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Standing Strong in the Lord

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

One of the basic principles of human existence is that God has given us free choice.  Even though He has a specific plan for our lives, He allows us to make our own choices along the way.

Knowing our frailty, God has given us the Holy Spirit to stand with us as we wrestle with all that the enemy brings against us.  God even promised that He will perfect His power in our weakness. 2 Cor 12:9

So why is it that we still wrestle with personal decisions?  These personal decisions that tend to overwhelm us can be made a lot easier to handle if we are willing to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in Truth and we are willing to forego the choice of navigating through the trial on our own.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the weapons that we need to carry us through spiritual warfare and the trials of every day life.  We humbly submit to Your power in our lives.  We ask that the Holy Spirit stand with us against the wiles of Satan so that we may oppose his schemes and resist his temptations.  We pray for the wisdom to understand that we cannot stand against our enemies alone.  May we become victors through Christ Our Savior.  

Founts of The Truth

2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

God promises us that He will comfort us in our struggles and then He will use us to comfort others.  We will find this play out in every area of our lives.  When we struggle with anything, we might as well look around because there will be someone near us who is struggling with the same thing.

It is likely when we think of this process that our minds turn toward singular, life challenging trials and tribulations.  But can you think of any area that we struggle in more often than in our efforts to read, listen to and apply God’s word in our lives?  Our struggles here may not be life challenging, but they certainly are life changing.

Thus, as we go through our daily studies of God’s word, we should consider our struggle to apply the teaching to our lives.  As the Holy Spirit directs changes in our lives through the application of God’s word, we should prepare ourselves to comfort others with what we have learned and experienced.  As we receive revelation, we should be alert to passing the truth on to others in need.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that Your Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, constantly drawing us to the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus.  We thank You that Your Word is like fire and like a hammer that breaks a rock into pieces, constantly separating us from that which will destroy us.  We thank You, Lord, that Your Word remains forever, our assurance in our eternal inheritance.  We pray, Father, that the Word that we have received from You will be at work within us.  May we be founts of the Living Word for the thirsty that surround us. 

"What a Revoltin’ Development This Is!"

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

“What a revoltin’ development this is!” was the frequent line of indignation spoken by Chester A. Riley, the blundering lead man in the the early tv show, The Life of Riley.  The line became one of the most famous catchphrases in American culture.  It was so easy for the average American in the 40’s and the 50’s to relate to Chester’s futile attempts to live the ideal life of leisure and good fortune. 

Push ahead 60+ years and we find that we have many of the advancements that Chester was dreaming about and possess even more remarkable discoveries than he could dream up.  But with all the new changes and subsequent benefits, nothing has really changed.  We continue to seek to live the “life of Riley” just like Chester and we continue to experience the futility of it all as we foolishly put all of our trust in ourselves and the promises of the world. 

Unlike Chester who was forever bound in futility with no method of escape, we can live lives of complete contentment.  This gift was set aside for us in the last will and testament of Jesus Christ spoken to His disciples before He left them on this earth.  He promised us peace.  He promised us hearts free of trouble and fear.  And He reminded us it is through Him and not through the world that all of this is available to us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us peace of mind that is beyond all human understanding.  We rejoice in knowing that we can escape all the futility of this world by surrendering our lives to Your Son, Jesus.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will teach us to lean on Your ways and not our own.  May we rest on the strength of our faith in You in every circumstance in our lives.

Always Pray Salvation Before Provision

Luke18:1
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Because it is the will of God the Father that none shall perish, it is consistent with our position as disciples of Jesus Christ that we focus our prayers on the needs of the unsaved people who surround us.  We surely may pray for their natural needs, but our responsibility as true intercessors calls us to pray first for their supernatural needs.  As we examine God’s Word, we find that Jesus never healed anyone physically without mentioning that their sins had been forgiven.  The proper prayers of an intercessor will always focus first on salvation and then on provision.

Jesus, who controls the timing of the perfect collaboration of physical and spiritual healing, recognized that this is often a very long process…at least in our minds.  He understands that we are evaluating a process that we are measuring by our days.  He recognizes how the passing of time without results discourages us as our clocks and the the clocks of those that we are praying for continue to tick away.  He is well aware that in our weakness we tend to give up when we see those around us losing the battle to time.  Thus, Jesus commanded us to always pray and not lose heart.  In doing so, He sought to give us confidence in knowing that all things are set and delivered according to His perfect eternal timing.  He sought to remind us that every single person who surrounds us was placed there by Him.  And He certainly sought to emphasize that He never drops any man from His salvation plan nor should we.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You giving us Your Son to instruct us how to pray in accordance with Your will for all men.  We ask for the supernatural inspiration to pray for all the people who surround us.  We pray for the fortitude to maintain our battle for their salvation even when it seems that the war is being lost.  We beseech You, Father, that You would show us how to bring our prayers into alignment with the plans that You have for those that we pray for.  We celebrate our roles as intercessors.  May You bless us, Lord, by allowing us to see the fruit of our labors.

Formed in Our Mothers’ Wombs to be More Than We Could Ever Imagine

John 17:22
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.

Jesus prayed that all of His disciples might be as one, united in the fullness of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  In this fullness, Jesus wanted all of His disciples to have the glory that He shared with the Father.  He wanted His disciples to have the holy character that He had.  He wanted His disciples to lead fruit-filled lives supernaturally inspired by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus knew and taught that this was all possible through Him.

Psalm 139 confirms that a life like the one that Jesus prayed for His disciples is possible for each of us.  Each one of us is wonderfully made by God.  Just as God created every aspect of the universe, He created each of us to fulfill a unique and wonderful element of His plan for all eternity.   Through His Son, he released capabilities to us that are beyond our imagination. 

Our flesh will always limit us as we try to reach the awesome and productive place that is ours through our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We will only reach the fullness of our lives when we surrender completely to Our Savior so that He can give us the glory that was given to Him.  We are freed to become all that the Creator of the Universe planned for us to be when we let go of our carnal lives and grasp on to our supernatural lives through Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that we were formed in our mothers’ wombs with the exact set of capabilities that You set aside for us to be able to serve You for all eternity.  We praise You that we were fearfully and wonderfully made in accordance with Your perfect plans.  We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will reveal to us  the frailties of our flesh that grieve You so that we may release them all.  May we grasp the fullness of the way everlasting that You have provided us through Your Son.  May we be one with You just as the Son is one with You.

Learning to Deny the Independence that We Learned to Crave

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

The “terrible twos” is the time during which most humans begin to express their own individuality and independence.  It is during this time that most of us realize for the first time that we are our own person and can make choices for ourselves.

Unfortunately, our favorite word as a two-year old is “no.”  Our rebellious nature wants to reject all the good counsel of our parents in order to fully express our own independence.  This independent behavior has a tendency to carry over into our relationship with Almighty God.  We set a pattern early for ourselves which establishes the importance of our desires over loving authority.  We establish lifestyles in which our decisions are made based on the needs of our flesh and not on the desires of Almighty God for our lives.  

As terrible twos we missed out on much that our parents had planned for us because we were busy expressing our independence in a manner that was not acceptable to our parents.  Similarly, we can miss much that God has in store of us if we do not learn to deny ourselves and surrender completely to the will of Our Savior.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that You provide so that we are able to take up the Cross of Your Son and follow Him.  We thank You for Your patience with us as we learn to deny our sinful natures, our ungodliness and our worldly lusts.  We pray, Lord, for the strength to exercise the humility, zeal, patience and self-denial that the Cross demands.  May we carry out every duty for Your glory and for the gain of Your kingdom. 

Lest We Become a Wild Donkey

Galatians 4:22
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.

Even though Abraham was approaching 100 years old and Sarah was approaching 90 years old, Almighty God promised that He would supernaturally open the womb of Sarah and upon the seed of Abraham He would build the nation of Israel.  But Sarah and Abraham lost faith in the promise, so they sought natural means to provide a son.  Sarah allowed Abraham to sleep with their pagan slave, Hagar.  Through the union of Abraham and Hagar, Ishmael was born.  Thirteen years later, God supplied the supernatural birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. 

Because God promised Abraham he would raise up great nations through him, God allowed Ishmael to be a great nation.  But because Ishmael was the product of the natural process, there was no covenant with the nation of Ishmael.   In fact, God told Abraham that “Ishmael will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers.”  The conflicts in the middle east today are the result of Abraham taking matters into his own hands.


The only covenant that God honored was the one that was of the supernatural process.  We should take great care not to rush ahead of God when He has a plan for our lives.  For God can only honor that which He blesses.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many promises that You have given us and we rejoice in knowing that You have a special plan for each of us.  We pray, Lord, for the wisdom to wait on You. We ask the Holy Spirit guide us and instruct us in accordance with Your perfect will for our lives.




Living by the Spirit

Galatians 5:24
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

The endless pursuit of self leads to a constant and unavoidable destiny that is certain to be deviant from the way, the truth and the life that is in Jesus Christ.  The flesh is not capable of maintaining a course of positive growth.  Deterioration and destruction are inevitable.

Only by turning to Our Savior in order to pursue a life in the spirit, can we overcome the inherent flaws of our flesh.  Only by focusing on our relationship with Our Savior, instead of ourselves, are we able to avoid destruction.  Only by taking on the Cross along with Our Savior are we able to gain the supernatural life that Jesus has made possible for us to lead here on earth and for all eternity.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the sacrifice of Your Son so that we may live in the spirit and not in the flesh.  We praise the name of Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life.  We rejoice in knowing that we can overcome all the frailties of our flesh because of the victory that Jesus won for us on the Cross.  We pray for the grace to maintain a constant focus on Our Savior that we may be freed from the stirrings of the corrupt nature that remains in our flesh.  We seek the fullness of our lives in Christ so that we may bear much fruit for the glory of Our King.

The Perfect Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:14
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  No man can get into heaven without recognizing the sacrifice of the precious Lamb of God.  No matter who we are or what we have, reinstatement with God the Father is only possible by accepting Jesus Christ as Our Savior.  No matter how vile, corrupt and sinful we may be today, we can receive the eternal life that God promised and made available to all men through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Salvation is not earned, but accepted by every man who calls on the name of Jesus as his Savior.  For the shed blood of Jesus has the power to wash away all that separates us from the Father.  There is no other way that is deemed acceptable.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your new covenant which established Your Son as the only sacrifice necessary to fulfill the law for all men to be deemed acceptable before You.  We exalt Your name for providing a way for us to receive the eternal inheritance that we could not earn on our own.  We pray, Lord, that we will always be mindful of the suffering of Our Savior.  May our lives reflect our thanksgiving for His sacrifice.  May our joy in Jesus Christ draw others to Him.  

The Good Things of the Kingdom of God

Genesis 9:13
I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.

Almighty God provided the rainbow as a sign to all living creatures that He would never flood the earth again.  When we see a rainbow, we are certainly reminded of His covenant with us.  But why stop with the intermittent rainbow?  We can look at all of creation and be constantly reminded of the many other covenants and promises that Our Heavenly Father has set aside for us.  He has so many promises of provision and protection that are ours to claim.

Unfortunately, we spend more time seeking the good things of the earth instead of the good things that God has in store for us.  While the good things we seek in life may indeed be things that any righteous person would deem good, they will fall short of satisfying us if they are not what God has in His will and plan for our lives.

The irony is that getting the good things from God is so simple.  All we have to do is abide in Him and we will be given all the good things that He promises us.  We need to seek the relationship first and He will provide all the things that He knows will satisfy us perfectly.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many promises that You have made to us through Your Holy Word.  We praise Jesus, who made it possible for us to receive all that You have set aside for us.  We humbly come before You, Father, to proclaim our desire to spend our lives seeking an intimate relationship with Your Son instead of seeking the things of this world.  We pray that Your grace be with us always as we learn to choose the good things of Your kingdom over the good things of this earth.