Devotions - Prayer
Ephesians 2;10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
God rested on the 7th Day of his work.
Gen 2: 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
** God didn’t rest because he was tied, but because it was a blessed day?
*Activity does not indicate productivity.
*Action does not mean production.
*Just because it looks quiet now does not mean God has stopped work in your life.
He has not abandoned the project.
*Just because you cannot see anything happening does not mean nothing is happening.
God is still on the throne and He is doing a work in your life.
* He has not stopped working.
*He is still working.
Remember you are the clay and He is the potter.
It may look like the more you have prayed the more nothing has happened. Not so. The Master is at work and He is working on a masterpiece. Masterpieces often take awhile.
You are beginning to ask.
*Has God forgotten me?
*Is He acting on my prayer request or requests.
*Has he changed his mind?
Remember He is not man to lie or the son of man to change His mind.
Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Jesus the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the Ancient of days. Strong as ever. More than reliable and dependable forever.
*He is still God even though you cannot feel or perceive Him.
*He is still God even though you have not seen the miracle.
*He is working for your good.
You may not see it now but in the end you shall see that all along He was working for your good.(Romans 8:28)
If Jesus, who was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), could humble Himself and value our good above His own welfare, then we should certainly be able to do the same. It can happen when we die to self and live to God.
Prayer is seen by God in your actions. It is what “We Choose” to do each day.
You ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE!!!! (Ephesians 2:10)
Lord, thank You for hearing my cry for help. Thank You for Your steadfast love, which rescues me from my restless wandering and leads me in the straight way. Amen
Read MoreMatthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
As we in Mark 16:15, Jesus Christ commissioned His Church to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God in all the world.
Here in Matthew 24:14 Jesus gives a prophecy of the effects of that preaching in the end time just before His return to save humanity from self-destruction (Matthew 24:21-22).
“A witness” here can mean “testimony” or “a declaration of facts”. The word is neutral—it can include both giving a message of hope and a message of warning. “The Gospel will bring either salvation or a curse, depending on how it is received” ( Matthew 24:14).
The “end” Jesus referred to is the end of this evil age of human misrule. When it ends, something much better will come in its place—the peaceful Kingdom of God.
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. (Romans 13:12)
- This is a word of hope to suffering Christians.
- It’s a word of hope to Christians who hate their own sin and long to be done with sinning.
- It’s a word of hope to Christians who long for the last enemy death to be overcome and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
How is it a word of hope for all these?
“The night” stands for this age of darkness and all its sin and misery and death. And what does Paul say about it? “The night is far gone.” The age of sin and misery and death is almost spent.
The key way it is different is that the day has dawned in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the end of this fallen age. He defeated sin and pain and death and Satan. The decisive battle is over. The kingdom has come. Eternal life has come. Amen
Read More
- Psalm 139:13–16-For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Some years ago, God began to speak to me about the marvel of the physical body, about the marvel of my own body, that it is a masterpiece of divine workmanship(see Ephesians 2:10). And I began to be concerned that I treated that masterpiece right, that I did not abuse it, that I did not neglect it.
Your body has a very special purpose.
- God provided the material in the depths of the earth. He fashioned it together.
- He had a blueprint before it ever came into being, and He worked it out in every detail.
And, you know, the purpose for that body, the supreme purpose is to be God’s temple – the temple of the Holy Spirit.
The Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands. We can’t fashion a building that will hold Him, but in His infinite grace and mercy God predetermined that He would fashion a body and that that body would become His dwelling place.
Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Thank You Jesus, that I am Your child, heir, established, anointed, sealed by You and a citizen of heaven-Chosen, Holy, Blameless in You, forgiven. Yes, I have hope, purpose, redemption, been shown the incomparable riches of God’s grace, have access to the Father, have a new attitude, new lifestyle and have been called by YOU! What Love! Amen (See Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 2:1-10)
Read More
Our self-life will never “mellow” with age. We can’t tame it…we have to crucify it.
* “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”. Galatians 6:14
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” (John 8:12)
Shadows are created all around us when something blocks light, and so it is with the shadow of doubt.
When we focus our thoughts on ourselves and how inadequate we feel, or what others think about us and how we’re performing, we cast a shadow of doubt in our minds by blocking the light of God’s Truth in our hearts.
But we were not designed to block the light.
We were created to live in the Light by focusing on what God thinks about us instead of what we think about ourselves.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12b )
When we follow Jesus closely and completely in our thoughts, turning away from doubts and lies, we can find lasting security and confidence in Him.
- I have to purposefully shift my focus daily-from my feelings of inadequacy to God’s promises of His all-sufficiency and grace in my life.
- I have to choose to focus on truth {the Light} so I can exchange my feelings of low self-confidence with lasting “God-fidence.”
Feeling paralyzed and stuck in a place of insecurity is not where God intends for us to live.
When Jesus spoke to the people in John 8:12, He called them out of darkness.
Now He’s calling you and me – to step out of the shadows of doubt so that we can become the God-fident people He created you to be.
A person whose assurance and soul-security is found in what He says and thinks about them.
When you feel inadequate, God says: You are CHOSEN.
“‘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.'” (Isa. 43:10a NIV)
When you feel unworthy, God says: You are PRECIOUS and LOVED. “… you are precious and honored in my sight, and … I love you.” (Isa. 43:4a NIV)
Dear Lord, You say I am a chosen person, a royal priest, a holy person, a Masterpiece belonging to You. Help me believe that and live beyond the shadows of my doubts as I follow and focus on the Light of Your truth today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Psalm 139:7–10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths [or in Sheol, or in hell], you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast.
God’s presence is His Spirit. God told the prophet Jeremiah that He fills all things, that He fills the heaven and He fills the earth. It’s not the visible, manifest form of God that fills the heaven or the earth, but it’s that invisible, imperceptible presence of God the Holy Spirit which permeates the entire universe.
No matter where we go, that invisible hand is stretched out to hold us. No matter how far we may sink down or how high we may rise, we cannot go below the level of God’s presence or ascend above it.
God’s presence is always with us. He hears every word we speak; He knows every thought. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Open the Door—If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him. Revelation 3:20
Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He will come with that love that you long to feel; He will come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; He will bring the peace that now you do not have.
Sometimes we may feel bereft and forsaken, but it’s only in appearance. The presence of God is always there, the presence of God is always with us and ultimately His presence is our peace. Amen
Read More“Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path. Psalm 119:127-128
What’s your attitude towards God’s commands?
*Do you fear them?
*Do you resent them?
*Do you try to get away from them?
****That’s a foolish attitude.
Remember, God gave His commands to us:
*Not to create problems for us but to solve them
*Not to harm us but to help us.
God Loves us and wants the Best from us–He calls us His Masterpiece!
God’s love is in His commands.
They are given to save us from ourselves, to save us from evil, to show us the way out of our difficulties and our problems.
But God’s commands are infinitely more precious and the psalmist had learned that.
Instead of running from God’s commands, resenting them, obeying them reluctantly, he said, “I love your commands more than pure gold.”
And then he said, “Because I consider all Your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.”
You see, when we love God’s commands and obey them; automatically they:
*Reveal to us what is wrong.
*They show us how to distinguish between good and evil, between what is beneficial and what is harmful.
*And when we are walking in the light of God’s commands, they keep us from everything harmful, from everything hurtful, from every wrong path.
*and we too experience God’s Love for us and in us.
“I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said ‘ I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; and Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.'” Psalms 32:5
God’s 10 Commandments are our perfect loving Boundaries set by God.
“God’s statutes and commandments are my delight worth more than gold and silver and they give me understanding”.
“Secrets to a Blessed Life” lies in the Power of God’s Word-Jesus.(see John 1)
I’d like to challenge you to pray through Psalm 119.
This Psalm is an acrostic poem (each section correlates to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet) with 22 sections.
*Take one section a day.
*Read a verse, then pray that verse to God in your own words.
*If you do this from your heart, I believe you will begin to love God’s Word more than you ever have. (I can say this because I have done it.)
Psalms 119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the lifestyle prescribed by your statutes, so that I might observe it continually. Amen
Read MorePsalm 143:1–3 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Thy faithfulness, in Thy righteousness! And do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight no man living is righteous. For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground.
The psalmist there was struggling with a dark force that attacks almost every one of us at some time or another, the force of condemnation.
Each of us has an enemy, an accuser, one who seeks to make us feel guilty, unworthy, one who reminds us of our failures and our shortcomings and our unworthiness, and if we let him go on speaking to us he’ll crush our life down to the ground.
The answer is the answer that the psalmist found. He turned to God and he prayed. And he said, “Give ear to my supplications. Answer me in Thy faithfulness and in Thy righteousness.”
When we are facing condemnation and a sense of unworthiness, it is most important that we don’t listen to the enemy any longer; that we turn to God and that we appeal to God for help. Not on the basis of our righteousness or our faithfulness, but on the basis of God’s righteousness and God’s faithfulness. That is the way out from condemnation. That’s the way back into victory.
We don’t ask God to enter into judgment with us, we ask Him to answer us on the basis of His righteousness and His faithfulness and when we do that, we are released from that dark power of condemnation. Amen
Read: Romans 8:1-3,34-35, John 3:18-21, Psalms 32
Read More
How serious are you about breaking free from the temptation in your life?
Because if you are, let me be very blunt with you:
- You will never do it without support.
- You will never do it on your own.
- You won’t succeed in changing by yourself.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no hope for change.
In fact, once you understand you change on your own, you’ll be free to see how God is working to transform your life and how he uses other people to help you change.
The truth is, God has wired us to need each other to grow. We need each other to break free of habits and hang-ups and hurts. You need accountability in your life.(called Relationships) The very thing that you want least is the very thing if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin, too. By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ” Galatians 6:1-2 .
What’s the law of Christ? Love your neighbor as yourself. How do we love our neighbor as ourselves?
- By helping each other through temptation.
- By helping others be consistent in the things they want to be consistent in.
- By helping them break bad habits and start good habits.
That’s the best way you can love your neighbor and obey the law of Christ. You need a friend who checks up on you, and you need a group that supports you.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls [into temptation], it’s just too bad, because there is no one to help him”(GNT).
You need somebody in your life to help you with the habits you want to change. You’re not going to change them on your own.
Everybody is tempted. It is a myth that says you’re going to get to a point in your spiritual life where you’re not tempted. In fact, the more mature you become, the more Satan is going to put you on his “most wanted” list.
If we were more consistent in confessing our temptations, we wouldn’t have to confess our sins.
Lord, Help me no matter what my circumstances to: find a small group, do Bible studies, find a good mentor and have a job that pleases you. Amen
Read More
Right before Jesus went to the cross, he gave his last minute instructions to his followers: “Live in me, and I will live in you. A branch cannot produce any fruit by itself. It has to stay attached to the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit unless you live in me” (John 15:4).
Jesus says that being spiritually connected is like being attached to a vine. You’re not going to have any fruitfulness or productivity in your life if you’re out there on your own. You’ve got to stay connected.
In plants, a disconnected branch can’t bear fruit. When you don’t have the support, you not only start to whither and die, but you also don’t have any productivity in your life if you’re not spiritually connected.
We’ve got to be connected in order to produce fruit.
What kind of fruit should you produce when you are connected to the Body of Christ? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control” (Galatians 5:22-23a).
I don’t know about you, but I’d like to be more loving. I’d like to be more joyful. I’d like to be more at peace, no matter what happens to the economy. I’d like to be more kind to people who are mean to me. I’d like to be a good person. I want to be faithful, not unfaithful. I want to keep my promises. I’d like to be gentle with people who are not very gentle. And I’d like to have more self-control.
That’s called the fruit of the Spirit, and it’s the evidence that you are spiritually connected. If you are not seeing yourself grow in all these things, guess what? It means you’re not spiritually connected.
God says this is so important that you’re not going to have any fruitfulness or any productivity in your life if you’re out there on your own.
I’ve got to be connected to the Body of Christ. You’ve got to be connected to the Body of Christ. We’re simply better together.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
- Yes we are created for relationships, not to go through life alone!
- We is always better than Me!
There have been so many times I have tried to go out alone. Now I am so grateful for fellow believers who are doing life with me. Encouraging or confronting whatever is necessary.
Thank you Jesus for the Body of Christ-Amen
Read More
Jesus said in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do what I command” .
- You can’t say you love Jesus and then go live like the devil.
- You can’t say you’re a Christian and then keep on living a self-centered life.
- You can’t say you’re a follower of Jesus and then pick and choose the verses that you want to listen to and ignore the ones you don’t.
- Jesus says you’re his friend if you obey him and his commandments.
Why do we obey God? Nonbelievers get this wrong all the time. They say, “I don’t want to be a Christian because I don’t want to obey God. You believers obey him out of guilt or fear or obligation, and I don’t want that for my life.”
Why do we believers really obey God? Because he loves us! He wants the best for us. He loves you like nobody else will ever love you. The Bible says the only reason there’s love in the world is because God is love.
- We don’t obey God out of fear or guilt or obligation.
- We obey God out of love because he loved us and saved us.
Some people say, “Because you’re a Christian. You can’t do any of the fun stuff the rest of us do.”
Just look at them in the eye and say, “I could take all the drugs I want to take. I could get stoned all I want to get stoned. I could drink all I want to drink. I could go to all the parties I want to go to. I could go to bed with as many women as I want. I can disobey my parents.” But here’s the difference: Jesus changed my “want to.” I didn’t want to do those things then. I don’t want to do those things now. They are cheap, phony thrills that seem to give a temporary kick to life but then they kick back. They may look like freedom, but they don’t last, and they lead to despair, not dignity — depression, not delight.
John 15:9-11 says, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me … When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
God doesn’t want you to obey him because you’re afraid of him. He doesn’t want you to obey him because you’re scared of punishment. God wants you to obey him because of love. It’s HIS love that leads to true joy. AMEN
Read More
Psalm 142:3–4 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
I wonder whether you’ve ever felt like that: “No one cares about me. They don’t mind whether I live or whether I die. All I have is problems. I’m walking in a path and there are hidden snares on it. There are problems I don’t really understand and I don’t know how to solve. I can’t see any source of help. I look to the right, I look to the left. No one bothers about me. I’m just a speck of dust in the universe. I’m just a name on a list somewhere. There’s a birth certificate in some dusty office that relates that I was born, but no one cares.”
That’s not altogether true. There is someone who cares. There is someone who knows your way. That’s what the psalmist said, “When my spirit grows faint within me it is you who know my way.”
You may feel lonely, neglected, uncared for. You may not understand your own way, you may not know the problems that lie ahead, you may not have an answer to them all, but there is one who knows: it’s the Lord. He knows your way.
- He is with you;
- He will see you through if you will turn to Him in prayer.
- You are not forgotten, you are not neglected, you are not unwanted.
- He made you, He cares for you, He’s with you.
HOW DO YOU THINK JESUS SEES YOU?
- Ephesians 2:10: You are His Masterpiece.
- Psalms 139: He knit you together in your mothers womb.
- Ephesians 1:4: He knew you before the world was formed.
AMEN
Read More” My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. ” Colossians 2:2
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Are there things that make you laugh when you think of the miracle that would be required for it to take place?
Ask God for the miracle you need today.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).
God reveals His truths to us in stages and not all at once (Isa. 28:9-10).
The truths of God are mysterious only to those who do not soften their heart by seeking God with their whole heart. As Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
The piece of armor known as the “sword of the Spirit” is the only piece of armor that has the ability to cut, wound, and hurt our enemy, the devil. (Read Armor of God Eph. 6)
It’s not the Bible lying on your coffee table that makes the enemy flee, but it is the Word of God hidden in your heart, activated by the power of the Holy Spirit, and spoken in an appropriate situation.
*The Word by itself doesn’t make us free. It is the Word we know and speak that will deliver us (Jn. 8:32).
Why is the Word so effective? It’s because it is the WORD of God. It has authority, because it is indeed the WORD of God.
*God’s Word supersedes all authority of the church, of reason, of intellect, and even of Satan himself.
*It is the Holy Spirit that wields this Word as it is spoken in faith.
*Speaking God’s Word in faith brings the Holy Spirit into action.
In Luke 4, when Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days, it was the Word of God, that Jesus used to defeat the enemy in the time of His temptation.
*Jesus constantly met His temptation by quoting from God’s Word as He repeatedly stated the phrase, “It is written.”
Likewise, the Christian soldier must avail himself of God’s Word by placing it in his heart, so that the Holy Spirit may bring it forth at the appropriate time to accomplish a complete and total victory. It’s yours.
Thank You Jesus–that through You – We Fight FROM Victory—-not For Victory. Amen! (see 1 John 4:4)
Read MorePsalm 23:1-3 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved and memorized Psalms. King David’s personal experience as a shepherd gave him unique training to be king and special insight into God’s role as our Good Shepherd.
These first three verses highlight God’s gentle and generous care for us.
- Green pastures mean plenty to eat without the constant struggle of moving from place to place in search of food.
- The still waters provide abundant water without the fear that fast-moving streams might evoke.
- The paths of righteousness are the safe and beneficial routes God leads us in life.
God’s spiritual sheep enjoy all these blessings in abundance through God’s Word (our food), the Holy Spirit (our water) and God’s righteous and beneficial way of life.
Lord, Thank You for being our Shepherd and help us to allow You to Shepherd us each and every hour through your voice, your word and Christian relationships. Amen
Read MoreFor One Cause—CHRIST!
“ 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.” (Colossians 2:2)
HOW TO RESTORE A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP
1 Talk to GOD before talking to the person.
In doing so, you may find a change of heart or the other person may have changed without your help.
This may provide you the clarity you need.
2. Always take the initiative.
Make the first move; don’t wait for the other party. By delaying it deepens resentment and makes matters worse.
Acting quickly reduces the damage.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
Listen first. Hear what they are feeling. Focus on their feelings and not the facts.
Begin with sympathy; not the solutions.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
Admit your own mistakes. Determine how much of the problem is actually your fault or issue.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
You cannot fix the problem if you are fixing blame. Choose between the two.
How you say things is as important as what you say.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
Sometimes it costs us our pride; often our self-centeredness.
Do your best to compromise, adjust to others and show preference to their needs.
Lord, help me guard my heart above all else, for it determines the course of my life. Help me restore relationships that I may serve the Body of Christ as You have intended me too. Lord, continue to teach me about Your perfect Character through the Beatitudes in Mat. 5:3-12. Help me to become more and more like You each day. Amen
Read MoreTo know the mysteries Christ has for us.
We can know the mysteries Christ has for us and they will be revealed as we dig deeper into the Word.
* It doesn’t matter where you are God has a plan for your life. God sees all- no matter what.
Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests;
In Psalms 43:3-4 — The truth is God’s Word; the Light is your understanding of it.
The psalmist cries out for an understanding of the Word as he reads it and for light, which breaks out of these marvelous promises to encourage and strengthen his heart.
1 Corinthians 4:6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
* So many Christians over-complicate the Bible by looking for hidden meanings, praying for “special revelations” or “new understandings”, or they think you have to go to Bible college to understand God’s Word.
*The Bible is written in a way that speaks clearly to anyone who is seeking the truth–you don’t have to be an “expert”. The most important thing is to OBJECTIVELY seek the truth, keep in mind the context of the passage as well as the entirety of the Bible, and allow the Holy Spirit to give understanding.
To the Ephesians he said, “When you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:3).
Romans 15:4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
*Scripture speaks in numerous passages about “our light and momentary troubles that are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Lord,” Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” Col. 3:16 Amen
Read a Proverb a day for a year if you are hungry to receive additional Godly Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment and the will of God for you.