Tag Archives: great god

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Start with Praise

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Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” —Isaiah 29:13

Did you know that it is possible to say your prayers but not be praying? We can run through our ritualized requests and not actually pray. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me’ ” (Matthew 15:7–8). Not all prayers are offered to God.

You can sing praise songs and send up prayers to God but have no thought of Him. Do you know why? Because you are thinking about you. Or, you are thinking about someone else and the way they look or thinking about how good you may look.

Jesus told the story of a Pharisee who went to the temple to pray and “prayed thus with himself” (Luke 18:11). That Pharisee’s prayer didn’t go any higher than the ceiling because for him, it was all about putting on a show. As a result, his prayer wasn’t heard by God.

Yes, our prayers need to be offered to God. It is very important for us to remember that we are talking to God Almighty. Therefore, it’s a good idea to slow down and contemplate the awesomeness of God. When I do this, my goal is to get my will in alignment with His. Prayer is not getting my will in heaven; it is getting God’s will on earth. And when you know God and spend time in communion with Him, you will know what God wants.

It is okay to bring your needs before the Lord. But start with praise and adoration and get a sense of the awesomeness of God. The more you realize how great God is, the smaller your problems will become in His presence.

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Our Daily Bread — Show And Tell

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John 13:5-17

I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. —John 13:15

If you take a course on writing or attend a writer’s conference, you’ll likely hear the phrase, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, “show” your readers what is happening, don’t just tell them. Don’t tell readers what you did; describe doing it.

One of the reasons we tend to tell rather than show is that it’s easier and faster. Showing how to do something requires time and effort. In teaching, it’s easier to tell students what’s wrong with what they did than to show them how to do it right. The latter, however, is more effective.

For thousands of years, the Jewish people had only the law telling them what to do and what not to do. But then came Jesus Christ, who showed them how to live the life God had been telling them about all along. Jesus didn’t just say, “Be humble”; He “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8). He didn’t just say, “Forgive others”; He forgave us (Col. 3:13). He didn’t just say, “Love God and your neighbors”; He demonstrated love by His actions (John 15:12).

Christ’s perfect example of love shows how great God’s love is for us and how we are to show His love to others. —Julie Ackerman Link

Bless the Lord for love victorious,

Love that conquered on the tree;

For His grace so great and glorious

Flowing out from Calvary.

—John W. Peterson. © 1958 Singspiration.

Love is God’s will in action.

 

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Charles Stanley – Selfish Christianity

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John 6:22-27

Think honestly about this question: Which interests you more—who Jesus is or what He can do for you? I’m afraid that too many of us are more concerned about what the Lord can give us than we are about getting to know who He is.

But this is nothing new—Jesus had the same problem when He walked on earth. The crowds often sought Him out for what He could do for them. Even though their needs were quite often legitimate, Christ knew their motives.

There is a fine line between selfishly trying to use the Lord to get what we want and humbly coming to Him with our needs and struggles. Some of the issues we bring to Him are so pressing and urgent in our minds that our desire for Him to take action in the way we want becomes greater than our willingness to submit to His will. At times, what we call “faith” is really a demanding spirit.

We must remember that our earthly needs will come to an end, but Jesus Christ will remain forever. If our prayers have dealt only with presenting our requests to the Lord, then we are missing a great opportunity to get to know the One with whom we are going to spend all eternity. Let’s invest time in pursuing intimacy with the great God who created us. Then we can enjoy all the benefits of that relationship forever.

How much of your communion with God is devoted to your needs—even legitimate ones? Are you spending any time getting to know the Lord? Although God delights in our prayers and tells us to pray about everything, He also wants us to come to Him just because we enjoy being with Him.

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Presidential Prayer Team – Omnipotent God

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You remember the account of the Savior’s conception…how the all-powerful God fused His immaterial Spirit with the material body of Mary, creating the life that would be born “Immanuel, God with us.” You’ll also recall when God first formed man of the dust of the ground: He breathed His own supernatural breath into the natural nostrils of Adam, and life was given. Other biblical examples speak of God’s power and strength, His creative majesty and wonder, and absolute power over everything.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.Luke 1:35

From that same sheer will, God is all-loving and all-forgiving. How much omnipotence does it take to totally forgive and forever forget sin? His love does not limit His power, nor does His power limit His love. In the same way, His justice does not overrule His mercy, nor does His mercy supersede His justice.

That same universally omnipotent Lord has numbered the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7) and kept track of your tears (Psalm 56:8). Aren’t you just amazed? This great God has a personal interest in you.

Praise Him in your prayer time today. Intercede for family, friends and a nation to come to know and love so great a Savior and Lord.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 139:1-14