GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY JUNE 14, 2014
PROVERB:
So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.
Proverbs 2:20.
PROMISE:
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.
Psalm 146:8b; Psalm 145:20
PRAISE:
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His truth.
Psalm 96: 11-13.
June 15, 2014
Good Deeds: June 13, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014.
GOOD DEEDS
DEFINITION:
A good thing done; a good act completed; good works.
SCRIPTURE:
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned. Titus 2:7
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Titus was a Greek and most likely was led to Christ by Paul. Titus was taught and nurtured in the truth of the gospel by Paul. Titus accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He worked with Paul in Crete and when Paul had to leave he left Titus there to oversee the church and to disciple the people in the church.
The degenerate culture in Crete and the crude conduct of the people had a bad influence on the new believers. The false teachers were undermining the church with false doctrine.
Paul knew that he left Titus with a tough assignment. Paul was always concerned about his churches and about the young pastors like Titus. He continued to support them with advice and admonition. The book of Titus was his letter of exhortation to Titus.
Paul was teaching the young men (verse 6) to show integrity in their leadership role as teachers in the church. Paul was exhorting Titus that he had a special obligation to exemplify the moral and spiritual qualities of a true believer by being a model of good works.
The words good deeds appear five times in the book of Titus. Paul was teaching Titus that he must be above criticism in how he taught the sound doctrine that he had learned from Paul. These words are a warning to him. If he preaches sound doctrine it is meaningless if it is not backed by good deeds. This is a warning for us as well.
Paul gives Titus a description in 1:16 of those who are “unfit for doing anything good.” They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. In Chapter two Paul tells Titus to set an example by always doing good. Paul then several times exhorted Titus to communicate to the believers their responsibility to do good deeds, as Christ did and as the Word of God commands us to do.
As members of a civilized society we keep trying, in our own power, to change the way people are and the way we behave. Society tries to effect change in people. We set tougher laws and boundaries but people are people and human nature is the same. We have removed God from our society and when God is left out Satan rushes in. Someone once said that you can bring a pig into your house but it will not change the pig but it will certainly change your house.
And that is the problem. You cannot within your power change the behavior of your spouse, your children, your friend or anyone at all. You have to change the heart and this can only be done by God. If you want someone to act a certain way you must lead by example by the way you live. Our good deeds to others give our words greater impact. People judge the integrity of our words by our deeds. We can’t change people but by our example, we can be a witness of God’s love and saving grace. It is by the power of God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit that In God’s perfect timing a heart will be changed.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Help me to realize the way my good deeds can be used by You to change the heart of someone whose life I touch today. Help me to be faithful in living a Godly life so that my good deeds will be a testimony of my faith to others.
GOOD DEEDS
DEFINITION:
A good thing done; a good act completed; good works.
SCRIPTURE:
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned. Titus 2:7
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Titus was a Greek and most likely was led to Christ by Paul. Titus was taught and nurtured in the truth of the gospel by Paul. Titus accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He worked with Paul in Crete and when Paul had to leave he left Titus there to oversee the church and to disciple the people in the church.
The degenerate culture in Crete and the crude conduct of the people had a bad influence on the new believers. The false teachers were undermining the church with false doctrine.
Paul knew that he left Titus with a tough assignment. Paul was always concerned about his churches and about the young pastors like Titus. He continued to support them with advice and admonition. The book of Titus was his letter of exhortation to Titus.
Paul was teaching the young men (verse 6) to show integrity in their leadership role as teachers in the church. Paul was exhorting Titus that he had a special obligation to exemplify the moral and spiritual qualities of a true believer by being a model of good works.
The words good deeds appear five times in the book of Titus. Paul was teaching Titus that he must be above criticism in how he taught the sound doctrine that he had learned from Paul. These words are a warning to him. If he preaches sound doctrine it is meaningless if it is not backed by good deeds. This is a warning for us as well.
Paul gives Titus a description in 1:16 of those who are “unfit for doing anything good.” They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. In Chapter two Paul tells Titus to set an example by always doing good. Paul then several times exhorted Titus to communicate to the believers their responsibility to do good deeds, as Christ did and as the Word of God commands us to do.
As members of a civilized society we keep trying, in our own power, to change the way people are and the way we behave. Society tries to effect change in people. We set tougher laws and boundaries but people are people and human nature is the same. We have removed God from our society and when God is left out Satan rushes in. Someone once said that you can bring a pig into your house but it will not change the pig but it will certainly change your house.
And that is the problem. You cannot within your power change the behavior of your spouse, your children, your friend or anyone at all. You have to change the heart and this can only be done by God. If you want someone to act a certain way you must lead by example by the way you live. Our good deeds to others give our words greater impact. People judge the integrity of our words by our deeds. We can’t change people but by our example, we can be a witness of God’s love and saving grace. It is by the power of God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit that In God’s perfect timing a heart will be changed.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Help me to realize the way my good deeds can be used by You to change the heart of someone whose life I touch today. Help me to be faithful in living a Godly life so that my good deeds will be a testimony of my faith to others.
Allergy: June 12, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JUNE 12, 2014.
ALLERGY
DEFINITION:
An overreaction of the immune system to a previously encountered harmless substance resulting in skin rash, swelling, sneezing or wheezing; having an allergy to something.
SCRIPTURE:
Abstain from every form of evil. I Thessalonians 5:22.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
You may ask or think that this is a strange word for a devotional. When we hear the word allergy we think of the symptoms of sneezing, coughing, itching, rashes and swelling that are results from contact with things that our immune system cannot handle. The best defense against these allergies is to avoid contact with those things our immune system cannot cope with.
We have several children and grand-children that have somewhat chronic cases of allergies. We can see how they are detrimental to their health. Some take medication and others even use breathers to help conquer the discomfort they face with these physical allergies. For some the allergies come from food, some from plants and for others it is just something in the air. It is not easy to avoid things that cause allergies, particularly things that we cannot see.
We also face spiritual allergies in life and we need to be able to recognize them and stay away from them to protect our relationship with the Lord.
As believers we constantly face dangers in our lives that some may call spiritual allergies. In the scripture above Paul is telling us to avoid every form of evil. What is evil? Anything that is ungodly and unbiblical is evil. Satan does everything in his power to bring us in contact with evil. He uses his power of temptation to attract us to evil. He makes sin appear attractive and he uses his power of deceit to convince us that evil is all right. He also uses false teachers to keep us from knowing what is evil.
Yes, we live in a sinful world that is under Satan’s influence. Satan knows our weaknesses and will tempt us where we are most vulnerable. He makes sin look attractive and gets us to believe sin is all right because everyone is doing it.
Our children often saw their peers doing things that we taught our children were not good things to do. We repeatedly stressed that just because “everyone was doing it” doesn’t make it the right thing to do.
When you go to the doctor to find out how to cope with a physical allergy, the doctor will test for the cause and then tell you to stay away from the things that are bad for you and the cause of your allergy. This is also the Apostle Paul’s advice to us about evil. Stay away from what is bad. In I Thessalonians 5:21, Paul says, “test everything and hold onto the good.”
Paul is telling us to analyze all of our activities. What we find to be good we should embrace whole heartily. What we find as evil, bad, or unbiblical we should stay away from at all times. If we adhere to this advice it will lead us to make good choices in each day’s activities and choices that honor God.
When we take part of something that is evil it comes between us and God and our spiritual sensitivity to what is right is weakened. Unless we avoid the evil it will soon become a chronic sin and like an allergy we will have to it fight daily. As believers we need to avoid tempting situations that lead us to do things that are evil in God’s sight.
Psalm 34:14 tells us to “Turn from evil and do good.” When we sin and do evil it is because we choose to do so. It is a conscious choice and God wants us to choose to turn from evil and choose to do good.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Lord, give me godly incite to discern what is evil and what is good. Give me the strength to resist the temptations that Satan uses to draw me to evil. Keep me diligent in testing everything so that I avoid evil and hold on to the good. Make my life shine as a positive role model that will help others stand strong when tempted by Satan to yield to evil.
ALLERGY
DEFINITION:
An overreaction of the immune system to a previously encountered harmless substance resulting in skin rash, swelling, sneezing or wheezing; having an allergy to something.
SCRIPTURE:
Abstain from every form of evil. I Thessalonians 5:22.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
You may ask or think that this is a strange word for a devotional. When we hear the word allergy we think of the symptoms of sneezing, coughing, itching, rashes and swelling that are results from contact with things that our immune system cannot handle. The best defense against these allergies is to avoid contact with those things our immune system cannot cope with.
We have several children and grand-children that have somewhat chronic cases of allergies. We can see how they are detrimental to their health. Some take medication and others even use breathers to help conquer the discomfort they face with these physical allergies. For some the allergies come from food, some from plants and for others it is just something in the air. It is not easy to avoid things that cause allergies, particularly things that we cannot see.
We also face spiritual allergies in life and we need to be able to recognize them and stay away from them to protect our relationship with the Lord.
As believers we constantly face dangers in our lives that some may call spiritual allergies. In the scripture above Paul is telling us to avoid every form of evil. What is evil? Anything that is ungodly and unbiblical is evil. Satan does everything in his power to bring us in contact with evil. He uses his power of temptation to attract us to evil. He makes sin appear attractive and he uses his power of deceit to convince us that evil is all right. He also uses false teachers to keep us from knowing what is evil.
Yes, we live in a sinful world that is under Satan’s influence. Satan knows our weaknesses and will tempt us where we are most vulnerable. He makes sin look attractive and gets us to believe sin is all right because everyone is doing it.
Our children often saw their peers doing things that we taught our children were not good things to do. We repeatedly stressed that just because “everyone was doing it” doesn’t make it the right thing to do.
When you go to the doctor to find out how to cope with a physical allergy, the doctor will test for the cause and then tell you to stay away from the things that are bad for you and the cause of your allergy. This is also the Apostle Paul’s advice to us about evil. Stay away from what is bad. In I Thessalonians 5:21, Paul says, “test everything and hold onto the good.”
Paul is telling us to analyze all of our activities. What we find to be good we should embrace whole heartily. What we find as evil, bad, or unbiblical we should stay away from at all times. If we adhere to this advice it will lead us to make good choices in each day’s activities and choices that honor God.
When we take part of something that is evil it comes between us and God and our spiritual sensitivity to what is right is weakened. Unless we avoid the evil it will soon become a chronic sin and like an allergy we will have to it fight daily. As believers we need to avoid tempting situations that lead us to do things that are evil in God’s sight.
Psalm 34:14 tells us to “Turn from evil and do good.” When we sin and do evil it is because we choose to do so. It is a conscious choice and God wants us to choose to turn from evil and choose to do good.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Lord, give me godly incite to discern what is evil and what is good. Give me the strength to resist the temptations that Satan uses to draw me to evil. Keep me diligent in testing everything so that I avoid evil and hold on to the good. Make my life shine as a positive role model that will help others stand strong when tempted by Satan to yield to evil.
Wait: June 11, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JUNE 11, 2014.
WAIT
DEFINITION:
To remain inactive until something expected happens; in readiness; to patiently anticipate.
SCRIPTURE:
Boast about His Holy name. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and the strength He gives. Psalms 105:3-4
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Jerome, one of the early Christians said, “Ignorance of the Bible means ignorance of Christ.” Job once said, “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found and I did eat them; and thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.”
To read the Bible one needs a quiet time. We remember Billy Graham responding to a question, “How do you maintain your spiritual high?” “What do you do on a daily basis?” The answer was very simple when he said, “I have a quiet time with God every day.”
Without a quiet time when one sets some time aside in the morning, at noon or night to read and study the Bible and pray one cannot maintain a spiritual high and one’s life would be like a wilderness.
In this age of instant messaging we have come to expect instant answers and gratification. Waiting for God’s answers and for His timing is not easy. We can miss God’s blessings unless we go through the trial of waiting.
David wrote in Psalms 40:1-3 that he received four blessings because he waited patiently for the Lord. These blessings were:
1. I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. (He lifted David out of his despair.)
2. He set my feet on a rock. (The Lord was his rock and redeemer. Psalm 19:14)
3. He gave me a firm place to stand. (He gave David sure footing in his walk with the Lord)
4. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to God. (He turned David’s sorrow to joy)
Isaiah said in Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
As the prophet suggests, gain the strength of an eagle and set a time each day when you can spend a few minutes alone with God. And then just wait for Him to lead you and do wonders in your life.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, teach me to wait upon You, that I may know Your strength. Help me to be patient and wait for You to respond to me so that what I do might be done according to Your will, not mine.
WAIT
DEFINITION:
To remain inactive until something expected happens; in readiness; to patiently anticipate.
SCRIPTURE:
Boast about His Holy name. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and the strength He gives. Psalms 105:3-4
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Jerome, one of the early Christians said, “Ignorance of the Bible means ignorance of Christ.” Job once said, “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found and I did eat them; and thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.”
To read the Bible one needs a quiet time. We remember Billy Graham responding to a question, “How do you maintain your spiritual high?” “What do you do on a daily basis?” The answer was very simple when he said, “I have a quiet time with God every day.”
Without a quiet time when one sets some time aside in the morning, at noon or night to read and study the Bible and pray one cannot maintain a spiritual high and one’s life would be like a wilderness.
In this age of instant messaging we have come to expect instant answers and gratification. Waiting for God’s answers and for His timing is not easy. We can miss God’s blessings unless we go through the trial of waiting.
David wrote in Psalms 40:1-3 that he received four blessings because he waited patiently for the Lord. These blessings were:
1. I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. (He lifted David out of his despair.)
2. He set my feet on a rock. (The Lord was his rock and redeemer. Psalm 19:14)
3. He gave me a firm place to stand. (He gave David sure footing in his walk with the Lord)
4. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to God. (He turned David’s sorrow to joy)
Isaiah said in Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
As the prophet suggests, gain the strength of an eagle and set a time each day when you can spend a few minutes alone with God. And then just wait for Him to lead you and do wonders in your life.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, teach me to wait upon You, that I may know Your strength. Help me to be patient and wait for You to respond to me so that what I do might be done according to Your will, not mine.
Eyes: June 10, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY JUNE 10, 2014.
EYES
DEFINITION:
The organ of sight; the power of seeing; represents one’s understanding, judgment or opinion.
SCRIPTURE:
To open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. Acts 26:18.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We read in the scriptures in Mark 10:46-52 about the blind man, Bartimaeus, who threw off his cloak and ran trembling to Jesus. He was begging by the roadside when Jesus and His disciples, followed by a large crowd, came by.
When Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus he shouted out, “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me!” Jesus told His disciples “Call him.” When the disciples told Bartimaeus that Jesus called him to come to Him, he immediately threw off his cloak and jumped to his feet to answer the call of Jesus.
Jesus saw him running toward Him and said to Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you.” We know that Jesus knew what the blind man wanted but He wanted the blind man to show his faith and ask. He said to Jesus, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
In that moment as he said, “Lord” his spiritual eyes were opened. And Jesus said to the blind man, “Your faith has made you whole.” The blind man asked and then believed and immediately he received his sight.
We need to notice that Jesus did not say, not your intellectual understanding, not your money, not your good works, but your faith has made you whole. That is all it takes. Bartimaeus, who had been blind all his life, began to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the face of Jesus. What an experience to open one’s eyes and look straight into the strong, tender face of Jesus.
Bartimaeus had only heard about Jesus but he recognized by what he had heard that Jesus was his Messiah and he showed this when he called Jesus, the “Son of David.” Many not only heard about Jesus but saw Him with their physical eyes while He was on earth, but many of those who saw Him failed to recognize Him as their Messiah.
When Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus he asked first for mercy. When he met Jesus, he asked to see and by faith believed. God answered his prayer and opened not only his physical eyes but his spiritual eyes and the record says that he “followed Jesus in the way.” When you meet Jesus you then go back to your business, or your home, or your neighborhood, or your friends, or your family, or your school. You do not go alone. Christ goes with you if you follow in His way.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for healing me from my spiritual blindness. Help me to return to my daily activities ready to represent You according to Your will.
EYES
DEFINITION:
The organ of sight; the power of seeing; represents one’s understanding, judgment or opinion.
SCRIPTURE:
To open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. Acts 26:18.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We read in the scriptures in Mark 10:46-52 about the blind man, Bartimaeus, who threw off his cloak and ran trembling to Jesus. He was begging by the roadside when Jesus and His disciples, followed by a large crowd, came by.
When Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus he shouted out, “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me!” Jesus told His disciples “Call him.” When the disciples told Bartimaeus that Jesus called him to come to Him, he immediately threw off his cloak and jumped to his feet to answer the call of Jesus.
Jesus saw him running toward Him and said to Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you.” We know that Jesus knew what the blind man wanted but He wanted the blind man to show his faith and ask. He said to Jesus, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
In that moment as he said, “Lord” his spiritual eyes were opened. And Jesus said to the blind man, “Your faith has made you whole.” The blind man asked and then believed and immediately he received his sight.
We need to notice that Jesus did not say, not your intellectual understanding, not your money, not your good works, but your faith has made you whole. That is all it takes. Bartimaeus, who had been blind all his life, began to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the face of Jesus. What an experience to open one’s eyes and look straight into the strong, tender face of Jesus.
Bartimaeus had only heard about Jesus but he recognized by what he had heard that Jesus was his Messiah and he showed this when he called Jesus, the “Son of David.” Many not only heard about Jesus but saw Him with their physical eyes while He was on earth, but many of those who saw Him failed to recognize Him as their Messiah.
When Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus he asked first for mercy. When he met Jesus, he asked to see and by faith believed. God answered his prayer and opened not only his physical eyes but his spiritual eyes and the record says that he “followed Jesus in the way.” When you meet Jesus you then go back to your business, or your home, or your neighborhood, or your friends, or your family, or your school. You do not go alone. Christ goes with you if you follow in His way.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for healing me from my spiritual blindness. Help me to return to my daily activities ready to represent You according to Your will.
Pray: June 9, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JUNE 9, 2014.
PRAY
DEFINITION:
To offer a devout petition, praise, thanks, to God. To communicate with a supreme being.
SCRIPTURE:
For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Everyone desires to have someone in their life who understands them and identifies with their circumstances and with whom they can share their thoughts and concerns. Jesus is that someone, and because of His death and resurrection we have the privilege of communicating with Him through prayer. Through prayer we can have an intimate connection to God and come directly to His throne of grace.
Prayer is not about petitioning God to bend His will to conform to our desires. It is us seeking God’s will and submitting to it.
The dictionary defines prayer as not only devout petition but praise and thanks. So often our prayers are motivated by our selfish motives and desires. How often do most of us pray just to thank God for His blessings to us and to praise Him for who He is and for His righteousness and goodness.
Many believers struggle with prayer because they do not feel that God hears them because they do not seem to get answers. There are several principles that one who knows Christ must understand about prayer and the response that God gives.
First, your heart must be right with God. You cannot be living a worldly life sinning against God and when trouble comes your way you stop and pray and expect God to answer. Secondly, you must be reading and studying God’s Word daily. When you know the content of the Bible God will speak to you by the words you read and the Holy Spirit will lead you to your answer through your understanding of what is right and wrong. In other words you must be communicating to God and then listening for His response.
God is never farther than a prayer away and prayer should never be far from our lips. There are so many times and reasons we should pray and yet we do not. We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We need to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient.
Sinners need to pray to a merciful God for forgiveness. Christians need to pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a willful, evil, unrepentant world. Parents need to pray that God may crown their home with grace and mercy. Children need to pray for the salvation of their parents. Christians need to pray that the dew of heaven may fall on earth’s dry, thirsty ground, and that righteousness may cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. God will answer. He will not turn a deaf ear.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Let me pour everything I have and know out to You, O Lord, so You can use me as an instrument to further Your gospel. Give me listening ears to hear Your answers to my prayers. Thank You for the knowledge that You hear me and will answer me.
PRAY
DEFINITION:
To offer a devout petition, praise, thanks, to God. To communicate with a supreme being.
SCRIPTURE:
For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Everyone desires to have someone in their life who understands them and identifies with their circumstances and with whom they can share their thoughts and concerns. Jesus is that someone, and because of His death and resurrection we have the privilege of communicating with Him through prayer. Through prayer we can have an intimate connection to God and come directly to His throne of grace.
Prayer is not about petitioning God to bend His will to conform to our desires. It is us seeking God’s will and submitting to it.
The dictionary defines prayer as not only devout petition but praise and thanks. So often our prayers are motivated by our selfish motives and desires. How often do most of us pray just to thank God for His blessings to us and to praise Him for who He is and for His righteousness and goodness.
Many believers struggle with prayer because they do not feel that God hears them because they do not seem to get answers. There are several principles that one who knows Christ must understand about prayer and the response that God gives.
First, your heart must be right with God. You cannot be living a worldly life sinning against God and when trouble comes your way you stop and pray and expect God to answer. Secondly, you must be reading and studying God’s Word daily. When you know the content of the Bible God will speak to you by the words you read and the Holy Spirit will lead you to your answer through your understanding of what is right and wrong. In other words you must be communicating to God and then listening for His response.
God is never farther than a prayer away and prayer should never be far from our lips. There are so many times and reasons we should pray and yet we do not. We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We need to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient.
Sinners need to pray to a merciful God for forgiveness. Christians need to pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a willful, evil, unrepentant world. Parents need to pray that God may crown their home with grace and mercy. Children need to pray for the salvation of their parents. Christians need to pray that the dew of heaven may fall on earth’s dry, thirsty ground, and that righteousness may cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. God will answer. He will not turn a deaf ear.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in Romans 3:23.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PRAYER:
Let me pour everything I have and know out to You, O Lord, so You can use me as an instrument to further Your gospel. Give me listening ears to hear Your answers to my prayers. Thank You for the knowledge that You hear me and will answer me.
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