Month: February 2018

Prayer – Lent Day 13

Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:– Daniel 2:27-28
Dear Father, you are the One True and Living God! There is no one or no thing that can compare to you in splendor, righteousness, and majesty. To you, Father, belongs all praise, honor, and glory. I trust you to lead my life and guide me into the understanding I need to do your will. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.

Prayer written by Phil Ware

Thoughts

We are different! God makes us male and female so we can be complements of each other. Each is made in God’s image. God’s intention is that a husband and wife find their primary human relationship with the other. They still honor their parents, but their home is with each other. Their two lives become one. In this context of lifetime security, they share in the intimate knowledge of each other sexually — becoming “one flesh.” This relationship is to be enjoyed (Proverbs 5), protected (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8), and celebrated (Song of Solomon) for life (Matthew 19:6).

0Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 

Holy and Almighty Father, please bless me with strength to live with integrity and purity in today’s sexually charged world. Please use your Spirit and your Word to instruct, correct, and convict me as I seek to discover your truth for my relationships and celebrate your will for my sexuality. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Happiness Habit: The Power of Grateful Prayers

http://rickwarren.org/devotional/english/full-post/happiness-habit-the-power-of-grateful-prayers

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace.” (Philippians 4:6-7a NLT)

Happiness Habit: The Power of Grateful Prayers

In Philippians 4:6-7 we find one of the most difficult verses in the entire Bible to obey: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace” (NLT).

It’s not easy to stop worrying about the often-scary, everyday parts of our lives, but God tells us how in the next part of the verse: “Pray about everything … and thank him for all he has done.” Grateful prayer brings peace. God says, when you start to worry, pray. 

Parents understand the power of grateful prayers. Most parents wouldn’t appreciate their children always making requests without saying “thank you” for what they’ve already received. God sees it the same way. He wants us to ask him for what we need and want. More than 20 times in the New Testament, we’re told to “ask” him. But he wants us to ask with gratefulness. 

The Bible urges us to be specific in our requests — and our praises. Instead of a simple “thank you for everything,” he wants us to tell him what we’re grateful for. When I say to my wife, “I’m so grateful for you,” she tells me to be specific. She likes to hear what I appreciate about her and what I’m grateful for about her. God does, too. So when you pray, tell God what you’re thankful for. Prayer is one of the most important ways we tell God “thank you.”

Thanking God in advance is a big step of faith. When we have the faith to thank God ahead of time, miracles happen. The more thankful we are, the more God works in our lives. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his people. He uses our thanksgiving as an instrument of power in our lives.  

So, what are you thankful for?

Talk It Over

Why do you think gratitude is so important for our spiritual lives?

Being as specific as possible, for what are you thankful to God? Spend some time in prayer thanking God for those things.

What are some ways you believe God will bless you in the future? Thank God for those things — even before they happen.

Happiness Habit: Give Thanks in All Circumstances

http://rickwarren.org/devotional/english/full-post/happiness-habit-give-thanks-in-all-circumstances

Dear Heavenly Father, God of compassion, please give me a more forgiving and sensitive heart. In addition, dear Father, please give me a faithful heart that will not stray from the pledges and vows I have made to you and to others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Prayer

Holy God, I want to thank you for looking out for my needs. So many times I ask you for what I want, not what I need. Thank you for doing what is best for me and not what I want! Now, dear Father, please help me treat the significant people in my life as gifts from you. In the name of Jesus, your ultimate gift, I pray. Amen.

Prayer

Lent – Day 3

The following prayer was taken from a devotion I receive by Rick Warren. Today’s message had to do with selecting Mr. or Mrs. Right for marriage. Here is a link to the full message. I pray that you, are you blessed by this reading. 

http://www.ourdailyjourney.org/2013/12/31/mr-right/
Almighty God, please make our words strong, our commitments lasting, and our lives faithful to the promises we make to you and to each other. Thank you for the great example of so many of your people who have had incredibly strong marriages. Bless me and my house with a legacy of faithfulness that lasts for generations to come. In addition, dear Father, please use me to bring home to you those who have been broken and disheartened in marriages that failed. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Doing what God asks regardless of how we feel.

Lent – Day 2

With so much tension, grief, sickness, disaster, and what almost seems like just plain chaos, it is even more important that we draw ourselves closer to God for our protection and for His guidance. We may not feel like talking to God sometimes, because it seems difficult to hear him through all of the chaos. However, like all things, the more we practice, the easier it becomes.  Prayer is just the start of us learning how to spend time with God, but it is the best place to start because it trains us to focus on our dialogue. Ask yourself, how is my dialogue with God? 

Below is a link to a post from March 2017. I pray that you will read it and be blessed.

http://wp.me/p4jQ4O-5d

Navigating a Life Interrupted

jonah.shirer

AWANA is a weekly program hosted by the Lake Gaston Baptist Church in Littleton, NC.  AWANA is an exciting place for children and youth to learn about God’s Word, and how to increase one’s faith.  Our blog will host discussions for the parents.  We gather every week at the church beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

JONAH

What an amazing story and lesson!  Read along with us and watch these amazing videos to be inspired to keep pushing despite what may seem like obstacles; your obstacle just may be a divine intervention from God.

All were created to serve the LORD.

Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

What is HIS purpose?

HIS PURPOSE IS GOOD!!

Fix your mind on what is good and he will reveal himself to you, and HIS will for you.  Fix your mind on what is good and make your desires to do good, acting and treating one another with a spirit of LOVE.

Today is the beginning of Lent. If you have never observed Lent, I have found it to be a good time to evaluate my habits and an opportunity to create new ones.  This year my spirit leads me to focus more on prayer.  In addition to discussing what is revealed through the reading of the book of Jonah, I will attempt to publish prayers for the days of Lent. I hope that you are blessed by it today and everyday.

I discovered a playlist on YouTube with most of the video’s from the Jonah series.  Here is the link for your enjoyment. JONAH:  Navigating a Life Interrupted

 

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly, and most gracious father, thank you for providing another season of Lent and giving us another opportunity to deepen our relationship with you and with one another.  Thank you for the many blessings that you have brought into our lives; the opportunity to live, to grow, and love, are all granted from you.  On this first day of Lent we ask that you fix our minds on you through the season in a way that will enhance us for the rest of our lives, so that we may be who you created us to be, and do as you would wish for us to do.  Please forgive us of our sins; and remove anything that would hinder us from gaining proper understanding while we seek you and your will.  We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.