Category: living by faith

God Bless Our Nation

Prayer is one of the most important actions during an election, next to voting. A vote made due to worldly concerns, overpowering emotions, or with cold logic that does not seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit is one that risks being a foolish vote. Throughout the Bible there are assurances that God will always guide us if believers turn to Him in prayer and ask for His help.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously
to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”
(James 1:5).

Our Heavenly Father,

Thank you for being with us and for sending the Holy Spirit to comfort us and to guide us. Lord, right now it feels like there is so much at stake, and there is a lot of anxiety about the upcoming election. People are worried. Your Word says to be anxious for nothing, but in everything to come to You; I ask that you provide peace and comfort to the worried hearts of this country right now. Relieve their anxiety by helping them to focus on You and your will. Help those who feel anxious to instead feel Your presence. Please diffuse the spirit of anxiety across the nation, bringing understanding between all people. Reign over us, O Lord, instead of fear.

In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

No Fear

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
– 2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV

We are timid because we are fearful. We fear failure. We fear danger. We fear risk. We fear mistakes. But as Jesus’ parable of the talents reminds us (Matthew 25:14-30), playing it safe out of fear in matters of faith is highly displeasing to God! Because the Holy Spirit is personally within us, because the Holy Spirit leads, guides, empowers, transforms, enables, inspires, directs, convicts, and blesses us, we must not be timid. The Spirit’s influence is clearly seen in the release of spiritual power, the practice of loving fellowship and care, and the self-disciplined discipleship of Jesus’ followers. Let’s not be timid. Let’s be bold in the areas where the Spirit is at work in our lives!

Forgive me, Father, for the times I have been fearful and timid in living out my faith in Jesus. I ask that the Holy Spirit give me holy and wise boldness as I live for your glory, O God. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Sharing Our Faith

[Jesus said,] “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. … When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
– Luke 12:8; Luke 12:11-12 NIV

In these verses, Jesus gives us two incredible promises. First, he assures us that if we publicly confess our allegiance to Him, then he will claim us as his own before the Father and the angels in heaven (Matthew 10:32). Then, he goes a step beyond the first promise: He tells us that we aren’t to worry even about what to say in difficult situations because the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say! No wonder the Holy Spirit is described as God’s seal of ownership and our guarantee of salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Father in Heaven, fill me with your Holy Spirit and guide me by your Spirit to say the things I need to say to honor Jesus with courage, conviction, love, and effectiveness. Holy Spirit, I thank you for your presence and help. In Jesus’ name, I offer my thanks. Amen.

 

Lord, choose my words for me.

[Jesus said,] “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. … When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
– Luke 12:8-12

Jesus gives us two incredible promises. First, he assures us that if we publicly confess our allegiance to Him, then he will claim us as his own before the Father and the angels in heaven. Then, he goes one step beyond the first promise: he tells us that we aren’t to even worry about what to say in difficult situations because the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say! No wonder the Holy Spirit is described as God’s seal of ownership and our guarantee of salvation (Eph. 1:13-14).

Father God, fill me and guide me through your Holy Spirit to say the things I need to say to honor Jesus with courage, conviction, and effectiveness. Holy Spirit, I thank you for your presence and help, in Jesus’ name I offer my thanks. Amen.

This Life Slips Away Quickly…

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
– 1 John 2:17

So much of what we pursue is fleeting. Once we acquire it, we have to try to preserve it because we know it will soon be gone. God has promised us that just as he is eternal and will live forever, so also are those who pursue a relationship with him and are committed to do his will. So let’s sit down and look at how we spend our time, our money, and our efforts and ask if what we are pursuing is really something that is worth having. Then let’s ask one more important question: “Even if it is worth having, is it going to last long enough to make a difference?”

Eternal Father, please give me the courage to be honest about what I am pursuing with my life. I want it to count for your cause. I want to make a difference for good. Some of that desire, I confess, is self-serving. However, dear Father, I truly do want to have a life that impacts others for good and that brings you honor. I don’t want to waste my time chasing after things that won’t last and don’t matter. Please give me the spiritual wisdom to follow your will and find your life rather than chasing the shadow values of my culture. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Open arms, open heart.

I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
– Romans 12:1 (NIV)

Because God went first and sacrificed what is most precious to him to save us, he can ask us to surrender ourselves to him. Only one problem: The sorry ol’ sacrifice wants to keep crawling off the altar. We must offer ourselves, our will, our time, our heart, our commitment, to God each day. Otherwise, the altar is empty and our sacrifice is gone.

Holy and Righteous Savior, I want to surrender my life, my body, and will to you. But I confess, there are little things (and maybe some big things), that I keep from ever placing on that altar. Things I don’t want to give up. To the best of my ability, I will live for you today in a way that leaves nothing outside your Lordship and control. I offer you me — all that I have and am — to be yours today and all the forever I have. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Getting Closer to God

All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.
– 1 Peter 1:24-25 (NIV)

As the seasons change, the leaves fall, and the grass dies, we are reminded once again of how short our lives are. Despite the rapid advancements of technology, our deepest needs are addressed only by the eternal and proven will of God in Scripture. Whether you get your Scripture off the Bible on disk or from an old family Bible, access it today. Don’t you need a dose of the eternal today?

As I age, I am constantly reminded, O God, of my transitory stay on earth and your eternal reign in heaven. Give me a sense of my place before you as I seek your will in your Word. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

You don’t have to shout!

A man finds joy in giving an apt reply — and how good is a timely word!
– Proverbs 15:23 (NIV)

Knowing the right word at the right time is a great gift. But even the best of speakers has to admit that the best of his or her words are not nearly as good as those the Spirit gives. Nevertheless, we must not excuse ourselves for our insensitive speech, unkindness, or missed opportunities. Not paying attention to what was said is no excuse. Not being spiritually in tune with the needs of our companions is a cop out. Simply not knowing Scripture well enough to bless others with gracious speech at the appropriate time is self-deception. Listening to others after having listened to God in his Word is what tunes our ears and our hearts to bless others.

Loving Shepherd, I will spend much of my time today with people. Some of them know you, but most do not. Please give me wisdom to say things that lead people closer to you. Give me words of help and hope for the broken. Give me words of tenderness for the fainting. Give me words of direction for the confused. Father, I pray that whatever words I do say today may reflect your will and may be led by your purposes to bless others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

Heart Warming

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
– Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Rather than seeing this as a way to get our wishes list granted, let’s see it for what it really is … an invitation to seek a love relationship with God above all other things. In finding him, we will find our priorities properly aligned and our hearts tuned to know what is really valuable and what is not. Then we will see that what we have in him is our hearts greatest desire.

Awesome and Gracious Father, I confess to you that so often my heart is full of selfish things. But in moments like these, Father, I recognize that you are what I most need and your will is my heart’s desire. Please kindle your Spirit in me so that I may see through any selfish deception that would rob me of having you first in my life. Forgive me when I’m petty, selfish and shallow. May I know you as much as possible for a mortal to know you, not so that I may be full, but that you may be honored. Because of your grace and in the name of Jesus I pray with thanksgiving. Amen.

Understanding What is True

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
– Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)

We pursue so many things, but only one pursuit brings wisdom. Paul reminded the Athenians that God made us to seek after him and find him (Acts 17). The wisdom of Proverbs keeps leading us back to “knowing God” and having a deep and reverential awe toward him as the source of wisdom. Understanding of priorities, needs, purposes, goals, problems, and issues can only occur when we first recognize who the Lord is and know him in our day to day lives.

Holy, Majestic, Righteous, and Eternal God. I confess that I know you so much less than you know me. But your faithfulness in my life, your power displayed in history, your grace shared with so many through the cross of Christ, and your promise to bring me home to you one day all help sustain me. I want to know you so that my life can be lost in your will — not for my glory or gain, but for your praise, I ask that you make yourself known to me in the things I do today. In the name of Jesus I ask it. Amen.