Lord! Help me not to sit with scornful people!

 “If you love someone, you will … always believe in him.”  1 Corinthians 13: 7

David a young shepherded boy came to see his brothers who were in battle against the Philistines.  David believed in God and I felt so sure that God would help him stand up against Goliath.

Now David’s brother Eliab was upset that this youngster came along, being full of himself he must have thought.  Telling everybody that he (David) was going to get this Philistine, and Eliab confronted David saying “Why have you come down?  And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?  I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.’

Eliab’s name actually means “God is my Father” so in actual fact I believe Eliab has great authority over the Philistine, he just didn’t believe that it was the case.  David on the other had felt he was circumcised and because of the covenant with God, David knew that God would be on David’s side.

This whole episode reminds us of knowing who we are in Christ, we should make it our business to find out what it means to be a true Christian.  We should study God’s Word.  We could sit around like Eliab and know that we are Christians but not act on it because we struggle with cynicisms, believing that most people are generally selfish and dishonest.   The problem with cynics is that once one person’s chimes off the rest will follow suit.

Turning a positive situation quickly into a negative which ends badly, now be careful you don’t become the cynic.

Prayer

Abba Father, Lord we pray that You will strengthen us as we face a new day, guiding us and teaching us.  Most of all Lord God, take our lives and renew our minds to become true Christians.  Help us not to sit in the seats with scornful people but to be courageous as David and to stand on Your Word, the Bible.  We pray in Jesus Name, Amen.

"Thorn in my side"

As I sit here today I am thinking about a famous person someone you also know, perhaps even better than I do.  The Apostle Paul, and as I think about this man who done so many wonderful things and wonders in the name of the Lord Jesus I am reminded of something he had to deal with on a daily basis.  “The thorn in his side”, we do not know what the so called “thorn” was, but we do know it kept Paul on his knees.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+12%3A+9&version=TLB

Each person’s life is different and we do not know the journey we need to take in getting to our destination.  My journey right now is really not that easy, I seem to embark on the most difficult of tasks and so many times very humbling too. 

My “thorn” right now is really a part time job I have taken to supplement my income.  I have seen and it is really funny how God has been working miracles for me each day.  The one thing I am sure of is that God keeps His eye on me.  Some days I find that this job really tests my patience and other days I stand amazed at how things move around to accommodate me.

If you pray for patience, be sure God is going to take you on a trip you will never forget and you will learn patience.  If you pray for humility, hmmmm be sure God is going to teach you to become humble.

My weakest link right now is my humility and patience and I am learning to deal with these to issue and as time goes I find I am able to work through each one of these lessons.

I was praying the other morning asking the Lord what it was that He wanted me to do?  The answer was Psalm 150, Praise the Lord God.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+150&version=TLB

Well in facing all the difficulty, humbling situations I find myself in and the constant waiting on people that disregard me.  I want to say thank You Lord, I will praise You for I believe that You will open the right doors at the right time.

It is my desire to say as the Apostle Paul said ‘I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’

Prayer

Abba Father, Lord each one of us has a ‘thorn’ in our sides, we all have difficulties that we need to deal with.  Give each one of us the courage and strength to face it each day, let us never forget to humble ourselves before You and know that You are still in control.  Lord we will praise and worshop at Your feet.  We know that You will open the right doors at the right time.  In the Holy and wonderful Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

Pray like Hannah

1 Samuel 1:11 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹¹ She vowed, saying, O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid and [earnestly] remember, and not forget Your handmaid but will give me a son, I will give him to the Lord all his life; no razor shall touch his head.

How serious are your prayers?  How desperately do you want the Father God Almighty to answer your prayers?  We who are blessed with children would not know the anguish and pain that Hannah had when she prayed for a child.  It was her heart’s desire to have a child; a son of her own.  She was prepared to give her child back to the Lord to serve Him so sincere and desperately she wanted a son.

The real truth I believe is that the Lord God sees each and every persons heart and intention, He knows what your motives are.  Are you able to pray sincerely and believe that God answers prayers?  Will you pray for the things you desperately want?  I pray that the Lord God will give you the wisdom and understanding and knowledge to pray earnestly for your needs in the Holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You are a Blessing!

Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit of God

Ephesians 4: 30 - 32
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption, get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you."

In life we all experience different kinds of pains, while living and growing up in your parents house it is normal things that takes place.  Then you start your own adult life and people start to disappoint you.  You find that people tend to lie and gossip and they are saying hurtful things about you.

Before you know it you are tending a garden filled with bitterness, growing your rage and anger, and out of these couple of fruits brawling and slander obviously sneaks in.  Its not long before there are signs of all kinds of malice growing too.

The first signs of becoming bitter is when you cannot drop something, a friend, husband or relative has done.  You just cannot believe these things can happen, now it starts to take root and you keep feeding on it.  Going back to the day something happened, you keep nursing it and before long you have grown a tree of bitterness, the best part is the rest follows suit as it all started with that little seed.

It is my hearts desire to get rid of any bitterness I may have in my own life and I pray the Holy Spirit of God will come and show me what I should be confessing.  Do yourself a favor and do some in-depth soul searching and see what you need to confess to become Holy and pure before the Lord today.

Holy Spirit I pray that each person reading this devotional today will look into their own hearts and find the seeds and trees that are clouding their minds.  Praying and confessing it aloud and asking for forgiveness in the most wonderful name in this world, Jesus Christ.  Amen

You are a blessing to me, may the Lord Jesus Bless You today!

Pray for your Pastor

Ephesians 6: 19 (AMP)

¹⁹ And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel),

Paul asks the believers in Ephesus to “Pray for me, that freedom of utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news ~ the Gospel.”

Do you ever think of praying for your Pastor?  I never thought about it until our Pastor asked the congregation to please pray for him.

As time went by a couple of old people were praying for our Pastor.  He mentioned that he felt his preaching was made a little easier.  The Pastor then asked that the congregation come to church during the week and pray for our church as well as for the Pastor.

Prayer Father God we pray that our Pastors will have the freedom of utterance to open their mouths in proclaiming boldly the mysteries of the good news to us and the world.  In Jesus Name we pray, Amen!

The Secret of the Lord

Psalm 25:14 (AMP)

¹⁴ The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.

            My BFF (Best Friend Forever) normally is in on all my secrets, how I feel, if I’m sad and when I’m really happy.  The thing to think about is do you only go to the LORD your God with all your sad secrets?  Or do you take the good things that happen to you, and share them with the LORD?

            Can you too come to the Lord Jesus in prayer and say “Lord Jesus; Your will be done.” Yes, you can when you have a relationship with the Lord.  By trusting that the Lord Jesus will help you in everything you do.

            Prayer Thank You Lord, it amazes me when You answer so many of my little desires, without my even asking.  Lord thank You for You loving kindness and companionship in my life.  In the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen!

Sharing

Proverbs 23:7 (NIV)

⁷ for he is the kind of person
    who is always thinking about the cost.
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
    but his heart is not with you.

The gift of hospitality isn’t always present in all people.  I have been to see people that begrudgingly will pour you a glass of water.  There whole demeanor shows they really don’t want you to have this water.

Help me never to become the person that has a heart that is not with others.  Help me to give as much as I can and more.  Sharing is caring so I’m told.

Prayer

Abba Father thank You for the hospitable people You placed in my life, people who teach me to be a cheerful giver, in the name of Jesus.  Amen

Praying to keep silent !!!

Colossians 1:11 - 12 (AMP)

¹¹ [We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, ¹² Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.

As Christians we are reminded by Paul and Timothy in Colossians to pray for the Holy Spirit to invigorate and strengthen us with all power according to the might of God’s glory.  To exercise forbearance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of God’s holy people in the Light.

Prayer  Today Lord help me through the Holy Spirit to show and teach me how to become invigorated and strengthened with all the power according to the might of God’s glory.  Teach me to make this part of our daily prayer so that we see how the Father will qualify and equip us for today, in Jesus Name, Amen!

Which way LORD?

 

Psalm 32:8 (AMP)

⁸ I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

In life we need guidance and we want to sort of know that we are on the right ‘track’.  So now we read in scripture ‘The Lord will instruct us and teach us’. 

How do we know we are getting in line with what God wants from us?  Firstly I believe we need to get down to basics, we need to spend time in God’s word.  The only way to know what God wants of us is to keep our quiet time with God.  Reading our Bibles, keep a journal and praying and mediating on the Word of God.

We know that we can speak to God any time of the day or night the thing is; are we prepared to put in the time to spend in HIS presence?  In spending time in the Word we learn more of God and it gives us the opportunity to hear the Holy Spirit.  We start to open the line between us and God.  The Holy Spirit moves over our lives and we just come into line with what God wants for us.

Prayer Lord please bear with us and please instruct us and teach each one of us the way You want us to go.  We are asking YOU Lord Jesus for Your counsel and please keep Your eyes upon each one of us.  Amen!

Attitude

Colossians 4:6Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁶ Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you].

            These days it’s very clear people say and do as they please, never keeping in mind that what they say might offend or hurt others.

            We are reminded to be pleasant and winsome, our words should be seasoned with salt.  We also need to keep in mind that when we are asked a question that we would know how to answer it.

            As you step into your Managers office this morning with your excellent idea, think of what you want him or her to hear.  Keeping a good attitude will help you ‘ace’ the deal.

            People are fickle and you and I know that, so when someone makes you angry remember Colossians 4: 6 today.

Prayer   Lord Jesus help me be gracious in my speech today, let it be seasoned with salt and help me to know how to answer people that ask me any questions.  Thank You Lord, Amen! 

Mini Me

As a mom I must be honest in telling you that I have thought about my children on a daily basis, they all are grown up and have moved out of the house.  They live their own lives and work and look after themselves and their families.

Now I have always been a ‘fanatic’ when it comes to the Lord, my passion and my love is always been for the Lord.  What I did not realise is that what I was doing would rub off on my children and it did too onto my daughter.

I can see how passionately she loves the Lord God.  I see how she goes out of her way to serve the Lord and she has her husband right by her side.  They both are following the Lord. 

I am proud of her and what she has accomplished in her life.  My heart is grateful to the Lord for a ‘mini me’.

I believe both my sons also love the Lord but serve the Lord in their own special way.  To my mind the children will be mighty in the land and they will enjoy the legacy God has in mind for them from me.

My heart is grateful and my love for the Lord is still strong and I love and worship You Lord Jesus, thank You for what You have done in my life.