Devotions - Prayer
The way to strength is to discover
“the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
The apostle Paul was one of the most mature Christians who ever lived, yet he wasn’t ashamed of his human frailties.
Paul knew God loved him no matter what, and He understood that confessing his weakness was essential to walking in God’s Strength.
** “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses…for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:10
We need to be honest with each other in sharing our shortcomings as well as our victories.
**When we are real and transparent with others, we give them the freedom to “remove their masks” in our presence.
“It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” Proverbs 16:19
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1).
The first thing you have to do when things start falling apart, Paul says, is to be strong yourself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; that is a fundamental principle of helping anybody.
*You can only pass on to others what you yourself have received.
* Head knowledge is of no value. If you merely pass on a knowledge of the truth—TEACHING people the various doctrines of Christianity—you have done nothing to help them at all.
* Unless they can see that that TRUTH has Changed You and Made You different.
*That you speak out of the experience of having been Altered by the TRUTH you believe, you will never do anything to help someone else stand in the hour of danger.
***If you want to strengthen others, Paul’s advice is to start with Yourself.
That which strengthens is grace. A peculiar thing about grace is it is never available to strong people.
That is what makes grace difficult for us to get hold of it sometimes.
We are continually assaulted today with a barrage of propaganda teaching us that the way to be strong is to develop some quality about ourselves, some hidden power, some reserve of personality, some right that we need to demand.
** But if you believe the Bible, these teachings are the way to be weak—and that is what proves to be the case.
God’s grace alone is strong enough to handle the pressures of a fallen world, but the only way you can lay hold of the grace of God is to acknowledge that you are so weak you do not have anything else that will hold you.
Many today are unable to be strong and don’t stand in the day of pressure, although they give great testimony about how they are going to follow Christ and stand for Him.
In the moment of pressure, however, they go down almost instantly. They have bought the lie of the world that if they just make up their mind, that if by their will or their effort they display their tremendous natural gifts, or if they develop some power to ride over the rights of others, they can stand.
** But Paul’s word is that the way to strength is to discover
****“the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
*Grace is a free gift Grace is everything for nothing when we don’t deserve anything.
*Grace pays my debt mercy forgives my debt.
***What should my response be to grace?
*Recognize the debt of my sin.
*Demonstrate my new life in Christ.
*Live a godly life.
Recognize your own weakness and then accept God’s promise to work with you and through you in your weakness to make it strong.
That is how it works.
Christians should continually be learning to say,
“I can’t live up to this demand. I can’t do this thing that is asked of me. But He can; therefore I can.”
Take the action based upon the expectation that God is in you, and He will enable you to do what you otherwise cannot do.
That is authentic Christianity. It is supernatural. Natural strength is its greatest enemy. When we learn that, we can be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
You live in times of great evil and adversity. Your only place of escape is in the Lord. You must come and hide yourself in Truth and Righteousness so that the enemy cannot touch you and nothing can dissuade you from His purposes and your life in Him. This is a deliberate commitment and takes effort to maintain, but Jesus will give you the help and strength you need. Don’t get caught up in the issues of life and worldly concerns; keep eternal focus.
* Psalms 27:5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
Lord, I confess my weakness. I ask that You fill me with your strength to face the things You have put before me each and every Hour. In ALL things help me to point to you Jesus. Let my identity be in You! Amen
Read MoreDeeds of real love are those God inspires within our hearts. They are not performed from a sense of duty, but rather spring forth as the natural result of loving God.
* “…because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:5
“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by or like a watch in the night”. Psalm 90:2,4
That’s the difference between time and eternity, the mountains were born, the earth and the world were brought forth, that’s a past tense.
But when the psalmist turns to God he says, “From everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
Not, “You were God,” but “You are God.”
With God there is never a past tense, never a future tense. God doesn’t indwell time; He indwells eternity.
Eternity is not just a very long period of time;
*It’s a different mode of being.
* It’s something from another world.
* It’s higher than time.
With God it’s always, you are. His name is, “I AM.” And from the serenity and the heights of eternity He beholds time.
Isaiah 43:13 “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”
The psalmist says that “a thousand years with God are just like a day that’s gone by or a watch in the night.” The night, in biblical times, was divided into four watches of three hours each, so a thousand years with God is just like three hours that have passed in our experience.
That’s what it is to be related to God. *It’s to have a relationship that extends out of time into eternity, that’s not subject to the changes and fluctuations of time, that’s anchored in the very being of God Himself.
A thousand years are nothing to God’s eternity: between a minute and a million of years there is some proportion; between time and eternity there is None. All the events of a thousand years, whether past or to come, are more present to the Eternal Mind, than what was done in the last hour is to us. AWESOME GOD WE HAVE!
Do not put your emotions before your purpose. If it did not work out, there is a greater purpose God has for you. In some cases the dream is still underway but our timing is not God’s timing. The bible says;
2 Peter 3: 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
*Ninety percent of those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit.
Release yourself from the bondage of fear and worry. When your faith is in the Lord, He will carry you in the flow of His Spirit. But, you must not hang on to the things of the world or put your trust in natural things. Your faith is substantive and vital to your success in any endeavor, and you must put it to work by actual belief and not just hope. I Believe the Lord is looking for a people who have a strong and working faith whose actions demonstrate His kingdom.
*Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Look forward, finally, and hope for the coming of the Lord. Your best things are yet to come. The second coming of Christ will soon be here. The time of temptation will soon be past and gone. The judgment and reward of the saints shall soon make amends for everything. ***Rest in the hope of that day. Work, watch, and look forward–one thing, at any rate, that day will make abundantly clear. It will show that there was never an hour in our lives in which we had our hearts too thoroughly focused on Christ.
God I am sorry for my weakness and I thank You for being patient with me. Help me to catch on faster in those areas I need to change. Thank You for being Patient with me. Amen
Read More“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
****HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving is essential to the Christian life because it’s an expression, whether in thought, word, or deed, of our satisfaction IN Who God IS and what God has done for us in Jesus (Colossians 2:9–10; Ephesians 5:1–2).
*Thanksgiving is essential because it flows from the understanding that the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever and that his faithfulness is to all generations (Psalm 100:5).
*****Lord help us Point to Jesus this Thanksgiving and Give Thanks!!!!
The world, Satan, and our own sinful hearts are oriented away from thanksgiving.
* The best way to help someone is to point them to Jesus.
* Remind them who Jesus is and what HE has done.
*Remind Them that Jesus has taken care of their greatest problem, which is our own sin, and that HE is sovereign over everything else we could ever face.
And may God give us grace, that our speech, prayers, and life would overflow to God in thanksgiving for his goodness and countless mercies in Christ.
Miracle of Thanksgiving
by Ron Walters
November always brings out the historian in me—undoubtedly a result of those Thanksgiving theatricals at my elementary school. The class would dress as Pilgrims; my broad brimmed hat stabilized by a pair of crumpled ears. The routines were more funny than factual but they plowed a furrow of America’s history deep into my mind. And with each November I find myself retracing America’s past and always arriving at the same conclusion: ****America is a miracle, an answer to countless prayers and thankful hearts.
There’s no other way to explain it.
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t credit this nation’s greatness solely to the Pilgrim’s—a name given them by William Bradford, quoting from Hebrews 11.13—even though their prayers, which will always be identified with that original
Thanksgiving, certainly played a part.
What makes that first Thanksgiving so memorable is as much about the when as it was the what.
Whereas it’s true they had enjoyed a bountiful harvest that year, the Pilgrims purposely planned their Thanksgiving of 1621 during an exceedingly disastrous year. It was then that they gave thanks to God.
Pull up a chair and grab your almanac. And once you’ve found that famous Thanksgiving day, see if you notice the change of fortunes for our nation, and the beginning of the miracle:
* 1609—Approximately 300 colonists arrived in Jamestown. That winter, because their food supplies were exhausted, 80% of the people died from starvation and disease.
* 1620—102 Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower and three months later landed at Plymouth. Within the first year, half of them perished.
* 1621—The Pilgrims dedicated three days for a Thanksgiving Feast to give God glory.
* 1689—During the next 74 years, four North American wars raged between England and France. The final conflict—the French and Indian War—caused Britain to tighten its grip on the colonies, a major miscalculation that eventually led to the American Revolution.
* 1776—America declared independence from England. It was David revisiting Goliath. And, without historical precedent, America won its independence, the world’s first colony to break away from a parent country.
It had to be a miracle. Even George Washington thought so: “It will not be believed that such a force as Great Britain, after eight years of military employment, could be so baffled in their plans…by men oftentimes half-starved, almost always sick, without pay, and experiencing every distress which the human nature is capable of enduring.”Yet, soon after the war, 400 armed war veterans circled the make-shift congressional building demanding their unpaid back wages. Held hostage, Congress was forced to approve a payment plan—but had no funds to make the plan work.
To make matters worse, the thirteen states turned on each other. States they were, but united they weren’t.
New Jersey instituted its own customs services.
New York negotiated its own foreign treaties.
Nine of the thirteen states maintained their own private navies.
Seven states printed their own currency—good only within their borders.
Many passed tariff laws against the other states.
And yet somehow these colonies, this people, this collection of war-worn Americans became one nation. A nation ruled by the laws of democracy to safeguard the rights of its citizens; the right to worship as we please, the right to speak boldly about the things of God…It was a miracle. It is a grand land. And, there’s much to be thankful for.
HAPPY THANKS-LIVING!!!
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Verse 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Amen
*The presence of trouble does not mean the absence of God.
*God is also our strength to endure the pain and hurt that we are experiencing.
*Get some rest! – Rest in Him not the things around you.
*Recognize God in your life and meet with Him through Scripture and Prayer.
+How does God call you?
+How does God speak to you?
+How does God feed you?
“Be Still, and Know”
Psalm 46:6, 9-10 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; [God] lifts his voice, the earth
melts…. [God] makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters
the spear, he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be
exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
There’s a scene of tremendous uproar. Nations are in uproar. Kingdoms are falling. How
true that is today but, in the midst of it, God’s voice comes forth. *God speaks.
* God intervenes.
*God lifts His voice; the earth melts.
*God intervenes against the forces of iniquity and evil.
***And then He speaks a word to His people in the midst of all the confusion and
turmoil and uproar.
***God says this: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
As we all can see and feel—We are in a situation not far from that today.
Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms are toppling, war is threatening on every hand, but in
the midst of it God speaks to His people and says,
*“Be still, be quiet, don’t be upset, don’t get restless, don’t get nervous. Be still and
know that I am God. I’m still in control!!!!
* God’s purposes are going to work out. He says “I’m going to be exalted over all
nations. I am going to be exalted in the earth.”
Let me give you that advice today. Be still and HEAR the voice of God.
He created all, holds all, knows all, loves all. What could I possibly. do or say to make it
better. NOTHING! I Praise Your name FATHER.
To close things out, the writer speaks God’s admonishment, “Be still”. *Sometimes the
battle has worn you down.
* Sometimes you look up and there is nothing left.
**No matter how hard you try, you can’t press forward. By all accounts, it seems as if the
enemy has finally won.
*You try to pray, but the words don’t flow forward with any fluency.
*You turn to friends, but you find them complaining too.
*You turn to mother, but mother is incapable of producing any relief.
**At this moment of despair, GOD steps in and simply says, “BE STILL, I’ve got it from
here.
Although we are promised trials and persecution, we know that Abba is still in control.
Jesus has been given all authority under heaven and earth. Trials are temporary.
We can rely and trust in Abba. Although we may not understand why trials happen, we
know that ALL is for His glory.
There are many distractions in the world, many so easily take our focus away from God
and on to ourselves, or to our circumstances.
**We must keep our eyes only on God, the One who saves, delivers, shows us mercy and
grace.
*No other person, no other god, no other thing, can do this.
As we go about our day, let us remove those distractions, lay them at His feet and trust
His will.
1. God is able
2. God is all power
3. God is a healer
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD!!!!
Refuse to give in to the frustration that has come as a result of dealing with hindrances.
Instead, set yourself to seek the Lord for wisdom and clarity, for HE will give you the
grace to accomplish what He has set before you. This is certainly not a time when you
should get discouraged and give up. You are on the brink of breakthrough. Keep
pushing. Keep trusting. Keep the faith! *Isaiah 58:8 Then your light shall break forth
like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go
before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Lord, I will be still and know You are God…You are my Counselor, Father. Speak to my
heart, spirit, and mind…Lead me, Guide me, Show me…thank You, Jesus…Let me praise
Your Glorious Name!
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