prayer

When The Enemy Pursues You

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While we live our faith journey on earth we will always need to be aware of the three things working against us…the flesh, the world and Satan.  We need to hold onto the Word and to prayer to nourish our faith and keep us strong.  David wrote many prayers in the Book of Psalms…this is one of my favorites…

“O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.  Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.  So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.  I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.  I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails.  Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.  Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.  Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.  Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.  In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.”

Psalm 143

Every Step We Take

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There are times in our lives where we may begin to feel lost or distant from God.  These occasions are the perfect time to turn towards faith by prayer and by reading the Word of God.  In fact, even during good times it is appropriate to look to your faith and praise God for all that he has blessed you with in life.  Transforming your thoughts to be more about your relationship with God and how he is working in your life can start in small ways.  It can be a gratitude journal, morning and/or evening devotions, writing or reading books, maybe listening to christian radio.  Whatever fits who you are and what you like to do…if you are not sure how to transform your thinking then ask God in prayer…invite him to help guide you…after all he made you and he knows what will be your way.  The important thing to remember is that everyday in life is a gift and every thing we do…every step we take in life…either leads us closer to or farther away from our relationship with the Lord.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

                                                           Psalm 119:105

Peace to you.

Just Pray

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Sometimes every day feels the same as the one before….we fulfill our “responsibilities” of each day and before we know it the day is over and we need to get to bed so we can get up and start all over….

We fill our lives full of routines and distractions

The alarm goes off

Where are my keys

The car needs gas

Traffic is not moving

I’m so tired

My deadline for a project is tomorrow

Where should we eat lunch

My computer just locked up

What’s for dinner

Stop at the grocery store

I haven’t seen that person for a long time

What time is it

I don’t have any clean clothes for tomorrow

I’m so tired

Did you hear that story on the news

Did we win the game

I am going to bed…. 

Then it starts over again…and different things get added to the list and some fall off depending on the day…no wonder we feel tired, worn out and exhausted.  The thing is we really do have free will to choose to live life differently.  It is up to us to decide that we are really going to pursue the life that God has intended for us.  The hard part is that means we have to let go of some things and start spending time with God every day…not just on Sunday for an hour.

If you feel like there is something more or you feel like there is something missing in your life or if you are realizing you haven’t even stopped long enough to think about it…now is the time.

STOP everything that is routine and distracting and pray to God for wisdom, guidance and courage to pursue the things he has planned for you…just pray, once a day, every day or all day long about everything and anything.

God loves you, he is with you and he would like nothing more than to hear from you.  To show you just how much he wants to be with you he sent his one and only Son into to the world to be sacrificed for you, so that you could turn to him anytime…don’t fill your time with everything except God.  Start each day with God and everything else will be ok.

Peace.

An Attitude of Gratitude

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Today is considered the day of giving Thanks.  Everyone has some sort of tradition for this holiday.  Whether it is the place you gather with family and friends, the food you eat or things you do on this day…or all of the above.  Some people will just have “another” day they will go to work…no matter how this day or your weekend is planned try to start a new tradition or continue with this if you already do it…give thanks to God…

Too often we spend hours focusing time and energy on what we don’t have or can’t do and don’t like…make a commitment today…be thankful to God for all he has done for you and your family or friends every day.  Have an attitude of gratitude today and continue it tomorrow and the next day and the next day…too make it easier think of 2-3 things you are thankful for every morning, write it down to help you remember, maybe even pray a prayer of thankfulness and praise.  God loves you and to show you his love he sent his Son into this world…he forgives you for all the sins you have done and he wants an opportunity to show you a new way to live…you just have to choose to believe in him…a great way to start is to look around you in your world where you are and find those things you are thankful for and tell him.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

                                                                                                                Colossians 3:17

Peace to you and Happy Thanksgiving.

“Come, Follow Me”

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It is written, Jesus said “Come, Follow Me”…and Levi got up and followed him.  Just like that…nothing further is written about this encounter specifically.  The message that can come out of such a simple interaction is strong.  Another interaction written in the bible…A rich young man ran up to Jesus and asked “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus instructed him to “sell all of your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  There it is again…

It is simply three words; come, follow me.  As they say, that is easier said than done!  Everything around us in the world is telling us to do this and get here and do that…very few times do we get the opportunity to sit and think about what it would mean to follow him.  Here is what I have learned…the bible has all the instructions.  It is clear about how God wants us to choose to live.  Both of the above interactions are written about in the Gospel of Mark.  The Levi encounter is in Mark 2 and the rich young man encounter is in Mark 10.  Then in Mark 12 there is writing about The Greatest Commandment…

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no greater commandment than these.”

                                                                                                                Mark 12:30-31

Thus we have the instructions…Love God and Love your neighbor.  Do not do things just to serve you.  Pray daily to grow in your relationship with God.  Be humble and try to live with an attitude of gratitude.  Next week is the Thanksgiving holiday…start thinking now how you can show the important people in your life how much you appreciate them, maybe give food or clothing or whatever you can to the needy…whatever that looks like is up to you and God.

If you are not sure where to start sit down for a quiet moment and ask him…he is waiting to hear from you.  Then watch carefully for his guidance.

Peace to you and yours.

Spiritual Growth

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Often times people put little value on the things that they can do to help another, yet others believe it is the simplest gesture that can make the biggest difference in their day.  This is something I was reminded of earlier this year while on a mission trip with senior high youth…

Do whatever you can

For whoever can

Whenever you can

Wherever you are

Because whatever you can do it will be something that someone else needs and never forget your actions DO make a difference in this world. 

“Be very careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

                                                                                                                                Ephesians 5:15-17

Even those who lived during the time of Jesus’s life on earth had doubts about Faith in life…one of his disciples was walking on water towards Jesus and once the wind kicked up he doubted he could really do it so he began to sink and Jesus was standing right there.  We all will have moments of doubt and that is Ok, just don’t quit trying.

Even the easiest thing like holding a door open for someone can contribute to the spiritual growth of you and the other person.  But do not do things expecting the “proper” reaction from another…we must remember we can’t control what another person thinks, says or does.  Our spiritual growth will come from doing what God is asking us to do, not from what the world thinks we should do or how the world reacts to the things we do.

In short, we are blessed to be a blessing…we all have been given something to share…don’t immediately think about money.  There are far greater things in life than financial riches…ask God to help you find what you can share with others and…

Do whatever you can

For whoever can

Whenever you can

Wherever you are…

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Self-Control

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It does not surprise me that this is the last thing listed in the Galatians 5:22-23 writing about the Fruit of the Spirit…why?  Because as with all aspects of faith it all comes back to us…our attitude, our perspective and most of all our choices.  We are blessed with free will, free to choose how we will act in this world.

Free to choose Love or hate

Free to choose Joy or sadness

Free to choose Peace or fighting

Free to choose Patience or hurriedness

Free to choose Kindness or be mean

Free to choose Goodness or cruelty

Free to choose Faithfulness or distraction

Free to choose Gentleness or be unbalanced

Free to choose to use the Fruits of the Spirit using Self-Control

Our guide for all of this is Jesus.  God sent him so that reconciliation with God is always available.  He loves us and wants us to choose to love him.  Self-Control is not easy, I know from experience and I struggle with it as much as anyone.

Getting better at Self-Control is a choice in itself…it is choosing to live a healthy life style.  Start by doing devotions in the morning and/or at night every day.  Make those 5-10 minutes a priority and be quiet and calm with the Word every day.  Given time it will help…then look at how you are physically caring for yourself…be sure you are eating regularly, getting rest and sleep and take a walk for exercise.  When you feel things are out of control stop and pray.  All of this is possible for anyone; it does not take a large financial investment just commitment.  I know how the world we live in will try to distract and dissuade you from continuing…don’t quit.  Even when you fall down and feel like you are failing, God is still right there saying “I understand, my own Son experienced frustration and temptation in the world.  You are forgiven.”

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

                                                                                                                Galatians 5:22-26

I pray we all we seek to live using the Fruits of the Spirit in all we do every day.

Take a look at the picture above one more time…choose to see what is on the other side through that opening…

May God’s Peace be with you

Life by the Spirit…Gentleness

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Having Gentleness in life is all about finding a balance.  Most of the world is about being tough, determined and pushing your way through this or that.  You must be strong to achieve…while all of these traits have value and can definitely be beneficial there are also times in life when tenderness and Gentleness are needed and very helpful.  They are typically more difficult times and these traits are not as common for some people.  The goal should be to have a balance of all of these traits…most of us are stronger in one type of trait or another and we feel more comfortable expressing and using that dominant trait, however, this does not mean we are incapable of learning and growing into the ability to possess a less dominant trait.

Learning and growing are hard and we need help often to recognize when to be Gentle and when to be tough.  The amazing part of a relationship with Jesus is that he can help us with whatever we need…if we let him!

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”.

                                                                                                                                Ephesians 4:1-2

This message is much different than the one we receive from our world.  In order to find the balance we strive for we need to have the messages in the Bible to offset the powerful messages we receive in everyday life.

Don’t go it alone today…seek out a relationship with Jesus…you can start by finding a quiet moment in your day and let him know you want to accept him into your heart today and pray for strength to speak to him again tomorrow and when you don’t know what to say to him…let him know you are listening for him to speak to you.

Tomorrow I will discuss the last of the Fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23…Self-Control.

Peace.

Life by the Spirit…Faithfulness

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So what does this look like or how can we practice Faithfulness?  If you were to look up the definition one of the choices to define it would be “complete trust” and another would be “loyalty”.  For me Faithfulness has two elements.  First is stating or committing to the fact that you Faithfully follow or believe in something.  The second element of Faithfulness is the actions that you perform that show your Faithfulness.

I think there is a popular phrase to describe this…”that is easier said, than done”.  It is always easier to say I am a Faithful to this or that than to do things that show your Faithfulness.  Because of this many of us are very particular in stating what we are Faithful too.  Look at relationships in life… Who would you say is Faithful to you?  Who would you say you are Faithful to? 

Faithfulness is critical in having a close relationship with others.  It means they can depend on you no matter what the circumstances.  You are available to spend time with them, you can be trusted and you are consistent in your interactions and when you have a close relationship with another person they give you the same Faithfulness.  This type of close relationship opens us up and makes us vulnerable, so if we are ever betrayed by someone it makes it even more difficult to be Faithful again.  There is only one relationship that you can rely on to be consistently Faithful and never let you down…that is your relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can trust him, you can believe he will do what is best for you and he will never ever leave you.  The key is learning to be Faithful to him.  Start with prayer…pray Faithfully…be consistent.  Do it everyday, give him thanks, praise him, ask him for help and sit quietly and listen.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality”.

                                                                                                                                Romans 12:12-13

Start and end each day Faithfully talking to God and practice turning to him first for challenges and problems or thanking him first for joyful moments.

Tomorrow we will discuss Gentleness.

Peace.