"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."
That verse is clear, isn't it? The instruction is plain. Yet even in these
tumultuous days when our nation is so desperately in need of God's guidance, most of God's people don't do what that verse commands.
Why not?
I believe it's because most of us are overwhelmed by the problems we see around us. "How could my prayers make a dent in the national debt?" we think. "How could my faith affect foreign policy?"
In other words, we fail to pray because we fail to realize just how powerfully our prayers can affect this country.
It's time we caught hold of that. It's time we realized that if we'd just be obedient to 1 Timothy 2:1-2, there's no council of any kind on earth, no king, no president, no congress, no anything that could overthrow God's purpose for His people.
Pray for your nation (Zimbabwe). Every day. And never again underestimate the
world-changing power of those prayers.
READ: Daniel 2:1-30
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Make a fresh commitment today to walk in union with your God.
1 Corinthians 2:16
"For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct [Him] and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ, the Messiah, and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart."
Isn't it exciting to realize that you can hold the thoughts and feelings and purposes of God's very own heart in your heart? Isn't it thrilling to know the Creator of heaven and earth wants to be one spirit with you and transmit His thoughts to your mind?
First Corinthians 6:17 says that when you were joined to the Lord you became one spirit with Him. He came into union with you so that He can talk to you heart to heart. God wants you in this harmony with Him so that His thoughts can become your actions. He wants you to walk so closely with Him that you never lack power to
overcome the evil of this world. He wants you to be so in tune with His Spirit that you are able to feel His heart of compassion toward those around you who are hurting or bowed down with sickness and pain. He wants to be one with you, so He can reach out through your hands and fulfill His purposes in the earth.
Make a fresh commitment today to walk in union with your God.
Give your attention to His Spirit in your inner man. Determine to yield to His voice and not to the voices of the world or the flesh!
READ: 1 Corinthians 2
"For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct [Him] and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ, the Messiah, and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart."
Isn't it exciting to realize that you can hold the thoughts and feelings and purposes of God's very own heart in your heart? Isn't it thrilling to know the Creator of heaven and earth wants to be one spirit with you and transmit His thoughts to your mind?
First Corinthians 6:17 says that when you were joined to the Lord you became one spirit with Him. He came into union with you so that He can talk to you heart to heart. God wants you in this harmony with Him so that His thoughts can become your actions. He wants you to walk so closely with Him that you never lack power to
overcome the evil of this world. He wants you to be so in tune with His Spirit that you are able to feel His heart of compassion toward those around you who are hurting or bowed down with sickness and pain. He wants to be one with you, so He can reach out through your hands and fulfill His purposes in the earth.
Make a fresh commitment today to walk in union with your God.
Give your attention to His Spirit in your inner man. Determine to yield to His voice and not to the voices of the world or the flesh!
READ: 1 Corinthians 2
Monday, September 27, 2010
"And hope does not ashamed us; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:5
Don't ever worry about not having enough love inside you. The Word says God's love is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. God's love is in you. What you need to do is make a decision to let it flow.
Pray this prayer today.
"In Jesus' Name, I make a fresh and strong commitment today to live the life of love, to let the tenderness of God flow through me and heal the wounded hearts of those I meet.
"Father, teach me to love even when things go wrong. To be patient and kind when the children are underfoot. To overlook the spiteful words of an angry spouse. To rejoice when someone at the office gets the raise that I thought I needed.
Teach me to talk in love, to lay gossip quietly aside and to take up words of grace instead."Lord, Your Word says that Your love is already inside me...that it
has been shed abroad in my heart. So today, I resolve to remove every obstacle that would keep that love from flowing freely into the lives of others. I put resentments behind me, and I forgive all those who've done me wrong.
"In the days ahead, cause me to increase and excel and overflow with Your love. Cause me to be what this world needs most of all...a living example of love. Amen."
READ: 1 John 4:7-17
Pray this prayer today.
"In Jesus' Name, I make a fresh and strong commitment today to live the life of love, to let the tenderness of God flow through me and heal the wounded hearts of those I meet.
"Father, teach me to love even when things go wrong. To be patient and kind when the children are underfoot. To overlook the spiteful words of an angry spouse. To rejoice when someone at the office gets the raise that I thought I needed.
Teach me to talk in love, to lay gossip quietly aside and to take up words of grace instead."Lord, Your Word says that Your love is already inside me...that it
has been shed abroad in my heart. So today, I resolve to remove every obstacle that would keep that love from flowing freely into the lives of others. I put resentments behind me, and I forgive all those who've done me wrong.
"In the days ahead, cause me to increase and excel and overflow with Your love. Cause me to be what this world needs most of all...a living example of love. Amen."
READ: 1 John 4:7-17
Friday, September 24, 2010
Don't just read the Word. Meditate on it today.
Genesis 15:5-6
"And [God] brought [Abram] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
Do you ever have trouble believing the Word of God? Not just agreeing with it mentally, but really believing that what it says will work for you?
I do. There are times when the promises in the Word stagger my mind. There have been times when I've felt so defeated and the circumstances around me looked so bad that it was tough for me to believe I was "
more than a conqueror" even though I knew God said I was.What do you do when your mind staggers like that at the promise of God? You meditate on that promise.
Scriptural meditation simply means thinking about and reflecting on the Word of God. It means pondering a particular scripture and mentally applying it to your own circumstances again and again until that scripture permanently marks your consciousness.
Don't just read the Word. Meditate on it today.
READ: Romans 4:13-25
"And [God] brought [Abram] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
Do you ever have trouble believing the Word of God? Not just agreeing with it mentally, but really believing that what it says will work for you?
I do. There are times when the promises in the Word stagger my mind. There have been times when I've felt so defeated and the circumstances around me looked so bad that it was tough for me to believe I was "
more than a conqueror" even though I knew God said I was.What do you do when your mind staggers like that at the promise of God? You meditate on that promise.
Scriptural meditation simply means thinking about and reflecting on the Word of God. It means pondering a particular scripture and mentally applying it to your own circumstances again and again until that scripture permanently marks your consciousness.
Don't just read the Word. Meditate on it today.
READ: Romans 4:13-25
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Let God's Word be your watch
Psalm 141:3 "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
Do you really believe that you need to watch over your mouth? Most believers don't. You can tell that just by listening to their conversations. They profess, for example, to be trusting God concerning their health. But you're likely to hear them say something like this: "I'm just sure I'm going to get the flu. I get it every year. I'll be sicker than a dog too, you'll see...."
Make the decision right now to set a watch over your lips. Determine to consistently fill your mouth with the Word of God. "Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings" (Prov. 4:20). Let God's Word be your watch and everything you say will take you a little further upstream!
READ: Romans 10:8-17
Do you really believe that you need to watch over your mouth? Most believers don't. You can tell that just by listening to their conversations. They profess, for example, to be trusting God concerning their health. But you're likely to hear them say something like this: "I'm just sure I'm going to get the flu. I get it every year. I'll be sicker than a dog too, you'll see...."
Make the decision right now to set a watch over your lips. Determine to consistently fill your mouth with the Word of God. "Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings" (Prov. 4:20). Let God's Word be your watch and everything you say will take you a little further upstream!
READ: Romans 10:8-17
"Behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2
Did you know that Jesus has unlocked the prison doors of guilt that have kept you captive? It doesn't matter who you are or what you've been. I don't care if you've been a prostitute, a murderer, a thief, a drug dealer, or a churchgoer who's never made Jesus Christ Lord of your life. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation.
A new life is only a prayer away.
Mary and I discovered that for ourselves more than 10 years ago. Actually, it was Mary who took the first step. She found out that the Bible said that not even a sparrow falls without God's knowledge. "Well," she thought, "if God knows and cares when the sparrows fall, He must know what terrible shape my life is in right now. And if He cares, maybe He can do something with it."
Mary didn't know anything about the Bible. She didn't even know for sure that God would let her start over. But when she told Him she wanted Him to take over her life, something supernatural happened on the inside of her. She was born again.
"But what about my past?" you may say. "I feel so guilty about it!"
When you've been born again and made a new creature in Christ--that past doesn't belong to you anymore. And it would be ridiculous to walk around feeling guilty about someone else's past, wouldn't it?
What would you think if I took a little baby on my lap, a pretty little thing just a few months old, and said, "Oh, isn't she precious? But just think about her past."
You'd think I was crazy! "What past?" you'd say. "She doesn't have any past!"
Well, it's the same way with you once you've been born again. You don't have any past. Your life begins again the day you make Jesus Lord of your life. Then, when Satan comes around trying to remind you of what a worm you were before, just tell him he's knocking on the wrong door.
You've been kicked around long enough. There's no need to wait any longer. The prison door is open. Walk through to Jesus and let your life begin again today.
READ: Matthew 10:29-33
A new life is only a prayer away.
Mary and I discovered that for ourselves more than 10 years ago. Actually, it was Mary who took the first step. She found out that the Bible said that not even a sparrow falls without God's knowledge. "Well," she thought, "if God knows and cares when the sparrows fall, He must know what terrible shape my life is in right now. And if He cares, maybe He can do something with it."
Mary didn't know anything about the Bible. She didn't even know for sure that God would let her start over. But when she told Him she wanted Him to take over her life, something supernatural happened on the inside of her. She was born again.
"But what about my past?" you may say. "I feel so guilty about it!"
When you've been born again and made a new creature in Christ--that past doesn't belong to you anymore. And it would be ridiculous to walk around feeling guilty about someone else's past, wouldn't it?
What would you think if I took a little baby on my lap, a pretty little thing just a few months old, and said, "Oh, isn't she precious? But just think about her past."
You'd think I was crazy! "What past?" you'd say. "She doesn't have any past!"
Well, it's the same way with you once you've been born again. You don't have any past. Your life begins again the day you make Jesus Lord of your life. Then, when Satan comes around trying to remind you of what a worm you were before, just tell him he's knocking on the wrong door.
You've been kicked around long enough. There's no need to wait any longer. The prison door is open. Walk through to Jesus and let your life begin again today.
READ: Matthew 10:29-33
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41
Have you ever been frustrated with the weaknesses of your flesh?
Have you ever resolved never more to yield to a particular sin, yet when the temptation came, you fell right back into it? It's happened to all of us. Even the disciple Peter. He swore he would never deny Jesus...but he did it anyway, time and time and time again.
There is, however, something we can do to keep from falling prey to temptations like that. We can "watch and pray." That's what Jesus told Peter and the other disciples to do in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew they were about to be tempted, and He knew that the weakness of their flesh would overcome them if they didn't strengthen
their spirits through prayer.
So, He's given us the ability to pray in other tongues, to strengthen our spirit and build it up until it takes ascendancy over our flesh. As we pray in the Spirit, Romans 8:26 tells us, the "(Holy) Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf".
READ: Matthew 26:30-44
Have you ever resolved never more to yield to a particular sin, yet when the temptation came, you fell right back into it? It's happened to all of us. Even the disciple Peter. He swore he would never deny Jesus...but he did it anyway, time and time and time again.
There is, however, something we can do to keep from falling prey to temptations like that. We can "watch and pray." That's what Jesus told Peter and the other disciples to do in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew they were about to be tempted, and He knew that the weakness of their flesh would overcome them if they didn't strengthen
their spirits through prayer.
So, He's given us the ability to pray in other tongues, to strengthen our spirit and build it up until it takes ascendancy over our flesh. As we pray in the Spirit, Romans 8:26 tells us, the "(Holy) Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf".
READ: Matthew 26:30-44
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