Tag Archives: Prayer

Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – God’s Love, Compassion, Faithfulness 

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Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”     Lamentations 3:22-24

The love of God keeps you from being consumed by the fiery flames of grief. Your sorrows can overwhelm you, but He is there as your loving heavenly Father to see you through your sadness. The love of God is a peacemaker when you become consumed with conflict. His love mediates and works out solutions for all willing parties. Conflict melts under the loving influence of God. Worry is all-consuming until it comes under the direct influence of God’s love, for His love exudes peace.

Thus, the peace of God and the worry of the world cannot coexist. Fear can be all-consuming. However, the love of God flushes out fear and replaces it with trust. Fleeting fear must be replaced by faith or it will return to occupy your heart and mind. The love of God floods your soul with faith. Fear vanishes under the influence of faith.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Spring Cleaning: De-clutter Your Life—Reset Your Priorities

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But one thing I do . . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13b-14

Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

While it’s hard to imagine a doctor or other person saying this to us—“It’s time to get your affairs in order”—we understand the kind of situations in which it might be necessary. But it also begs the question: Why should we live without having our affairs in order? Why shouldn’t “getting our affairs in order” be a continual process of assessing and resetting instead of an end-of-life challenge?

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Rock-Solid Foundation

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[Jesus] said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am? Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Matthew 16:15-16 — Matthew 16:15-16

When Peter said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, it was a statement of faith. In making this statement, Peter was displaying faith.

I don’t think Peter just casually or nonchalantly made that statement. I think he did it with a surety and a certainty that impressed Jesus because He immediately turned to Peter and told him that he was blessed. Then He went on to say that it was upon this rock-solid foundation of faith that He would build His church.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Poor, Blind and Naked

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“You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!” And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

George had come for a week of lay training at Arrowhead Springs. Following one of my messages on revival, in which I explained that most Christians are like the members of the church at Ephesus and Laodicea, as described in Revelation 2 and 3, he came to share with me how, though he was definitely lukewarm and had lost his first love, he frankly had never read those passages, had never heard a sermon such as I had presented and therefore did not realize how wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked he was.

If there were such an instrument as a “faith thermometer,” at what level would your faithfulness register? Hot? Lukewarm? Cold?

Jesus said to the church at Laodicea, “I know you well – you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other! But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15).

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman -Free to Serve

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Read: Leviticus 21

They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Lev 21:6a

In the Gospel according to Leviticus, we come to a section which is specifically addressed to priests, to Aaron the high priest and his sons. This family was set aside in Israel to do a specific work of ministry in relationship to God. All the members of Aaron’s family were priests by birth. They did not become priests by choice or by desire on their part, but by being born into the family of Aaron. There was no other way to become a priest. No other family was ever recognized as having valid membership in the priesthood.

But even though they were members of the family of Aaron they could serve as priests only if they met certain qualifications. So there is a difference between merely being a priest and serving as a priest. That is important and instructive to us because this priesthood of the family of Aaron is a picture of the ministry that we have uniquely as believers in Jesus Christ. Every one of us who is born again, born into the family of our great high priest Jesus Christ, is by that fact inescapably a priest. But whether we can serve as a priest or not depends upon the qualifications in our life. Membership in the family is by birth; service in the family is by qualification.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Faith in Action

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Read: James 2:20-26

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (v. 26)

Amy had recently moved and was visiting a local church. She had been warmly welcomed by the usher, and after she sat down, the woman across the aisle gave her an encouraging smile. “So far, so good,” she thought. “Maybe this is where I am supposed to be.” The worship songs and the liturgy were familiar, and Amy was pleased to see a lot of children there.

The minister asked for prayer requests, and heard the usual appeals for safety for troops stationed overseas, and a request for healing for someone’s mother who was hospitalized. Just then, a young man stood up. “I haven’t asked for prayers before, but you all probably know that I’ve been sick for a couple of years. I was just put on the transplant list this week. So if you think of it, pray that God would give me a new kidney.” Then he sat down, and the minister prayed. Silently, Amy prayed too: “Lord, I don’t know what to ask for, but that man needs a kidney and I know you will provide.” Clear as a bell Amy heard a voice say, “Give him one of yours.” Her eyes flew open.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R.- Sow Sorry

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Depending on what you believe, he was shot by a hired killer at a house in Detroit and his remains cremated – or he was dispatched with a hunting knife and then buried in a 55-gallon drum…which was then placed in an old car, crushed in a compactor and sent to Japan as scrap metal. Or he was buried under a residential driveway. Or he was interred in a shallow grave in a field near a restaurant. Or he was entombed in concrete beneath the end zone at the stadium in Meadowlands, New Jersey.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

Whatever you believe, no one has been able to prove what happened to Jimmy Hoffa, the infamous Teamsters boss and mafia figure who disappeared in 1975. What is almost certain is that somebody did to him what he had very likely ordered done to others.

You can believe God will forgive your sin when you repent, but that doesn’t mean you will always be free from sorrowful consequences. That’s why it’s so important to be intentional about how you “sow.” Don’t deliver evil for evil. Instead, sow your time, talent, treasure and prayers wisely in ways that will reap goodness – for you, and for America.

Recommended Reading: Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Are You Satisfied with Your Present Spiritual State?

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“Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore!”—Psalm 105:4

You are not done as a Christian.

No matter how much you love, you ought to love more.

No matter how much you pray, you ought to pray more.

No matter how much you obey God, you ought to obey more.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Forgiving

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“He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19)

Have you ever wondered if God has really forgiven you of your sin after you’ve confessed it to Him, and asked His forgiveness? Do you fear there’s a possibility that He’ll hold your sin against you in the future? In our verse for today, God compares His forgiveness of our sins as if He has thrown them “into the depths of the sea.”

Consider the following amazing facts about the deepest part of the sea:

  • The deepest point of the Pacific Ocean is called the “Marianas Trench.”
  • Its depth is 36,089 ft. (nearly 7 miles!)
  • The lowest part of the Marianas Trench is called the “Challenger Deep.”
  • “Mt. Everest could fit into the Challenger Deep and its peak still be covered by over a mile and a quarter of ocean. If you dropped a steel ball into the Challenger Deep from a ship, the ball would fall through the ocean for sixty-three minutes before it hit bottom.” (Science 5 for Christian Schools, Second Edition, BJU Press, 1990, page 31.)

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – How Thankful Are You?

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 9:1

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”

Most of us acknowledge that everything we have comes from God, but how often do we stop to give thanks to him? At the end of a workday, do you take time to say, “Thank you, heavenly Father, for giving me the skill, ability, and health to do my work today”? Do you ever physically or mentally go through your house and say to God, “everything in the house and the food in the cupboard and the car (or cars) in the driveway are gifts from you. Thank you for your gracious and generous provision”? When you give thanks at mealtime, is it routine and perfunctory, or is it a heartfelt expression of your gratitude to God for his continual provision of all your physical needs?

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – For the Common Good

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Today’s Scripture: Jeremiah 11-15

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

Thousands of prayer breakfast gatherings are held in towns and cities across the United States. Perhaps you’ve even attended one. But do you know where the whole thing began? Back in the late 1940s, a man named Abraham Veradi organized a prayer breakfast for the leaders of Seattle. As he saw the positive, continuing results from that outreach, he became concerned about the spiritual welfare of our national leaders in Washington, D.C. In the early 1950s, Veradi moved to D.C. and began to reach out to various members of Congress and others in government. It didn’t look like much at first, but out of it grew what we know today as the National Prayer Breakfast. And from that small beginning, the concept has spread across America and literally around the world. It all began with the vision of one man who saw a need and took it to heart.

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – ETERNAL PURPOSE IN CHRIST

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Read Ephesians 3

In 1943 psychologist Abraham Maslow published a paper describing his “Theory of Human Motivation.” It became known as the hierarchy of needs, with basic human needs such as food, shelter, and safety forming the base of the pyramid, while self- actualization—the desire to be all you can be—was the pinnacle. In 1969 Maslow revised his theory to add another step beyond self-actualization: self-transcendence. He thought that the self could truly be actualized only when it was focused on a higher goal outside itself, whether that be spiritual or philanthropic.

Maslow seems to have realized that the human search for purpose can never be fulfilled by looking within ourselves. Thankfully, in Christ we are part of God’s eternal purpose. We are part of something beyond ourselves, and this eternal purpose transforms our lives even now.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Qualifications for Sainthood

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1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Many people hold an unbiblical view of sainthood. Their idea of a saint is one who has led such an exemplary life that he or she is venerated by the church, but God’s Word presents quite a different picture. The Corinthian church struggled with all sorts of ungodly behaviors, yet Paul describes them as “those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling” (1 Cor. 1:2).

Sanctify means to set apart from common use to a sacred use. Throughout the Bible, the Lord has sanctified days (such as the Sabbath), places (the tabernacle), things (the ark of the covenant), and people. A saint is simply a person whom God has set apart for His purposes. This means that every believer is a saint.

Before you were saved, your position relative to God was one of enmity (Rom. 5:10). But the moment you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, the Lord changed your position and set you apart for Himself. You were born again and are now His child. He forgave your sins and declared you righteous. A saint is not a perfect person but one who is in a right relationship with the heavenly Father. Although our position of sanctification is not predicated on good behavior, the Lord expects us to live in a manner that honors Him.

Just think—God set you apart for a sacred purpose. That means you are here, not to live as you please but to bring glory to Him. He calls us to live according to our new position in Christ. When we accept this responsibility of sainthood with gratitude, we bring joy to the Father’s heart.

Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 1-3

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Spirit Delivers

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Read: Romans 8:19-27

Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 14-15; Luke 17:1-19

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. —Romans 8:26

Until recently, many towns in rural Ireland didn’t use house numbers or postal codes. So if there were three Patrick Murphys in town, the newest resident with that name would not get his mail until it was first delivered to the other two Patrick Murphys who had lived there longer. “My neighbors would get it first,” said Patrick Murphy (the newest resident). “They’d have a good read, and they’d go, ‘No, it’s probably not us.’ ” To end all this mail-delivery confusion, the Irish government recently instituted its first postal-code system which will ensure the proper delivery of the mail.

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Akolutos

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My high school band director was adamant about many things, but none so much as what he called the obligatory rule of good musicianship. That is, the two most important notes in any musical composition are the first and the last. “The audience might forgive you for a bad note that comes in the middle,” he would say, “but they will forget neither your very first impression nor your final remark.”

The last word of the book of Acts in the Greek New Testament is the word akolutos. The word literally means “unhindered,” though many translations render it with multiple words because of its complexity. Others move the word from its final position for the sake of syntax. In both cases, I think something is lost in translation. Luke was intentionally making a statement with this last word of his two-volume testimony to the life of Jesus Christ. I think he intended readers to pause at the conclusion of his words, the very last note in his testimony the provocative thought of the gospel unhindered, the Spirit of God continually improvising with a tune that will not be shushed or silenced. After the stories of Jesus’s ministry were told, after recollections of his death and ruminations of his resurrection, after Jesus’s ascension and the church’s beginnings, after all the resistance, disappointment, and surprises along the way, Luke concludes: “Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, unhindered.“(1)

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – The Church Testifies to the Resurrection

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“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand” (1 Corinthians 15:1).

The true church has consistently testified to the power of the Resurrection.

Kenneth Scott Latourette observed in his History of the Expansion of Christianity: “It was the conviction of the resurrection of Jesus which lifted his followers out of the despair into which his death had cast them and which led to the perpetuation of a movement begun by him.” This statement was true for the church at Corinth, even with its many problems.

The apostle Paul opens his well-known chapter on the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 by implicitly affirming the Corinthians’ testimony to that doctrine. Simply by receiving the gospel and having their lives transformed, the believers at Corinth demonstrated the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. And that resurrection is what empowered the gospel. Paul did not need to explicitly remind the Corinthians of Christ’s rising to life until verse 4, “He was raised on the third day.” The apostle was confident at the outset that the Corinthians had already believed in the truth of the Lord’s resurrection.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Retirement: Not So Fast! 

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When Joshua had grown old, the Lord said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.” Joshua 13:1

Christians may retire from their career, but they can still engage as a volunteer or start a fresh, new second career. Simply doing nothing and spending all on self indulgence is not an option for followers of Jesus. “Retirement” as my friend Sonny says, “Is a reallocation of my calendar, cash and expertise”. More time for grandchildren, yes! More time for exercise, sort of. More time for travel, yes but in moderation (maybe take a grandchild with you). But mostly, more opportunity to engage with God’s heart as a: joyful giver, mentor, teacher, server—to be hospitable and pray.

Joshua had grown old and could have faded off into the sunset and died, but the Lord wasn’t finished with him yet. Though he had experienced the miracles of God as Moses’ apprentice and won battles to take possession of the promised land as Israel’s leader—the Lord had another assignment for him. So, Joshua stayed involved in the distribution of land for the various tribes. He established Cities of Refuge, so those who had committed manslaughter could find asylum. Some of Joshua’s best work occurred in his twilight years. His was reallocation not retirement!

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Honor

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…for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

1 Samuel 2:30

Recommended Reading

1 Samuel 2

Paris was in the grip of a heat wave during the 1924 Summer Olympics, and the Colombes Stadium was like a frying pan. For runner Eric Liddell, heat was the least of his concerns. His best event—the 100-meter—had been scheduled for a Sunday. He withdrew because he didn’t want to run on the Lord’s Day. He set his sights on the 400-meter instead. In the dressing room before the event, the masseur handed him a folded paper. It contained a quotation from 1 Samuel 2:30: “Those who honor Me I will honor.” Inspired by those words, Eric Liddell broke the existing world record and won the gold medal.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Positive

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We have thought of Your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Your temple. —Psalm 48:9

Positive minds—minds full of faith and hope—produce positive lives. Negative minds—minds full of fear and doubt—produce negative lives. In Matthew 8:13, Jesus tells us that it will be done for us as we have believed. This doesn’t mean that you and I can get anything we want by just thinking about it. God has a perfect plan for each of us, and we can’t control Him with our thoughts and words, but if we want His plan, we should think and speak in agreement with His will and plan for us.

I encourage you to think positively about your life and be thankful for the good things God is doing and going to do. Practice staying positive in every situation that arises; even if you’re going through a difficult situation, stand in faith, believing God will bring good out of it as He has promised in His Word.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, help me to keep my thoughts and my words focused on You. I thank You that You have good things in store for my life. I trust You today.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer.

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – God’s Got It!

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When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2

Friend to Friend

I am an avid reader. In fact, reading is one of my favorite ways to escape the chaotic pace of daily life. I also enjoy browsing through bookstores, especially the ones that provide cushy chairs where customers can sit quietly and read without being disturbed.

It is easy to tune out your surroundings and lose yourself in the pages of a good book. I was doing just that when I heard a familiar voice. Looking up, I spotted one of my friends, Carol, who was asking an employee where she could find a new suspense novel that had just been released. The young man quickly handed Carol the book from his personal stash behind the counter and went back to work. I watched a smile spread across Carol’s face as she examined her new treasure while gently turning the book over in her hands and flipping through pages. Carol then did something I absolutely could not believe. She turned to the last several pages of the book and began reading.

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