Sometimes
it seems like our prayers get no further than the ceiling, we wonder if God
hears. What can hinder our prayers? Well, we must pray in faith believing
(James 1: 6-8) and we must pray according to his word and will (1 John 5:
14-15). However, the word says we must also ask for the right reasons, not
purely selfish ones (James 4:2-3).
We
are also told in the word that we need to mix patience with our faith (Heb
6:12). God`s timing is not the same as ours (Ps 90:4). It’s also important in
all our asking to have thankful hearts and to praise God (Ps 100:4).
In
all our asking we need to be sure that our hearts and lives are right before
God. In Matthew 6:33 we are admonished to seek God first before we start
asking. In this verse we are also told to to walk in obedience to him, in right
standing with him, seeking his face, his heart and not his hand. As we walk in
obedience to God all of our needs will be met by our heavenly father.
I
suspect that if we focused on Matthew 6:33 we would need to do less asking.
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Psalm
73 and verses 23 through 26 have always been favorites for us. The idea of
constant fellowship with God and his holding us by our right hand has to thrill
any Christian (V23). But verse 24 gets even better: “thou shalt guide me with thy
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (KJV).
God
guides us with his word (Ps 119:105). In
Proverbs 3:5-6 we are told that he will direct our paths if we fully trust him
and don’t allow our thought processes to get in the way. In those verses it
also says that we need to acknowledge him; to me that mean’s people around us
should know whom we serve.
Back
in Psalm 73 and verse 25, the Psalmist tells us we need to have a tenacious and
single-minded focus on God. In verse 26 he tells us why; because we will always
reach the limits of our strength but God is our strength and he never fails! Isn’t
it amazing to think that God and his power, dwells in us as Christians in the
form of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Rom 8:11)?
This
all sounds wonderful and it is but to allow God to do all he wants to on our
behalf we must cooperate. Cooperation is a matter of spending time with him in
his word and prayer. A simple expectation but do we long for these times with him
and make them our priority (Joshua 1:8)? We should, the results are awesome!
Pass
this on.
We
serve an excellent God (Ps 8:1; Isa 12:5). God does all things in excellence.
Just think of the splendor, detail and perfection of his creation that he
prepared for us to enjoy (Gen 1:1-31). No detail was missed in his design for
the Tabernacle in which he dwelt with his people (Ex 26:1-37).
As
we read Leviticus we can see the excellence that God expected of his people in
their festivals and sacrifices, their obedience; no animal with a blemish could
be sacrificed before him (Lev 6:6).
How
do we respond to a God of such excellence and love? We can only humble ourselves
before him and give him our best; serve him in excellence and awesome fear and
respect.
How
can this be expressed in a practical way? We need to put him first in our lives
and our time, not giving him our spare time at the end of the day. Serve him
with excellence; whenever, wherever and however he prompts us. Our God is a
jealous God and will not share us with others or other priorities (Ex 34:14).
Let
his will be done in our lives as it is done in heaven (Matt 6:10) and remember,
the most excellent way is love (1Cor 12:31); love for God and love for each
other. God wants to show his fullness to the world through us; he wants to work:
“exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:19-20; KJV). How
can we; therefore, not love him and serve him with all we are?
Pass this on. Take a look at our website for
information on our book: On the Way: Basic Christian Training” and our Bible
based blogs. Coming soon: free chapter download. Click here: www.onthewayinlove.com
Do
you have a need for healing? Way back in the Old Testament God said: “For I am
the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex 15:26; KJV). David in his Psalms told us that
God heals all our diseases (Ps 103:3). The Apostle Peter quoted from Isaiah
53:5 showing us that Jesus won healing for us through his suffering (1 Peter
2:24). Jesus paid the price for our sins by his sacrifice of himself on the
cross (Rom 5:8) and as we believe in him and give our lives to him (Rom
10:9-10) we can receive salvation or spiritual rebirth (John 3:3-8).
The
word salvation in the Greek encompasses physical and emotional healing and well-being.
Healing is a promise of God that we as Christians can receive by faith (Mark
11:22-24). Sickness and disease come from satan not God (John 10:10). God has
abundant life for us (John 10:10), the kind of life he leads, and there is no
sickness in heaven (Rev 21:4).
We
can walk in the authority and victory that Jesus won over satan (Col 2:15; Matt
28:18-20) and we can speak to our bodies and command them to line up with God’s
word. We can speak in the authority of Jesus and command satan to take his
sickness and disease from our lives. As we speak to the mountain of sickness in
our lives (Mark 11:23) then we release the power of Holy Spirit to work on our
behalf and bring healing to our bodies and emotions (Rom 8:11). We can grow our
faith to receive healing; great faith comes as we spend time in God’s word (Rom
10:17). Believe God’s word and receive all God has for you.
He
wants you healthy as this glorifies him.
Pass this on.
"Ho, every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and
eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do
ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth
not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your
soul delight itself in fatness" (Isa 55:1-2; KJV).
Isa. 55:1 and 2 is addressing
the thirsty. Are you thirsty for more of God? If not, you can develop a thirst.
Someone who is addicted to alcohol had to start somewhere; with just one drink,
I suppose. So, start drinking in the things of God and soon you will develop a
taste for them. When we start giving our time and energy to something we will
develop a desire for more of it; so, start attending to Bible study, prayer and
spending time in God’s presence and before too long you will be wanting to do
it more and more.
Build you relationship with
God; you don't get to know someone overnight, it takes time. Press into God,
draw close, it’s a discipline, it takes effort but the results are life
changing!
Pass this on. Contact us is if
we can be of any help.