And pray

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin. He heard us. But when He had blotted out our sins like a cloud, then we had more prayers for ourselves.

We have had to pray for sanctifying grace, for constraining and restraining grace; we have been led to crave for a fresh assurance of faith, for the comfortable application of the promise, for deliverance in the hour of temptation, for help in the time of duty, and for succour in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God for our souls, as constant beggars asking for everything.

Bear witness, children of God, you have never been able to get anything for your souls elsewhere. All the bread your soul has eaten has come down from heaven, and all the water of which it has drank has flowed from the living rock-Christ Jesus the Lord. Your soul has never grown rich in itself; it has always been a pensioner upon the daily bounty of God; and hence your prayers have ascended to heaven for a range of spiritual mercies all but infinite. Your wants were innumerable, and therefore the supplies have been infinitely great, and your prayers have been as varied as the mercies have been countless.

Then have you not cause to say, 'I love the Lord, because He hath heard the voice of my supplication'? For as your prayers have been many, so also have been God's answers to them. He has heard you in the day of trouble, has strengthened you, and helped you, even when you dishonoured Him by trembling and doubting at the mercy-seat.

Remember this, and let it fill your heart with gratitude to God, who has thus graciously heard your poor weak prayers. 'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.'

Spurgeon

My Soul Waits

My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him. Psalm 62:5 (NASB)

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"My soul waits. Another will is greater, wiser and more intelligent than my own. So I wait. Waiting means there is another whom I trust and from whom I receive. My will, important and essential as it is, finds a will that is more important, more essential ... .

I begin to pray by attempting to manipulate the will of God. I end by putting myself in a position to be moved by his will. Waiting in prayer is a disciplined refusal to act before God acts."

Where Your Treasure Is


"My Soul Waits", God's Message for Every Day by Eugene H. Peterson.

Balance and Fellowship

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Is your life out of balance? Are you spending more from your spiritual, emotional and physical account than you're putting in?

Another source of strength comes from fellowship with other believers and loving relationships with friends and family.

Acts 2:42 --They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

One of the great things about being a marketplace Christian is that it forces us daily into interaction with non-believers. But living and working with those who do not share our faith and our love of Jesus is without question a large drain on our inner resources. We need times of fellowship to give us strength; we need church every week; we need small support groups of Bible study and prayer.

I want to strongly encourage you to be involved in a small support group. You need a few people that you regularly interact with, where you can be open and honest, where you are accountable, and where you are totally accepted. People you can call in the middle of the night, if necessary, for prayer support. If you have one or two people like that in your life, it will pour enormous strength into you, spiritually, emotionally and mentally.

If you don't, cultivate such a support group. Start it yourself. I'm sure you can find one or two others who feel like you do and need your support, as you do theirs. It will strengthen you immensely.

We also need those personal relationships from which we gain strength. Some of you are married to people who truly strengthen you. Marriage was intended by God to be a source of strength.

We need close relationships with friends and family. You don't have to have a lot, but you need one or two. Do you have that person who really cares about the details of your life, to whom you can "spill your gut," where you can let your hair down, and be understood and accepted even when you don't have it all together? If not, I encourage you to pray for that relationship. And to be that kind of support to someone else.

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Shout Praise

So, God's people, shout praise to GOD,

Give thanks to our Holy God!

Psalm 97: 12 (The Message)

The Shield of Faith

In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Ephesians 6:16 (New Living Translation)


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From David Jeremiah's study on Spiritual Warfare.


"Here are two things you must do if you are to appropriate your faith and quench the fiery darts of the devil.

Get Straight About the Object of Your Faith.
The infallible person of Christ will always be worthy of your faith.

Get Serious About the Strengthening of Your Faith.
To build a strong body, you eat right and exercise regularly. You build a strong faith the same way: You consume the Word of God, and you exercise (obey the Word) regularly. Much of the Christian church knows more than it puts into practice. Take what you know of the Bible, and put it to the test in ministry and serving others."

Turning Point Radio

The Real Test of Love

Daily devotions for 02-14-2006:

Title: The Real Test of Love
Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Devotion: Elisabeth Elliot
Book: A Lamp For My Feet
Do you enjoy this devotional? Send it on to a friend!

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Title: The Real Test of Love

It is not difficult to imagine, in certain moods
and settings, that we love people. We may feel
expansive and good-natured for a variety of
reasons--our own good health or digestion, for
example, or beautiful weather, comfortable
circumstances, nice folks doing nice things for
us. The Bible is a sword that cuts through mere
sentiment. It tells us that the accurate test of
our love for God's children is obedience to God.
"By this we know that we love the children of
God, when we love God and obey His commandments"
(1 Jn 5:2 RSV). It is an objective test, not a
subjective one. Love as the Bible defines it is
perceptible through action rather than through
mere feeling. It is not, as Eric Alexander of
Scotland put it, a "glandular condition."

Much of the talk nowadays about loving one
another is soupy and silly. It will not stand the
biblical test. Love for people goes hand-in-hand
with love for God--if you don't love the brother
you see, how can you love the God you don't see?
Loving God requires submission to his
discipline--He rebukes, chastens, refines with
fire, purifies by trial. Do we love Him enough to
say yes to all that? Do we love others enough to
encourage endurance in them?

Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded Love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.
(Charles Wesley)

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Devotions.org - http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/authors_attic/elliot.htm

Balance and Deposits

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

In order to stay in balance, we must first make certain we make the right deposits. Think about what we must do to ensure that our account is continually replenished.

We know from scripture that our strength comes first of all from God's Word.

Psalm 119:28--My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

The Word of God is our resource to get us through times of weariness and sorrow. The Psalmist said it would strengthen us.

John 15:7--If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

This is an incredible blank check, given to us by our Lord Jesus. And few of us ever draw on it. By allowing the Words of Jesus to abide in us, we are given this blank check of resources. Maybe the real problem is we don't want to, don't know how, or for some reason just don't allow God's words to abide in us.

What does it mean to remain in Jesus and allow His words to remain in us? Well, it means time spent reading, meditating and studying God's Word. Significant time. Do you do that regularly? As a child of God, your life will always be out of balance until you have a steady diet of the Bible in your life.

Our strength also comes from the joy of the Lord within us.

Nehemiah 8:10--Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Proverbs 17:22--A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Joy implies contentment, peace, fulfillment. It's important to remind ourselves that joy is not synonymous with happiness. Joy is that deeper, abiding sense of completeness which is present even when circumstances are not happy or enjoyable.

David prayed, "Restore to me the joy of my salvation." When we've sinned and are out of fellowship with the Lord, we lose our joy and that really drains our account. So, we need to pour that joy in by keeping a clean slate with the Lord. Also, if you think about the wrong things, your joy will be robbed. Negative thoughts, critical thoughts, judgmental thoughts, complaining thoughts–these will all rob you of joy, and joy is an essential for a balanced life.

The Christian Working Woman Transcript

His Presence

"God never promised you a Disneyland. He offers something better -- His own sustaining presence through any trouble you may encounter."
Come Before Winter, pp. 181-182.

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Hebrews 13:5 KJV

Yesterday's Sermon

Some notes and scripture from yesterday's sermon.

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Matthew 3:16 - 4:11 (NIV)

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' "

Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

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Two lessons from a study:
1. Always have in mind what was at stake.
2. Had to believe the administrator of the test.


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"Sin is meeting legitimate needs with illegitimate methods."
Aaron in yesterday's sermon.

Freedom

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. Galatians 5:1 (The Message)

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"Among the apostles, the one absolutely stunning success was Judas, and the one thoroughly groveling failure was Peter. Judas was a success in the ways that most impress us; he was successful both financially and politically. ... And Peter was a failure in ways that we most dread: he was impotent in a crisis and socially inept. ...

Time, of course, has reversed our judgements on the two men. Judas is now a byword for betrayal, and Peter is one of the most honored names in church and world. ... Yet the world continues to chase after the success of Judas, financial wealth and political power, and to defend itself against the failure of Peter, impotent and ineptness. But anyone who has learned the first thing about freedom prefers to fail with Peter than to succeed with Judas."

Traveling Light

"Freedom", God's Message for Everyday by Eugene H. Peterson (Countryman Press).

But as for me and my household

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

Is Your Life Out of Balance?

Monday, February 13, 2006

Have you ever tried to take more out of your bank account than you put in? Well, if so, you know the meaning of the term "overdrawn." You know, lots of us are living emotionally, physically and spiritually in the overdrawn mode. We're out of balance in our lives, because we don't deposit enough in our emotional, spiritual and physical accounts to cover the checks we draw on them. When that happens, we live overdrawn, out-of-balance lives, fighting fatigue, discouragement, and depression.

This type of out-of-balance living is often because we don't deposit the right things in our accounts, and at other times it's because we spend our energy very foolishly. I would suggest that we need to know what it is that feeds energy and strength to us and make certain we're pouring into our lives the right resources and the right amount. Then we have to determine what uses our resources and drains our strength, so that we can balance the two.

This calls for an accounting procedure, and that's something we need to do regularly. You have to do some personal balancing and accounting with your checking account to keep it in good order. Well, the same is true of your emotional, spiritual and physical accounts.

Right now stop and ask yourself: Am I spending more from my spiritual, emotional and physical account than I put in? Frankly, I've really had to face this problem lately, and that's why I decided to talk about it this week. It's a continual challenge for me to learn that I cannot be all things to all people and I must take time to replenish the accounts if I expect to be able to keep spending.

Now that doesn't mean that I'm never tired, never feel stressed or rushed or stretched, but it does mean that if I'm living in that out-of-balance mode all the time, something's wrong. My priorities are confused, or my discipline has broken down, or my calendar is too full, or I don't know how to stop–or some combination of all of the above.

I'm going to try to give you some help in this process of bringing your emotional, physical and spiritual accounts into balance. And I do this mostly because I need to re-learn this. Wouldn't it be nice if we only had to learn our lessons once! But I find that often I'm have to go through re-training, to remember what God has taught me previously. This certainly is one of those areas where I frequently and easily get sidetracked, and my accounts get out of balance.

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Not About Me

"WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?" LUKE 18:18 (NIV)

The rich young ruler was educated and respected. He had already achieved the three Ps of success: power, prosperity and posterity. He was a bottom-line guy who cut to the chase and asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Even the way he worded the question suggests that he thought he could get eternal life the way he had gotten everything else in life - by self-effort. So when Jesus replied, "sell all that you possess he became very sad; for he was extremely rich" (Luke 18:22-23 NAS). He had mistakenly assumed that heaven was just a payment away. But he was wrong.

Paul says, "What the law was powerless to do God did by sending His own Son." (Romans 8:3 NIV). Only a cold-hearted God would sell salvation to those who can afford it! That's a hard concept to grasp, since we have always been rewarded for our performance. But just as we wouldn't impress the space-shuttle crew with a paper airplane we had made, or we wouldn't impress a great artist with our crayon sketches, so our character and good works don't impress God. Eternal life costs more than anyone can afford. That's why we need a Redeemer!

Money wasn't this man's problem, self-sufficiency was. His problem wasn't his big income, it was his big ego. It is not just the wealthy who have difficulty grasping this truth; so do the educated, the strong, the good-looking, the popular, even the religious.

To receive salvation we must first declare that we are spiritually bankrupt; that our cupboard is bare, our reputation worthless, and our options gone. We can not approach God demanding justice - we can only come pleading for mercy.

Come to Jesus today - He has a gift that is not for sell at any price waiting for you!

(c)2005 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship

Prayer

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7: 14 (New Living Translation)

A Change of Circumstances or Self: Facing Our Responsibility

Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. Philippians 4:11-13 (The Message)

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"We frequently tell ourselves, If only my circumstances were different, then things would be a whole lot better. And so we begin the merry-go-round of wishful thinking: If only I had a different job ... If only my child had turned out differently ... If only I had married someone else ... If only I had stayed on at school.

It hardly needs to said that this approach to our circumstances is less than productive. It blinds us to what is good in our present situation, and it constantly shifts the responsibility regarding what is happening to us "over there."

A far more productive approach is that we own our circumstances as being the result of our own choices and begin to entertain the question: What is God seeking to do in my life through my present circumstances? Nouwen records the advice he received from a fellow priest: "The issue is not where you are, but how you live wherever you are."

Frequently the most relevant issue for us is not a change of circumstances, but a change of self. A change of self does not occur through avoidance behavior. It takes place when we face our excuses and rationalizations and assume responsibility for what we are making of our lives."


"A Change of Circumstances or Self: Facing Our Responsibility", Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma (Pinon).

Creativity is Messy

Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within.
Proverbs 20:5 (The Message)

"Creativity is not neat. It is not orderly. When we are being creative we don't know what is going to happen next. When we are being creative a great deal of what we do is wrong ... .

An artist makes attempt after attempt at the canvas trying for the right perspective and missing badly, almost getting the right shade but not making it. ... Lovers quarrel, hurt and get hurt, misunderstand and are misunderstood in their painstaking work of creating a marriage ... .

In any creative enterprise there are risks, mistakes, ... but out of this mess -- when we stay with it long enough, enter it deeply enough -- there slowly emerges love or beauty or peace."

Under the Unpredictable Plant


"Creativity is Messy", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene H. Peterson (Countryman Press).

Better and Better

"Do you want more and more of God's kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better and better. For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us! And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised... But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do." — 2 Peter 1:2-5, TLB

If you're like me, you're looking for ways to love God more. Not just to obey him, (although that's what proves we love him), but to love God with a passion. With spirited affection. Intense desire. I'm talking about longing to know God better and better with fire in your eyes and a furnace in your heart. The passage for today explains exactly how.

If you want to increase your desire for God, then get to know him in a deeper way. And there is no better way to know him than through his Word. Get into God's Word, and you will get a heart for Jesus. Get passionate about Scripture, and your passion for him will increase. Feelings follow faith…and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Take a look back over the past week. How much time did you spend in the Word? What does that say about the direction your relationship with Him is going? Mark down specific times in your calendar to be in the Word this upcoming week. Be realistic but stretch yourself a bit. After all, you want to know God better, don’t you?

* * * * * * *

Lord God, help me to remember how amazing it is that You have revealed Yourself through the Word. Teach me to treasure Scripture more and to love You more through it.

Joni's Daily Devotional

Blessed Be the Lord

He said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hands, ...
2 Chronicles 6:4 (New American Standard Bible)

"spoke with His mouth ... fulfilled it with His hand"
God can do what He says He can do.

Shamelessly Adore Him

Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, "Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn't quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn't it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal." Luke 7: 44-47 (The Message)

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"When we see Jesus as he is, we must turn away or shamelessly adore him."
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, p. 19.

A Broad Place

I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
Psalm 118:5 (New King James Version)


"Salvation means to be whole again, to be delivered in the midst of peril. Far back toward the Hebrew root of the word, it may even suggest that no matter how closely the evil hedges you about, God will yet clear for you all the space you need to move around in: "I called on the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a broad place.""
Five Smooth Stones


"A Broad Place", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene H. Peterson (Countryman).