Can i pray for you today?

Be joyful always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Pray without ceasing.

I was listening to the radio on the way home yesterday and there was a clip about prayer.

The person said that quite often he prays for stuff for himself that remains unanswered, but has found when he prays for others, the answers are there.

He then made a profound statement: when the church prays, things happen.

People, we ARE the church!

When we pray for our friends, family, co-workers, leaders, things happen!

Prayer should be where we spend the most time with our hearts.

Is there a constant awareness in your life that God is present?

Is He the unseen but always present companion in all your ups and downs?

Or is God here when it is convenient and gone when things are busy or we feel that everything is going okay?

Joy comes from knowing we are never alone.

Prayer is the ongoing conversation we have with our Heavenly Father.

Can I pray for you today?

Have a blessed day! 

is it time for surgery?

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

—Hebrews 4:12

I have heard it said that we don’t judge the Bible; the Bible judges us.

When we read scripture and feel “less than worthy”,  if we feel the Holy Spirit making us aware of the areas where we don’t measure up we need to know that this Holy Spirit takes us to the power of the cross.

Jesus loves us so much that He didn’t leave us to our own understanding; He has given us His word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path

He has sent the Holy Spirit to make His words come alive.

How often do you let God do major surgery on your spirit as His Spirit uses the Word to encourage, judge, motivate, convict, instruct, and inspire?

With such a great tool so readily at hand for most of us, let's not let a day go by that we don't let God use His word on hearts.

Have a blessed day! 

do you want it all?

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.

—1 Corinthians 10:26

Some people are very selfish, they want everything that others have.

They are so envious of other people’s talents, possessions or gifts that it makes them miserable.

Stop it!

We don’t need to “keep up with the Joneses”.

Remember that it is all His, every flower, every living being, every unique gift that we have.

He has given people certain gifts to do His work.

We need to share the blessings He has entrusted to us.

Can you sing, write or paint?

Are you exceptionally patient with kids or the elderly?

Sing His praises, write about His goodness, paint His beauty, take care of His children, both old and young.

What we 'have' isn't really ours; it's all His, entrusted to us to be put into useful service to others for God's work and God's glory.

Have a blessed day! 

no fear

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

– Luke 12:32-34

Last week I was attending my weekly Bible study group where we are studying the book Fear and Faith by Trillia Newbell.

On a whim I googled (love the googles) “how many times does the Bible say ‘do not fear’”

365 times

That means that there is a verse telling us “do not fear” for every single day of the year.

If God were to examine where our heart is, where would He look?

Is our heart shrouded in fear?

Are we hoarding our finances out of fear of not having enough, or are we taking care of those who have less, knowing that God will provide?

It has been said that if one wants to know what we really value, the first place to look is our checkbook.

If you look at your spending habits,  what will you see?

Give some of your resources to those in need and watch what happens to your heart.

And remember His word: do not fear.

God wants us to take care of each other.  

He is going to take care of you.

Have a blessed day! 

brokenhearted

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

—Psalm 34:18

While many of us are richly blessed spiritually and physically, many of God's people face hardship and difficulty.

You may be one of those in difficult circumstances.

Please remember that God has not abandoned you.

Jesus is the great reminder that God cares and involves Himself with the broken, forgotten, and downtrodden.

The LORD is near, He is present, He is oh, so close!

How can I proclaim this?

It is simple - He came close in the manger, walked among us in ministry, suffered with us and for us at Calvary.

I know that in tragedy, trial, heartbreak, and brokenness He is near to us, to save us.

So, will our hearts be open to Him and will we be seeking Him to come near?

Don't let troubles or heartache lead you to pull away from God or doubt His nearness.

Let him draw close to you.

And never forget that lots of people are praying for you today.

Have a blessed day! 

clear the way!

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

—2 Corinthians 10:5-6

For those of us with anxiety issues, this verse can be a key motivator.

Fear and anxiety are sent to us by the evil one.

This is the war of spiritual forces opposed to God.

While these forces might have a great deal of influence in the world at large, we need to be determined that Satan's deception won't rule in us.

We must be committed to God’s truth!

Our culture is obsessed with many different gods, beliefs, and choices.

We must be vigilant to take every thought, fear and anxiety and make it obedient to God.

The world we live in is unprincipled and it doesn’t fight fair.

But we should not live or fight our battles that way.

We must use the knowledge and power we have been given to smash warped philosophies, to tear down barriers erected against the truth.

We must clear the ground of every obstruction and build lives of obedience into maturity.

Have a blessed day!

are you hungry?

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

– Psalm 34:10

Most of us work very hard for what we have.

It is easy to seek after the good things, but in reality, we need to seek the Lord.

Prayer unlocks the blessings that God has for His people, but prayer also fills our souls with good things that truly satisfy.

When praises go up, blessings rain down!

Our definition of “good things” changes when God becomes the center of our lives.

While even the most fierce hunters cannot ensure their security and nourishment, those whose hunger is for God will find themselves nourished, blessed, and sustained.

Have a blessed day! 

Stop talking!

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

- James 1:19-27

Stop talking!

Oh my goodness – this selection of verses is actually highlighted in my Bible – which means, that at one time I was pretty sure that I needed to remember this.

My daily devotional also highlights this selection and this is what it has to say:

Ears are busy these days.  A listening, caring available ear is increasingly difficult to find. Many seem permanently encased in the headphones of their own private interests.  Others are busy vying for equal time with other parts of the body – such as an eye on the clock or a nose to the grindstone.

Even a free ear isn’t necessarily free to just listen.  When people come to us with their troubles, many of us discover we have a birth defect; our earbone is connected to our mouthbone. When patience, understanding and encouragement are most needed, we give advice, platitudes and “My experience can top that” stories.

Thee burdened who come to us needing to unburden are looking for an earbone connected to a heartbone.                                                                                                                                                                                                

It’s good to remember that “listen” and “silent” are made of the same six letters.

What about the filth and evil? Look at social media today, at all the ruckus that is raised every time something happens in our world.  Everyone has an opinion, but how many of those opinions are based on Biblical truths?  Everyone wants to be heard.  Everyone wants to write something profound on FaceBook or Twitter. Everyone wants to comment and have their voice to be heard.  It feels like so many people are on edge right now.   Slow down!! The anger of man do not help us accomplish what God wants us to do!  We need to listen to the word of God, let it soak in. And then, be doers of the word!  If you are only listening, you are deceiving yourself!  You may know the word inside and out, but what have you actually done?  It is like looking in the mirror and forgetting what you look like.  Are we going to church and hearing the word and then going out in the world and forgetting every word we have heard?

When we act upon the word of God, that is when we receive the blessings of God.  This is what God is trying to tell us – when we read or hear His word we are blessed, but when we DO, the blessings are even more.  We can take in every bit of information that we are given, but what good will it do if we do nothing with what we are given?

If we are claiming religion but we are doing the opposite of what His word says, then we the religion we claim is worthless.  Can we not care for people that need us? True religion is not talking so much, but giving to others.

Hear the word. Let it soak in. Then go do something.

Have a blessed day. 

don't lose hope

As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

– 1 Kings 17:12

I believe that every one of us has lost hope at some point in our lives.

When we feel like there is no future, no chance of getting out of the terrible situation we have found ourselves facing.

This verse is the dramatic dialogue between a widow and the prophet Elijah.

The woman has lost hope in the midst of a famine and drought, but as the story unfolds she listens to the prophet and experiences the provision of God in her life.

We don’t always recognize that God is with us.

Sometimes our ears don’t open to God.

But when we feel that we are at the end of our rope, God is ready to speak to us—to strengthen us in times of trouble.

God is always there, we have to trust Him.

The Holy Spirit is there to guide us through our tough circumstances—if we are just willing to stop, listen, and obey.

Have a blessed day! 

Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

—Psalm 34:14

I know that I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.

The grade school that my kids went to had the motto “Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking.”

It is not enough to turn from evil – we have to actively pursue what is good, every day!

If we do not, then a worse evil will start to encroach on our lives.

We have to be eager to do good and with have a passion to for peace.

Do something good today.

Have a blessed day! 

my fortress

The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.

– Psalm 94:21-23

Sin is so prevalent in our world, the recent massacre in Las Vegas is a violent reminder of that.

The storms of life swirl around us, and sometimes we feel overwhelmed.

God never promised that we as followers would lead trouble free lives, but He did promise that no matter what comes our way He would be there.

This should give us great hope because He is a solid rock and He is always there 24/7 to comfort and calm the waves of life.

We have been promised that a day is coming when wickedness will be destroyed in the renewal of all things, and there is deliverance from the fear for those who make God their rock and fortress in Christ.

Today look to the rock that never changes for that calm and peace, and then share it with someone else.

We all are facing something, and we all need encouragement!

Have a blessed day!

why is there so much hate?

If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

I heard this song on the way to work this morning.

Quite often before playing a song, a DJ will quote the artist or play a clip from an interview.

This morning’s clip made me really listen to the lyrics of the song:

We all bleed the same
We're more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We're divided

Woke up today
Another headline
Another innocent life is taken
In the name of hatred
So hard to take (hey!)
And if we think that it's all good
Then we're mistaken
'Cause my heart is breaking (tell it, 'Dis)

Are you left?
Are you right?
Pointing fingers, taking sides
When are we gonna realize?

We all bleed the same
We're more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We're divided

If we're gonna fight
Let's fight for each other
If we're gonna shout
Let love be the cry

We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We're divided

Tell me, who are we
To judge someone
By the kind of clothes they're wearing
Or the color of their skin?

Are you black? (black)
Are you white? (white)
Aren't we all the same inside? (the same inside)
Father, open our eyes to see!

We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
We're more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We're divided

If we're gonna fight
Let's fight for each other (fight for each other!)
If we're gonna shout
Let love be the cry (be the cry!)

We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We're divided

Only love can drive out all the darkness
What are we fighting for?
We were made to carry one another
We were made for more, said
Only love can drive out all the darkness
What are we fighting for? yeah
We were made to carry one another
We were made for more!

We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
We're more beautiful when we come together (let's stand united!)
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We're divided
If we're gonna fight
Let's fight for each other (fight for each other!)
If we're gonna shout
Let love be the cry (be the cry!)

We all bleed the same(we all bleed the same) (bleed the same)
Let's stand united (let's stand united)
Let's stand united!

So Father God, I pray
That our families will come together right now
And seek Your face
You will forgive our sins
And You will heal our incredible land
In the name of the only Savior, Jesus Christ
Amen

In the interview, the artist Mandisa asks the question “why is there so much hate?”

That is the million dollar question I think.

If you are part of that hate, I beg you to change.

We all bleed the same.

Have a blessed day. 

anticipation

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

—Romans 8:19

There used to be a commercial set for Heinz Ketchup, with a song “anticipation” (yes, I am dating myself, it was aired 1977-79, google it!)

Do you remember the anticipation that you had as a child, waiting for Christmas? 

Our parents always told us “good things come to those who wait”.

Think of a groom waiting for his bride to come down the aisle.

Imagine parents of a child that is due to be born.

Eagerly waiting!

That's what creation, so caught up with decay, disaster, and death, is doing. . . eagerly waiting.

And what is creation waiting for so eagerly?

Our transformation and revelation as God's triumphant and glorious children.

Sounds pretty wonderful for a time and world like ours.

Have a blessed day!

a history lesson

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

– Romans 15:4 

 Remember sitting through history class (or sleeping through it)?

How would we learn about our past if we didn’t have the stories that we know as “history”?

Well guess what?

God has not left us without a witness of His work on the earth.

He has given us 66 books written by 44 authors over a span of 1500 years from 3 continents.

We have the opportunity to get inside the human experience with God and it given to put courage in our souls as we wrestle with our own opportunities and failures.

In other words, the Bible is God’s gift from the past to give us the endurance that we need for today and the hope we need for tomorrow. 

Hey, read any good books lately?

Have a blessed day!

this is not my home

We wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

—Titus 2:13-14

Song reference!!!

Sometimes it feels like I'm watching from the outside
Sometimes it feels like I'm breathing but am I alive
I will keep searching for answers that aren't here to find

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

So when the walls come falling down on me
And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea
I have this blessed assurance holding me.

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

When the earth shakes I wanna be found in You
When the lights fade I wanna be found in You

We haven't arrived at our destination.

We are in waiting!

Jesus, gave His life for our redemption, and He will gloriously return to take us home.

During our time of waiting, let's be eager to do what is right, good, and holy. 

Have a blessed day!

I want to be rich

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!

—Proverbs 16:16

What are the greatest riches in life?

I’m telling you, they are not silver and gold.

If you have wisdom, you soon understand what is valuable, what is true, what is worthy of our heart, and what is not. 

Have a blessed day!

Do me a favor

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.

– Proverbs 3:27-28

“Hey, do me a favor . . . “

Oh goodness. . . 

Depending on who is saying those word, I admit that I sometimes cringe when I hear them.

Think about it. . . our view of our possessions, time, and money is exposed when we are faced with the “inconvenient” needs of a neighbor.

How many times though, is God in the inconvenient moments — the times that we don’t want to help someone around us.

Sometimes it takes a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake to activate people toward acts of service for each other, but for the Christ follower, the Scripture tells us to act now!

As we do, we may be surprised that we find Jesus in the person that we give water to, or the friend in the hospital, or the needy neighbor who needs an act of compassion.

When God gives you the opportunity to serve those around don’t let it pass by! 

Have a blessed day!

Death is not the end

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

—Psalm 23:4

There has really been too much death in my life.

Death in the form of unexpected tragedy, and in the form of natural causes, some of the people were close to my heart and others simply break my heart when I hear of the loss.  

I don't like to think about it and I don’t want to talk about it.

But death is that one reality that will not leave us alone.

We lose friends and family members to death.

And some day we too will die, unless Jesus comes before our passing.

Now that we have that out in the open, what assurance do we have as we face the inescapable?

Obviously, the answer is our God!

He will walk us through, guiding, protecting and comforting us in our journey.

As followers of Christ, this promise is intensified because we know Jesus as our Good Shepherd, and He has taken the walk ahead of us to assure us that our walk through death's valley doesn't end in death, but in glory. 

 Have a blessed day!

Thirst for knowledge

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

- Proverbs 18:15

 

Well, friends, the little question and answer session that I was posting has come to an end.

I get a lot of feedback from my emails and my blog, (which I love) and I have learned much from many.

Some of the questions were hard, and I am thankful for the pastor of my church for his willingness to try to give answers to some of these tough questions. 

No matter how old we are, we should never stop our quest for knowledge.

No matter how small or large your question may be, I encourage you to reach out and ask.

Flashback! “Knowledge is power”

And to know God and His word is most powerful.

 

Have a blessed day!

How is it better to be part of a church?

Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

- Acts 20:32

Questions and answers:

Describe how things can be better for people who are part of a church?

When you are part of a church, you learn to live like Jesus.

To know who Jesus is and what He did, to love Him, and have the right heart.

You learn to care for others.

In a church we always learn, and as a result we grow wise.

Attending church teaches us to be humble, to deal with our pride and any boastfulness and to be prepared to say sorry when we get something wrong.

We must learn to be considerate of others in all we do, watch our tone of voice, our style of language (don't curse, blaspheme, etc.).

And we must always speak kindly of others and try to see things from their perspective.

These things are easier when you are part of a church, because you have accountability.

Have a blessed day!

*Thank you to the lead pastor of Rogers Christian Church for answering questions in Sunday’s service.  I have paraphrased his answers and (of course) added some thoughts of my own. 

How do we balance church with school or other activities?

He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

- Luke 9:59-62

Questions and answers:

How do we balance church with school or other activities?

Balance is maybe the wrong word . . .  we should do everything for the Lord.

Busy schedules tend to tear families apart - I have seen marriages crumble because once the kids leave home, the parents don’t have to shuffle and attend and deal with the kids and they no longer have anything in common.

I have seen kids that feel neglected even though they are always at some function or another event.

What is most important?

If people looked at your life, what would they say is most important to you?

Have a blessed day! 

Why has God not come back yet?

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,  but only the Father.

- Matthew 24:36

Questions and answers:

Why has God not come back yet?

Even Jesus did not know when He would be coming back.

Simply stated, it is not up to us.

Here is what we can do:  live every day for the Lord.

Do everything for the Lord.

Follow His word, meditate on it, live by it.

That way, when Jesus does come back, we will be among those who are welcoming Him.  J  

Have a blessed day!

*Thank you to the lead pastor of Rogers Christian Church for answering questions in Sunday’s service.  I have paraphrased his answers and (of course) added some thoughts of my own. 

What does the Bible say about suicide?

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

– Romans 10:13 

Questions and answers:

What does the Bible say about suicide?

First  - if you are struggling, please reach out.

You are loved by God and you are loved by the people around you.

Simply stated, if you are thinking of taking your own life – don’t.

God has so much in store for you, submit your life to him.

Every life is precious to Him,

Some people think that suicide is the “unforgiveable sin” but it is not.

It is no worse than other evils, in terms of how God sees it, and it does not determine a person's eternal destiny.

However, suicide definitely has a deep and lasting impact on those left behind.

The painful scars left by a suicide do not heal easily.

May God grant His grace to each one who is facing trials today, and may each of us take hope in the promise, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”

Have a blessed day!

*Thank you to the lead pastor of Rogers Christian Church for answering questions in Sunday’s service.  I have paraphrased his answers and (of course) added some thoughts of my own.