by one. Answer each question truthfully. Is there anyone against whom I hold a grudge? Matthew 6:12-14, "A

Psalm 37 has become one of the most precious of Psalms to me personally. Over the last several years, God has used the truths in this 40-verse chapter to help me in a number of ways. Here are a few thoughts from a few verses in this blessed portion of Scripture: There is an INDITEMENT when I fret and worry over situations and individuals. (Verses 1,7,8), "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity...Rest in the LORD, and

I recently read from Mark chapter 1 in my daily Bible reading and three characteristics of our Lord's ministry and preaching stood out in my mind. His Scriptural Doctrine. Mark 1:22, "And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes." Our Lord's preaching was based upon solid Bible doctrine. In this day of great apostasy and worldliness, the fundamental doctrines of Scripture must be proclaimed. His Spiritual Au

There are two activities that are worthy of our life's commitment: one is world missions, the other is effectual prayer. It would be good to have it honestly said of us at our funeral, "He was a man of prayer that gave his life to getting the Gospel to every unsaved person in his community and around the world." Consider the Priority of Prayer. 1 Chronicles 16:11, "Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually." Luke 18:1, "And he spake a parable unto them to thi

Reading in my daily devotions from Genesis 19, I made a few observations about Lot. Lot was a "saved" man. 2 Peter 2:7, "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:" Though Lot apparently held a position of great authority in Sodom, he obviously did not have any godly influence. Genesis 19:1, "And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his fa

Here are some thoughts about the Rapture of the Church... The Rapture Is Imminent. It is the next event on God's prophetic calendar. There are no "signs" to look for or fulfilled prophecies that must take place before the rapture occurs. Only Christians Will Be Raptured. All the unsaved throughout the world's nations will be left behind. All Christians Will Be Raptured. No genuine believers will be left behind. Both spiritual and carnal Christians will be caught up in t

Pastors often like to tease and make jokes about their deacons (some jokes are downright cruel, while others are pretty accurate!) I'll be the first to admit that there is a lot of teasing that goes around with our group of deacons here at Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church. However, I am extremely thankful for the deacons God has given me as Pastor and to our Church. They truly are "servants of the church." One characteristic of each of our deacons is a sincere conc

Matthew 4:1, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." God has been awfully good to us here at Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church, and we continue to rejoice in the Lord's blessing on our Church. This past Spring (this is being penned Memorial Day, 2026), our Missions Conference and our Spring Revival were unusually blessed by the Lord. God gave us a significant increase in our Faith Promise giving; we took on two new mission

Luke 10:2, "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest." “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” Taking the Gospel to the unsaved is not a spiritual gift, but a clear command. Every Christian has a direct command to take the Gospel to the unsaved. “God hasn’t called me to the mission field.” Fact is, every one of us live in the “mission fiel

To be a consistent and effective personal soul winner requires a continual effort. We have found that the most effective soul winners are constantly studying and learning how to be better at this important ministry. An Effective Soul Winner Must Be Assured Of Their Own Salvation. It is very difficult, if not impossible to convince others that they can know for sure that their sins are forgiven and that they are on their way to Heaven if I do not have that assurance. An as

Our Faith Promise Missions Conferences here at Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church are often as much a revival service as they are a missions conference. After several decades of hosting missions conferences as a pastor, preaching missions conferences in various churches, and traveling to the mission fields many times, the following are a few observations on what a focus on missions can do in the lives of believers who commit themselves to active involvement in the "Grea

2 Thessalonians 3:1, " Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you :" Prayer is vitally important in the "Great Commission" our Lord has given us. Prayer is the "powerhouse" behind all our efforts to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all the world. Here are some thoughts concerning Prayer and Missions... Souls won to our Lord in "unreached" lands will be won by praying missionaries, not by profess

In the Spring of every year as we prepare for our annual Worldwide Faith Promise Missions Conference, the Lord stirs my heart anew for the great, worldwide cause of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person on this planet. The following are a few reasons why I believe Missions must be a priority in our church: Taking the Gospel to every person in the world is a priority with God. You cannot read the Bible with coming to this conclusion. The dire circumstances ever

In 1962, Brother Edmond Wilt came to Oakland under the leadership of the Lord Jesus and planted what is today the Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church. The spiritual maturity and Scriptural wisdom of Bro. Wilt prompted him to "anchor" this new work securely . The church here in the mountains of Western Maryland has had some glorious "mountain top" experiences and has also gone through some long, dark, and difficult storms. But we can confidently testify that THE ANCHOR

" Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. " - Deuteronomy 4:1-2 The following are six things I learned in my devotions that we should never do wi

It was a Sunday School teacher who sowed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my heart. It took around 10-12 years for that seed to sprout, leading me to salvation at 19. Since then, Sunday School teachers have significantly impacted my spiritual growth and well-being. We appreciate all our teachers for their tremendous contributions to our churches, society, and future generations. The following are some thoughts on teachers and teaching... The Ability to Effectively Teach Others

2 Chronicles 7:14, " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land ." You do not have to be around the Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church very long to realize that we love our country dearly. With our great love for our country comes a great concern for the well-being of our country. As Bible believers,

One of the greatest blessings God has given to His people is the blessing of prayer. Nevertheless, it is this matter of prayer that we so often neglect. Below are a few of the blessings of prayer. Perhaps these thoughts will prompt us to be more diligent and consistent in our prayer lives. Prayer Brings the Blessing of Knowing I am Obeying God. God doesn't simply invite or suggest to us to pray; He commands us to pray! When we pray, we are being obedient to God. There

Romans 8:14, " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God ." Having spent over forty years in the ministry, I've frequently heard Christians claim that the "Holy Spirit led" them to take certain actions. My question to this is, "How can you be sure it was the Holy Spirit guiding you?" Some of the things people say the Holy Spirit "led" them to do are very troubling. Let me share with you three things the Holy Spirit will never do. I believe the