Who or What is on Your Prayer List?

Matthew 6:32-34, "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (NKJV)

The people that know me understand that I am a man who believes in the power of prayer and that I am a person committed to prayer. In my opinion, prayer is an "under-used" tool in the Christian's spiritual tool box.  But I am also recognize that God is calling forth a spiritual army that is reconnecting with the importance and prominence of prayer. 

Prayer will reconnect us God which will then lead us into living a life that is pleasing to God. We have to be careful and not just pray to get "things" from God. Yes, God is a God of generosity, care and concern for His children. But He is also a God of relationship. I believe that God is calling us to draw near to Him and in doing so we will find our needs met through the awesome power that God possesses. 

Jesus reminds us that our Heavenly Father is aware of all that we have need of in our lives. I fully believe that God knows us better than we know ourselves. Let me remind you of the words that Jesus spoke as we review this passage in Matthew. Jesus issues a challenge and call to His children; "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." Do those specific words grab your attention? Jesus is revealing to us the plan of God when it comes to prayer. We are to seek His Kingdom first then all the things that we need shall be added to our lives.

I am concerned about some of our modern day praying. Yes, we are make our requests known to God. Yes, we are cast our cares on Him. Yes, we are to bring our heavy burdens to the Lord and yes, He will provide the rest that we need. BUT, we are also told to seek the Kingdom of God. 

Can you imagine the power and presence of God that would be released in the church if every believer accepted this mandate of God and chose to follow His commands regarding our prayer life? I would like to encourage you to spend a significant portion of your prayer time seeking God. Is it possible that we come to our prayer time burdened with so many needs that we are overwhelmed and so we spend very little time talking to God about our relationship with Him? 

We can change this by taking a simple action. Let us come focused and committed to spending time drawing closer to God. Is it possible that type of praying may hold the key to our needs and the needs of others being met? I encourage you to make this adjustment for a period of time and see if there is any difference in your life!!

Thoughts on Thursday

Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," (NKJV)

My heart was challenged last night as I sat and listened to our Student Ministries Pastor challenge our 2016 High School graduates concerning their future decisions of life. The challenge was being issued to them but many of the other adults as well as young people who were sitting in that room had to be inspired as we listened to the presentation of the Word of God. I would like to take a moment and summarize what I felt the Lord place in my heart. These thoughts were resonating in my heart as I awoke this morning and they were confirmed to me as I prayed this morning.

Pastor John opened his discourse by reminding us of a graduation speech that Winston Churchill had shared at Oxford University in England. This great leader of Great Britain had been asked to inspire and challenge the graduating class. The crowd undoubtedly was awaiting a major address from this powerful leader as well as a riveting speaker. He stepped to the podium and removed his cigar from his mouth, removed his hat and placed his cane near the podium. I can sense the anticipation of the crowd as they are awaiting the words from this very famous statesman from Great Britain. He opens with this declaration, "Never give up." He pauses for a few moments and then declares these words, "Never give up." He may have declared these words once more, "Never give up." He then pauses for a moment and then picks up his cigar, his hat and his cane and walks out of the building. Those words, "Never give up" was the "speech" that he shared with the graduating class of Oxford University. 

Has it ever crossed your mind to give up when you have faced certain challenges in your life? Have you ever said these words to yourself, "What's the use? I am a failure. I might as well as quit." Many of us have probably declared those words either out loud or at least in the privacy of our minds. We were discouraged at that moment and our hopes and dreams seemed to be disappearing right before our eyes. 

But our resolve to live a life that was pleasing to God began to provide the strength and courage that we needed to continue our journey of life. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that we have a race to run. No one else can run our race. No one else can finish our course. No one else can have courage, boldness and passion for us. We have to be willing to run with endurance, persistence, tenacity, commitment and dedication. But I believe that God will provide the strength that each of us need if we will be willing to trust in Him and also be willing to follow His guidance.

Let me close with these words, "NEVER GIVE UP." This plan has worked before and it will work again!!

Presence of God

Exodus 33:13-15, "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." (NKJV)

This passage of scripture keeps resonating in my heart during prayer time over the past several days. This passage is one that God is reminding me about on a personal level but I also feel that it is worthy of your consideration. We certainly need the presence of God in our daily lives as we travel the road of life.

We are living in a very "unique" time to say the least. It seems that when you think that you have heard or seen it all something new and different appears on the horizon. I may not be able to stop those things from happening but I can make sure that I respond in the correct manner. After all, I can only answer for myself regarding my personal relationship with God. I fully understand that I have "ministerial responsibilities" and I will give an account of my activity in that area of my life. But each of us as individuals will be called on to answer for our individual life and give an account of our responses to the daily challenges that we face.

Moses was facing a call to follow God's direction and guidance in his life. His obedience would not only affect his personal life but it would also have an effect on the lives of Israel. Your personal decisions do have an effect on those people that are connected with you. Moses knew that his successful journey depended on the presence of God accompanying him and the people on their future journey. 

Let us notice the conclusion that Moses reached and he boldly shared his conclusion with God. Verse 15 reveals this conclusion to us and Moses proceeds to make this courageous declaration. "Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." Moses realized that His life was dependent on the presence of God to direct His steps. 

What are we depending on today? Are we depending on the fickleness of people? Are we depending on the weakness of the flesh? Are we depending on our abilities, talents, or skills? I WANT TO DEPEND ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD TO LEAD ME IN THE RIGHT WAY!!!

Memorial Day

Our local congregation is blessed to have several men and women who have served in the Armed Forces at some point in their lives. We are also blessed to have several of these individuals who retired from the Armed Forces after a distinguished and honorable career in the military. I offer my personal thanks and honor to each of these men and women today.

I encourage you to make sure this "holiday" is more than just a holiday. This is a day in which we need to remember that "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE." We need to remember that there has been and continues to be a great price being paid so that we can enjoy our freedom in America. Today can become a day of teaching for the children and youth of our nation. We have the awesome privilege to lead them into looking a little closer into the pages of history and realize that many honorable, brave and patriotic Americans have served their nation in the Armed Forces. 

I would encourage you to focus your prayers on these special requests today. 1) Pray for the families of those soldiers or the support staff of those soldiers who gave their lives serving their nation. The families deserve our prayers and our thanks for the service their family member offered to our nation. 2) Let us pray for those brave men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces at this present time. Them and their families deserve our prayer covering and support today. It is still very dangerous to be an American soldier in the midst of this present political configuration of our world. 3) Let us remember to pray for our governmental leaders who are making the decisions concerning the future of our nation. We truly need the direction and guidance of God.

I have two final requests. Be sure and offer your thanks to those men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces. You may have the privilege and honor to cross paths with one of these brave men and women today. I would ask you to extend that same honor and respect to those brave men and women who have served in the Armed Forces at some point in their lives. 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Memorial Day Weekend Reminder

Romans 13:7, "Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due,customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. (NKJV) (Emphasis Added)

Today begins a weekend that we reference as Memorial Day weekend. This time of remembrance was actually instituted by a group of Mothers who felt that the lives of their sons who had died in the Civil War were not being remembered and recognized. They set out on a mission to change that prevalent attitude. They not only cleaned up and decorated the graves of their sons but the graves of the other soldiers. This act of kindness and remembrance included the graves of those who had fought on the side of the enemies of their sons. Memorial Day became an official Federal Holiday in 1971.

This post is being written with a far deeper desire than to just bring a list of facts and figures to your attention. You can do your own personal research if that is what you interests you. My concern is a far deeper one that just facts. Let me preface my remarks by reminding you that my Dad was a WWII veteran. My Dad served in Company B of the 347th Infantry, in the 87th Infantry Division of Patton's 3rd Army. He received several battlefield awards, metals and recognition. His unit saw action at some of the major battles in the European theater of action. He passed away on March 31, 2016 at the age of 90. Needless to say that I was proud of my Dad when he was alive and now I feel even more pride as I celebrate the fact that he has passed on to his eternal reward. He was not only a soldier in the 3rd Army of the United States of America but he was also a faithful solider in the "Army of the Lord Jesus Christ" where he also served as a Minister with distinction and faithfulness.

But this post is not just about my Dad but it is about the fact that we need to follow the words that the Apostle spoke about in Romans 13. We need to show honor to those who deserve the honor. Is it possible that we have taken this time of remembrance and just turned it into a three (3) day weekend?  Americans have become a group of people that are excited about entertainment; we are excited about recreation; and we are excited about rest and relaxation. But in many cases we have very little time for remembering the right things and remembering that there have been soldiers who paid the ultimate price of service (death) so that we could enjoy all of the above mentioned social events. This weekend will be one of sadness for many families who have gone through the tragedy of losing a loved one on the battlefield or losing them as a result of injuries on the battlefield. WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO FORGET THESE VALIANT MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ARMED FORCES!!!

Let us not forget those veterans who have brought home either physical or physiological injuries. The VA hospital as well as other hospitals are full of many soldiers who are fighting another war either in their mind or their body. It is possible that they will carry these "scars" the remainder of their days on earth. My Dad did not suffer a "wound" during his time of service yet he carried "scars" (both physical as well as emotional) with him until the final day of his life. I am not wanting to sound like a "righteous right wing extremist" in this post but I did feel that I needed to speak out for those who may not have a venue to speak for themselves. Taking a day off from work is fine. Eating a great meal with family/friends is a great idea. Going to church on Sunday is a wonderful idea (I couldn't resist saying that). 

BUT DON'T FORGET TO REMEMBER THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FOUGHT AND DIED SO THAT WE COULD ENJOY THE ABOVE MENTIONED ACTIVITIES. DON'T FORGET THOSE WHO ARE SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES AT THIS PRESENT TIME. OFFER YOUR THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THEM. AND DON'T FORGET THOSE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ALSO SERVE OUR NATION ON A DAILY BASIS.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

Thoughts on Thursday

I am sure that many of you who read this blog understand the fact that we are facing "unique" times to say the least. My previous words are probably an understatement as we listen to the daily news casts that review the decisions and actions of the previous day. But I also understand and believe that the Grace of God is actively at work in the lives of those individuals who choose to follow Christ.

I see this day as a day in which we are being called on to make the correct life decisions that will arise in our lives. Some people may be asking themselves this question, "Will I have the strength and courage to make the correct decisions that I will face?" We will not have the needed strength if we rely on our strength BUT I believe that we will have the needed strength if we rely on the strength of God. He will provide what we need when we need it if we will learn to trust in Him and if we will learn to commit ourselves to Him.

We have been offering a Bible Study series on the Book of Daniel. The teacher of the class reminded the class of some of her observations of Daniel and his relationship with God. We may remember Daniel's challenge with the den of lions and we may even remember some of the dreams/visions that appeared to Daniel. But here are some thoughts that Sis. Barbara shared with us as we sought to learn about the inner workings of Daniel's relationship with God.

Three (3) powerful messages in Daniel:

  1) God blesses adversity

  2) God rewards faithfulness

  3) God disciplines nations

Four (4) basic principles in Daniel's life:

  1) Purpose (Daniel 1:8)

  2) Prayer (His prayer life was challenged by the new law that was put in place.)

  3) Perception (Daniel saw, heard and understood)

  4) Power (Daniel chapter 2, Daniel was placed in leadership above all of the wise men of the       nation.)

Each of us must allow God to develop our spiritual life in such a way that we will reach our full potential in Christ!!

Wednesday's Inspiration

I was awakened with a song in my heart this morning. We sang this song at church for a period of time; it ministered to me at that time and it is ministering to me this morning even as I am typing these words. The song is "Counting on God" and I am familiar with the Phillips, Craig and Dean rendition. I would like to share a portion of the words of the song with you today. I sensed in my heart during prayer that someone would read this blog today who is facing some unusual challenges in your life. These "challenges" are beyond your power or ability and you are "counting on God" to come through for you. I want to encourage your faith today and remind you to place your confidence in God. Yes, we are involved in a war but it is not one in which we can win unless we depend on the power of God to move us through the challenges we are facing. But we must also realize the promise of God that is revealed in 1 John 4:4, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (NKJV)

"Counting On God"

I'm in a fight not physical
I'm in a war but not of this world
You are the light that's beautiful
I want more I want all that's Yours

[Chorus:]
Joy unspeakable that won't go away
Just enough strenght to live for the day
So I never have to worry what tomorrow will bring
'Cause my faith's on solid rock and I'm counting on God
I am counting on I am counting on God
I am counting on I am counting on God
I am counting on I am counting on God
I am counting on I am counting on God

The miracle of Christ is in me
The mystery that sets me free
I'm nothing like I used to be
Just open up your eyes
You'll see 

Let me declare this one more time, "I AM COUNTING ON GOD!!" 

I encourage you to make that same declaration today!!!