A Simple Prayer

Lord,
All I ask is for the strength to hold on and make it through to the next phase of what you have for me in this life.  I do not want to find myself living a life of regret.  I do not want to see myself in a downward spiral, simply existing instead of exceeding Your expectations of me or Your desires for me in this life.
I ask this, seeking no honor for myself.  You take the credit and You get the glory for what You make of me.  Just strengthen me thoroughly to endure all that I must undertake and undergo to get where You have for me to go.

I ask this is Your name, a name that has power and might, the name of my blessed Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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Expecting More Daily

There are times in our lives when we just have to agree to start expecting more.  We cannot simply keep accepting the status quo.  Something has to change.

Why not change your perspective on life?

As a Christian, you may not escape the pains and heartaches of this life.  Pain will come.  Heartaches will happen.  That is life.  Yet, how we live our lives is what should separate us from the rest of the world.

Start changing how you approach matters in life.  Let each be met with eager anticipation, expecting God to do marvelous works right before your eyes, right in the midst of your presence.

Start meeting your days with expectancy.  Start watching God do His best for you and through you.

Oh, and by the way, be ready.

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In Times of Trouble

If you give up when trouble comes, it shows that you are weak.- Proverbs 24;10 (NCV)

You can accept it or reject it, but the Word is pretty clear on it.  When trouble comes, you need to act.  What you do during times of trouble makes a difference.  You can cave in, collapse or simply call it quits. 

What does it say about you?

What does it say about your character?

What does it say to others, especially when you are a believer?

And he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness…
– 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)

God’s grace is sufficient.  In other words, what God supplies us is just the right amount that we need when we need it.  It is sufficient.  We get strengthened in our own weakened state because of what the Lord provides us.  We do not build ourselves up in some mysterious spiritualistic manner.  We do not tap into something that fuels us and fortifies us beyond what God has endowed within us through His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God indwelling within us.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.- Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

We are strengthened as the Lord provides us strength.  We become empowered to endure us the Lord strengthens us.  We could not take all that comes upon us when we try to withstand the slings and arrows of this world.  We must endeavor to do more and to become stronger through Christ the Lord.

Look to the Lord for your strength.  Let Him have His way with you.  Submit your entire being to Him and let Him let loose upon you and unleash all that He has for you.  He is able.  He is able to do more than you can think or imagine.  He is able to do it.  Believe in Him.  Believe Him at His word.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us – Ephesians 3:20 (KJV)

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Body Work

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Eph. 4:16 (NIV)

As the body of Christ, we have some real work to do.  Our work includes supporting, growing, strengthening, and loving together as the “whole body.” God expects us to do our work under Christ who is the head of the body.  We are to do our work joined and held together under Christ, the head of the body.  Our work is to be done in love.

Our work should lead to the body of Christ’s growth and strengthening.  The body should grow and grow stronger.  We are responsible to Christ for what we do and how we do it as a body of believers.  Paul says that if one part of the body suffers or receives honor, every part is impacted because it is one body with many parts.

• Does what you do help to grow the body?
• Does what you do help to strengthen the body?
• Do you do what you do for the body in love?

Take these questions into careful and prayerful consideration.  Look at how you can help grow and strengthen the body of Christ.  Pray over your role and function within the body of Christ.  Build up and help grow the body of Christ.

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An Ever-Present Enemy

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. – Luke 4:13 (NIV)

Luke provides an account of the devil, Satan, Lucifer, the prince of the earth, the fallen angel, completing his attempts to tempt Jesus in the wilderness and departing from Him. James spoke of submitting ourselves to the Lord and having the devil flee from us. The NIV ends Luke 4:13 with “… he left him until an opportune time.” He wasn’t done with Jesus then.  He’s not done with us now.

If his main job is to steal and destroy, he’s not even close to being done with us. He wants our joy.  Do we still have children? He wants to steal our joy. Are we still smiling and laughing in spite of the tears and the heartache? He wants our joy. He won’t be done until we are left with nothing and no one. He still seeks that opportune time to sneak up and snatch our joy.

Watch out. He’s not done.

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Beyond Today

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.  Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

You’re getting nowhere with your plans.  Yes, God gave you the vision.  You have prayed and sought counsel on the matter.  You have even shared the vision with others. And, alas, nothing has transpired.  You have put forth a lot of effort and energy.  You have exhausted all of your resources and you still appear to be getting nowhere.

The problem may not exist with the action plan and the timeline.  It may not be related to the multimedia presentations of PowerPoint after PowerPoint and message after message. It may simply boil down to fundamental flaw.  There may be an issue of faith.

The Word shares that it is impossible to please God without faith.  Is God pleased? Are you remaining faithful? Is it still on your prayer list? Have you checked back in with God… and heard from Him?

We are to walk by faith.  That is how we are to approach all matters- in, by and with faith.  Yet, discouragement feeds into doubt, and then doubt leads us to becoming dispondent and we eventually start forgetting to hold on with faith.  Don’t let that become your story’s ending.  Remain faithful and stay patient.  There is an unspeakable joy awaiting those who wait upon the Lord.

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.- Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

• But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength: Waiting and trusting the Lord will find “new strength.” The lord can strengthen you for what it is to come.  Let your waiting lead to your preparation as the Lord strengthens you.
• They will soar high on wings like eagles: Let God take you to new heights and expand your horizons.  Perhaps, if you think about it deeply, God wants you to do more than what you initially set out to do.  This may be another phase to what God wants you to do His name and among His people.  Go where He takes you and extend the limits of your imagination above the haters and critics.
• They will run and not grow weary: Focus on staying the course and picking up the pace, not dropping out of the race.  God’s promise is that you “will run and not grow weary.” Weariness leads to becoming worn out and wiped out.  Keep going in faith.
• They will walk and not faint: Walk in faith.  Do not get faint, especially faint-hearted.  Step out in faith, taking every step on the promises of God.  When you can’t run, walk.  Just keep progressing towards what God has for you.  Every step, even the smallest and the slightest step, gets you closer to the goal.

Whether it is a building campaign or launching a new ministry or business that can’t seem to get off the ground or pick up momentum, wait on the Lord in faith.  Trust Him today.  Try to recall times when he provided and protected.  Most of all, recall and reclaim His promises.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.- Psalm 27:14 (KJV)

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End the Cycle

… every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges 17:6 (NASB)

At some point, we have to end the cycle of our own destruction. We need to see that we cannot simply turn back to our old ways. Once we slip back into our old mode of operation, we begin to slip further and further away from the ways of God. Instead of being Spirit-led people, we become people who live by instinct. We end up moving out of the light and gradually drift into the darkness. Itis attimes like this when we need to pray to God for forgiveness, admitting that we have gone astray from Him, and submit to God’s Spirit, accepting the way that He has called us to go. Let today begin your fresh start at staying on course and ending the cycle that has led so many down the road of destruction.

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Fired Up or Burnt Out?

“And let us not grow weary while doing good. . .”- Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)

Are you still fired up? Or, are you burnt out for some reason? For those of us who serve the Lord in more than one capacity, it is easy to fall into the temptation of growing weary, feeling worn out by the work. Yet, it is still not a legitimate excuse. Our service is to be conducted out of faith and obedience, but we also should do as Psalm 100:2 says: “Serve the Lord with gladness.”

Don’t grow weary, get faint or lose heart. Jesus shared that we should always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). The task at hand is to stay focused and continue striving towards what God has for us.

In days like these, you hear a lot of stuff in the news about the new president and his stimulus package as well as the bank bail-outs and foreclosure forgiveness. I believe that the Lord is still at work. Stand firm through the storm. Hold fast to what you know to be true. The money still says it all: In God We Trust.

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