Devotions - Prayer
If you live a godly life, you will be persecuted. You can count on this.
It is not a matter of if; it is a matter of when and how much.
- We love to claim the promises of God.
- We love to claim His promises of provision and protection.
- But how many of us have claimed this promise: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12)?
I haven’t. Who likes to be persecuted?
Yet Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-11).
Righteousness (moral orderliness), by its very nature, is confrontational. The very fact that you believe in Jesus bothers some people, because Jesus said, “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:20).
People give a lot of excuses as to why they are not Christians, but I would say the real reason people do not come to Christ is:
• They don’t want their evil deeds exposed.
• They don’t want to admit they are sinners.
The Eight Truth To Master Life:
Beatitude #8 Matthew 5:10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
I am fully devoted to Jesus Christ, no matter what that will cost.
Result: I courageously and joyfully accept whatever comes my way because of my loyalty to Jesus Christ.
I am “Courageous.”
*For all the kindheartedness and sincerity and effort to make peace, the result may be rejection, persecution, perhaps even death. Many times Jesus taught that the rebellious human race would choose darkness rather than light. They would rather be their own God than acknowledge the One True God, Who gave His son for them. See John Chapters 3& 16. It takes courage to follow Jesus.
You are a representative of Christ. And the reality is that if you follow Jesus, then you will face persecution. Because “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
Lord, help me keep the Faith no matter what comes my way. Only through You can we have Victory. Amen
Read Colossians 3:1-4
Read MoreGod has made available to us the riches of this Bible (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) — His Word — which reveals to us the riches of His kingdom and of our eternal life in Christ.
God longs for us to know Him, and has revealed Himself in His Son. He has redeemed us through the blood His resurrected Son shed on the Cross, and has called us into a Spiritual relationship with Him.
Into our soul and our life He pours all the riches of heaven — “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,” as Luke 6:38 tells us. But we must get to know Him as He reaches out to us through the pages of Scripture, led by His Holy Spirit. We cannot imagine a greater adventure!
Love without God’s Wisdom is not Godly Love at all.
* “A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him towards the left.” Ecclesiastes 10:2
“Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all kinds of food; and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”(Psalm 107:17-20)
There’s a picture of people in desperate need. They’ve become so sick they’ve lost all appetite. Their physical frame has dwindled away and they are just there waiting to die. And then it says, “They cried out to the LORD in their trouble.”
*My comment on that is that some people, including myself leave it awfully late to pray at times!
*But God heard even that last desperate cry. It says “He saved them out of their distresses.
“God sent His WORD and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
How did God answer that desperate cry for help?
*It’s so important to see that the primary answer of God to our need is through His Word, the Scripture.
*God sent His word and through His word- He did three things:
* He saved!
* He healed!
* He delivered!
Those are the three provisions of God’s mercy:
*He saves from sin.
*He heals from sickness.
*He delivers from the power of Satan. And remember, it’s through His Word.
The Word is the way in which God primarily answers our prayers and comes into our lives.
If you are in desperate need and call out to God for help, then expect help to come through His Word.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
WARNING – 2 Timothy 4:3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
*Our best defense is to Preach & Teach the Word of God without watering it down.
*False brethren will not endure sound doctrine. They leave when the Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, begins to expose the thoughts and intents of the heart. Stick to the Word!
Thank You Jesus, That, “The Bible” IS the Word of God – It is Truth! Teach me what is right and True daily, and keep me from following man’s teachings, for Your Glory. Amen
Read MoreI think we’re asking the wrong question, because the Bible uses that word to describe a group of people, not a gathering or event. So we really should be asking,
Who IS THE CHURCH? not what.
A Pastor wrote- “The church is the regenerate people of God saved by the power of God for the purposes of God in this world.”
Acts 4:32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common.
*This means we don’t stop being the church when we walk out of the building on Sunday morning.
*Instead, everything we do, we do as the blood-bought church of God, for the fame of Jesus, everywhere.
God’s Word brings life. God’s Word brings protection and guidance.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN A CHURCH?
We can love one another by sharing each others burdens. We have a lot of talkers in the Body of Christ, but what we need are more believers to take action and be willing to listen and pray. (see Galatians 2:20, Eph. 3:14-21)
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
You do not have to go to Bible school or have an ordination paper hanging on your wall in order to be part of God’s royal priesthood.
Everyone who has been washed in the blood of Jesus has been raised up as a priest unto the Lord.
1 Peter 2: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Have you searched your heart about being a priest to your family?
Your work?
Doing God’s work God’s way: Exodus 31:1-11, Proverbs 5:7, Galatians 1:15-16, 2 Timothy 1:8-9, Hosea 4:6, 1 Corinthians 4:6 for a few
Dear Lord, thank You for this reminder from Your Word. You are amazingly lavish in Your love for me, and You have given me so much. All I have is Yours. Please help me to excel in the grace and worship of giving. Open my eyes to opportunities to bless others for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
(Ephesians 2:10, 4:10-16, 5:29-30, Romans 8:9-11)
Read MoreJohn 14:26 The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.
In Paul’s time, some believers didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit.
“He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2).
*These people were saved, but it is clear they were not filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did not send His disciples into the world until they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit.
*The disciples had pure hearts and faith to heal the sick and they were witnesses to His resurrection.
*They were even willing to die for Jesus, so what more could there be?
Clearly there was more! “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”(Acts 1:8).
Do you really want the Holy Spirit to be alive in you? You have to be convinced this is for you.
*You must come to the place where you know you are nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing without the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is yours for the asking: “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).
1 Corinthians 2:10 But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purposes. 11 It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God’s Spirit knows all about God.
How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
*Prayer is the master key to having the Holy Spirit.
1. Repent/give up self
2. We must be born again(Turn to God)
3. We must have a thirst for Him.
4. Baptized in the Name of Jesus
5. Open up your heart to the word of God.
6. Ask in faith. (Hebrews 11:6)
Acts 2:38 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 6:63 What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit.
Even though spiritual and natural storms rage, find the place of peace where your faith and trust are unshaken. Jesus is with you and for you even in the most difficult circumstances. Amen
Read More
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God”.(Matthew 5:23-24).
*”Christians are to be reconciled, whatever it takes…
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
*Wise speech needs to be careful, humble, gentle, timely and truthful (get rid of half truths)
* A pure heart overflows into pure truthful speech.
Avoiding Conflict!!!
We are called to speak the truth in love.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Eph 4:15-16).
*Failure to confront in love allows the enemy to sow greater seeds of conflict.
*That lack of forgiveness plants the seeds that later led to disaster.
*It’s a lesson for all of us as we can easily fall into temptation to the same pride that ignores our own sinfulness and pushes us to pass judgment on those who sin against us. As James so eloquently reminds us, we have no business passing judgment on others when we ourselves can barely get through a day without sinning.
Is there someone in your life that you need to confront in love?
*Most people: Remember the things that ought to be forgotten and forget the things that ought to be remembered.
*Jesus died to set you free. Accept it.
*Let us pray for a pure heart, let us be Spirit directed toward Holiness as He is Holy.
Jesus You are the Way, The Truth and the Life, help me to Love as You Love have loved me for Your Glory. Amen
Biblical Ways to Love in Truth:
*Listen without interrupting. Proverbs 18
*Speak without accusing. James 1:19
*Give without sparing. Proverbs 21:26
*Pray without ceasing. Colossians 1:9
*Answer without arguing. Proverbs 17:1
*Share without pretending. Eph. 4:15
*Enjoy without complaint. Philip. 2:14
*Trust without wavering. Corin. 13:7
*Forgive without punishing. Col. 3:13
*Promise without forgetting. Prov. 13:13
“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” – Judges 11:29a
We’ve all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years.
*Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease – these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.
Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God’s sight.
*He was born to Gilead, a result of his father’s adulterous encounter with a prostitute.
*Jephthah’s half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman.”
*Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.
This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang?
As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander.
Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.
“Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house?” he responded. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.
It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive.
**It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly.
**Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.
The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways.
*Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God.
*However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will choose to follow Him with an upright heart.
*Jesus does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.
Lord, I’m so glad I don’t have to say that right thing to get Your attention. Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me and leads me—in my daily activities and even in my prayers. Please show me verses You want me to pray so I can see Your Word come alive in my circumstances and become active in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Read MoreWe all long to hear Jesus say “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
When we hear those words, it’s because of our intimate relationship and time spent with Him….more so than what we DID for Him!
“And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”. Jeremiah 24:7
One of the great tragedies of the Christian life is that if we fail to enter into a relationship with God that is born of the Holy Spirit, we are left with a religion, not a relationship.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Many a person today lives with an intellectual belief in God, but without a relationship that is based on two-way communication.
It is easy to fall prey to a relationship to God that never experiences His real presence; rather, it is based on knowledge only.
*This is a tragic place to be. I was there for a season-it is not joyful.
If this is where you have been in your Christian experience, ask God today to make Himself real to you.
Ask Him to show you His personal nature and love. He desires to do this.
Read Matthew 5: 3-12 the Character of Jesus which He wants us to be like. Jesus draws to himself people who realize how weak they are and how powerless they are.
Those whom He has called know His voice. He will show Himself to those who are His.
“He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him” (Jn. 14:21b)
Jesus didn’t call people to a new religion. He was calling people to a relationship with himself, and a new lifestyle with Him.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Lord: I wish to follow. Help me to follow You; learn from You; practice Your teachings. This transformation isn’t easy, so I plead for Your power at work in me to change me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read More
What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,“That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:3–4)
By John Piper
Our concern with truth is an inevitable expression of our concern with God. If God exists, then he is the measure of all things, and what he thinks about all things is the measure of what we should think.
Not to care about truth is not to care about God. To love God passionately is to love truth passionately. Being God-centered in life means being truth-driven in ministry. What is not true is not of God.
Ponder these four sets of texts on God and truth:
1) God Is the Truth
Romans 3:3–4 (God the Father): “What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.”
John 14:6 (God the Son): Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
John 15:26 (God the Spirit): “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness of me.”
2) Not Loving the Truth Is Eternally Ruinous
2 Thessalonians 2:8–12: “They will perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”
3) Christian Living Is Based on Knowledge of the Truth
1 Corinthians 6:15–17: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her?”
4) The Body of Christ Is Built with Truth in Love
Colossians 1:28: “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.”
May God make us passionate for him and for truth.
Amen
Read MoreAll our flowery words about Jesus are not enough. Our actions must match our words in order for it to become truth.
*”Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Matthew 23:28
Psalm 147:2–3The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
The Lord is today building up Jerusalem. He is gathering the exiles of Israel. He’s healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds.
* That’s good news for all who will turn to God.
*It’s good news for God’s people, Israel.
*It’s good news for the church of Jesus Christ, because the same God that is gathering Israel is gathering the church back to Himself, bringing us into our inheritance, healing our wounds, binding up our broken hearts.
There’s a ministry of the Holy Spirit today that’s something very special –
*it’s a ministry to the brokenhearted.
*It’s a ministry to those who are wounded in their hearts.
If you carry a wound inside you, turn to God, say, “God, this is a time of restoration; it’s a time of regathering.
*You are healing the brokenhearted.
*You are binding up their wounds.
Lord, You know that wound I’ve carried so long in my heart; will You heal me?”
And the invisible finger of God, the Holy Spirit, will reach down where no surgeon can reach and touch that wounded place in your life and bring you healing and restoration.
God has placed all His majesty, glory and power in one source: Christ.
Colossians 2:2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.
*His glory is not made known in smart and powerful men or through brilliant plans and ingenious strategies.
*His glory is found in a single source: Jesus.
If we want Christ’s glory in our lives and in our churches, it is not going to come through our strength or schemes.
*It is going to come by emptying ourselves out that He may fill us.
*As we go deeper in loving Him we become more like Him.
We must say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. (John 3:30).
Father, Forgive me for the many times I have been too busy to see the needs around me. Break my heart for those who are brokenhearted in pain and feel hopeless. Encourage them through me, Lord. Fill my heart with Your love so that I can give it away.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Psalm 42:1–2As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
David speaks there about a thirst of the soul. He says, “My soul thirsts for God.”
I suppose we are all familiar with what thirst is in our personal experience.
David speaks about a relationship to God that’s parallel to physical thirst.
He says, “My soul thirsts for God. When can I go and meet with God?”
• Do you know what it is to thirst for God?
• Have you ever felt that deep, inner longing that cannot be satisfied with anything less than God Himself?
If you have, I want to tell you that God is waiting.
You can go and meet with Him and satisfy that thirst in your soul, which cannot be satisfied by anything but God.
Deliberately deal with things that distract you from seeking Jesus’ face with a whole heart.
These are critical times in your spiritual development and supernatural progression. This is a time when you need to get your head screwed on straight–to become clear in your thinking and calm in your emotions so that your attitudes, motives and actions line up with the truth of God’s word. Become ONE with Him.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Lord, I come to you with my thirst for You – Fill my cup of love to over flowing that I may give to others. Thank you for all Your promises to all of us in Your perfect Word. Amen
Read MoreRomans 3:10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
Every follower of Jesus has a certain hunger in his heart. It is a passionate zeal to be holy before God—free from sin, victorious over flesh, pure and spotless before the Lord.
The Holy Spirit actually plants this desire—an innate longing to live uprightly—in the heart of every human being.
*For nonbelievers, the spirit of this world can darken the mind to any sense of rightness.
*For believers, failure to live in a way that honors God can crush the spirit.
This desire to live right is behind the meaning of the word righteousness.
Righteousness means to be in right standing with God—to live with right motives, emotions and behavior—and establish right alignment with His purposes. (moral orderliness)
To truly be righteous, we have to know what it is and is not.
The Bible describes our righteousness in two words:
1. Justification-(our position, or right standing, with God).
*Romans 1:17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
2. Sanctification-(our walk with God, our ongoing relation to Him).
*Romans 6:22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.
*Don’t try to impress yourself or others with what you do. Be impressed with what God does.
Jesus, may I remember your sacrifice and help me keep my humility so the focus can be on You at all times. May You receive All the Glory! Amen
Read More“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12
God desires for us to know what He has freely given to us.
One of the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to reveal His plans and purposes to us. They may be hidden for a time, but if we seek Him with our whole heart, we can know what He has given to us.
Once we understand what God has given to us, we can walk freely in our calling. However, if we strive to walk in a role that He never gave us, it will result in frustration and failure.
God wants to reveal His plan to us by His Spirit. This requires a willingness to seek and accept what He gives us. It may be different from what we thought. It may require adjustments to follow His path for our lives.
Ask God to reveal what He has freely given to you. Pray that you receive and embrace only those things He has reserved for you to receive and to accomplish in your life.
Then you can be assured of a life full of meaning and purpose, and you can look forward to hearing those all-important words someday, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”
FOLLOW THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Lord is going to reward us based on how well we did, not on how much we did.
Those who are not governed by the Holy Spirit in their actions will see all their good works burned up on the day we stand before the Lord and He tries our works.
Those who acted only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will find that their works will endure the test and they will receive a reward.
Many people choose to do good things thinking that God will be pleased. It is our positive response to God’s direction (faith) that pleases God (Heb. 11:6). We were created with a purpose and every individual has a God-given plan for his life. Unless our actions are in agreement with God’s plan for our life, they will not abide the test of God’s fire.
Thank you Jesus for the gifts you have given us. Help me to discern on how best to use them to Glorify You and not me. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Read MoreTrusting in God isn’t easy because there is no price we can pay for God’s love and favor.
“He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” – Isaiah 50:4b
The prophet Isaiah describes his relationship to God as a relationship that has two-way communication.
Have you ever felt that your communication with God was only one way – you to Him only?
Isaiah tells us, “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary…. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Is. 50:4-5).
The key to Isaiah’s relationship with God lies in four important principles:
1. He had an instructed tongue.
* Isaiah had given over rule of his life completely to God’s purposes.
2. He knew the word of the Lord, which allowed him to sustain and encourage others.
3. He took time to listen.
4. He did not flee from the tough assignments. He didn’t shrink back.
Knowing and spending time studying God’s Word allows the Holy Spirit to bring to mind His instructions for what He wants for us.
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
When we begin to lose the relationship, we are susceptible to becoming rebellious, going our own way.
Invest your life in this relationship so that you may continue to hear His voice and sustain the weary ones around you.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
*His eternal gift was the relationship, everything else is the blessing.
*The gift is the opportunity to know God, to allow Him into your heart, to free you from all sin, wiping you clean and making you new. Appreciate the gift more…
Lord Jesus, make me like you so that everyone else can see, not so I stand out, but so that You get ALL the glory You deserve. Amen.
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The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18)
I don’t know what pain you’re in this season. I certainly don’t know what caused the pain. But I know that God understands it.
God is not some distant force. Nor is he callous. The Bible teaches that God enters into our pain. And he doesn’t just care about your pain; he feels it, too. He shares your pain. The Bible says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”(Psalm 34:18).
I can know this even though I don’t know anything about your pain. Why? Because I know God. And I know the Trinity — Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each part of the Trinity is active in your life as you experience pain.
First, your heavenly Father shares your pain.
God understands and shares your pain because he wired you. He’s the one who gave you the ability to experience pleasure and pain. The Bible says it like this: “He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do” (Psalm 33:15).
He understands emotions because God is an emotional God. The only reason you have emotions is because you’re made in God’s image. If God didn’t have emotions, you wouldn’t have emotions.
Second, Jesus understands your pain.
Jesus understands your pain because he’s been there. He’s suffered, too. He’s been betrayed, abandoned, and fatigued — just like you. He came to Earth and lived a fully human life. He experienced everything we experience in human form. The Bible says of Jesus, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do” (Hebrews 4:15a).
Third, the Holy Spirit prays for you as you experience pain.
The Bible says, “The moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayers out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans” (Romans 8:26 MSG).
The Bible says when you’re in pain, the Holy Spirit makes prayers for you out of wordless sighs and aching groans. He understands your pain. He knows what you’re feeling. And he turns those feelings into prayers.
If you’re hurting, you don’t have to go through it alone.
• God understands your pain because he created your emotions.
• Jesus knows your pain from firsthand experience.
• Holy Spirit is praying for you.
Studies show that expressing emotions greatly reduces the body’s stress. With that in mind I believe we all need to be in some kind of Christian group to share and experience good safe relationships.
Lord, thank you for the groups I am currently in. Amen
Read More“But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today” (Deut. 8:18).
“The greater our success, the greater the risk of us thinking too highly of ourselves.”
“Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity there are a hundred that will stand adversity.”
Oswald Chambers wrote, “Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all to survive is prosperity.”
• Each of us must view success as a gift from God.
• We must learn to see all of our successes as a gift from God, not our own achievement.
The Lord is the source of all success, all elevation, all blessing.
If you have a good mind and a healthy body, if you live in a land of opportunity, if you have a good education, if you’ve had a few breaks go your way, then you have much to be grateful for – and no cause for arrogance.
You didn’t achieve success; you received it as a gift.
I have learned it is better to learn humility voluntarily, than involuntarily!
True Meaning of Workplace Success
5 Truths for our Work being our Worship
1. Belief in the reality of God who has spoken, making the word of God the basis of our understanding and action.
2. Therefore, operate by faith in the Word of God, knowing life in the workplace is just as spiritual as the time we spend in worship.
3. The result is, having confidence in God’s calling and His gifting’s, that makes work worth while and fulfilling.
4. So, God is glorified in the workplace.
5. Resulting in, success being measured by faithfulness to Christ, following him in obedience.
Nothing that happens on earth can ever change the Word of God.
“Heaven and earth will disappear, but My Words will never disappear”. Mark 13:31
5 Myths When Missing God as our Pilot
1. Belief in self – it is all about me!
2. Therefore, we operate from one’s limited perspective.
3. The result is, self-confidence with arrogance leading you.
4. So, the workplace centers on man’s achievements alone.
5. Resulting in, success being measured by pride in material wealth.
Paul tells us: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Rom. 12:3).
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