2Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
The Apostle Paul knew the value of prayer. He knew how important it was to be thankful to God for all that we are and all that we have. Prayer needs to include thanksgiving because when we take the time to thank God for all that He has done in our lives, we come to realize that He is still at work in our lives today. This sets the tone for the whole prayer!
There is nothing that is any more powerful than prayer. Prayer can move mountains! Jesus told His disciples, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17) When it comes to the power in our prayers, it is not the strength of the person praying that has great power, but rather the One to whom the prayers are directed that provides for the power.
God wants us to pray. He wants us to pray constantly and earnestly. Earnest prayers are sincere but they are more than that. To be earnest is to be intent or serious about who were are praying to and what we are praying for. We need to come to God in prayer expecting an answer. When you and I pray, we need to be reminded that God hears our prayer and He answers our prayers. He may not answer our prayers in the way we want Him to and He almost never answers our prayer when we want Him to do so.
We can know that He hears our prayers and He will answer them in His time and in His provisions. We need to learn to get in the habit of "continuously coming to Him in prayer" and leaving the results up to God! He will not disappoint!
One final thought; be thankful at the beginning of your prayer and then be thankful at the end of your prayer! Thanksgiving is a great way to begin a prayer and is certainly the best way to end a prayer! When we are reminded of all that God has done for us, it makes it so much easier to look forward to all that God is going to do for us!
Remembering who God is and what He has promised to do for us is the foundation for our faith. When we take the time to be thankful, we are in effect strengthening our faith, which is the essential ingredient in our prayer life in the first place! So prayer strengthens our faith which strengthens our prayers!
Amazing!
A Pastor's thoughts about the Scripture and it's influence in our lives.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
In One Accord Acts 1:14
14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Jesus has ascended into heaven. He left the disciples the Great Commission to go into the entire world and baptize and teach all men the things Jesus had taught them. Jesus instructed them to go to Jerusalem and wait there for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They have gone to Jerusalem just as He had told them to do and they are patiently waiting for the coming of the Comforter. The Bible tells us, "14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."
This group did more than pray; they were in one accord and they were united together and they continued in prayer. This group worshipped God together. They prayed together. They waited together in anticipation for God to do something. I heard a preacher say onetime, when a group of Christians are together praying and their hearts and minds are all in one accord, there is tremendous potential for the Holy Spirit to come in great power and do something mightily!
This is certainly what happened on the Day of Pentecost as the early church was born and I believe it can happen in our churches today if we will just do as the early Christians did in this passage and we come together in one accord and with one spirit with a common commitment to carry out the Great Commission.
Jesus will bless us with His power and His presence and His provisions when we come together as His church and we seek to be all that He would have us be! Jesus' promise to us all is that He will build His church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. This is what I want in my church and my prayer is that this is what you will want in your church and together we will stand in one mighty chorus and cry out to the Lord and praise Him for who He is and for all that He has done and all that He is going to do in our lives and in the lives of our church.
When the church of Jesus Christ is willing to come to Him in one accord and with thanksgiving and supplication, I can promise you God will come down and He will fill our hearts with His presence and His power and great and wonderful things will start to happen all around us!
I am ready; what about you?
Jesus has ascended into heaven. He left the disciples the Great Commission to go into the entire world and baptize and teach all men the things Jesus had taught them. Jesus instructed them to go to Jerusalem and wait there for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They have gone to Jerusalem just as He had told them to do and they are patiently waiting for the coming of the Comforter. The Bible tells us, "14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."
This group did more than pray; they were in one accord and they were united together and they continued in prayer. This group worshipped God together. They prayed together. They waited together in anticipation for God to do something. I heard a preacher say onetime, when a group of Christians are together praying and their hearts and minds are all in one accord, there is tremendous potential for the Holy Spirit to come in great power and do something mightily!
This is certainly what happened on the Day of Pentecost as the early church was born and I believe it can happen in our churches today if we will just do as the early Christians did in this passage and we come together in one accord and with one spirit with a common commitment to carry out the Great Commission.
Jesus will bless us with His power and His presence and His provisions when we come together as His church and we seek to be all that He would have us be! Jesus' promise to us all is that He will build His church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. This is what I want in my church and my prayer is that this is what you will want in your church and together we will stand in one mighty chorus and cry out to the Lord and praise Him for who He is and for all that He has done and all that He is going to do in our lives and in the lives of our church.
When the church of Jesus Christ is willing to come to Him in one accord and with thanksgiving and supplication, I can promise you God will come down and He will fill our hearts with His presence and His power and great and wonderful things will start to happen all around us!
I am ready; what about you?
Monday, June 7, 2010
When You Pray Matthew 6:5
5"And when you pray,"
Five times Jesus uses the phrase 5"And when you pray" to teach His disciples about the practice and privilege of prayer. Jesus did not command us to pray in this statement; He is not telling us that we ought to pray. He is going to give us instructions as to how to pray.
The issue here is not "will we pray" but rather "when we pray." There is never any thought given to the possibility that a Child of God or a follower of Christ would NOT pray. Praying is a part of our spiritual existence. It is as important to our spiritual strength as breathing, eating or drinking is to our physical strength.
It is inconceivable that we would ever meet someone and fall in love with that person and then never speak to them or have any communication with them. That relationship would die quicker than it started. Our spiritual lives are no different. God desires a relationship with us. That relationship involves us listening and learning from His Word and then we are to pray for strength and guidance to walk in the Light that Jesus has come to give to us.
Jesus expects His children to pray. Period. Write it down big and bold, prayer is an essential part of a Child of God's existence. It is unnatural for a Child of God not to pray just as it would be for a baby not to cry. Jesus does not tell us, "If you pray do not be like the hypocrites." He says, "When you pray do not be like the hypocrites."
Is prayer a priority in your life? Do you talk to God on a number of occasions during the day? Do you ask Him for guidance and strength and peace and comfort? Do you remember to pray for those you love and those around you that need the touch of God's hand in and on their lives?
There is plenty to pray about! You are making decisions, one after the other and you need help making the right decisions. Jesus understood that and that is why He is telling us "how we ought to pray" WHEN we pray. May your prayer time become personal and intimate with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and may He bless you as you look to Him moment by moment, in every decision you make, every day of your life!
Five times Jesus uses the phrase 5"And when you pray" to teach His disciples about the practice and privilege of prayer. Jesus did not command us to pray in this statement; He is not telling us that we ought to pray. He is going to give us instructions as to how to pray.
The issue here is not "will we pray" but rather "when we pray." There is never any thought given to the possibility that a Child of God or a follower of Christ would NOT pray. Praying is a part of our spiritual existence. It is as important to our spiritual strength as breathing, eating or drinking is to our physical strength.
It is inconceivable that we would ever meet someone and fall in love with that person and then never speak to them or have any communication with them. That relationship would die quicker than it started. Our spiritual lives are no different. God desires a relationship with us. That relationship involves us listening and learning from His Word and then we are to pray for strength and guidance to walk in the Light that Jesus has come to give to us.
Jesus expects His children to pray. Period. Write it down big and bold, prayer is an essential part of a Child of God's existence. It is unnatural for a Child of God not to pray just as it would be for a baby not to cry. Jesus does not tell us, "If you pray do not be like the hypocrites." He says, "When you pray do not be like the hypocrites."
Is prayer a priority in your life? Do you talk to God on a number of occasions during the day? Do you ask Him for guidance and strength and peace and comfort? Do you remember to pray for those you love and those around you that need the touch of God's hand in and on their lives?
There is plenty to pray about! You are making decisions, one after the other and you need help making the right decisions. Jesus understood that and that is why He is telling us "how we ought to pray" WHEN we pray. May your prayer time become personal and intimate with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and may He bless you as you look to Him moment by moment, in every decision you make, every day of your life!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
God Keeps His Promises Nehemiah 1:5
I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5And I said: "I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments.
Israel has been in exile and Nehemiah spoke to some Israelites who had been to Jerusalem and he asked these men about the people who were still there and the condition of Jerusalem. 3They told him, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." This broke Nehemiah's heart and he began praying.
Nehemiah's prayer acknowledges God's desire to keep His promises and give His mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. In II Peter 3 we read, "9The Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God's desire is that all men experience His goodness and His mercy. However, He keeps His promises for those who follow His Word. God grants mercy to those who follow His instruction.
God loves us all but His mercy and His grace are certainly with those who love Him and those who are called by His Name. We can be sure that God will always do more than His part in providing for His own. We need to make sure that we do our part in being the children that God wants us to be. This process begins and is rooted in our devotional to Christ and the foundation of that devotion is anchored by prayer.
Nehemiah was moved by the conditions that His fellow brothers and sisters found themselves in and the condition of Jerusalem. What did he do? He prayed. We need to be sensitive to our own spiritual needs and we need to secure them in prayer. We also need to be sensitive to the needs of those around us and we need to secure them in prayer as well. I am so glad that God hears our prayers and He promises to us as we commit ourselves to keeping His commandments!
Israel has been in exile and Nehemiah spoke to some Israelites who had been to Jerusalem and he asked these men about the people who were still there and the condition of Jerusalem. 3They told him, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." This broke Nehemiah's heart and he began praying.
Nehemiah's prayer acknowledges God's desire to keep His promises and give His mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. In II Peter 3 we read, "9The Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God's desire is that all men experience His goodness and His mercy. However, He keeps His promises for those who follow His Word. God grants mercy to those who follow His instruction.
God loves us all but His mercy and His grace are certainly with those who love Him and those who are called by His Name. We can be sure that God will always do more than His part in providing for His own. We need to make sure that we do our part in being the children that God wants us to be. This process begins and is rooted in our devotional to Christ and the foundation of that devotion is anchored by prayer.
Nehemiah was moved by the conditions that His fellow brothers and sisters found themselves in and the condition of Jerusalem. What did he do? He prayed. We need to be sensitive to our own spiritual needs and we need to secure them in prayer. We also need to be sensitive to the needs of those around us and we need to secure them in prayer as well. I am so glad that God hears our prayers and He promises to us as we commit ourselves to keeping His commandments!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Promises of God II Chronicles 6:14
"Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
Solomon has built a magnificent Temple where the presence of the Lord might have a permanent dwelling place in Israel. Up to this point, the tabernacle has covered the Arc of the Covenant, which was moveable and temporary. When David's throne was established, he built a palace to live in. David wanted to build a house for God to live in as well. God told David that he was not to build this house but his son Solomon would indeed be the one to build this Temple.
Years have passed. David has died. Solomon is king. Solomon knows about this precious promise from God. He begins the task of building the Temple and after several years, the task is finally completed and Solomon gathers all Israel to the dedication service for the Temple. Solomon begins his prayer, "Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts."
David goes to pray, "15"You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 16"Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me'."
There are two key statements in this magnificent prayer. First of all, Solomon declares, there is no God like You, not in heaven or on earth, nowhere! How does Solomon know that this is true? Solomon knows that this is true because of what God has done and the promises He has made and kept in the building of the Temple. It was not Solomon's will to build the Temple. It was God's. Solomon did not provide the means and materials to build this Temple, God did and Solomon was wise enough to recognize that fact. This is why he is so overwhelmed at the completion of this monumental task!
There is a second aspect to Solomon's prayer that is worth our attention and it is this, "You keep Your covenant and mercy (Your promises) with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts." God promises to be with those who walk with Him! Obedience is the key to victory in our hearts and in our lives!
One of the benefits of prayer is to thank God for what He has already done and to acknowledge God's power and provisions in our lives. The other is similar to it, and that is to ask God for the strength that we need to walk in His precepts and stand in His promises so that we can experience His provisions! This is what moved Solomon in such a way and it is what will move each of us if we will just do as Solomon did, and stand on the promises of God!
Solomon has built a magnificent Temple where the presence of the Lord might have a permanent dwelling place in Israel. Up to this point, the tabernacle has covered the Arc of the Covenant, which was moveable and temporary. When David's throne was established, he built a palace to live in. David wanted to build a house for God to live in as well. God told David that he was not to build this house but his son Solomon would indeed be the one to build this Temple.
Years have passed. David has died. Solomon is king. Solomon knows about this precious promise from God. He begins the task of building the Temple and after several years, the task is finally completed and Solomon gathers all Israel to the dedication service for the Temple. Solomon begins his prayer, "Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts."
David goes to pray, "15"You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 16"Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me'."
There are two key statements in this magnificent prayer. First of all, Solomon declares, there is no God like You, not in heaven or on earth, nowhere! How does Solomon know that this is true? Solomon knows that this is true because of what God has done and the promises He has made and kept in the building of the Temple. It was not Solomon's will to build the Temple. It was God's. Solomon did not provide the means and materials to build this Temple, God did and Solomon was wise enough to recognize that fact. This is why he is so overwhelmed at the completion of this monumental task!
There is a second aspect to Solomon's prayer that is worth our attention and it is this, "You keep Your covenant and mercy (Your promises) with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts." God promises to be with those who walk with Him! Obedience is the key to victory in our hearts and in our lives!
One of the benefits of prayer is to thank God for what He has already done and to acknowledge God's power and provisions in our lives. The other is similar to it, and that is to ask God for the strength that we need to walk in His precepts and stand in His promises so that we can experience His provisions! This is what moved Solomon in such a way and it is what will move each of us if we will just do as Solomon did, and stand on the promises of God!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
No One Like You God I Chronicles 17:20
"20O Lord, there is no One like You-there is no other God!"
Nathan the Prophet went to David and told him that God had promised to make his son an heir to the throne of Israel.
David was overwhelmed with God's promise. David worshipped the Lord and thanked Him for all that He had already done for his family and for the people of Israel and now for he thanked God what He was going to do! David prayed, "O Lord, you have given me these wonderful promises just because you want to be kind to me, because of your own great heart. 20O Lord, there is no one like You-there is no other God!"
We have a wonderful God who loves us and has promised to do so much for us if we would just surrender our hearts to Him and walk with Him. We cannot begin to imagine the wonderful things that God has planned for us if we would just follow Him and allow Him to shower us with His protection and His provisions.
The primary reason that we need to hear God's Word and then heed its commandments is so that we will be in the right place to receive His provisions. It only makes sense if we expect to find God's blessings, we need to go where He tells us to go and do what He tells us to do if for nothing else, than to know where His blessings are going to be located!
If God tells me to go to Memphis on Tuesday and I go to Atlanta or Nashville or New Orleans, is it fair for me to get mad at God when I find that His protection or His provisions are not with me? God can of coarse shower me anywhere He wants to do so, but if we learn to go where He tells us to go and do what He tells us to do, we might be surprised to discover that our obedience places us in the proper place to receive His provisions.
David realized the power of that truth and He prayed, 20O Lord, there is no one like You-there is no other God! May this be our prayer today as we turn and walk with Him!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
God Is Standing For Me I Samuel 7:5
5Then Samuel told them, "Come to Mizpah, all of you, and I will pray to the Lord for you."
Israel had been defeated and the Philistines had taken the Arc of the Covenant captive and the Israelites felt as if God had forsaken them. The Arc of the Covenant was in captivity for 20 years. Samuel called the people of Israel together and told them, "If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your Ashtaroth idols. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines." The people came to Samuel and repented and stood before the Lord for His deliverance. 5Then Samuel told them, "Come to Mizpah, all of you, and I will pray to the Lord for you."
While the people were gathered together, the Philistines heard of the gathering and came to attack them. The Israelis were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. 8"Plead with God to save us!" they begged Samuel."
Samuel prayed and offered a sacrifice to God and the Bible tells us that God intervened and confused the Philistine army and the Israelites were able to defeat them and the Philistines were subdued and didn't invade Israel again at that time because the Lord was against them throughout the remainder of Samuel's lifetime.
God is still the same God today that He was back in the Old Testament. He knows what we are facing and He holds the solution in His hand. He is not taken by surprise nor is He ever confused searching for a solution to our situation. What God is looking for is a life that is willing to surrender itself to Him so that He can fight our battles and the whole world know that He is in charge and on our side!
When the enemy realizes that we are in God's hands and that He is fighting our battles, they will leave us alone! When we step away from God's guiding and guarding hand, we had better watch out but as long as we are His, we can know that He is ours and He will deliver us in every situation that we will ever face.
We need to do as the Israelites did; we need to acknowledge our need, come to God in prayer and then when His hand of deliverance comes, we need to continue to stand with Him! When we stand with God, He is more than willing to stand with us and even for us! I am so glad He does!
Israel had been defeated and the Philistines had taken the Arc of the Covenant captive and the Israelites felt as if God had forsaken them. The Arc of the Covenant was in captivity for 20 years. Samuel called the people of Israel together and told them, "If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your Ashtaroth idols. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines." The people came to Samuel and repented and stood before the Lord for His deliverance. 5Then Samuel told them, "Come to Mizpah, all of you, and I will pray to the Lord for you."
While the people were gathered together, the Philistines heard of the gathering and came to attack them. The Israelis were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. 8"Plead with God to save us!" they begged Samuel."
Samuel prayed and offered a sacrifice to God and the Bible tells us that God intervened and confused the Philistine army and the Israelites were able to defeat them and the Philistines were subdued and didn't invade Israel again at that time because the Lord was against them throughout the remainder of Samuel's lifetime.
God is still the same God today that He was back in the Old Testament. He knows what we are facing and He holds the solution in His hand. He is not taken by surprise nor is He ever confused searching for a solution to our situation. What God is looking for is a life that is willing to surrender itself to Him so that He can fight our battles and the whole world know that He is in charge and on our side!
When the enemy realizes that we are in God's hands and that He is fighting our battles, they will leave us alone! When we step away from God's guiding and guarding hand, we had better watch out but as long as we are His, we can know that He is ours and He will deliver us in every situation that we will ever face.
We need to do as the Israelites did; we need to acknowledge our need, come to God in prayer and then when His hand of deliverance comes, we need to continue to stand with Him! When we stand with God, He is more than willing to stand with us and even for us! I am so glad He does!
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