Tag Archives: prayer

November 17

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James 4:1-5:20; Acts 11:19-12:25

I hope you read the book of James. There is a wealth of information in each verse. It’s a practical guide book for living the Christian life. It truly is a light to our way.

What are you looking for? Is it health or wealth or success or is it answers to life, strength to meet hardships? Read 4:7-10 and find the answer to having the most extraordinary life. Let James talk to you about God’s will in 4:13-17, about priorities in 5:1-9, about hardships and prayer in 5:10-18. I hope you’ll read and re-read this book and let God speak to you about your walk with him.

In 5:20 James sums up why we live this Christian life in the first place. “remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

Are you turning sinners from sin? Do you have the wisdom that comes from God and is your life an example of holiness? It’s why God doesn’t take us to heaven the moment we ask Jesus to come into our hearts. While you have life and breath you have a mission. 

May we be faithful to that mission and introduce someone to their Savior today.

Dear Savior, thank you for inspiring your servant to write the words we read the last couple of days. May your children take to heart the things you are saying to us. May we be the people described here. And may our lives represent your holiness. Then, Father, give us opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with a sinner who needs turned around.

 

October 25

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Mark 10:23-31; Luke 18:24-30; Matthew 20:1-16; John 10:22-11:16

“With God all things are possible.” Have you ever heard that before? It’s been used as a mantra for some health and wealth theologies and the power of positive thinking. Do these words suggest that God can give us what we want if we believe as some have claimed? Do these words pertain to winning football games, defeating cancer, getting a promotion at work, or getting that special person to fall in love with you?

In the context of Scripture, Jesus is talking about the salvation of souls. He just got done telling his disciples that it is really hard for rich people to go to heaven. Remember, the rich young ruler just walked away from him when Jesus told him he needed to give away his wealth. The disciples asked him, “Who then can be saved?” to which Jesus replied: “…all things are possible with God.”

What God wants us to know is that no one is too lost to find forgiveness. God is able to save the vilest offender who truly believes.

Maybe you are reading this today and you have not accepted God’s grace for yourself. Maybe you think you’ve gone too far, done too many bad things, hurt too many people to have God love you. Maybe you think you don’t deserve God’s forgiveness and, in that you are exactly right. But Jesus is saying to you today that he is able to save even you.

Has God laid on your heart the name of someone who seems so far from him it’s unlikely he or she will ever believe? Don’t give up. God hasn’t. Pray. Reach out to that person. WIth God, it is possible that that soul will come to him.

Dear God, I thank you that Jesus died for all of mankind. I thank you that there is no one living who can’t come to you in Jesus’ name and receive forgiveness for a multitude of sin. I pray that your children will be faithful to pray, that we will allow you to use us to draw all people to you. I pray that we won’t give up praying for that loved one who so openly is rejecting you right now. Thank you for reminding us that even that dear one isn’t too tough for you. With you it is possible that he or she will accept you as their Savior.

October 11

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Mark 521-43, 6:1-6a; Matthew 9:18-26, 27-34, 13:53-58; Luke 8:40-56; John 5:1-15

Jesus made the woman who touched the hem of his garment identify herself. He asked the blind men if they believed Jesus was able to heal them. He asked a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years if he wanted to be healed. Why else would he be sitting by the healing pool? Jesus waited until the man admitted he had tried everthing on his own and that he needed help.

Jesus asks us to talk to him. Be specific. Come boldly. Confess him. Believe in him. Ours is not a blind faith. It is a faith based on a very real man and a very real God.

What is it you want God to do in your life? Tell him. Sure he knows and, yes, he can do anything he wants whether or not we say something. But there is a reason Jesus asked those questions we read this morning and why he asks the same of us today.

Do you believe him? Do you trust him? Yes or no?

Father, I admit there are some things I don’t bother to bring to you, whether I think they are not all that important or I think you’ll do what you want anyway. Forgive me for that. May I recognize your interest in me. And may I put into words the things that are on my heart. I’ll recognize answers to prayers if I do.

October 3

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John 4:27-42, 43-46; Mark 1:14-15, 21-28, 1:29-39, 40-45; Matthew 4:12-17, 8:14-17, 1-4; Luke 4:14-15, 16-20, 31-37, 38-44, 5:12-16

Jesus prayed. He found a quiet place and spent time alone, talking to his Father. I wonder what those prayers were like. Did he pray for himself? For strength and safety? For health? Did he pray that Satan would be defeated so Jesus’ ministry would know success? Did he pray for Nicodemus and Peter and the woman at the well? For the leper he healed in one of the towns? And when he prayed for them did he pray for their physical health or their eternal souls? Or both?

We don’t know the words Jesus used when he prayed. But just the fact that he prayed speaks to me today. His example shows me that I, too, need to find that quiet place and talk to my Heavenly Father. Jesus prayed before continuing on to other towns. I think he’s telling me I need to pray before continuing my day, too.

The other thought that comes to me today is that Jesus is still praying. He is our mediator, our high priest who goes to the Father on our behalf. Jesus prays for me!

Father, forgive me when I neglect prayer. Thank you for reminding me today how important it is that I quiet myself in your Presence. Hear my prayers and answer them according to your will. Use this time alone with you to draw me close and strengthen me for what you have in store for me today. In Jesus’ name and because of his example, I pray. Amen.

September 23

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Psalms 146, 147; Nehemiah 7:73-9:37

Are we so different from the ancient Jews? Isn’t it true that when things are going well for us, our families are well, our jobs are good, when we are healthy and able to pay the bills, we tend to drift away from God? But at the first sign of trouble we hit our knees and go to him for help. It’s not that we don’t love him. It’s that we must think we need him less in good times.

Did you read Nehemiah 9:27&28 today and feel a twinge of guilt as you recognized yourself in Israel’s experience? Remembering the disobedience of their forefathers they prayed:

So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies. But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

Time after time.

And that’s been my experience. No matter how many times I return to the Lord after drifting away or after blatantly disobeying him, he delivers me. When I confess my sin, he is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness… time after time.

Oh that I would learn to choose obedience every day, no matter how comfortable my life becomes. Oh that I would love him like he deserves to be loved every day, in good times and in bad.

Father, I thank you for grace. I thank you for your faithfulness, your forgiveness, your great love. Forgive me when I drift, when I disobey, when I become so comfortable I neglect my relationship with you. May I cherish my relationship with you and nourish it every day by reading your Word and praying. May you find me faithfully serving you today regardless of life’s circumstances. And once again I want to thank you for forgiving me when I ask you to… time after time.

September 13

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Esther 1-4

Why is the book of Esther included in Scripture? God isn’t even mentioned in its chapters. Yet Esther’s life paints a beautiful picture of some important spiritual truths.

For instance, Vashti refused to obey the King so her position as  queen was snatched from her and given to someone else. Could this be a picture of the nation of Israel who refused to obey God or accept Jesus only to see their position given over to the New Testament Church?

Is Hamar a picture of Satan who would try to trick us into honoring him? And in the next few chapters will we be encouraged by his defeat?

Are we to learn to depend on God, to go to him boldly after spending time fasting and praying? At the end of chapter 4 Esther is ready to do whatever it takes, even if it results in her death. Can we learn the same determination to obey God?

Esther’s story is a good one and it has even inspired several movies, including one of my favorite movies. But while we read this story of love and bravery, let’s ask God what he wants each of us to learn. There are lessons here for us in 2013.

Dear God, I thank you for including Esther’s story among those you’ve preserved as Scripture. As we read this book I pray that you would speak to each of us and teach us what you would have us learn. May we love you, trust you, stand up against Satan, and be the Queen… the people… who make a difference in our world. And may you get the glory!

September 3

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Daniel 8:1-27, 5:1-31, 99:1-27; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23

What stood out to me today as I read these verses was the fact that Daniel prayed for the nation of Israel. Really prayed.

He didn’t just say, “God bless America”. I mean “Israel”. He didn’t slide over a quick, “Be with the President”. I mean “King”. Daniel went to God with a broken heart and confessed the sins of the nation that was built on God’s laws.

Most of you who read this blog live in the USA. We are a nation that was built on Biblical principles by men who acknowledged the Creator God. How the mighty have fallen.

I might be preaching to the choir, but I’m thinking Christians might need to spend more time praying for our great nation. I know I do.

I hate politics, avoid reading world news, and turn the TV station if people begin spouting opinions about what needs to happen to solve our problems. But if I hide my head in the sand I can’t pray specifically for our country or the world.

The threat of chemical warfare in Syria is frightening. But what about the chemical warfare we have in our own country against unborn children? Thousands of innocent American babies are slaughtered every day with chemicals that tear them from their mother’s wombs. I don’t see the media or the president up in arms about that.

“God bless the USA” just doesn’t get to the heart of things, does it?

Daniel knew the sins that needed to be confessed. He went to God with specific requests based on what he knew to be true. I think God would welcome the same kind of prayers from us – no matter where we live.

Pray, America. Really pray. We are a nation that was once blessed by God because our leaders honored him. Let’s determine to be informed citizens who take to God our specific requests for our nation and our world. It really is up to us, dear Christian friends. 

Dear God, we are a sinful nation. From our entertainment, to our greed, to our indifference, to our legislators who would force you out of our country, we have turned our back on you and deserve your wrath. I pray that your Holy Spirit would melt the hearts of men and women who today are hardened. I pray for the salvation of our President, his advisors, national, state, local governments. I pray for an outpouring of your Spirit on the media, in the classrooms, in our homes. May we return to the foundation on which this nation was built. Like Daniel I would pray, “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because (this country and your people once honored you)”. May we honor you once more.

August 23

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Lamentations 5:1-22; 2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:1-42:22

As I read this morning I found myself wondering what it was about the poor people that even the King of Babylon wasn’t interested in. He had captured Jerusalem and took prisoners. But according to Jeremiah 40:7 he left the men, women, and children who were the poorest in the land.

These people were advised to serve the King of Babylon and things would go well with them. But the King obviously didn’t consider them a threat.

So I find myself asking – does my enemy consider me a threat? Or does Satan leave me be because he’s not concerned about my testimony?

I may call myself a Christian but do I go days or weeks without reading God’s Word and am rarely convicted when I do? Do I attend church most Sundays, but have learned the art of dozing with my eyes open? Is Satan worried about my prayer life? Does he tremble at the thought of me reaching out to my neighbor who doesn’t know Christ?

This might sound strange – but I don’t want to be left out. I want Satan to fear me and throw me his best shot. Because if he does, he’ll be defeated by God himself who lives in me.

Didn’t Paul count it all joy to represent God in the midst of trials? Didn’t Jesus ask us to take up our cross and follow him? Hasn’t God proven over and over that we are more than conquerors through him?

God, forgive me when I drift so far away from you that even Satan ignores me. I’m not asking for heartache or problems in my life. But I am asking that my relationship will be so strong, so vital, that Satan will be threatened by it. Then, when heartaches or problems come my way, you and I will be able to handle them so you can be glorified. Go with me into battle today, Lord. May your purpose be accomplished in me.

August 17

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Ezekiel 25:1-17, 29:1-16, 30:20-26; Jeremiah 37:1-38:28

King Zedekiah and the people of Judah paid no attention to the words of the Lord. Jeremiah had been telling them they needed to repent of their sins or disaster was coming. Nowhere do I read that Zedekiah repented but he sent a message to Jeremiah –  “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”

Zedekiah didn’t want to experience God’s wrath but he didn’t want to obey God, either. So he must have figured if Jeremiah prayed for them, God would listen and they’d escape the trouble ahead.

If you are a Christian I imagine you’ve had more than one person ask you to pray for them. When your unsaved friends face disease or financial hardships or broken relationships, do they come to you and ask you to go to God on their behalf? They may even say “Pray for me” with a chuckle, like you have direct access to a celestial genie who can twitch his nose and make everything better.

I’m not telling you not to pray. But may I caution you how to pray? Remember God is undoubtedly using this hardship in your friend’s life to draw that friend to Jesus because, obviously, he or she hasn’t gone to the Lord in good times. Rather than praying for healing or success or relief, maybe we should pray that the Holy Spirit will find fertile ground through this hardship and drive our friend to his knees in repentance. 

The next time someone asks you to pray for them, I challenge you to let them know that, yes you will pray. But that you will pray that God will reveal himself through this challenge, that your friend will know the joy of sins forgiven, and that God’s will will be accomplished in the midst of the hardship. Let them know you will also pray that the disease will be healed or the money will come or emotional healing will occur if that is what God wants for them.

I do think we need to let our unsaved friends know how we are praying so that they will recognize God’s hand in their lives. Remember God wants to reveal himself to them and is working zealously for that to happen in every circumstance of life. If our friends come to us because they know we know God, let’s be sure to tell them how they can know him, too.

After all, that is the most important thing in life, more than health or wealth or a happy home. 

August 5

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Jeremiah 22:24-23:8, 49:1-33; 2 Kings 24:10-17;  2 Chronicles 36:10; Obadiah 1:1-21

I’m pretty sure that when the nation of Israel was following God and were enjoying his blessings, other nations were jealous of them. I mean, who enjoys watching an enemy prosper?

The descendants of Esau were no doubt doubly jealous and resentful because after all, didn’t they have Abraham’s blood in them, too?

So when the nation of Israel was overpowered and taken captive, not only did the Edomites not lift a finger to help them, they stood by with a measure of satisfaction. They hadn’t raised a hand against God’s people themselves. But they enjoyed watching someone else do the dirty deed.

What does God say to Edom through Obadiah? 1:11 says, “On the day you stood by… you were like one of them”. As guilty as those whose hands were dirty. Obadiah goes on to say that they shouldn’t look down on their brother or rejoice when bad things happen to them.

Have you ever had a secret chuckle at the misfortune of someone who has wronged you? Be careful. God says if we do, we are as guilty as one who commits a crime.

Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies. Love them. Do good to them. If you harbor resentment and secretly hope someone gets what you think they deserve, confess that attitude as sin.

Look at verse 15. God warns us that what we do just might come around and hit us instead. What you wish on your enemy just might become your own lot in life.

Is someone treating you unfairly? Pray God blesses them. You wouldn’t mind if that came around to you, would you?