Dear Heavenly Father,
Lord, You are my King. You are my Redeemer, my Savior. I love You Father. But I'm a disobedient son. There is sin in my heart. I deal with impatience, frustration, prejudice, pride, and anger nearly every day. I know You died for these sins. And Lord I'm better than I once was at dealing with these issues, but I'm not perfect by any means. So Lord I confess, and I repent. I want to be conformed into Your image. I want to be an effective witness for the Kingdom.
I realize that that I have been blessed beyond measure. And to whom much is given, then much is also expected back in return. Lord I want to give back to You.
Thank You Father for my awesome life. You are a sweet, kind, awesome God. I praise You and lift You up in the highest. Lord I give my life to You. And in Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Spiritual Attack: Distractions and Busyness
Dr Stanley's message this morning tied in with my my series on spiritual attack. He started out his discussion this morning by asking a simple question: How's your life...?
Jesus spoke of living and abundant life, an extaordinary life. Dr Stanley used Hebrews 12 1-3 for his illustration this morning.
...Let us put aside every encumberance and the weight which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who endured the cross for our sakes. We must fix our eyes upon Jesus who endured such hostility lest we become weary and discouraged...
Jesus spoke of living and abundant life, an extaordinary life. Dr Stanley used Hebrews 12 1-3 for his illustration this morning.
...Let us put aside every encumberance and the weight which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who endured the cross for our sakes. We must fix our eyes upon Jesus who endured such hostility lest we become weary and discouraged...
Sometimes we get distracted, busy, and we drift away from serving the Lord. Busyness and distraction are encumberances, weight, and snares from the Devil. Little by little we get out of the WORD, spend less time in prayer, and before we know it our life is off course and we are out of the will of God.
How do we get back on course...?
- Acknowledge you are off course.
- Repent of being off course. Surrender.
- Cultivate a strong determination to want God's Best for your life.
...Let us lay aside every encumberance and weight....
What is there in the way of distractions, allurement, and interests that keeps me from living a christian life...? Is Life revolving around the distractions or Jesus Christ...? Personal interests tend to choke out the will of God.
How do we get back on course and stay there...?
...Fix our eyes on Jesus who's the author and perfector of our faith....
You will not stay on course if you are out of the Word and off your knees. When you read His Word you feed your spirit. You feed your soul.
What keeps us on course...?
- Seeing Him
- Focusing on Him
- Keeping our eyse on Jesus
- The awareness of His spirit
- Forsaking distractions
Set aside disciplined time each day to deepen your relationship with HIM.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
God's Love
I haven't finished my thoughts on spiritual attack, but I have to pause that series to acknowledge Valentine's day.
Does anyone know the historical background behind Valentine's day? There are several stories floating around about it's origin. According to one legend there was a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned and sentenced to death for marrying couples after the Roman emperor had outlawed marriage. Before his death he wrote many letters to his friends and family and he signed them: 'Remember your Valentine Loves You....'
Other stories are similar and the main theme of them all is an emphasis on 'Love'.
There is so much commercialism of Valentine's day today, but it's still one of my favorite holidays.
And what a great theme, huh...? Love. It makes the world go around. And God is Love.
And God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son so that we might not perish and have everlasting life....
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your Love. Thank You for the sacrifice of Your son. I have a son now. And I love him very much. It's incomprehensible to think of laying down his life. Yours is an incredible, amazing love.
Father God, I do stand in awe at the bounty of Your blessings. You are the author of Love. I love You, Lord. And I give my life to You. Help me to be effective for winning souls for Your kingdom. It is my desire to faithfully serve You, my King.
I thank You so much for my sweet wife and family. God, You have been so good to me. Thank You my precious Lord and Savior. And I pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen...!
Does anyone know the historical background behind Valentine's day? There are several stories floating around about it's origin. According to one legend there was a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned and sentenced to death for marrying couples after the Roman emperor had outlawed marriage. Before his death he wrote many letters to his friends and family and he signed them: 'Remember your Valentine Loves You....'
Other stories are similar and the main theme of them all is an emphasis on 'Love'.
There is so much commercialism of Valentine's day today, but it's still one of my favorite holidays.
And what a great theme, huh...? Love. It makes the world go around. And God is Love.
And God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son so that we might not perish and have everlasting life....
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your Love. Thank You for the sacrifice of Your son. I have a son now. And I love him very much. It's incomprehensible to think of laying down his life. Yours is an incredible, amazing love.
Father God, I do stand in awe at the bounty of Your blessings. You are the author of Love. I love You, Lord. And I give my life to You. Help me to be effective for winning souls for Your kingdom. It is my desire to faithfully serve You, my King.
I thank You so much for my sweet wife and family. God, You have been so good to me. Thank You my precious Lord and Savior. And I pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen...!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Avoiding Spiritual Attack
I like to observe a daily routine of awakening at 4 AM and beginning my prayer and devotional time. Nothing starts off my day better than some quiet time with God. The minute my alarm goes off, I say Good Morning to my Lord and Savior. I then pray individually for each member of this household, then myself. Next I just randomly pray for what ever is on my heart that particular morning. Sometimes I work from a prepared list of prayer requests, but mostly it just comes as the Holy Spirit leads me. Next I go to my email and go through my morning devotional messages. I subscribe to several daily and weekly devotional, instructional series.
And then by 6 AM I always try to listen to Dr Charles Stanley's morning broadcast. If ideal circumstances prevail I will even write out my own personal morning devotional based on one or more of the morning's studies.
I figure that in the course of an entire day, (24 hours) I should be able to give God at least a tithe of my time. So using that thinking then 10 % of the day would be about two and a half hours minimum that I should give to God. Now, I don't want to be legalistic here, I don't think that God has a stop watch and is literally counting the minutes of my study, but that's how important it is to me. And I want to be disciplined about it. I know that the best way to achieve a goal in sports is to be disciplined about it and I am applying that same principle to my spiritual life.
So, obviously if you look at my journal records you will notice that lately I just haven't been posting regularly. The age old demon of 'busy-ness' is still waging assault on me. My days are just too jam packed and I am not keeping up. Before I know it, it's nearly 11 PM or mid night and when I finally go to bed it's next to impossible to dive back into the next day with only three or four hours of sleep day after day. I end up wearing myself down physically and getting sick, or lately I'll just be so tired that I sleep straight through my alarm.
When something like that happens my day usually snowballs out of control. And if I miss my morning devotional time a couple of days in a row I really get in a spiritual funk that effects my relationships in every area of my life.
Today things are going well. I had to push myself hard, though. Becuase I didn't get to sleep until around 11:50 PM last night. And today will be busy. ( And potentially difficult) But I will be praying about it all day long and I trust in God to see me through.
A good, disciplined prayer life is one of the best defenses against spiritual attack. But I warn you, the stronger your prayer life becomes and the deeper your commitment to God then the more artillary the Evil One brings out against You. But take heart because although the bible promises that we'll face troubles in this world, we are also reminded that Jesus hsa overcome the world...!
Trust in HIM. To Know Jesus is to Know Peace. And No Jesus equals No peace.
Lord, I thank You for Your saving Grace. You are an awesome God. Wonderful, indescribable, uncontainable Lord and Savior, I Love You. You have blessed me abundantly, Father. Lord today I pray for those who are overwhelmed with busy schedules like myself. Help us to slow down. Help us to priortize. Help us to prune away unproductive activities in our lives.
Help us draw closer to You and the Holy Spirit. Jesus I give this day to You. I pray that my light shine brightly in every encounter, every circumstance. Father God I pray this prayer in Jesus' Name... Amen.
And then by 6 AM I always try to listen to Dr Charles Stanley's morning broadcast. If ideal circumstances prevail I will even write out my own personal morning devotional based on one or more of the morning's studies.
I figure that in the course of an entire day, (24 hours) I should be able to give God at least a tithe of my time. So using that thinking then 10 % of the day would be about two and a half hours minimum that I should give to God. Now, I don't want to be legalistic here, I don't think that God has a stop watch and is literally counting the minutes of my study, but that's how important it is to me. And I want to be disciplined about it. I know that the best way to achieve a goal in sports is to be disciplined about it and I am applying that same principle to my spiritual life.
So, obviously if you look at my journal records you will notice that lately I just haven't been posting regularly. The age old demon of 'busy-ness' is still waging assault on me. My days are just too jam packed and I am not keeping up. Before I know it, it's nearly 11 PM or mid night and when I finally go to bed it's next to impossible to dive back into the next day with only three or four hours of sleep day after day. I end up wearing myself down physically and getting sick, or lately I'll just be so tired that I sleep straight through my alarm.
When something like that happens my day usually snowballs out of control. And if I miss my morning devotional time a couple of days in a row I really get in a spiritual funk that effects my relationships in every area of my life.
Today things are going well. I had to push myself hard, though. Becuase I didn't get to sleep until around 11:50 PM last night. And today will be busy. ( And potentially difficult) But I will be praying about it all day long and I trust in God to see me through.
A good, disciplined prayer life is one of the best defenses against spiritual attack. But I warn you, the stronger your prayer life becomes and the deeper your commitment to God then the more artillary the Evil One brings out against You. But take heart because although the bible promises that we'll face troubles in this world, we are also reminded that Jesus hsa overcome the world...!
Trust in HIM. To Know Jesus is to Know Peace. And No Jesus equals No peace.
Lord, I thank You for Your saving Grace. You are an awesome God. Wonderful, indescribable, uncontainable Lord and Savior, I Love You. You have blessed me abundantly, Father. Lord today I pray for those who are overwhelmed with busy schedules like myself. Help us to slow down. Help us to priortize. Help us to prune away unproductive activities in our lives.
Help us draw closer to You and the Holy Spirit. Jesus I give this day to You. I pray that my light shine brightly in every encounter, every circumstance. Father God I pray this prayer in Jesus' Name... Amen.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Spritual Warfare
My topic this week is spiritual warfare.
My friends there is a battle of epic proportions going on all around us every day, 24/7. The Evil One wants to torment and distract the saints and render them ineffective for the Kingdom of God.
I feel that my family is under a severe spiritual attack at the moment. Why does this happen...? I think it happens because We make a difference in the lives of others. We pray. We give thanks. We reverence the Lord Jesus Christ and Satan can't stand that.
Satan wants to discourage us. He wants to keep us busy. He wants to keep our focus on our problems. He wants to keep us from achieving God's best and His will for our lives. And I believe that the more committed we become to Jesus then the more committed Satan will be in regard to waging war against us.
Yes, the going gets tough at times. But our God is Tougher than anything. And if our God is with us then who or what can stand against us...?
Nobody. Nothing.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I lift up my family to You this morning, Lord. I lift up my wife who is weary this morning. I lift up my little baby who is getting over his first cold. I lift up my 13 year old step son who is going to public school. I pray that His Christian Light shine brightly today and that he stand strong against peer pressure and the worldly culture out there.
Lord, I pray for myself today, too. Help me to be wise. Help me to be obedient. Let me be a good witness today.
Father I pray for others today, as well. I pray especially for the lost. And I pray for the saved, but spiritually dead. Father if I can impact others today with a kind word or deed please help me to recognize the opportunity to shine for You.
Lord I claim the promise that You will never leave us or forsake us. You said that Your Grace would be sufficient. I rest in You and Your word, my King.
In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
My friends there is a battle of epic proportions going on all around us every day, 24/7. The Evil One wants to torment and distract the saints and render them ineffective for the Kingdom of God.
I feel that my family is under a severe spiritual attack at the moment. Why does this happen...? I think it happens because We make a difference in the lives of others. We pray. We give thanks. We reverence the Lord Jesus Christ and Satan can't stand that.
Satan wants to discourage us. He wants to keep us busy. He wants to keep our focus on our problems. He wants to keep us from achieving God's best and His will for our lives. And I believe that the more committed we become to Jesus then the more committed Satan will be in regard to waging war against us.
Yes, the going gets tough at times. But our God is Tougher than anything. And if our God is with us then who or what can stand against us...?
Nobody. Nothing.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I lift up my family to You this morning, Lord. I lift up my wife who is weary this morning. I lift up my little baby who is getting over his first cold. I lift up my 13 year old step son who is going to public school. I pray that His Christian Light shine brightly today and that he stand strong against peer pressure and the worldly culture out there.
Lord, I pray for myself today, too. Help me to be wise. Help me to be obedient. Let me be a good witness today.
Father I pray for others today, as well. I pray especially for the lost. And I pray for the saved, but spiritually dead. Father if I can impact others today with a kind word or deed please help me to recognize the opportunity to shine for You.
Lord I claim the promise that You will never leave us or forsake us. You said that Your Grace would be sufficient. I rest in You and Your word, my King.
In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Frustrated Inadequacy
Today Dr Stanley was preaching about the life stages of a Christian.
Stage One is Unbelief: Ephesians 2:1-3 says we were all dead in trespasses and sin....
Stage Two is accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior: Salvation. We Believed in Christ and finally starting living as a son or daughter of God!
Stage Three is giving back to God: Acts of Service. We want to pour what God is doing for us into others and glorify HIM...!
Stage Four is Frustrated Inadequacy: Go shows us that we can't live the Christian life apart from HIM. We can not serve God in our own strength. We must trust Him and rest in the knowledge that the Lord will work through us to accomplish His purpose.
Today's sermon broadcast was so good I'm going to listen again. And I can hardly wait for his concluding sermon tomorrow. I feel that I'm some where between stages three and four.
My problem is definitely trying to do things under my own strength... And God is humbling me...!
Stage One is Unbelief: Ephesians 2:1-3 says we were all dead in trespasses and sin....
Stage Two is accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior: Salvation. We Believed in Christ and finally starting living as a son or daughter of God!
Stage Three is giving back to God: Acts of Service. We want to pour what God is doing for us into others and glorify HIM...!
Stage Four is Frustrated Inadequacy: Go shows us that we can't live the Christian life apart from HIM. We can not serve God in our own strength. We must trust Him and rest in the knowledge that the Lord will work through us to accomplish His purpose.
Today's sermon broadcast was so good I'm going to listen again. And I can hardly wait for his concluding sermon tomorrow. I feel that I'm some where between stages three and four.
My problem is definitely trying to do things under my own strength... And God is humbling me...!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)