Power In Prayer

     Many of us use prayer as a last resort. When we have used up our strength, when we don’t know where to turn, when control is taken away, we turn to God. Our Savior does not want our prayers to be the last line of defense, but the first.

     Allow God into your world this week. Thank Him for the little things. Praise Him for the breath of life. Pray for our country. Pray for our world leaders. Pray for rain or for sunshine or for healing or for comfort. God is near to your heart. He cares for you.

Come near to God and He will come near to you…James 4:8a

Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

     Come near to God. He cares for you so much. Let Him in. Ask for help. Cast your cares and worries on His mighty shoulders. He is right there.

Father,

Remind us to be in constant contact with You. You never leave our side, even when You seem to be far away. Help us to lean on You today with everything on our hearts.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Look Beyond

     Look beyond the stars this weekend to the heavens. The purposes and plans of God are beyond what we see and touch. As we honor our fallen heroes and reminisce about our loved ones, think on our Holy God. We won’t understand the fallen world around us and the suffering we experience. But God redeems. Think beyond the stars to His truth.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Philippians 4:8

     The words above speak volumes in opposition to what we see and hear in the world around us each day. Look above and beyond to what is pure and excellent, what is lovely and true, what is praiseworthy. It is Jesus. Think about such things.

Jesus,

We honor those gone before us this weekend. We thank You for reminding us of what is true and lovely and excellent. Keep our minds steadfast on You today and always.

Amen

See you Tuesday!

The Two Became One

     My friend’s husband died this week. They started dating when she was 15 years old, almost 45 years ago. Theirs was a true love story. The two became one.

For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh. Ephesians 5;31

     Her best friend, lover and partner was suddently taken away. These earthly separations leave us with impossible grief. One step at a time, she will gain strength and carry on. Her children and grandchildren, her friends and extended family will sit with her through it all. And Jesus knows our sorrow. The shortest verse in the Bible reminds us of the heart of Christ.

Jesus wept. John 11:35

     My heart aches. Maybe yours does too. We miss our loved ones. In Christ, we live as one. Eternity awaits. Cherish the moments you have today.

Jesus,

Be with our friend and her family as they grieve. Comfort them. Give them strength for this day, and surround them with love.

Amen

Seek Peace

     If you are facing a decision, harboring a grudge, if you are filled with worry, or doubting God, look to the Scriptures. God will guide you to the answer, lead you to forgiveness, fill you with peace and build up your faith. His Word contains life and hope. Seek inner peace.

Great peace have those who love Your law and nothing can make them stumble. Psalm 119:165

     As you fill your heart with the Scriptures, you will make yourself ready for the issues of life. God’s promises remain steadfast and true. Let peace reign in your heart and soul with the help of Jesus.

Father,

Thank You for giving us peace, for finding the answers, for helping us let go of doubt, fear and unforgiveness and thank You most of all, for loving us even when we fall. We want to remain steady and filled with peace throughout our lives.

In Jesus name,

Amen

God's Voice

My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. John 10:27

Are you listening to God’s voice? Or are your thoughts and attitudes filled with doubt and guilt and criticism? When we renew our minds with God’s Word and in prayer, we will begin to notice a difference in the way we look at ourselves and the world around us.

God’s voice:

Stills you, leads you, reassures you, enlightens you, encourages you, comforts you, calms you, convicts you.

Satans voice:

Rushes you, pushes you, frightens you, confuses you, discourages you, worries you, obsesses you, condemns you.

     God’s voice brings peace. Be still and listen for Him. He is right there beside you and within you to fill your every need. His voice is filled with love. Listen.

Know his voice.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.  John 10;10

Father,

Show us the way to peace and confidence, to hope and love. Give us the motivation to listen to Your Word and listen to You in prayer above the other voices around us. We want to hear You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Today, Tomorrow, Forever

     Life is tough. Some good friends of ours are facing terminal cancer. Death is our enemy. Death is God’s enemy. When man turned away from Him, He never turned away from us. The story of redemption begins in Genesis and will be fully realized one day at Christ’s return.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn, Christ, the first-fruits, then when He comes, those who belong to Him. 1 Corinthians 15:22-23

     He has vanquished the enemy of death. Look beyond the grave to the truth of resurrection. One day, as believers in the One and Only Christ, we will live on the new heaven and the new earth, with resurrected, immortal bodies. The beauty and blessings of the earth we know, will be multiplied a million times over.

     Face the reality of the death of the body balanced with the hope of heaven. Our salvation is secure. Forever awaits. Put aside fear and put on the blessed hope of eternity with Christ and with the ones we love. Focus on the things above and beyond and we can make it through the turmoil, the tragedies and the trials of life.

Jesus,

Comfort those dealing with such sadness. Give them Your hope and love. You hate death as much as we do and you overcame it on the cross. Death no longer holds power over us. We are Yours, today, tomorrow, forever.

Amen

Today, Tomorrow, Forever

     Today, tomorrow and forever with Jesus. He is the final answer to life’s most important question. What about eternity? The decision to say, “Yes” to Christ gives total assurance of your eternal destination. And it is a gift. All other religions have requirements and rules. Christianity is a gift from God, full of grace and light.

     The minute you accept Him as Lord and Savior, having believed that He lived on earth, was born of a virgin, died on a cross for your sins, and rose again from the grave, you are written in the Book of Life. It can never be erased. You are forgiven, past, present and future.

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all. Hebrews 10:10

     Jesus said, “It is finished,” as He took His last breath. He took it all. Once for all. For you and for me.

Dear Lord,

You took it all for us, all of it and the work is finished. All you ask is that we believe. What a transformed life you give us, by that one decision. Once for all.

Amen

Today, Tomorrow, Forever

     One of the truths the Bible teaches and that the world avoids at all costs is that there is a hell. Jesus spoke about it over and over again. Experiencing eternity separate from God is unfathomable and horrifying. The fact of hell should give us greater urgency to tell others about Jesus and His love. We don’t want anyone to miss out on heaven.

     Pray for others and for their salvation. Jesus died for everyone. The story of redemption is Jesus Christ and Him alone. We can’t water it down or change the truth. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

Without Jesus:

The Son of Man will send out His angels and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:41-42

But we have a choice:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Lord,

We want to avoid the subject of an eternal hell, but You speak of it clearly. We pray for all of those we love and for all of our acquaintances and our neighbors who don’t know You. Open their hearts to the Gospel of grace.

Amen

Today, Tomorrow, Forever

     Removing the fear of death brings peace to our souls. Heaven is our true home. Death will transition us from this fallen world to our perfect place. In the meantime, we get glimpses of heaven don’t we? We see it in the beauty of creation, the intricacies in the variety of flowers, in the bird’s song, in the smell of the lilac or in a baby’s smile. We see it in the love of a spouse or the grip of a toddler’s hand, in the aged wisdom of a grandparent, in the homecoming of a soldier, in a friend’s compassion.

     The Father’s love for His children is everywhere. He loves you so much; much more than the greatest earthly love you have right now.

Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

     God does not just love. He IS love itself. The Hebrew word for love is “agape.” This love is unconditional, sacrificial, and perfect. God’s love is best shown on the cross. Earthly love is described in two forms, “philio” meaning brotherly love and “eros” meaning sentimental or sexual love. God’s way of loving is beyond us. We won’t experience it in full until we reach heaven.

     For now, take in the glimpses of heaven He gives us every single day. Take time to slow down and savor those moments, those scents and sounds, those hand-holding, joy-filled times that we take for granted.

Lord,

Thank You for the kind of love we find hard to fathom. Jesus took all of our mess and put it on Himself and because of that we can experience life forever. Thank You for the beauty around us, for the smiles that touch us, for the food on our table.

Amen

Today, Tomorrow, Forever

     Dr. Phil shared a startling visual recently. He placed a huge ruler-like, age-related graph on the floor of his studio. It was separated into decades. He had someone stand on the graph on the number of their age (like mine, around 60) and look back. There they were, stretched out behind her, the last six decades. Turning around and facing the average life expectancy ahead of her told her a very different story. Compared to the decades trailing behind, the time ahead was short.

     Not all of us will be lucky enough even to reach the age of 60. Facing our immortality is difficult and we want to avoid it at all costs. Live it up! Enjoy life! Party on! It’s all about our enjoyment and pleasure. Or is it?

     Living our lives for Christ adds meaning and purpose for eternity. He uses us and gives us chances to shape other lives, to encourage the lost, to give comfort in loss, to give hope to the hopeless. How?

     We can begin by facing the facts of our short, earthly existence. Even if we live a healthy life to age 90 it is, as the Bible reminds us, as a wisp or a vapor. But…we have eternity. Live in Christ each day and don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will bring new life.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Lord,

Remove our fear of death as we recognize the blessings each day and watch for the opportunities to serve You. What a gift it is to be Yours forever.

In Jesus name,

Amen

That We May Know

      That we may know. Jesus wants us to know Him in order for us to tell others. Are you willing? Seek intimate conversation with Him. Fill Him in on what is on your mind. (Even though He already knows!) Pray for the desires of your heart and for others. He is listening. He will teach you and guide you and speak through you.  

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6

     …so that we may know how to answer everyone? Sounds impossible. But God is right there with you. Fill yourself full of the grace of God and speak His truth. I love the term in the Scripture above, “seasoned with salt.”  Salt adds flavor, salt preserves, salt can hit our deepest wounds to open them up for healing. Grace and salt. We can do it!

Jesus,

Give us the answers to life’s questions. Give us courage to speak with grace, seasoned with salt. With Your help, we can be ready.

Amen

That We May Know

     That we may know. Hope is eternal. There is a home prepared for us the moment we accept Christ as Savior. Our names are in permanent marker in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27) Nothing can ever separate us from Christ, nothing not ever! (Romans 8:38)

     Life will not end for the believer. We move from this temporal, sin-filled, sickness-bearing, aging body into a life everlasting, new body, imperishable, immortal, forever.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5;

     So that we may know we have eternal life. Let that bring you a fresh joy today. Don’t get too caught up on the things of this earth that are temporal. Don’t put too much stock into the things you see. Focus your attention on the One of your heart.

Jesus,

Thank you for eternity. You are preparing a place made just for us. We know in our hearts You are with us right now this very minute in everything we do. Thank You for Your abiding presence.

Amen

That We May Know

     That we may know. Knowing Christ more and more will change us, as we walk with more confidence, as we speak with more grace, and as we move with more hope, unafraid and ready to speak of our Lord and of who He is.

     And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed in His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

      Walking in faith, growing in wisdom, gaining more confidence. All signs of a growing relationship with the one and only, Jesus Christ and being transformed more and more into His image. That we may know.

Jesus,

We long to know You more and more. Develop a hunger and thirst within us to place You first, to dig into the Word, to seek obedience and to live a full life satisfied with the One who fills our souls.

Amen

That We May Know

     That we may know. Jesus wants us to know Him better, to be intimate with Him in prayer and in our desire to follow. With His Word, with the power of prayer, with the fellowship of other believers, we can grow in our faith, in our knowing.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.  Ephesians 1:17

     I want that. How about you? Let’s pray today that the Holy Spirit will reveal more to us of God’s wisdom so that we may know Him better.

Lord,

We ask for new insights, for new revelations, for more wisdom. Open our hearts to know You more and more.

Amen

That We May Know

     That we may know. That we may know God. That we may believe He is the Lord. That He has chosen us. That we can be His witnesses. There is no other God.

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. Isaiah 43:10

     That we may know the treasures available to us when we have Jesus. He calls us by name.

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3

Lord,

Help our unbelief. Help us to know the hidden treasures of Your heart. So that we may know and be Your witnesses. That You are He, the sovereign Lord.

Amen

The Battle

     The final battle between evil and good will be won when Jesus returns. Evil will come to an end. The end times will not be easy. But Jesus has overcome the world. When it seems as if evil is winning, don’t believe it for a minute. God will allow it to run its course. Satan is on a leash and our sovereign God knows the end from the beginning.

     His plan of redemption was written before time began. We won’t understand all of it until one day we are with Him in the new heaven and on the new earth. As Paul reminds us in 2^nd Timothy, “Perilous times will come.” Don’t be alarmed.

“I have told you these things so that in Me you have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13

     The battle has been won. The end has to play out and all things will become new.

Jesus,

You are the First and the Last. You have the whole world and the heavens in Your mighty hand. Give us peace in the midst of turmoil. Give us joy deep within our souls. The battle will one day be over and it’s all about You.

Amen

The Battle

     Obviously, Satan works hardest to destroy the believer. When the world is looking in all the wrong places for lively pleasures, they are right where he wants them. He would love to remove Christ’s followers. He wants to take away our testimony. He wants to take away our courage. He, most of all, wants us to doubt our God.

     Don’t allow him to destroy the trust you have in Jesus. Our deep faith is our greatest weapon in the battle against evil. Believe God above all else. Believe Him above what your circumstances tell you. Believe Him when the path ahead is scary. Believe His promises for your future. And turn away from the devil and his schemes.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10;10

     Be strong in the Lord. Do not let Satan destroy and steal your dreams. Jesus promises life to the full, the abundant life that overflows with joy. Believe Him!

Jesus,

You promise us real life. Develop in us a faith filled with trust and obedience. You have given us all things through your life, death, burial and resurrection. Show us how to die to the life we knew and accept the new life in You.

Amen

The Battle

     The greatest spiritual battle may be the one within our own mind. Satan loves to deceive us with worry, doubt, fear and false guilt. The world around us says we need to look different, strive harder, to compare and compete. God’s will for you is to believe you are precious in His sight. You have what it takes to live a life filled with joy and peace.

     Do not listen to the world. Listen to the Word. It is filled with promise and hope. It is filled with love and purpose. Transform your mind.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

     God’s will for our lives is good, pleasing and perfect. It fits us. It is made for us, each life unique and well-loved. Fill your mind with God’s hope and love and allow His will to work. Renew your mind in Jesus.

Lord,

We work so hard to fit in, to be heard, to make money, to look better, to achieve more. Lead us into Your will. It may not look like the rest of the world, but we want to serve You. Guide us into renewing our minds in order to find Your perfect, pleasing and good will.

Amen

The Battle

     Each part of our armor is vital. Let’s take a peek.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of Gd. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Ephesians 6:14-18

     Have confidence in God’s protection. Our hearts are covered with the righteousness of Christ. Our feet walk in the peace of the Gospel. Our belt is tightened with God’s truth. And always, we are filled for salvation. Our faith in Christ fights the arrows of Satan. And our one offensive weapon is God’s Word! The Word of Christ has great power. In fact, Jesus used the Word when he was tempted by the devil himself. (see Matthew 4)

     And finally, we have the power of prayer. Pray continually.  Truth, faith, righteousness, peace, salvation and prayer. He has us covered. Walk with confidence in our redeemer.

Jesus,

Your armor covers us and clothes us with Your mighty power. Remind us to place Your armor tightly around us every single day as we resist the flames of the arrows of Satan. With You we can do all things.

Amen

The Battle

     Our battles from within and from without are spiritual. Satan knows our weak spots and plays on them. Our flesh fights against the Holy Spirit. And those without Christ are under Satan’s spell. Let Christ fight for you.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:12-13

     Our victorious lives can only come through the power of Christ and His angels. What a gift we have in Jesus and His resurrection power! Tomorrow we will look at the specific elements of our spiritual armor. For now, pray against the evil around us and stand firm in the faith.

Jesus,

You have overcome the evil powers of the world and we stand firm in You. Protect us and remind us daily that our battles are not against flesh and blood, but against the wiles of the evil one. We pray for our enemies today.

Amen