Category Archives: Prayer

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November 17, 2013

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God's Grace & Love, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Thanks & Praise

We Have All We Need

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. [2 Peter 1:2 (NLT)]

We’ve all met spoiled children (and adults) who expect the world to cater to their every desire. Let’s admit it, those people aren’t very likeable! God doesn’t want spoiled children so He doesn’t give us everything we want either. He does, however, give us everything we need to live the life He wants for us. Are we missing any of the blessings He has sent our way? Are there assets He’s given that we haven’t even bothered to use? Could we be wasting any gifts he has given?

Open my eyes, O Lord, to see your gifts. Open my heart, O Lord, to accept them. Fill me with your Spirit, O Lord, to use them as you want them to be used.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)]

 

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November 14, 2013

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Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

Listen to Him

Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” [Mark 9:7 (NLT)]

O Lord, we’ve talked about this decision and I still don’t know what to do. Help me; speak to me; show me the way. If not a burning bush, how about lighting a neon sign or sending a banner in the sky to guide me? Perhaps, however, I have been too busy pleading my case to hear your response.

Thank you for the reminder that I need to stop talking and start listening. You will tell me which path to take; I just need to be quiet in order to hear your voice.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. [John 10:27 (NLT)]

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November 11, 2013

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Church & Worship, Prayer

The Whole World is His House of Worship

2013-11-14O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place. [2 Chronicles 6:40 (NLT)

These were the words spoken by Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Let us, however, never make the mistake of thinking that church is the only place where we can pray or that God will hear our prayers. His eyes are always upon us and He is always attentive to our prayers, no matter where we may happen to be.

He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. [Acts 17:24-25 (NLT)]

 

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November 8, 2013

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God's Promises, Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

Who Ya Gonna Call?

The Lord declares, “How horrible it will be for those rebellious children. They carry out plans, but not mine. They make alliances against my will. They pile sin on top of sin. … These people are rebellious and deceitful children, children who refuse to listen to the Lord’s teachings. They say to the seers, ‘Don’t see the future.’ They say to those who have visions, ‘Don’t have visions that tell us what is right. Tell us what we want to hear. See illusions. Get out of our way! Stop blocking our path! Get the Holy One of Israel out of our sight.’” [Isaiah 30:1, 9-11 (GW)]

God is our personal help line and yet we often refuse to use it. It’s usually not because we’ve forgotten about Him. More often, it’s because we really don’t want to hear what He has to say or do what He might tell us to do. As a result, we search for advice from everyone else, hoping to hear the answer we want. Like the rebellious children of Judah, we often prefer lies and illusions to the truth. When we seek God, we may not always like His advice, but we can be sure that it will be faultless and true. God’s way is rarely the easy way, but we can trust that it will be the right way!

This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me. But you don’t want that. [Isaiah 30:15 (GW)]

 

 

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November 4, 2013

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Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Miracles, Prayer

Prayer Can Move more Than Mountains

Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God! I can guarantee this truth: This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him. That’s why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for, and it will be yours.” [Mark 11:22-24 (GW)]

We need faith to pray, but as we pray we gain faith. True faith, however, includes faith in God’s will, not ours. God can do the impossible but he isn’t going to perform miracles to prove his existence to us. Am I disappointed because I haven’t moved a mountain by prayer? No, because there is no need for me to move any mountains. But, when I have prayed in faith, God has moved people, changed lives, and healed troubled souls. He has, indeed, performed miracles in response to prayers offered in faith.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” [Mark 10:27 (NLT)]

 

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November 1, 2013

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Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Prayer

Ask and Receive

So I tell you to ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the person who knocks, the door will be opened. [Luke 11:9-10 (GW)]

Everyone who asks will receive, but they may not always receive what they asked for. When I look back, I find that God’s denials of my requests have resulted in far better gifts than I ever could have imagined. They have led me to new and better places. His refusals have, indeed, opened doors, just not the ones I expected!

Grantor of all good things, give me a thankful heart when my prayers aren’t answered the way I’d hoped. Keep me mindful that you have promised to always provide and that you know far better than I what needs to be done and how it can be accomplished.