Friday, May 27, 2016
Want to see amazing things?
One of the awesome things about God and His love for us as being our heavenly Father is He wants to meet our needs and show us great things! Think about any good parent, they like to meet the needs of their kids and even show them some neat things to make them smile! Our God is the same way. Remember though our heavenly Father is Holy, and righteous o we have to keep our relationship with Him as pure as possible. If we are living in sin we lose out on blessings! When your kids are misbehaving do you give them surprises? Generally NO!
Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
So call out to our Mighty God! If you are not a follower of Jesus call out to God and He will show you the mightiest thing of all....salvation in our Lord Jesus!
Tom
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Pray for unity.
As the church we must have unity to be who God has called us to be. If the church is divide, very little will be accomplished for the Lord. Do you include unity among God’s people in your prayers?
Ephesians 4:1-3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Now let me remind you of one thing, any time a brother or sister gets out of line with the Word of God we are not to accept that, we are to try and restore them in love. We can not let the truth of God’s Word be twisted or turned into something that is false.
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Oh how the church has hurt itself within by not being united and not restoring those who have went astray. Pray, pray, pray for unity among the church!
Tom
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Come to God humbly in prayer.
It is very important how we come to God in prayer. God loves the humble and hates pride so let us be very careful how we come to Him!
Luke 18:14b For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Galatians 6:3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
How do you come to God when praying? Think about that. Humble, humble, humble! In Christ is how we become great! Nothing of ourselves.
Tom
Monday, May 23, 2016
Genuine Salvation
In the book “The battle plan for Prayer” by the Kendrick brothers they list 7 indicators for genuine salvation. Have you ever wondered if you were truly saved or not? Well these may help you. Remember when you have a genuine relationship with Jesus you are a new creation! Life will be different.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
So here are the indicators you are saved!
1. A lifestyle of obedience to God. We all make mistakes and fall from time to time but the overall picture of your life should be submission and obedience to God and His will.
1 John 2:3-6 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
2. Confessing Jesus Christ is Lord and God’s only Son. No shame here!
1 John 2:22-23 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
3. Repentance! You must confess your sin and repent of them. Which means turning away from them and walking in the other direction to do no more.
Luke 13:3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
1 John 3:9-10 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
4. Genuine love for others. Other Believers to enemies.
1 John 3:14-15 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Obviously, we can only love our enemies by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you do this it is a clear sign you are saved!
5. Being disciplined by God the Father. I have had times in my life where there was no doubt God used a life lesson to get my attention and I knew it! I knew the area in my life that needed correction.
Hebrews 12:7-8 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
6. The Holy Spirit dwelling in you.
1 John 3:24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Some things the Spirit does while living in you...convict of sin,comfort you in troubling times, reveal what God’s Word says while reading it, help you live out fruit see Gal.5:22-23.
7. Faith in Jesus alone for salvation....not self!
1 John 5:12-13 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
It is all about Jesus not us for salvation! I hope this helps you to know without a doubt about your salvation!
Tom
Friday, May 20, 2016
A reminder of my/your walk
It is all about Christ in me/you!! Listen, enjoy, reflect, praise and then live it out!
Jeremy Camp-Christ in me
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Unanswered prayers?
One must remember that God mainly answers prayers of those who are Him. So it is of utmost importance that you are in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Paul also warned us to test ourselves of our faith in Jesus in 2 Corn. 13:5: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
The way you are disqualified is if you are not a follower of Jesus! Being a good person is not enough to get heaven, doing good works will not get you to heaven, only trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ to cover your sins will get you to heaven! That is what God says not me and He sets the requirements. The good works and being a good person comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit after we are saved which is proof we are saved. No one is good on their own.
Psalm 53:3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good,No, not one.
Another very important verse to remember is this one:
John 9:31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.
The only prayer God hears from the unsaved is when they call out for forgiveness in the name of Jesus. This verse is not shared much but needs to be!!!
So this morning, examine yourself, are your prayers being heard? If not come to Jesus and surrender your life to Him for it is the only way for God to hear your prayers!
Tom
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Prayer is not a show!
One thing for us to remember is praying is not a show but talking to God! Jesus thought this was very important for us to know and gave us a warning about it:
Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
He also told us about those who stand on a street corner or in church to be seen:
Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
Be careful not to take this to the other extreme and think well we should not pray in public then because this is not the point. The point is our hearts need to be right with God and our motives need to be in right place as well.
Talking to God is very important and He desires that relationship with us and we should desire it as well. It blows my mind that God wants anything to even do with our sinful selves but He does and He loves us so much.
Time alone with God in prayer is vital to good relationship with God so make sure you are doing this daily and make sure you are doing it for the right reasons not to impress others!
Tom
Monday, May 16, 2016
Is there a correct posture for prayer?
The simple answer to this is to come before God in humility. Knowing who God is and having awe and respect Him. We do see from scripture though several examples of how to come to God in prayer:
David gives us one example here:
Bowing: Psalm 5:7 But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
On our knees: Solomon gives us an example here: 2 Chronicles 6:13 Now Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.
We are also told one day everyone will submit on their knees: Philippians 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Lying prostrate: Revelation 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,
We also see this from Nehemiah: Nehemiah 8:6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
and Jesus Himself: Matthew 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Lifting hands: Paul gives us an example of this here in 1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.
Lifted eyes: This seems a little strange to us because we are used to bowing heads and closing eyes but we see the gazing to the heavens in prayer in the bible.
John 11:41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
Luke 9:16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.
silence and stillness: Just be with God! Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Crying out: Just the opposite of what we just looked at! Sometimes we just let it all out to God. Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.
So just remember there are many ways to pray but the main point is humble reverence and awe of God! You can’t go wrong there!
Tom
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Anytime....pray!
A couple of days ago I wrote my devotion on scheduled prayer time, while this should be something we do we also have times we pray as needed! God is there all the time and wants us to pray and talk to Him constantly.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing,
What are some times we need to pray in the moment?
Needs- Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
blessings- Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
burdens - 1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
emergencies- Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
worries- Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
temptations-1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
These are some examples of when to pray spontaneously. God is always there for us. Call upon Him anytime of anyway for He listens and acts upon the cries of His children. Oh what a mighty Father we have! Praise Him!
Tom
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Go on to the Meal
Some days (Most days honestly) the Lord shows me something through another devotion that is really good. I wanted to share this one with you. God bless!
By John Piper
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8)
To you who say you have never tasted the glory of God, I say, you have tasted many of its appetizers.
Have you ever looked up? Have you ever been hugged? Have you ever sat in front of a warm fire? Have you ever walked in the woods, sat by a lake, lain in a summer hammock? Have you ever drunk your favorite drink on a hot day or eaten anything good?
Every desire is either a devout or a distorted enticement to the glory of heaven.
You say you haven’t tasted God’s glory. I say, you have tasted the appetizers. Go on to the meal.
You have seen the shadows; look at the substance. You have walked in the warm rays of the day; turn and look at the sun itself. You have heard echoes of God’s glory everywhere; tune your heart to the original music.
The best place to get your heart tuned is at the cross of Jesus Christ. “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
If you want the most concentrated display of the glory of God, look at Jesus in the Gospels, and look especially at the cross. This will focus your eyes and tune your heart and waken your taste buds so that you will see and hear and taste the glory of the true God everywhere.
That is what you were made for. I plead with you: Don’t throw your life away. God made you to know his glory. Pursue that with all your heart and above all else.
Monday, May 9, 2016
God is on the move!
When I hear a good song I like to share it with you all! So here is one from 7eventh Time Down called “God is on the move”. The question for us is are we going to join Him or sit on the sideline doing nothing. He has called us to move and share the gospel and help the needy! Let’s GO CHURCH! I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. It will stick in your head which is a good thing!
Tom
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Set times for prayer.
Days go by fast! I am sure that is not breaking news to you. Most of us have some what of a schedule for a day. Wake up, breakfast, shower, brush teeth, make lunch, go to work, ect. We have a set time for various things through out a day. If prayer is important to us then we need to have times each day set aside for communicating with God! Look what David did:
Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.
Daniel also had a routine of prayer set in his schedule:
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
We also find Jesus getting up early for a set time of prayer:
Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
and many other times too:
Luke 5:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Mark 6:46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.
Anything important to us we make time for, Is God important to you? God should be our #1 priority and if He is not we have an idol of some sort taking His place that we need to get rid of fast!
So look at your day, and schedule time with God, He deserves it and you won’t regret one second of time spent with God in prayer!
Tom
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
God answers prayer
God ALWAYS answers prayers. It may not be the way we want or like or expect but He does answer His followers prayers.
Matthew 7:8a For everyone who asks receives
God like a good parent though decides what is best for us and answers our prayers accordingly.
Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
So how does God answer our prayers?
1. Yes and it happens quickly. Sometimes we ask right at the exact moment God wants to bless us and it was in His timing.
2. Yes but not at this moment. At other times we ask and the answer is yes but the timing is not right in God’s eyes. We don't not want anything at anytime that is not exactly right with God, trust me! Read about Joesph’s life in Egypt to see this.
3. Yes, to teach us a lesson. We don’t want this yes! Remember when Israel wanted a King like other nations? God did not want this but let them have their own way. Not good! Be careful what we ask for and make sure according to God’s Word we are asking appropriately! For God will sometimes let our hard heads have what we want to teach us we did not really want that!
4. No, our heart is not right.
James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Proverbs 1:28-29 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,This is God protecting us and trying to help us get right with Him!
5. No because God has something better! Think Martha and Mary here in John 11 when their brother Lazarus had died. They wanted Jesus to come and heal Him to before He died but Jesus had a better plan....to let him die and bring him back to life for God’s glory!
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
These are the answers to prayers. I am still amazed God even listens to us, we are so unworthy but that is how much God loves us!
Tom
*Some of the thoughts shared here were taken from “The battle plan for prayer” by the Kendrick Brothers
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
A.C.T.S Prayer #4
Today we look at the letter “S” in our acronym for prayer. S stands for supplication which simply means asking something from God either for self or for others. This as we talked about on day 1 is what we tend to do most but as you see in the order of things probably needs to be last as we work through our prayer. Now there are times when our need is great and as children of God we will come to Him with a need first and thats ok but in a general day of prayer it is best for it to be last in my opinion.
God tells us in His Word supplication is to be done:
Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
And many times we don’t get needs met because we do not ask:
James 4:2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
Remember God is not a genie in a bottle, He is interested in getting our needs not our wants. He always know best what we need too, so if we don’t get it is for our best!
One of the most important types of supplication is intercession which is going to the Lord on behalf of someone else. Oh Lord Jesus am I thankful for intercession and the amount of times others have went to God on my behalf! What an honor to have people go to God for you! So make sure you take the needs of others to the throne of God.
We have two folks interceding for us all the time! Look here:
Romans 8:34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Romans 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
God is so good to us! Jesus and the Holy Spirit are interceding on our behalf constantly! I am glad I am a follower of Jesus to be on this team!
So there is a guide for your prayer life. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I hope it is beneficial to you!
God bless....Tom
Monday, May 2, 2016
A.C.T.S Prayer #3
To day we look at the “T’ in our acronym for prayer which stands for Thanksgiving. Ye we are to be thankful everyday not just one day a year on which we celebrate the holiday Thanksgiving.
When we give thanks we direct it to God, and thank him for His many blessings He bestows upon us. We praise God for what He has done, is doing, and what He will do.
God desires our heartfelt praises:
Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
We have so much to be thankful for so take the opportunity to give thanks in everything!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In your prayers are you thanking God for all?
Tom
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