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Prayer Partners

25 Jul

Prayer Partners

2 Corinthians 4:7-10    But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Oh how I wish this ministry was a journal sometimes; how I could pour out the details of my struggles here; but it is not to draw attention to me, it is to point you to God. In all of these trials I face, I only seek to show you that I am no different from you; I only seek to show you where my strength to endure them is found. Currently the enemy is in full assault; I am in physical pain, and being hammered with fear and doubt. I am struggling with prayer, and leaning on those close to me as intercessors for me to God. It is times like these that it is critical who you surround yourself with. Can you truly count on them to pray for you? Can they truly count on you to pray for them? When you struggle with words, you must possess and confide in friends that will lift you up to God; there is great power in those prayers.

I must borrow the commentary from my favorite study Bible on this scripture. “Hard pressed is translated ‘afflicted’ in 1:6. In the Greek text, and identical expression occurs in 7:5, where it is rendered ‘troubled on every side’. But in 7:5 Paul adds, ‘Outside were afflictions, inside were fears.’ Perplexed is derived from two Greek words: the word for no plus the word for way. Thus perplexed means ‘to be at a loss’. As believers, we will face trials. But we must remember that God controls trials and uses them to strengthen His people. God’s glory is manifested through broken vessels, through people who endure troubles by relying on His power.” If we were simply passing through life trouble free, where would we ever come to know God? It is in these times of trouble that we come to realize our need for Him.

It always bothers me when I struggle with prayer. Sometimes I just can’t seem to speak; the thoughts in my head get jumbled before they make it to my mouth. I stumble through repetitions that have no heart in them; they come from old habit. I am not an eloquent prayer person with all the “thou art” that seek to impress. I simply talk to God, and love talking to Him. I give Him the highest respect and reverent awe and fear that He deserves. I must know that in the times such as these trials, I have intercessors both as friends, and the Spirit living inside of me. He is with me, uttering the words when I cannot. Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Relying on faith and understand of God’s Sovereignty, and the knowledge of heavenly and earthy prayer partners is what brings us through the tough times in life.

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Threefold Cord of Obedience

24 Jul

Threefold Cord of Obedience

Romans 5:1-5    Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Do you understand that living your life as a Christian, in it’s simplest form, is living a life of obedience? Living a life in honor to the One who gave you eternal life? Obeying the things He places on your heart? It is not following a set of rules and regulations; obeying a lawbook becomes legalism, and legalism moves to a point that you feel you obtain salvation on your ability to follow the laws on your own merit. A truly transformed heart is one that is led to obey out of the love that it has for the One who came to live there. There is an eternal difference is the heart that obeys out of duty, rather than the heart that obeys out of love. A heart of duty becomes a hard heart that stiffens at those calls of obedience; it has the “okay, if I must” attitude towards the call. The loving heart is humbled and in awe of the tugs the Spirit leads them to; it is honored to express it’s love in obedience to those calls.

A week ago I responded to one of those such calls. I knew I must obey, but I did not move in that duty of obedience, I moved in the awe of it. God lays these big things before us, all to draw us closer to Him thru our obedience. Satan creeps in the thoughts and shadows of it, and begins his work. These are the tribulations that Paul speaks of; Satan means them for evil, God means them for good. I am in the midst of these tribulations; I expected these tribulations, and I prayed and knew that God could be glorified through them. James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Over and over again you will hear testimony of how God did his greatest work in a believers life when they faced their greatest trials of life. These trials may not be the life changers, but the seemingly endless barrage of enemy fire that comes daily. In all of them, look to God for strength in them.

A friend of mine told me the other day of how the devil was riding his back. In the next sentence he said of how Satan must still not realize that Christ has risen. He is risen indeed; Satan and sin were eternally defeated at the cross; Paul speaks above of how you stand justified before a holy God that will declare eternal judgement one day. But as a child of His, you can rest in the faith, hope, and peace as Paul speaks of. The trials of life are the cords that twist you tighter to Him. That hope cannot be taken away by the world once you grasp the certainty of it. Those tugs of obedience, the loving heart that responds, the twists of the tribulations, all tighten and strengthen your cord of life found in Him.

 
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Posted by on July 24, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Not vanity

21 Jul

Not vanity

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11   The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? 4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. 7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. 8 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

My work is very physically demanding; the hotter it gets the more I work. Friday a long day in the heat caught up to me; I suffered from dehydration all day Saturday. The results are extreme headaches and body fatigue, yet I also had to work again Saturday through it; the benefits of being self employed. Some days it really tugs on the mind, and this morning I thought of the book of Ecclesiastes after getting some more rest. This book of Solomon points to the vanity of life in so many ways; to those that pursue all the things in life, yet never think of the eternal life after this temporal one. At some point in your life you must realize the life after this; where you place your faith will determine your destiny.

The commentaries on the word vanity in Ecclesiastes are intriguing. There is much struggle to interpret the word correctly; many times it is referred to a vapor, which in a simple understanding is fleeting, or temporary. The word vanity is used 38 times in Ecclesiastes, and it is used in different nuances to describe what is being pursued. The book is a book of pursuit by the man who pursued knowledge; he found it as a gift from God, and came to realize it’s burden and loss. Ecclesiastes 1:16 I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

The American Dream is the pursuit of “stuff”. The dream of the Christian should be their life after with Christ, and their evangelical pursuit of this life for others to know of Him. The entire Bible points to Christ, and our need for Him. The more time you spend there, the more you come to understand the vanity of this life. The more you understand what Solomon tires to describe, the more you will invest your energies in the eternal. You come to understand the the highs and lows of life are vanity, the demands of life are vanity, the only thing that is not fleeting is the eternal promise of the Hope that lies within you. A hearts desire to spread that Good News is the heart of a disciple, and that is what He called us to be.

 
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Posted by on July 21, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Fiery darts

19 Jul

Fiery darts

2 Timothy 4:5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (ESV)

The past couple days have been a whirlwind. God laid before me a huge act of obedience, a step of faith, a test for me. I have learned obedience from my best friend, whom now I call my adopted big brother. God places these tests of faith before us, to see where our heart lies with Him. He knows how we will respond, but it really is for our benefit, growth, and understanding of how He works in our lives. Each step requires that act of obedience, that is where the faith lies. Going out into the unknown is where Jesus is. Going out where we can’t accomplish it on our own. Satan leaps at these opportunities to draw us down the paths of sin, and provides all the distractions imaginable to turn us away from God. Yesterday brought attacks at multiple elevated levels that I was not prepared for. As the day wore on, the attacks grew. Stress has entered into the arena, the battle is on.

I thought of seemingly some of Paul’s last words to Timothy here. Paul knows he is about to die for his faith at the hands of the Roman government. His letter to Timothy is to present to Timothy what he must endure; to encourage him for his ministry, and the focus of his life as a minister of the faith. Paul pours his heart out in 2 Timothy 4:1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (ESV)

The war of good and evil is fought on a plain we cannot see. It is fought in the heavenly places; it is fought in our minds; and it is many times presented in situations that come before us. The circumstances that God allows; they either draw us closer to him, or take our eyes off him. You must come to the point in all of them, that you see God in all of them. The strains of life that Satan means for evil, God’s Sovereignty can mean for good. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. These acts of obedience, when you say yes to God, know that He knows what Satan already has in store for you. When the attacks come, draw closer to Him in His Word and prayer for the strength to endure, guide, and focus on Him. He brought you to it with the power to take you through it. In all of it, He is glorified.

 
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Posted by on July 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Early Hope

18 Jul

Early Hope

Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

The day has not yet dawned,
I arise early to seek You;
I move from slumber to your presence
You are here to meet me too.

The expectant heart tugs
Seeking my Lord every day;
In prayer and His Word
To find strength and the way.

The world teaches self
No time for Him only me;
He teaches selflessness
As disciples lives should be.

Where is your focus
What are your first thoughts?
The tasks for the day
Or the One whom you were bought?

You say you want change
From Him you want more;
A heart daily seeking Him
Finds what is in store.

Daily prayer and his Word
Should be priorities in your day;
To prepare and align your heart
Through them He shows the way.

Alone you will fail
Together you will succeed;
The Book of Life, God’s spoken words
Will meet your daily need.

My life forever changed
When I opened His book
Starting my every day in there
Eternal hope is what I took.

 
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Posted by on July 18, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Where does your heart lie?

17 Jul

Where does your heart lie?

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

God is stirring my soul……I know not yet what his plans are for me, but yet I feel him at work in me. My yearning is to bring you along side me, to walk together in this journey of faith. Our world is running headlong away form God and I want you to turn with me and run to God. I am so tired of what I see around me; I am so tired of my own daily failures in so many areas. I prayed to God this morning for the closeness I have felt at times with Him; those days usually in Fasts that I know I am walking in the Spirit, abiding in Him. A time when my spiritual awareness is heightened, when my focus is on God, and him alone. Oh, how this world and the ruler of it succeed in their abilities to take our eyes off God. There are countless ways that seemingly take our eyes off Him, many ways may be seemingly good, yet move the focus towards ourselves and not our Savior.

I seemingly seem to be having trouble focusing; the elevated stresses and strains of life are plaguing my memory. My hearts desire is to draw closer to my Savior; to walk in his Spirit abiding in Him each day. To be in the center of His Will for my life, and to use my life to draw glory to Him. To be a better father, husband, and leader of my family. To point them to the One who can offer them what I cannot. To point others to what I have found in my soul from the daily time in His Word. To show others that the only change they will ever find in their lives is found in Christ, and found in seeking Him every single day. More than a one time prayer, but a heart that is after God. A heart that lives as in Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first, the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. All those things that you say that you want from God, what are you doing to find the answers to them? Are you spending daily time with Him in prayer and His Word? Are you living for the world 6.5 days a week and expecting all from Him for a small time on Sunday?

What does the word abide mean to you? Abide is a state of being; being in Christ. His Spirit comes to live in you as a result of your repentant heart and Salvation. When He comes to dwell there, do you spend your time repressing the things that He is showing you? Do you deny those sins that He is revealing to you? Do you let Him do his work inside you, and change you from the inside out as only He can? Testimonies to the power of Christ are born in lives transformed. Rescued and delivered from sin; eternally forgiven, and eternally rewarded for those that truly seek Him. We are called to live our lives as disciples; to deny ourselves and live an obedient heart for His Will for our lives for each day. An abiding heart is an obedient heart; and each day brings a test of obedience; of where your heart lies.

 
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Posted by on July 17, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Way out there

16 Jul

Way out there

Colossians 3:1-2     If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

I sat here in pre-5am silence; the road closure and the early hour brought a rare stillness this morning. It has already passed; God blessed me with that quiet time with him today; awakening me earlier than usual. So much is on my heart, so many avenues my mind travels down even in the early mornings. I could fill up much more than this page of the things going on in my life; no different from yours, just my own list. This time of year the work load is my biggest battle; it commands my attention and creeps in even in my early mornings with God. It is not the only thing that tries to steal my focus, but it certainly steals my joy in these moments of prayer and scripture study. It is only one of the many distractions that Satan uses to take our minds off the things above; all of them are distractions from him, all of them are meant to get us to take our eyes off Christ and to the stresses or worries of what is seemingly troubling us.

Paul repeatedly points to the centrality of Christ in his letter to the Colossians. There were doctrinal errors and false teachings that were creeping into the church. There were many that were being led astray by these false teachers. Paul then gets to the practical application side of things in Colossians 3; he tells us of how we are to live as Christians. He speaks of the “old man” before Christ, and the “new man” in Christ. He speaks of how we are to not live our lives as before, but to pursue holiness with a life focused on the eternal, and not the temporal. Satan always tugs your mind to the temporal; the problem at hand in an effort to steal your joy in your hope for eternity. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

It is so simple what Paul is truly saying; “You are a new man in Christ, act like one.” God has laid such a burden on my heart these last couple of weeks towards sacrificial living; the true life of a disciple.Satan has planted all the distractions to take my eyes off it. The battle rages, but the war is won. Paul is pointing to the life that is lived in that pursuit of holiness, is a life that leaves behind the pursuit of sin and the pleasures found in it and of this world. Do you live for the temporary or the eternal? The eternal focus demands a true heart’s desire for Christ and the things of God. Satan can easily take your eyes off the eternal if your not spending daily time seeking God in his Word and prayer. Make today a day that you live for tomorrow……..eternally.

 
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Posted by on July 16, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Now available

15 Jul

Now available

Colossians 1:9-12   For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

I attended two church services yesterday and heard two great sermons. The first questioned why we are not impacted by the Bible as we should be. The second questioned why we don’t live our lives sacrificially like we should be. They easily could have been rolled into one; for a person that is moved by the time they spend in God’s Word will be a person that their life changes to an attitude of service to the One who they come to know more of there. You simply cannot spend time daily in God’s Word and not become a changed person; I live my life now by the grace and mercy of God as a testament to the power of His Word. You say you want more; you want to know more of Him and yet you only seek Him once a week. How much return do you expect for your effort? Are you not getting what you should expect to receive?

Paul was hearing of those in Colosse that were growing in their faith. Paul was a great intercessor and began to diligently pray for them to be encouraged and strengthened by God. They did not have the Bible available to them as we do now. Do you grasp how lucky you are with God’s Word most likely sitting around your house right now? Do you know there are many places in the world that that Book could cost you your life? Paul prayed for them to be strengthened, for he knew they were fighting against the world in their pursuit of Christ. We are seeing our country turning it’s back on God and the moral standards He proclaims. We need to be spending our lives with the tools He has given us to stand against the world ourselves. To stand up for our faith against the tide of sin in the name of equality that is sweeping our nation. Will our nation turn it’s back on God to the point that those of us who claim Him will not stand for Him?

Pursue God; pursue Him daily in His Word and let him open your heart to a greater understanding of him. Let Him show you how to live your life as a living sacrifice indebted to the One whom gave you eternal life. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. A heart that is truly after God will find him in his Word. It will produce a changed life and a life that will be eternally rewarded. It will produce a heart that comes to know and understand more of God and the things of God. All this is produced by God and through the power of his Word. It all starts with a heart and desire for Him that opens the pages of that Holy Book now available to you.

 
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Posted by on July 15, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Transformed

12 Jul

Transformed

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I have been spending some time in Romans, yesterday coming to this chapter that defines the Christian life and how to live it. Paul presents the summary of how we are to live our lives in just two short sentences; sacrificial love focused only on the One who provides eternal life. Yesterday seemed to bring an internal challenge of a life focused on the present, the problems of the day. Anxiety crept in late in the day, but a late night sermon and focus fought away that demon and rest was gained. This morning the problems of the day loom early, the demon of anxiety tries to awake; the demon tugs to focus on the things of this world and to steal my joy from the day. My mind races at 100mph in these early hours; a war between my ears of good and evil. I have come to expect and accept these battles at times like these; it lets me know I am in the center of God’s Will for me and my life in His Word and this keyboard. All my struggles can be used for good; God can take that which Satan means to draw my eyes away from Him, and draw me closer to Him. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Anything that I openly endure, can all be used to show you God’s mercy, grace, love, and provision for whatever I face. These bouts of anxiety and sometimes depression can all be used to point you to God; to show you how He gives me what I need in all of it. Suffering is only for a minute, and paradise is eternal.

All that I humbly do before you is to attest to the power of a changed life by seeking God every day in His Word and prayer. I lived the life in pursuit of all the lusts of the world for many years. I pursued anything and everything and idolized many things. I lived my life for the moment and the pleasures found in it. God was always a future plan I thought I had, on my timetable. My world changed with a great church and the realization of my sin. The sanctification process began in me, and my life truly changed when I began to read God’s Word every day. I lived my life in pursuit of Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. With that daily pursuit of Him first; arising early, and in prayer and His Word will change you. He will begin to reveal Himself to you like never before. All that you seek will be answered by the One who has all the answers. The renewing of your mind is found in  The Word. The key to a life that is not conformed to the world, is found in the Word. A genuine, humble heart that seeks God will find Him there, and come to understand more of Him there, and come to live their lives in pursuit of more of Him there

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Posted by on July 12, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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A passage that stands out

11 Jul

A passage that stands out

 Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

There are times in the Bible that you wish were more than even the words of Christ that may be highlighted in red. The scriptures that stand alone; key passages that give you key points of how to live your life as a Christian; Romans 12 is one of those passages. You must “get it” to learn to live how God desires you to live. I love how The Message translation describes this passage:
Romans 12:1 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Anytime that you see a “therefore” in a passage, you must read the prior scriptures to understand it’s meaning. Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.  Amen. Paul summed it up in 11:36, but my ESV commentary points out that the Therefore is really pointing to all of Paul’s argument thus presented in Romans. Christ speaks to John in the Book of Revelation with that same summary that Paul speaks of in 11:36. Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” You must come to a point in your life that you truly begin to grasp how great God is; how great is his mercy for not giving you what you deserve; how great is his grace in giving you what you do not. How great he is as the Sovereign Ruler of the universe; the Creator and the Sustainer. Only in this understanding will come a life that desires to life as a Romans 12 Christian. You must grasp Paul’s argument in the book of Romans prior, to move to that level of sacrifice He desires that Paul speaks of in Romans 12.

The New Living Translation puts it like this: Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. I have given you three different translations for this scripture, but I cannot speak to your heart. Prayerfully seek God in this scripture on your own; ask him to set you back in reverent awe of him, to produce in you that life that He desires you to live found in this passage.

 
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Posted by on July 11, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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