Enter...

Struck this morning by a simple truth.. Read Psalm 100 to begin my quiet time..

Verse 4 Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with Praise

Spirit brought to my mind Heb. 4:16.. let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence...

When we approach God.. come into His presence.. it must be with Thanksgiving and Praise if we are to be confident in the asking. We don't run in whining, asking, questioning or demanding.. we go in acknowledging WHO He is and What he has done... it is what humbles us .. which leads to surrendering our conceived control and trusting His Sovereignty.  True Thanksgiving and Praise requires a Humble heart... they are the heart of Worship.

Romans 12:12

NIV -- Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

ESV -- Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

HCSB -- Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer

NET -- Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer

NASB -- Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer

AMP -- Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer

MSG -- Cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times, pray all the harder.

KJV -- Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant prayer

Let's look at these 3 exhortations..

First.. Be joyful in hope

Rejoice .. being joyful.. cheerfully.. expectant in HOPE

The Greek word used here means rejoice, joy, joyfully, be glad, hail

Hope -- faith, hope BUT from a root word that mean to anticipate (usually with pleasure).. expectation, confidence

So I am to be full of joyful anticipation and confidence in my faith and hope which is Jesus Christ!

Next... Be patient in affliction

Patient in.. enduring... persevering... steadfast .. in affliction, suffering , tribulation

hupomeno (Greek) -- to stay under, remain, bear, have fortitude, endure, abide, take patiently.

Tribulation -- from root which means pressure, affliction, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble

So I am to be patient.. endure.. stay under.. bear.. remain in.. have fortitude in.. abide while I an in tribulation, trouble, affliction, anguish, burdened or pressured.

Abide.. I don't think we are to abide IN the suffering or tribulation but to abide while going through it.

John 15 is all about abiding.. remaining.. in HIM.. Only way we bear fruit is to abide in Him and we are called to bear fruit no matter the circumstances.

So our hope is in Him.. our abiding in Him...

and lastly... Be faithful in prayer

Continuing instant.. be faithful.. constant.. persistent.. devoted in prayer

"continue instant" is a phrase foreign to me.. even though I was reared with the King James Version of the Bible.  It means to be earnest towards, to persevere, be constantly diligent, to adhere closely, attend continually, wait on.

So I am to be earnest toward, persevere in, be constantly diligent, adhere closely to, attend continually to, wait in prayer... and again,  we find Jesus.. for our prayers are to be asked in His name!

These verses go hand in hand with 1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I love that the underlying current which allows me to do these things.. to rejoice.. be patient.. be faithful.. is JESUS.. my hope in Him.. sharing in His affliction.. staying connected to Him with prayer. It is all about Jesus and our relationship with Him!

Whatever

This quote from Wesley L. Duewel's book Mighty Prevailing Prayer continues to roll around my mind...


"Whatever gets you too busy for prayer time, whatever distracts you from holy prevailing, whatever robs you of hunger for God, for souls, and for time for prayer warfare is a hindrance to God and His kingdom. You cannot afford it." 


Whatever...


There is a verse in the Bible many call the Whatever verse. 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, 

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil. 4:8

It ties in with the thought from Duewel. If we are focusing on the Phil. 4:8 Whatevers, we will not get too busy for prayer.. we will hunger for God.. because if we are focusing on these Whatevers, we are focusing on Him and His truths.


The next verse in Phil 4 strengthens Duewel's thought also... 

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. 

And the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:9

When we are in the Word... seeking, studying.. getting to know Jesus, we will see what He does.. He seeks the Father, He prays, He trusts God etc. and when we do what He did... when we put it into practice, we will be in prayer, hungering for God, participating in prayer warfare ...


As God has shown me over and over and over and over... it is about Him.. being in His Word and in Prayer with Him!

A One.. Two Punch

Catching up on my reading in the Daily Walk Bible today. This verse really grabbed me... 2 Kings. 17:41 "Even while these people were worshipping the Lord, they were serving their idols.  To this day their children and grandchildren do as their fathers did."  


WHOA!  Who or what am I serving today?  Work, money, media, computer, me (selfishness), food, laziness... the list in endless! 


And a reminder that what I do today affects the generations to come. What kind of legacy am I leaving?


Then I opened up the book Mighty Prevailing Prayer by Wesley L. Duewel and read this....


"Whatever gets you too busy for prayer time, whatever distracts you from holy prevailing, whatever robs you of hunger for God, for souls, and for time for prayer warfare is a hindrance to God and His kingdom. You cannot afford it." 


Again WHOA!  Obviously the Lord is telling me something here. Time for some soul searching... by the Holy Spirit! 

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

See if there is any offensive way in me,   

 and lead me in the way everlasting.  Ps. 139:23-24

Persistant Prayer

"When we determine to pray with passionate persistence -- with a refusal to quit despite discouragement, despite how things look to us -- God will reward those prayers with His just and timely response." -- Janet Holm McHenry (from the book Prayer Walk)

Pray Continually

Pray Continually 1 Thess. 5:17 NIV

NASB:  Pray without Ceasing

NLT:  Never Stop Praying

AMP:  Be unceasing in prayer - pray perseveringly

Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told this parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up

Deut. 4:7b The Lord our God is near us whenever we pray for Him

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work."  -- Oswald Chambers

Wherever....

"Wherever God has dumped you down in circumstances pray." -- Oswald Chambers

Choose the better thing....

This morning I was reading in Acts 6.  I didn't get far before the Lord stopped me. The beginning of this chapter deals with setting up church leadership... but there is a phrase in verse 4 that jumped out at me and applies even not only to church leadership, but also to our day to day lives.

"give attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word."

Isn't this what the Lord wants each of us to do? To give attention... make time... priority time... to pray and be in the Word and pour the Word into others?

I am busy... as most everyone of you are too... and if I am not careful, the busyness of my life takes over and causes me to either not give attention to prayer and the Word or to do so rapidly as if to get it done and off my to-do list for the day... a task, not a delight.  As I pondered this phrase, I was taken back to a familiar story in Luke 10. Jesus has come to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  Martha is rushing about making sure everything is done... not bad things.. things that need to be dealt with, but that don't have to take priority right then.... they will still be there to do once Jesus has left the house.  Mary, on the other hand, has stopped all her activity and is sitting at the feet of Jesus taking in all He says (Luke 10:39).  Martha continues to work and work and get more frazzled as she has a pity party in her mind about all she is doing and all Mary is not.  She decides to make Jesus aware of the injustice of the situation, but is, no doubt, taken back by His reply:

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42)

Today, I want to choose what is better... I want to give attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.  I pray to have ears that hear and a heart that responds to whatever the Lord calls me to.  I want to be a sheep that knows the Shepherd's voice and responds when He calls.

What will you choose today?

Praying for our Nation

Today is a called National Day of Prayer for our nation... but truly every day is a day of prayer! I encourage you to pray for the US and our leaders today. If you church or area has a special service try your best to attend. 
My church is open today for folks to come and pray. While I was there earlier, God really convicted me about a sin in my life.... not praying for our leaders... He calls us to do that in His Word... 1 Timothy 2:1-4 says : I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
I have been seeing bumper stickers for the past few days that say FIRE PELOSI... while praying God brought those to mind and then as quickly as I saw it, He said "It should say PRAY for PELOSI" WOW! We are quick to pop a bumper sticker on our car... to make a comment about our leaders and the "dumb" things they do... but do we pray for them? While I do not have personal knowledge of Nancy Pelosi's heart, I feel safe saying she is probably not a believer. That should burden me for her. I should fall on my face daily interceding for her and her salvation because whether or not I like her personality... disagree with her on most (if not all) issues... etc. God created her... God has a PLAN for her... God loves her... God wants her to come to be saved and as a Christ-Follower it is my duty... my responsibility to seek HIS WILL and to pray for it.

This is true not only of Nancy Pelosi but of other leaders on all levels... we cannot blame the lost for the shape of this world... 2 Chr. 7:14 lays it at our feet If MY people will HUMBLE themselves and Pray and TURN from THEIR wicked ways... When we pray for our leaders instead of making jokes and snide remarks, we are humbling ourselves before God and His authority and trusting Him because HE place them in those positions.

I, for one, am seeking to pray more and complain less when it comes to our nation...

Time....

Stumbled across this today in an article I was reading on prayer and thought it was good... something to we all need to consider....

The question deals with finding time to pray...

Q. How do you find the time?

A. Time isn't found. It's chosen. We all get the same 24 hours a day. No one is too busy. They just busy themselves with different things by their choice. That's the tough news. From the Gospel accounts, Jesus appears to have regularly withdrawn for whole evenings of prayers. Do you think that you are busier than Jesus? I doubt it, so if He had the time, then you should be able to have the time. (from http://thepracticaldisciple.com/ )

Ouch? Yep.. Ouch! Like it or not we make time for the things we want to do and that we deem important. I am praying God moves in our hearts so that we see what is truly the most important.. that we will be like Mary and choose the better thing.. that we will seek first the Kingdom.

Week.... Weak...

A friend recently shared that she saw a sign that said something like "One week without God makes one weak." Cute play on words and very true statement. We need God... we need to meet with Him.. daily.. sometimes hourly, depending on our current circumstance. We need to meet with other believers for fellowship, encouragement, support, and accountability. We need to be in the Word daily and be putting it in us for those moments when we don't have Bible readily available (which is often when the enemy strikes).

If you have been away from God whether for a week or many, many weeks, the great news is He is right there ready to welcome you back with open arms. He wants to spend time with you... all it takes is your willingness to give up some personal time (computer, television, reading, sports, gaming, etc.) to spend with Him. It might be tough at first, but each day it gets easier and easier. I encourage you to spend time in the Word and in Prayer daily... meeting with God. And I encourage you to be connected to and involved with a local church for fellowship. I spent some time away from church. I did not realize how much I was missing until I allowed God to draw me back into a fellowship. We need that....Believers are not meant to fly solo!

Give God your weakness and your week! He will do amazing things with them!

Psalm 65 - 67

written Nov. 21, 2008

Psalm 65 & 66 are Psalms of praise... each talk of the greatness of God and tell of things He has done.

65:3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions

65:5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas

Verses 6 -11 of Psalm 65 paint a picture of Creator God and show how He is still seen in His creation.

65:6 formed the mountains by Your power

65:8 when morning darns and evening fades, You call forth songs of joy

65:11 You crown the year with Your bounty 

66:1-2 Shout with joy to God all the earth, sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious!

66:4 All the earth bows down to You, they sing praise to you, they sing praise to Your name

66:6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the water on foot

66:7 He rules forever by His power

66:9 He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping

66:12 we went through the fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance

Psalm 66 ends with an important truth:

v. 18-20 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayers or withheld His love from me!

Sin get in the way.. it is like a wall between us and God.. it hinders our prayers and, therefore, our relationship with Him.  We must confess our sins and repent... not cherish our sins and hold on to them... live in them.  God hears our prayers of repentance and He forgive.. He wants to keep sin from straining our relationship with Him.

Psalm 67 begins with a blessing for us and goes into our blessing God and then returns to God blessing us.  It is a short, but powerful Psalm... a great one to pray.

Psalm 44 - 48

Written October 28, 2008

Psalm 44 is interesting.  The Psalmist starts out talking of knowing all God has don in the past for his forefathers.  And he talks of trusting in the Lord and even of boasting in God… v. 8 “In God we make our boast all day long.”

This reminds me of 1 Cor. 1:31 “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” And Gal. 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.”

But this loving tone changes in verse 9.  The Psalmist is in distress and he feels God has let all this come upon them for no valid reason.  He ends the Psalm with a cry for help… v. 26 “Rise up and help us; redeem us because of Your unfailing love.”

Now I know God had a plan during that part of the Psalmist’s life… just as I know He has a plan for all of my life.  He does not desert us, but there are times we feel that way and times we feel unjustly treated.  This Psalm shows us those times will come and it reminds us where to go when they do.

My Bible notes say that Psalm 45 is a wedding song.  It is most definitely a song which praises a king… I assume the groom.

Psalm 46 is wonderful!

Verse 1 “God is our refuge and strength on ever present help in trouble.”

What a promise!

Verse 2 follows with “therefore we will not fear though….”

That is, for me, a full in the blank verse.  I can remind myself that God is my refuge and strength – He is my ever-present help in times of trouble and I will not fear even though ___________..... even though the diagnosis is grim.. even though the money is tight… even though the task is hard…. Etc.  This verse covers it all!

And we are reminded in verse 7 “the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Ps. 46:10 is a well known verse, but one we seldom put into practice – “Be still and know that I am God.”

I think it ties in beautifully with verses 1 & 2… God, You are my refuge and strength… You are my ever-present help in times of trouble!  I will not fear even though __________, but instead I choose to be still and know You are God.

I found a song lyric in Psalm 47 in verses 1 & 2 “Clap your hands all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  How awesome is the Lord Most High.”

Psalm 48 is a psalm of praise.  Verse 1 “Great s the Lord and most worthy of praise” and it ends with a wonderful promise… verse 14 “For this God is our God forever and ever, he will be our guide even to the end.”

Psalm 24 & 25

from September 16, 2008

Psalm 24 is a psalm of praise and a wonderful segueway into Psalm 25. In Psalm 24, David declares that everything belongs to the Lord -- the Lord who is the King of glory, mighty in battle, the Lord Almighty. And then in Psalm 25 verse 1 he states:

"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I trust, O my God."

David trusts the Lord of Psalm 24.

There are a number of verses in these 2 Psalms that are great to pray...

Ps. 24:3-6 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

Father, I want to ascend Your hill... I want to stand in Your holy place. Give me clean hands... give me a pure heart... help me to not lift up my soul to an idol... help me tear down the idols in my life already. I want Your blessing, Lord. May I be one who seeks Your face, O God of Jacob, may all those living on earth seek Your face.

Ps. 25:4-5 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Ps. 25:8-9, 11 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way... For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Lord, You are good - You are upright - Lord, instruct me, a sinner saved by grace, in Your ways. may I be humble and open to Your guidance as You guide me in what is right and teach me Your way. Thank You, Lord, for forgiveness... my sings are great and yet You forgive them.

Based on Ps. 25:12-14, 20, 21:

Lord, May I be one who fears You. Give me a sense of reverent awe at the thought of You ... who You are... what You do... Lord, for then I will move into a closer relationship with you. Instruct me in the way You have chosen for me... confide in me, Lord.. make Your covenant known to me. May my eyes ever be on You Lord. Guard my life... rescue me.. let me not be put to shame, for in You I take my refuge. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You.