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The Lord’s Prayer

women kneeing in prayer

Recently I had the honor of sharing with a group of women.  As I prayed each day prior to the day, the Lord began to speak to me about giving them insight to the Lord’s Prayer as given in Matthew 6:9-13.  I felt the Holy Spirit say give them a new meaning, one they can use when journeying deeper in their relationship with Me.  I call this a Jesus Habit. Prayer and studying God’s Word are a true level of connecting with Him in an intimate way.  It’s important to attend church or a Bible study to gain insight from others, however, your quiet personal time with God will bring new meaning to your relationship with Him.

Read Matthew 6:9-13, take note of my comments and write ones of your own as God speaks to you.  There is meat in these scriptures.  Use this as a guide in your daily prayer time.  I would like to say, don’t let others or the devil make you feel as if you have failed if you do not hold to a specific time of day or a hard rule of when and where to seek God.  He is always with you.  So whenever and wherever works! The point is just do it!

One more thing, get a Bible! Don’t relay on your phone, tablet or iPad, even a computer.  There is nothing better than the written Word in a tangible printed way.  Write in the margins, add pages using some of the new techniques used by art journalers. Let your Bible express your love for Jesus.  As your relationship matures your Bible will reflect that relationship, or provide a history of your journey, no electonic device can show your love better.

v6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” 

Intimate, private relationship with God – praying and studying His Holy Word alone grows your relationship with Him.  Empty platitudes spoken in public prove  nothing but expose your pride.

v7-8 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” 

Do not be meaningless, repetitive, God knows your mind and heart’s motive. He knows before we ask so be honest. Come surrendered and humbled, lay yourself open before your Lord.

v9 “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” 

Recognize His Authority, Who He is, the great I AM. Then declare His  Holiness… Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord for the whole earth is filled with His Glory.  Isaiah 6:3

v10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” 

Acknowledge the need for God, and the need for all people to know Him, we have a responsibility in representing Him to the world through our life and in spreading the Gospel with those we encounter.

v11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”

We are depend, so make our-self dependent on God for all things.  Acknowledge that only God can give you what you need…physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Matthew 6:33 says “seek Him first, His Kingdom and His righteousness and you will receive all you need.” 

v12 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

God forgives us of our (debts) sin, through this we have an example of forgiveness for those who hurt or sin against us.  We cannot claim God’s forgiveness if we harbor anger and unforgiveness towards  others.  Ask God to continually and daily to reveal any bitterness we may hold in our heart.

v13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the   kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” 

God does not tempt us with evil,  James 1:13 says “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.“ Ask God to guide you and give you discernment.  God will deliver you from evil when we stand in God’s strength and authority based in His Word.  James 4:7  tells us to “Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.”  Finally have confidence in God,  I Corinthians 10:13  confirms God is there for us, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 

This afternoon of sharing turn into an amazing day of lives changed through God’s Word.  I am but his empty vessel, set on a course of sharing truth, and the life changing experience found in living and serving the one truth God…Jesus Christ!

Be Blessed,

Laurie

 

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Light Bulbs, Turkeys and Atheists

coffee cup and Bibleby Cy Ricker

Over the past couple of days I’ve been thinking about a variety of things.   John chapter 8 gives account of Jesus challenging the Pharisees about casting stones at a woman found to be in sin.  Then in John chapter 10 we see how the thief comes to steal, kill, & destroy. This morning at city life church a friend of mine pointed something out to me about this particular passage. Our thoughts on this passage have always been directed towards the devil, being the thief Jesus is talking about. But at a closer glance, I see that Jesus could be speaking about the Pharisees being the thieves here as well as He did in chapter 8.

How often do our actions and words contribute to the death of something we don’t understand or agree with. There is, after all, life and death in our tongues.

Last week I mentioned seeing turkeys and that God had shown me something through that experience. The simple version is that everywhere I’ve been people are the same. We are all alike. As Christian people we want everyone to experience God the way we do. The reality is this, not everyone will experience God the same way.

This has been a blister with believers for a very very long time. It’s such a bitter-sweet spot. Some experience the fullness of God through worship, while others experience Him through a Word, while others experience Him through both. Some experience His healing through confession while others experience it through silence. Some want the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven while others say His Kingdom is already here.

The commonality I find with almost every personal subjective view is this…All believers want to see people set free. To see people saved.

I think the enemy gets great pleasure out of watching Christian people argue over how a person is saved or how their walk should look.  I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my past as a believer. Sometimes the mistakes have been because I spoke too soon and other times it’s been because I didn’t speak at all.

This morning Pastor John at neighborhood fellowship/city life church spoke about how he once defended the Gospel to someone in his Bible study who didn’t quite see things the way he did. Through the experience he found that Holy Spirit was a much better defender of truth than he had given Him credit for.

At Pentecost all the people were in one accord. Shortly thereafter things were scattered out again so the gospel could reach the ends of the earth. God is still looking for people who want the same thing, for the lost to be found, and the found to be in unity.

My message to everyone from now on is simple…once we get a hold of the love of God and the kind of love He has for us, nothing else matters because our existence is supposed exude or display that very same thing or love towards each other.

In no way shape or form do I want to perform like a Pharisee. Even though my actions don’t and won’t affect the sanctification Jesus has given me, I want to act in a way that’s pleasing to Him.

Some of my thoughts might seem a little scattered out throughout this post, but the one thing we have to get out of this life is that Jesus goes to great lengths to meet each individual person where they are to draw them into a deep and rich relationship with Him. We can’t limit or criticize how that’s accomplished.

Brother Cy pastored a Cowboy Church in Kansas and is currently evangelizing in the Midwest by bringing speakers together to minister at revivals.  You can read more and follow him on Facebook at Chainbreakers Alive https://www.facebook.com/groups/1266878356715062/permalink/1401767416559488/

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I AM DEVOTIONAL – Part 2 Our Enemies Along Our Christian Journey

The world is the second enemy because it has a tendency to lead us into sin…

This is going to sound harsh, unfortunately truth isn’t always easy. The world uses our everyday contact with family, friends, pleasures, lifestyle, and goals to blur our focus making us vulnerable sin.

When we accept Christ as our Savior we initially feel excited to spend time in our Bibles, listen to Christian music, openly sharing our love for Jesus. We are full of hope, looking to please God with our every decision in daily life. We reach a point within our thoughts… “What would Christ think about our amusements, recreation, books, social media, movie and television choices?” “Could I ask Christ to go along with me watch this movie?” The point is, should you? So the pressure is on our desire to grow in our relationship with Jesus is met with the “real world reality” the world we live in is the devil’s playground and it will take the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to help us stay the course. Many non-Christians have accused the Christian life as being a set of rules, taboos, vetoes, and prohibitions. This is another lie of the devil. It is not a series of “don’ts,” but a series of “dos.”

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” 1 John 2:15

Our goal should be as our love for Christ grows our life should become so busy in the work of Christ and so completely satisfied with the things of Christ that we do not have time for the things of the world. Our love will attract those round us bearing fruit full of lives changed through Christ in us.

We need to let the Bible be our weapon against those or things that would tempt and distract us, in God’s word truth for any situation is found. The Bible needs to be seen as an instruction for life on earth manual. We must be careful with our attitude…remember being a Christian doesn’t make us any better than the person next to us.  Instead with humility be friendly, courteous and gracious being careful to not allow the world to pull us down to its level. Today there are so many professing Christians who are walking hand in hand with the world making it difficult to tell the difference between the Christian and the unbeliever.

My devotional with a little help from Billy Graham.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2

Be Blessed,  Laurie

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Love God, Not Money

Scripture:  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Timothy 6:10 NIV

Observation:  The conventional usage of this bit of scripture states, “money is the root if all evil.”  This is a misstatement of the real scripture. It is the “love” of money that is the root of all evil.  I believe that the scripture is actually stating that elevating money to god status is the evil. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 NIV  God is love!  If a person loves money, their god is money and that is evil.

Application:  We must realize that money is a tool and it can be used for good or for evil. Money must be kept in its proper place and viewed in the proper perspective. Love God by using your money to further his kingdom.

Prayer:  Father, it’s been a while since I  wrote of you or of your word. I’m sorry. Help me to focus on you in my daily reading and help me to remember today’s truth. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Doug

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Thank You Lord

Scripture: He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the lord.  Proverbs 18:22 NIV

Observation: This proverb says it clearly. I can’t add to or take away from it.

Application: I must understand and appreciate the wife that God has given me. I sure don’t deserve her. One more evidence to me that God loves me unconditionally.

Prayer: Father,  thank you for giving me Laurie. Help me to be worthy of her. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Doug

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Help Me to Know

Scripture: If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:23 NIV

Observation: I remember having this piece of scripture given to me before. It must mean that God really wants me to understand this truth. It’s pretty powerful and comes with a lot of responsibility. Through the power of the Spirit, we can or cannot forgive sin.

Application: I’m not sure how to apply this truth. I know that it’s not to be taken lightly. If anyone can help me with this I’d appreciate it.

Prayer: Father, help me to know. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Doug

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Consider Others First

Scripture: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves…” Philippians 2:3 NIV

Observation: Consider the welfare of others more important than your own welfare.

Application: The observation is the application. We must consider others before ourselves.

Prayer: Father, help me to consider others first. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Doug

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Rituals of Religion

Scripture: Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”  But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. John 9:16 NIV

Observation: This passage made it clear to me that some people love the created more than the Creator. In this case the created being the rituals of religion. What does God want, clean hands from proper washing procedures or pure hearts from truly changed lives? I know the answer. The writer aineo from my notes section wrote “Which Are You?”, it makes the point perfectly.
“This made me think of how religious we are sometimes. Ask yourself, if some out of town strangers in an old beat up car were in a bad accident in front of your church right before the service, would your church members dirty up their clothes to help? Would the service be postponed or canceled in order to help those in need? There are all kinds of scenarios that could be painted, but the ultimate question is the same – are you someone that loves people, or are you religious like the Pharisees?”

Application: We need to examine our hearts and know that we are where God wants us to be.

Prayer: Father, help me to know that I am where I should be according to your will. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen

Doug

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Bring Honor, Not Shame

Scripture: May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O Lord.  Psalm 69:6 NIV

Observation: The Psalmist is crying to the Lord to not be the cause of disgrace for him or other believers.

Application: That is my prayer, to not be the cause of disgrace for God or his church.  I owe it to my God, my wife, my children, my church and my coworkers to be consistent in my words and my actions.  If I fail that I bring shame upon myself for hypocrisy.  That hypocrisy is transferred to all believers; the church is harmed and God’s commission is stymied.  We have seen in the recent past how the sins of Christians, specifically famous church leaders, has translated into a “Christ-bashing fest.”  I can think of no greater insult to the Lord than to bring shame upon him and his church because of my sin. I pray that I never bring shame to either the Lord or fellow believers.

Prayer: Father, help me to live out the truth that I proclaim. Don’t let me ever be the cause of shame for you or the church. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

Doug

 

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Don’t Cause Others to Fall

Scripture: Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” Acts 15:5 NIV
Scripture: He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? Acts 15:9,10 NIV

Observation: Paul and Barnabas discuss with the Jewish leaders whether or not the Gentiles should be required to be circumcised. It is decided that by requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised they would be demanding them to fulfill a need that they, themselves, could not uphold.

Application: This is an interesting set of passages when read with Acts 16:3, “Paul wanted to take him (Timothy) along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” Acts 16:3 NIV Why? Why would Paul argue against circumcision in Acts 15 and then circumcise Timothy before they left on their missionary journey? I believe that he did it so that the uncircumcised Timothy wouldn’t be a “stumbling block” to the very people to whom they were going to minister. Certainly circumcision isn’t necessary for salvation but I really don’t think that circumcision was even the issue to Paul. The issue was winning souls. If the fact that Timothy wasn’t circumcised was going to close the ears of those to whom Paul was going to minister–then Timothy was going to be circumcised. We should learn from Paul. Our actions and inactions can and will affect people. We must take care to guard our speech, control our emotions and attitude, and be careful with our choices. We must care that what we think, say, and do can hinder our witness to others. Otherwise, we will become a “stumbling block.”

Prayer: Lord, don’t allow me to be a “stumbling block” to others. I know that my behavior and what I say can harm my witness to others. Amen

Doug