Tag: pray

March 2 2023 – Luke 19 – House of Prayer

There are so many reasons people go to church. Some go to feed on the word. Some go for fellowship. Some go to be strengthened in their faith by their brothers and sisters. Others go to be charged up by the uplifting music and awesome worship. None of these reasons are a wrong reason to go to church.

In Luke 19, Jesus is clearing the temple of those who are selling in the temple courts. Luke doesn’t give us all of the details the other Gospel writers do. He doesn’t tell us about the cord of rope. He doesn’t tell us about Jesus flipping tables. He tells us, like the other Gospel writers, what Jesus said. “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” Luke19:46NIV

The Temple was to be a house of prayer. That informs what we should also be placing a high priority on on Sunday mornings. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalms34:8NIV  If we want to be witnesses to what God is doing in our lives we need to faithfully present our petitions and requests to our God for whom nothing is impossible!

God wants us to come to him in faith with our prayer concerns. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews11:6NIV  If we want to please God… if we want to have witness to the reality of God… we need to earnestly seek him and taste and see he is good by going to him in prayer.

You can’t take too much time praying in God’s house.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for rewarding those who seek you and thank you for inviting us to come and experience your goodness! Help me to be faithful in prayer! Amen.

February 6 – Mark 10 – Motives

In Mark 10 Jesus is petitioned for several different things. The little children are being brought to him to be blessed. Contrary to the protests of his disciples, Jesus blessed the children.

Later on, James and John come to him asking to be allowed to sit on the right and left in his glory. Jesus does not grant this request.

At the end of the chapter, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus was calling out for Jesus as he passed by. Jesus had him brought forward and asked, “what do you want me to do for you?” The blind beggar wanted to regain his sight and Jesus promptly granted that request and restored his sight.

In the chapter we had at least three different kinds of requests. Two were granted, one was not. As we pray asking God to do for us, we need to examine our motivations.

Looking at the requests, you could say that maybe all three were selfish. The beggar wanted to see again, a personal benefit to himself. The parents of the children wanted them to be blessed and all of the benefits that entailed.

However, James and John must have been making a power grab. When the other disciples heard what they had asked they were “indignant.” The request and the subsequent hard feelings prompted Jesus to explain how things work in the kingdom of God.

Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark10:42–45NASB1995

When we think about asking God to do for us, we need to remember the motives of James and John in asking for seats of power in Jesus glory. If our motives are pure we will have a better chance of God granting our petitions. “…You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James4:2–3NASB1995

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege to come to you in prayer anytime and any where. Help me to examine my motives in asking you to grant my petitions. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

February 3 2023 – Hebrews 12 – What is Faith?

Jesus tells those who follow him to have faith and if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. What exactly did he mean by that? What is faith and how do you have it and how do you grow it?

Throughout the Bible we see many examples of people of faith. In Hebrews 12, sometimes called the faith hall of fame, we see many real life examples of what faith is. The author of Hebrews defines faith and gives many examples to verify what he means.

According to the author, “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”Hebrews11:1NASB1995  Therefore we understand that faith is what we have been led to hope for through the Holy Spirit and the conviction, again, through the Holy Spirit, that what we hope for is and will be a reality. He gives several examples of people who were led to hope for something. They believed God and stepped out in faith to respond to that hope. God rewarded their faith by fulfilling what he led them to hope for.

Just for further clarification no amount of believing will obligate God to reward us with what he has not led us to hope for. I may hope to win the lottery, but if God did not lead me to hope for that, then it is just hope born out of my desire to be rich. I may completely believe that I can and will win the lottery. However, if I did win, it wouldn’t be a reward for my faith, because God did not lead me to hope for it. Rather, it would just be a fortunate coincidence.

The author of Hebrews also says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews11:6NASB1995  We actually please God, we make him happy when we come to him with our petitions, our wants, and desires.

In the back and forth of prayer, and it is a back and forth… you talk to God, and in your spirit, the Spirit of God talks to you, God sifts through the things you ask for and leads you to hope for the things that are in accordance with his will. Don’t worry about asking for something that is too big or too small. You will begin to realize in your spirit what God is leading you to hope for. You will be certain about the things God is leading you to hope for, just as certain that Abraham and Sarah were that God planned to give them a child. They weren’t sure when or how, but they were sure God planned to do it. God will give you that assurance too and lead you to step out in faith to respond to that hope.

In our conversations with God we are given hope. We are called to step out in faith. God is pleased when we ask, and when we respond by stepping out in faith. He rewards those who seek him and who respond to the hope he inspires by faith.

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you for communing with me in my spirit. Help me to hear and understand the hope you are calling me to. Help me to embrace it as real as the world I see around me. Help me to overcome any hesitations I may have and step out in faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. I had originally intended to get these out each day at 4:30 AM, however that has not been the case. My apologies to those who are frustrated with the midday devotion this has turned out to be. Also, these devotions are posted on my website, https://beingachildofgod.com/. If you want to revisit any of them you can find them all there. Thank you for reading and for your encouragement!

January 16, 2023 – Matthew 17 – We of Little Faith

In Matthew 17, Jesus fresh from being transfigured, his appearance changed, his face shone and clothes white as light, encounters a crowd gathered around his disciples. A man approached requesting that he heal his demon possessed son. In his request, he tells on the disciples that were not on the mountain top with Jesus. He says, “I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” Matthew17:16NIV

Jesus’ reply gives us an idea of why the disciples could not drive the demon out. He says, “You unbelieving and perverse generation…  …how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Matthew17:17NIV After he has driven the demon out and the crowd had gone, the disciples came to Jesus privately for more information. “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew17:20NIV

Once I attended a church that would give each member a mustard seed when they joined the church. That was a process. If you don’t know, mustard seeds are tiny. Trying to give someone one seed took a second or two. Also, if you put it in your pocket to keep it, it was almost irretrievable. It got lost in the pocket lint and took some serious searching to find.

If only mountain moving faith were as simple as having someone hand you a tiny mustard seed. I wish Matthew had given us more details. How do we develop such faith? Is there a program or a step by step process to developing this kind of faith?

I believe the fact that Jesus used something as small as a mustard seed and that it was, in fact, a seed gives us some ideas. We come to be saved by receiving the grace of God offered to us in Jesus Christ with the smallest of faith. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans10:9NIV  “…Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans10:13NIV

If we take that seed and plant it and nurture it, it will grow. We nurture our faith by trusting God with our cares and concerns. We in faith offer those to God in prayer. As we see God respond and answer those prayers, our faith and trust in God grows. We nurture our faith by believing what Jesus has told us about this life we have been born into. Embracing the power and promise of new life in Christ, grows our faith. The more we nurture our faith by trusting God with our cares and concerns and the more we embrace the power and promises of new life in Jesus, the more our faith grows. If we don’t nurture our faith, it doesn’t grow.

Jesus said, “…The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Matthew13:31–32NIV We start with very small faith. However, if we plant that faith in our lives and nurture it, what started so small can grow to be as large as a tree.

We all have doubts and unbelief. When we doubt and our faith is small, nurture it even then by asking Jesus to help our unbelief.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me to faith in you. Help me to take that small seed of faith and grow it by believing the power and promises you offer in my new life in you. Help me to nurture my faith by bringing to you every care and concern. Amen.

January 15, 2023 – Leviticus 16 – An Audience with a Holy God

Because of the lovingkindness, patience, and forgiveness we receive through the grace offered to us in Jesus Christ we sometimes forget that God is a Holy God. Now, we are always able to go to God with our praises and petitions. There isn’t a time too early or too late. We are told to be in a constant conversation with God. The Apostle Paul tells us to, “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians5:17NRSV  However, it wasn’t always that way.

In Leviticus 16, God is giving Moses instructions to give to Aaron about when and how he is to approach him. The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.” Leviticus16:2NIV He goes on in detail giving instructions on how Aaron is to make atonement for his sins and for the sins of the people. All of this is important because God is a Holy God. Our sinfulness and our sins make it impossible to live in the presence of a Holy and righteous God without having atoned for our sins.

Thank God, he removed the barriers and now we can come to him without fear, fully atoned for through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews4:14–16NIV

Let us never forget that God is a Holy God. It will help us to appreciate the wonderful work of atonement that Jesus the Christ did for us in his death and resurrection!

Prayer:

Holy God, thank you for Jesus, his death, and resurrection that made atonement for all of my sins. Help me to come to you in complete confidence in the grace you offered to me and the world in Jesus. Amen.

January 14, 2023 – Matthew 15 – Obstacles to Faith

Leviticus 15, Matthew 15, 1 Timothy 5

When I was being called to preach, I did not want to be a preacher. I looked for loopholes. I found many reasons to disqualify myself and I told God about those. They were, what seemed to me, insurmountable obstacles. Obviously, God thought I was making mountains out of molehills. He said, through scripture and prayer, something like what he said to Paul, my strength is made perfect in weakness. I answered the call and have never been more fulfilled than I am as a pastor. At the time, this was a real spiritual struggle for me. My reasons for not answering were real obstacles.

I believe some people have real obstacles to coming to faith too. For the rich young ruler it was his wealth. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and follow him. Jesus didn’t tell everyone he encountered to sell everything they had, give their money to the poor, and follow him. It was too great an obstacle for the rich young ruler. He went away sad.

In Matthew 15, Jesus meets a Canaanite woman who has a demon-possessed daughter. She comes to Jesus for healing. Jesus says some things to her that seem callous. “I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” And when she persisted and came kneeling before him, he replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” Matthew15:26NIV  I believe this was Jesus highlighting this woman’s obstacle to faith. Maybe she hated Israelites… maybe she felt like Canaanites were superior to Israelites. Scripture isn’t specific so we can only imagine. No one else in the gospels was called a dog when asking for help.

The Canaanite woman overcame her obstacle to faith.  She replied to the insinuation that she was a dog with, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” She affirmed Jesus as her master and was begging for even the crumbs. She passed the test! Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew15:28NIV  

It is not the Spirit of God that gives us obstacles to faith and doing the will of God. It is the Spirit of God that helps us to realize, with God all things are possible. What has the devil convinced you is an obstacle to faith or in doing the will of God?

Prayer:

Father, thank you that all things are possible in you! Thank you for making your strength perfect in our weaknesses. Help me to recognize the devils temptation to set up obstacles to faith in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.