Tag Archive | Bible

How do You Pray?

How do you pray? I’m not asking about kneeling or standing, sitting or reclining, eyes closed or wide open, everyday language or King James speak.

It’s a simple question. How do you pray? Do you believe things will happen when you pray? Do you utter a bunch of words that you’ve memorized? When you pray, are you just yapping for the sake of yapping? Yes, I know the word ‘yapping’ is hardly spiritual, but then a lot of prayer that clutters the air isn’t at all spiritual either.

How do you pray? Do you pray to the God of the Universe? The God who created babies, and grass, and the sand. The God who set the sun and moon in the sky and created the stars and the oceans. Think about it! If you are real in your praying, that is Who you are talking to when you pray. The. God. Of. The. Universe.

Do you pray believing? Believing that God is listening? I had a sweet conversation with a dear friend recently. She told me about selling their house a while back. She and her husband had been in that house for a long time; they’d raised their now-grown children there. That house had been their home. A home where love was the language, and God was in charge.

They prayed about selling their home. They prayed about who would buy it. They prayed for a Christian family to buy the house. They didn’t pray for a quick sale. They prayed for the right sale. They prayed believing. They. Prayed. Believing.

Have you tried that? Have you tried praying believing? Actually prayed and believed that God would answer? Not that gimme, gimme, gimme stuff. Or, “I prayed,” and five minutes later, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Scripture teaches, “You have not because you ask not.” And continues, “You have not because you ask amiss” James 4:2b – 4:3a).

My friends received more than 15 offers in a couple of days. Leaning into what and for whom they prayed, they chose a buyer. They didn’t select the highest offer. Since they had prayed believing, they chose the right buyer.

My dear friend went on to tell me so many wonderful things about the family who now owns and lives in her former home, including how well the neighbors have received them, how these folks have been blessed in their new home, and how the new owners have blessed the neighbors.

In their praying, my friend and her husband asked for the right direction. They didn’t ask amiss.

They prayed believing. How do you pray?

LOVE the LORD

Apr9

PART ONE

Is there a Christian anywhere in the world, at least in the modern world, who doesn’t know this verse or some form of it? . . . Love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . Let’s set the stage.

In Mark 11, verse 11, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt (which we call a donkey), and the people were praising and singing Hosanna in the highest, and He went to the Temple. There, Jesus found “money changers in the Temple.” It was an abomination to the Lord. He continued, “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves.”

When the scribes and the chief priests heard what the Lord was saying, they wondered how they could destroy Him. (You know, those guys really thought they were all that and a bag of chips!) The fact is, they truly feared Jesus because all the people were astonished and hung onto His every word.

Picture this: Jesus, in His divine wisdom, returned to Jerusalem. He captivated the crowd with His powerful parables. The self-important men, fearing His popularity, tried to trap Him with their cunning questions. Can you believe they even tried to ‘Catch Him in a lie ‘? The audacity!

The men brought out their best hypocritical selves and asked about paying tribute to Caeser. Jesus knew they were up to no good and told them to give Him a penny. When they did, He asked them whose likeness was on the coin. They conceded that it was Caesar’s. “And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him.”

Sometime later, and still trying to trip up Jesus, one of those pesky scribes came along and asked the Lord, “Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like the first, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31 KJV)

He’s a Good God!

Jul13

Overdrew your account and bounced five checks before you got the funds to cover it and all those overdraft charges cost you a small fortune?

Your brother heisted an old jalopy, swiped some candy bars, stole a few cartons of smokes, drove off without paying for a tank of gas, ran a red light, was chased down by the cops and arrested? After all was said and done, young Billy is in prison, and you’re going to tell me that God did this to straighten him out?

Oh puhhhleeese! Your foolish little brother got busted for his stupid, careless and dishonest behavior; these are called natural consequences.

You steal – you go to jail.

You lie – you lose trust.

You cheat – you suffer consequences.

You stick your finger on a hot skillet, you get burned.

God does NOT do bad things!!

Repeat after me: “God. Does. Not. Do. Bad. Things”.

(You fill in the blank: God does not _________”).

How do I know this? I know this because He is a LOVING God. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. You may insist on YOUR own way and get into tons of trouble, but He is always there. He is with you always. He sent His Son to die for us so that we may have eternal life when we deserved to die.

Back in the day, God knew, even then, that some well meaning, self-righteous person would suggest that God put little brother Billy in jail, “to teach him a lesson”. Think about it: Today, if an earthy father put his child’s finger on the stove “to teach her a lesson”, that would be deemed CHILD ABUSE! Why then do we say that God is cruel like this? He addressed such foolishness in the book of James, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” (James 1:13). Why is it so hard to believe we serve a LOVING God?

When little brother Billy was sent to prison, he began to see the error of his (foolish, stupid) ways and THEN, he turned to a loving God. This young man made some very bad choices, and he landed in the pokey. But God met him where he was. God’s goodness is attractive!

My former pastor taught that God meets us where we are. If life has beaten you to pulp, God is there in the midst; turn to Him. He has never left you, and He never will.

Abba Father,

As I go about my day, thank you that you are always here, always with me. Please guide me to make the right choices, but when I don’t, please remind me to come back home.

I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

All scripture is taken from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Pickles to Promises

Apr29

Do you know why the Bible has survived for so many years? It’s simple, really. Unlike so much “literature”, the Bible is a living document, an agreement or testament to God’s faithfulness; of His love for the people He created. Think of it this way. If you enter into a covenant of marriage with another, that is a sealed statement and cannot be broken outside of a divorce court. The covenant God made with His people has not yet been ‘fulfilled’ or and until such a time, it cannot be broken.

On November 11, 1620, the colonists entered into an agreement* with God, dedicating this continent to Him. Men have said we are not a Christian country, and, while it’s true that many have denied and even cursed God, as long as there is one living, breathing Christian in this land, God WILL honor this covenant. According to His holy word, He has to! Numbers 23:19a states,“God is not a man, that he should lie;”

Have you read the scriptures? They are all true. All of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob belong to Christ and if you are in Christ, if you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, all of these promises are yours also. READ the scriptures carefully. If you have difficulty with the King James Version, and many people do, select the New King James or the New International Version. The Message is excellent for understanding the heart of the words.

I got into a financial pickle a while back and I chose the way of the Lord. I reminded God that His word says that He will supply everything I need; read it in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Rather than whining or fussing, I just “prayed His Word”. In Hebrews 4:16 He also tells us to BOLDLY approach Him “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

No, money didn’t float down from the sky; that would interfere with the economy of the day. And, no, I didn’t win the lottery (I understand you have to buy a ticket for a chance to win). What happened was that He used people who were able to help me, and through them, He did supply all my needs. Through Him we were all blessed. The pickles were put back into the jar, my needs were met and I have four new tires on my car!

Then, the special touches, the little extras, the lagniappe began to arrive. After my needs were met, it seemed as though God wanted to make sure that I knew He cared about me in the little things too! I got a birthday discount and went out to lunch with a friend at a cost of next to nothing. I got a gift certificate from my favorite Quilting Store (whoopee!!!). Just a few days ago, I met a friend “for coffee” and when I handed my rewards card to the cashier, she said that I was eligible for a free birthday pastry and a free beverage, so that “coffee” cost me nothing!

Coincidence? I don’t think so. I know the Word of God is alive and well today and I believe that God is just waiting to bless us with His love and His presence. I believe that His presence is full of His presents!

Do you have some ‘pickles’ of your own? God will see to your needs too! Run to Him.

All scriptures are King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

*to read the full context of the document, go to this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact

FROM RAGS to _____________ ?

Apr15

Was your first thought RICHES? That old adage is not what I’m thinking. I’m pondering crocheted rag rugs, and scrappy quilts, and crazy quilts. What you may see as ‘rags’, I see as projects.

What you may see as a worn out woman or a sin-riddled person, imagine a Bible Teacher, Godly Preacher, Inspired Speaker, Healthy Life Director, Fitness Princess or a Christian Author? The list can go on and on, and why not?

Have you heard it said that God doesn’t “call the qualified, rather He qualifies the called?”

Peter was just a blue-collar fisherman. Paul was a well-educated Roman who persecuted Christians. Timothy was just a young whippersnapper. And Thomas!! Well, Thomas doubted Jesus was The Christ. And God wants these guys to spread the word about His Son who is the way to Grace through Faith and eternal life?

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament. Peter was the first one to realize, understand and acknowledge that Jesus was The Christ, the Son of the Living God.

What of the woman at the well? In John 4:7 “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.” And verse 9 “Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”

You see, this woman had five husbands. Scandalous!! Can’t you hear all the ‘little old ladies’ tittering and the ‘self-righteous’ Pharisees going into cardiac arrest because Jesus was talking to this tainted woman? And yet, her story, probably more than any other, has inspired countless broken women to realize just how much God truly loves and values them.

Are you afraid you can’t go on? God says in II Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

You can’t manage? God says in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

YOU fill in the blank: Rags to ______________________.

Dear Heavenly Father, right now, please bless the person who is reading this devotion. Make him aware of what a kind and loving God you are. Let her know that you are Abba Father – our Daddy, and creator of the universe. And finally, Lord, convince this person that your Son gave all He had that we may all have eternal life. Amen

All scriptures are from the King James version, unless otherwise noted.

collateral grace

For it is by GRACE that you are saved..