No Fear

Philippians 1:28 - Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies.  This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God Himself.

What can man do to us when we stand up and face down the fear tactics of the enemy?  Absolutely nothing.  Like the question of what do you get the person who has everything, what can you do to someone that has nothing to lose and everything to gain?

Although we don't face the persecution that a lot of people do in other parts of the world, I do believe that time will come some day.  When we stand up in the face of fear, it takes away the (perceived) power that fear/hate mongers think they have.  It puts it back in their face, so to speak, and shows them that they just lost.

We already know that Christ wins in the end.  We've read the last chapter.  But when we show them as well by standing up in the face of fear, they will finally see it as well.  Paul said to live is Christ and to die is gain.  Let them kill us, if that's what it takes.  Either way, Christ will be glorified, and then we get to begin our eternity with Him in His Glorious Kingdom.

Dear Lord, thank You for the privilege of knowing You.  Thank You for the strength You give to get me through every situation in life.  I know that by Your power alone, I can and will overcome everything no matter how big or small it may seem.  I pray for those that haven't experienced that power and feeling of comfort yet because they don't know You.  My prayer is that they will open their hearts to You, and see and feel Your majestic splendor in all its glory.  I pray they will read that last chapter and understand that when they open their hearts to Your knocking, they have just won.  In Jesus' name, Amen!

God Bless!!!

Not Worthy

John 13:8 - "No," Peter protested, "You will never ever wash my feet!"  Jesus replied, "Unless I wash you, you won't belong to Me."

Peter believed that he was not worthy to be served by Jesus, and he could not accept what He was trying to do for him.  But Jesus had other plans.

He was trying to demonstrate not only His servant's heart that He desires us all to have, but that no matter what we do, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, His blood washes us clean, and we now belong to Him.  We are made worthy by His righteousness.

How much do I struggle with this sometimes?  I know I did quite a bit before I really understood what Jesus' sacrifice really did for me.  Like Peter I often said, "No!  You will never, ever accept me because of my past and forgive me!"  Jesus just kept telling me, "I already have.  My blood was spilled to wash you clean, now you just have to believe."  It was a tough thing for me to do, and I still struggle with feelings of unworthiness from time to time.  But when I struggle like this, God is so faithful and reminds me through His Word that it's already been forgotten.  What an awesome God we serve.

Dear Lord, thank You for washing me clean.  I know I struggle and doubt sometimes, but You are faithful and forgiving, and full of grace.  I am beyond blessed by Your love for me.  I pray for those that are convinced that they are not worthy to be redeemed by You.  My prayer is that they will come to understand and accept that they have already been forgiven and redeemed, they just need to accept it, and live their lives for You now.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!

Together We Stand

Philippians 1:30 - We are in this struggle together.  You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

We are all in it together.  The trials and triumphs we experience in our daily lives of service to the Lord and His Kingdom are not our own.  We share them with other believers.  We help each other through the hard times, and celebrate with each other the good times.  We rise and fall together all for the sake of living the Gospel and Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

This can be tough for someone like me, who is an introvert.  I don't like to talk about my problems with people.  It's not that I don't want them to know anything about me, it just seems like they're unimportant compared to what other people are going through at times.  But that's just it, they're very important.  God cares so much about each and everyone of us on a deeply personal and intimate level, that our problems, no matter how insignificant they may seem at the time are important to Him, and should be important to others as well.  The more I trust in God for everything, the more I understand that it is okay to share my burdens with others, so that we can stand and face them together.

Dear Lord, thank You for caring.  I hate bringing my problems up, but I know You already know them.  You are willing to heal me and take care of me, but I have to ask.  So today, I ask that You give me peace of mind and a calm spirit.  Replace the yoke of my human burdens with the yoke of Jesus Christ, so that I may serve You and Your Chosen People.  I pray for those that are dealing with the same issues as well.  They are afraid to share with others their problems.  I pray that You will soften their hearts and allow others to stand together with them, and face the problems head on together, and not individually.  Then we can all celebrate the triumphs, Your triumphs, together.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!

Stop Worrying

Mark 4:40 - Then He asked them, "Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?"

When the storm kicked up, Jesus had no fear because He knew His time had not yet come.  Even though His disciples didn't realize it, they would be safe.

In this passage, Jesus said, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake" (verse 35).  He didn't say, "Let's see if we can make it through this storm that's brewing."  Jesus knew and trusted God's will to be done in His time, and so should we.

For someone that has struggled with anxiety and fear of the unknown for a long time, I catch myself allowing it to creep in to my head from time to time.  My faith in Christ has defeated my anxiety and fear, but from time to time, it comes up.  It makes me question my faith.  It makes me wonder if I really believe what I read every day, and what I believe in my heart.  I have to see these incidents for what they are.  They are attacks from the enemy.  Satan is trying to interrupt my time with God, and plant the seed of doubt in my mind.  It's not a coincidence that my anxiety will creep up most often when I'm having my Quite Time with God.  He can't have my heart, because it belongs to Jesus, so he appeals to my mind.  When this happens, I need to remember to pray hard to get him out of my head.

Getting these anxiety and fears out of my head on my own by trying not to think of them, doesn't work.  It causes panic attacks.  But when I pray, it is the power of Christ that calms me.  I have to remember that I accomplish everything with Christ's strength, and nothing on my own power.

Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that I need to stop worrying, and just pray.  I know Your will is going to be done, and I have to trust in Your plans and Your timing, and stop being afraid of what I don't know.  I have nothing to fear with Jesus Christ guiding my path.  I pray for those that fight anxiety.  I pray that they will seek You in prayer instead of trying to get over it on their own power.  I pray that they will remember that anything and everything is possible by the power of Jesus Christ.  In Your Son's name I pray, Amen!



God Bless!!!

Show Him Some Love

Deuteronomy 11:22 - "Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you.  Show love to the Lord your God by walking in His ways and holding tightly to Him."

We can never earn our way into heave, but that doesn't mean we can't show our appreciation and love to God for all He has done for us.  We show Him our love by spending intentional time in His Word and in prayer, and by being obedient to His will for us.

Am I showing God love?  I have been very good about reading and studying His Word every day, and talking to Him in prayer.  But am I also listening when He speaks to me?  Am I listening to His will, and actually following His plan for me, or am I trying to incorporate some of His plans into my ideas for how I should live?  If I want to show God my love for Him, since He has already shown His love for me (Jesus), then I need to be all in, and not try to mix and match His will and my will together.

Dear Abba Father, thank You for reminding me that by not being obedient to Your will completely, I am failing to show my love for You.  I pray that as You give me wisdom and speak to me through Your Word, that I will be completely obedient to Your will and purpose for me, and let go of myself.  I want more of You and less of me.  Father, I also lift up those that struggle with this as well.  My prayer is that as they become more intentional about their study of Your Word and prayer, they will also become more intentional about their obedience and completely surrendered to Your will.  We all need more of You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!

His Reward

Hebrews 6:10 - For God is not unjust.  He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers as you still do.

God's reward for us is eternal life in heaven when we hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  That is the only reward we should be seeking and helping others to seek as well.

Oftentimes, we find ourselves in need of having our ego stroked by others for things we do.  There is nothing wrong with sometimes wanting or receiving that pat on the back, as long as we are doing it for the right reasons (because it allows us to give God the glory), and we understand why we did a good job to begin with.  We accomplish nothing outside of God's will and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Strive for His pat on the back at all times, and He will give us whatever we need to accomplish our tasks.

Am I doing things for the right reasons?  Am I seeking the worlds rewards or God's?  I am just as human as the next person, and it does feel good to get a pat on the back from friends or coworkers, but I have to make sure that I am not seeking them, so that this desire doesn't draw away from my worship of, and giving glory to, God.

Dear Lord, thank You for this reminder, and the promise of eternal life in Your Glorious Kingdom.  I pray that I will seek You and Your will in all I do, and that I give You the glory that You deserve when I accomplish something that You have set out for me to do.  I accomplish nothing apart from You, and I need to remember that at all times.  I pray for those that are torn between the temporal rewards of this world, and the eternal rewards of Heaven.  I pray they will see where they are headed apart from You, and will turn from their ways, and serve You and Your people.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!

His Help

Mathew 28:20 - "Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

When we are being obedient to God's will for us, and responding to His Great Commission, He has promised to give us the help we need to do right.  He has promised to always be with us.

Why do people shy away from sharing the Gospel with people?  Aside from being nervous about speaking to strangers, they are usually worried that they won't say it right.  I know I have often felt like this.  The few times I have had the opportunity to share God's Great News with someone, it has flowed out of me like I had been teaching it for years.  Why is that?  I'm certainly not a very good public speaker, and I'm definitely not the most outgoing people-person either.  It's because God gave me the words to say.

In Luke 12:12, when Jesus is speaking about people being put on trial and how they are going to defend themselves, He promises that the Holy Spirit will give them the words that need to be said.  Do you think He was just talking about being on trial, or do you think this applies to the Great Commission as well?  I would say it certainly does apply to both.  His first desire for us is to share the Gospel and make disciples.  When we are following His desire, He will certainly help us when we ask for it.

Dear Lord, thank You for keeping Your promise of always being there to help when we need it.  I pray that I will be obedient to Your commission, and that I boldly share Your message and Your love with whomever You put in my path.  I know that You will always be there to give me the words to say through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I pray for those that are struggling with the words to say, and that they will remember to ask for Your help and guidance in this.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!