Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Sixteen

 

1 Corinthians 13:5

Love is neither rude, nor selfish,

nor provoked; thinks no evil.

    To Love like Christ is to always put the other person first. Even on the cross, He wasn't thinking of Himself, for He asked God His Father to forgive the ones who had put Him there. In their unmitigated refusal to believe, categorically denying that He was The Messiah Who had been prophesied as testified by the prophets, the religious leaders, scribes and the Roman leader in that place took part in a mock trial.

     He was questioned, but gave minimal answers. He was whipped to the point where His back was in shreds. He was pummeled on His face repeatedly by the guards. His beard was pulled out of His face. A crown of thorns was forced into the top of His head, causing the blood to rush down His face and His neck. 

    A scarlet robe was thrown over His shoulders and back. And when the blood dried, they ripped the robe off of His back, which caused the newly formed scabs to open, allowing fresh blood to run down His back and His legs. 

    On that day Love ran red. The Love of God in Christ did not fight back. He raised no hands nor fists in His own defense. The Love of God in Christ did not talk back to His tormenters. He spoke nothing. The Love of God in Christ did not cry out until He was on the cross, until Life was leaving His body. 

    This is our example of how to Love like Christ when being tormented, teased, judged, condemned by the world for our faith in The Name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. 

    Say nothing. Think The Love of God in Christ. For there is no room in the body of Christ for revenge. There is no room to play tit-for-tat games. Nor is there room in this body of which we are a part of  for paybacks. There is no room for offenses; we cannot allow ourselves to be easily provoked, nor should we lose our temper and try to defend ourselves. 

    Speak forgiveness for every little offense and every major offense. Think forgiveness. Think about how much we have been forgiven. And still are being forgiven when we mess up. Because mess up we will. But even then we admit the imperfection to the one we have spoken against (if possible); admit the offense to God and ask forgiveness for it, then try not to do that again (whatever the offense may have been). 

    To Love like Christ is to think of others before yourself. When Jesus sat down at Jacob's well in Samaria, He was tired and needed to rest. But He also knew that the woman He would be speaking with needed to hear His Word and drink His water more than He needed a break and a drink. 

    This Love of God in Christ is for anyone who asks for it. Many people want to go to heaven, but not everyone wants to go through Christ Jesus. That's why we need "to be about The Father's business": telling people about the Love of Christ. That there's only one Way to get to heaven and that's through the blood of Christ which washes away all of our sins when we believe that He died for us, overcame death for us and walked into a new life for us. 

    We need to pray for each other to have more Strength in God through Christ. We need to pray for one another to have a walk so faithful and true that The Love of God in Christ is evident to those who see us, speak to us, follow us, watch us, and hear us. We need to pray that our words are sweet, our attitudes are humble, and our thoughts are focused on the beauty of God's Word. 

"Lord, help us to Love like You. Unselfishly, unconditionally; wisely and compassionately. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, Who helps us to guard our mouths and our hearts, that nothing wicked may enter our hearts and then flow out of our mouths. Lord, if we are going to speak before we think, may our minds and our thoughts always be on You, of You, that The Word given in due time may be Your Word spoken in Your Love to the ones who need to hear It. Thank You for Loving us the Way You Love us. Be our Strength to repel the fiery darts which try to get past our spiritual armor. Be glorified, Lord, by our words and our actions, that Your Name would be praised and Your kingdom increased. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Fifteen

 

1 Corinthians 13:4e

Love is not prideful.

    Finishing off this verse in 1 Corinthians is a word that rounds off the previous two words into one word: envy and boastfulness lead to pridefulness. Pridefulness is arrogance. Arrogance in the way we speak to one another, arrogance in our attitudes towards God, arrogance in the way we treat other people and the lands we live on. 

    Pridefulness is the evidence of self-righteousness, of putting one's own desires, its own lusts, above another's. It is the refusal to submit to God's Authority and Ownership of His creation: us. We did not create ourselves, nor can we uncreate ourselves. Our souls are eternal. Though our bodies die and decay, our souls either live or die eternally. 

    Love is humble. Love wears the garment of humility, choosing to reject tradition and following after godly obedience instead.

    1 Peter 5:5, 6

"Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you."

    Submission is the opposite of pride. But submission should not be given to just anyone who demands submission to them, unless we first understand what submission is. After all the word alone catches our attention and gets our emotions wound up. 

    To submit to God is to: Obey God and God's Word. It is to hear The Word of The Lord, and act upon It. It is to make one's self subject to His Authority and Rule. It is to approach the throne of grace with a humble heart, a broken and contrite heart, a repentant heart, a willing heart. 

    To submit to God is to recognize the Love He has for His creation. It is to see and begin to understand just how much our heavenly Father really loves us. John 3:16-18; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:9, 10; Ephesians 2:1-9; Colossians 1:21, 22; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15; Titus 3:4, 5; 1 John 3:16. 

    It is to receive this Love into our hearts and spread this Love into the hearing, the seeing, of the people we interact with. It is to know the Love of God is in Christ Jesus and that this Love needs to be in us, as well. Therefore, let us submit to God in Christ that God's Love will be perfected in us.

    Unless we first submit to God and accept His perfect will for our lives, it will be impossible to submit to any other authority in our lives with the grace that God provides to all who surrender themselves to Him. 

    Pride got Lucifer kicked out of heaven. God created Lucifer in heaven when He was creating His angels. There are passages in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28:12-17 that describe fallen kings, who failed to submit to God, because of their pride in their accomplishments, who gave not the glory to God but took it upon themselves. Yet in these passages, we see the downfall of Lucifer, Satan, as well. (cf) Revelation 12:7-8, 12.

    Submission to evil and wickedness and unrighteousness will take us away from God and His Word and His Spirit. Choosing to live a life of separation from God's Love is choosing to walk in darkness and destruction. Sin is fun. Everyone says so. Not it isn't. And just who is this Everyone that is referenced? Sin is not fun. Sin's pleasures and enjoyments are only a mask, a disguise that covers the true nature of sin: rebellion against God. 

    "O Lord, You know our hearts and can see what needs fixing and replacing. Please continue to reveal Yourself to us in the areas we need You most. Holy Spirit, make us holy; for without holiness we know we will not see God and live. Make us sheep and not goats. Cleanse us and renew us right now. We surrender how we think (our thoughts), how we speak (what we say) and how we behave (what we do) to the Authority of our heavenly Father. Lead us where we need to be, and help us not go where we should not be. In Jesus' Matchless Name, Amen."

    

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Fourteen

1 Corinthians 13:4d

Love does not boast.

    To boast means to be prideful; it is self-glorification. What do I have to boast about? Everything we have, we have because God has given it to us. From the moment life is created in the womb to life's last breath is God-ordained. For God set life in motion when He began creating the earth and everything on it, in it and under it. 

   1 Corinthians 4:7

 Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. 

    Paul was warning the church in Corinth not to be puffed up over any one individual, setting them up on spiritual pedestals. We are all equal in merit, for our merit is of God through Christ. We deserve no praise on our salvation, for we did not save ourselves. Nor should we place one person's position within the church above another's, as God has appointed us, not we ourselves, if we are being obedient and faithful in our service to God.

    If there is anything in us worthy of praise, let it be God Who praises and not we ourselves. If there is anything in us that deserves a reward, let it be God Who rewards us and not we ourselves. Yes, the workman is worthy of his or her hire, and pay increases must be made when deemed proper. But if cleaning the bathroom is beneath their pay grade, then they are not worthy to be behind the pulpit, either. 

    Since Loving like Christ is not boastful, it must be humble. We maintain a quality of modesty in our speaking to and of one another. We are meek. This does not mean we are weak in any sense. We are meek like our Savior. Meekness is gentleness. When appropriate, meekness is silence when being judged by others. 

    Meekness is restraint. Think about that for a moment. It is self-control, temperance. Unboastful Love controls its emotions and responses. Sometimes we are not even aware that some of our responses to antagonism are coming from our mouths. Habitual behavioral responses from us need to be repented of and grinded off of these crusty hearts. 

    The Wisdom of God (The Holy Spirit) teaches us to be like Christ, not only in our hearts, but in every woven moment in life. Our responses, our actions, our thoughts are all accountable to God every day. We encourage each other with The Word of God: we sharpen the rough edges from each other with The Word of God. That's Love. 

    Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 

    Colossians 3:16

Let The Word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

    Hebrews 10:24, 25

And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

    1 Peter 4:10

As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 

    Let us continue to "Love one another" as Christ has loved us.  

 

"Father, You are my reason for living. You are The One Who has shown me how to Love like You Love: unconditionally. Without condemnation, but with hope. Without judgment, but with mercy. Without retribution, but with grace. Not withholding Your Love from anyone, but giving to all generously. Even when such generosity is rejected, still we must extend Your Lovingkindness to everyone. And I believe, Lord, that the more often we do that, You will increase within us. May we all Love like Your Son Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives. In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen."

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Thirteen

 

1 Corinthians 13:4c

Love does not envy.

    Envy was spoken of in the beginning, for even in Genesis it is implied in Cain's attitude towards his own brother. [Genesis 4:3-11] What we do know is that God can see what is in our hearts. So, when He saw what was in Cain's heart, Cain's offering was rejected, which made Cain angry towards his brother, so he killed him. The first murder was the result of envy, coveting the favor of God in His brother, but not seeking to have that same favor in his own heart. 

    So when God wrote The Ten Commandments in the two tables of stone by His Holy Spirit (the finger of God), He was repeating in writing The Word He had spoken earlier to the people. (here again is an example of the Triune power of God visibly displayed for us: God, The Word of God {Jesus Christ}, The Holy Spirit of God. 

    This first writing  was meant to last forever, but it was mere stone. Now, God writes on the tables of our hearts His Word when we come to Him for our salvation in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Now, we are learning to Love like Christ loves: 

    John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (cf) John 15:12; 1 John 3:16; Ephesians 5:2. 

    Jesus referred to this commandment as a 'new' commandment. But when we remember The Ten Commandments, we see that this new commandment embodies all of the original ten in completeness. 

    When we love God above all, everything else falls into place. None of the evils listed are in the faithful believer's heart. Yet we are tempted on every side to "look here and behold" or "look at me and see what I can do for you". New and improved temptations are old and unrighteous evils. 

    To envy is to covet what another person has. Whether that coveted item is a person (someone's spouse or child or employee); a place (someone's house, someone's job, someone's land); or a thing (someone's money, someone's vehicle, someone's clothes or tools), that evil thought is still condemned by God. Covetousness can take many forms without us even realizing it sometimes.

    In the Parable of The Good Samaritan, which Luke writes of in Luke 10:25-37, the question is asked, "Who is my neighbor?" The response given is plain and simple, "Everyone." So, no matter who it, is we are not to covet what they have, but show them mercy and compassion. We are to "seek first God's kingdom and He will supply all of our needs". [Matthew 6:33] 

Exodus 20:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 

    Catalogs abound. Maybe not so much the printed kind, but the internet is full of advertisements saying, "Look at me! Look at me! I can make your life so much better than it is!" On every side we are attacked with how rotten our life is when we do not have these things. When actually, our life in Christ is pretty amazing. Yes, there things we need to survive, but there are far more many things we do not need that will only bring us down and cause our destruction. 

    Because "Love does not envy", we know that Love "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). We are to Love Deeply: Love earnestly. Love constantly. Love intentionally. Refuse to hate. Refuse to envy. Rebuke lust. Reject bitterness. Rebuke greed. Love like Christ Loves us. On purpose, with purpose. 

    "Lord, teach us to love like You love. Fill us so full of Your Word and worship that there is no room for anything not of You to be there. Train us to be Your ready and able servants, to serve in Your fields and prepare them for growth and harvest. Be  our Guide, Holy Spirit, in The Word as we read our Bibles daily. Reveal Yourself, Father, that our Joy may be full. For by Your Word and in Your Name, we will praise You and glorify You.

In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen."

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Twelve

 

1 Corinthians 13:4a

Love is patient.

Loving someone into the kingdom of God takes times. Look at how stubborn and ignorant some of us were before we came not only to the cross and into the garden, but out of the garden and into our homes and straight to our friends to tell the good news.

That's why it's called longsuffering. Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer." We hope. We are patient. We persist in prayer. For as long as it takes.

Colossians 3:13 "Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as The Lord forgave you." Forgiveness is paramount when it comes to being a longsuffering servant of God. When we can forgive each other in the body of Christ, we are able to forgive those who are not yet in this body. Bitterness, jealousy, envy and anger have no place in the heart, the mind and the soul of the believer.

So let us begin our day with patience with each other. Even if someone cuts us off in traffic, or deliberately pulls in behind us when we are trying to leave a parking spot, let us respond with love. If someone we love keeps jerking our chain, that chain needs to go! for we are not to be bound by anything except the love of God. We need to respond with the love of God and keep our 'cool'.

Let us go forth and conquer the day.

1 Corinthians 13:4b

Love is Kind. 

Love is more than just being nice to someone. It moves beyond the surface of interactions we undertake and goes deep into the heart of the situation. 

Kindness is a fruit of The Spirit. Therefore, not just anyone can have the evidence of kindness within them unless they first are saved by the blood of Christ and second, are baptized with God's Holy Spirit. 

Kindness is the love of God in action, meeting people where they are. To be kind is to reach out in love to comfort, aid, and speak hope into their lives, drawing them with cords of love into the arms of God through Christ Jesus, Who lives and loves within us and through us. 

Kind hearts speak The Truth of God's Word, delivering both hope and destruction to the hearers of The Word. Hope of salvation for the believers is countered by destruction to the refusers, the unbelievers, of God's salvation. It would be unkind to not share the warnings God has given to the hearers of His Word. 

Eventually everyone will have heard the gospel. And then Jesus will return "in the twinkling of an eye" and gather the church into His arms, bringing her into the place He has prepared for her [1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; John 14:1-3]. This is the hope for the church, for the believers of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

This is not everyone's destination, however, for not all will go to heaven when they die, nor will all be caught up when Christ returns for His bride. This part, too, is being kind, for it is unwise to deliver only what the hearer wants to hear, but not the bad news. And dying in unbelief is certainly bad news. 

The times are getting shorter. Urgent prayer is needed to "pull the lost from the gates of hell" [Jude 22-23]. Strengthen our missionaries with your prayers. Build up our ministers, teachers, evangelists and congregations with your prayers. Encourage each other to prayer. 

And be kind. Let that fruit flower and be even more fruitful in our lives. 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Ten

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

"Blessed is the man who trusts in The LORD, 

And whose hope is The LORD.

He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out

its roots toward the stream. 

It does not fear when the heat comes, 

and its leaves are always green. It does not 

worry in a year of drought, 

nor does it cease to produce fruit."

Isaiah 61:3

    To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of The LORD, that He might be glorified.

    As trees of righteousness in the planting of The Lord, we are steadfast. And as Jeremiah reminds us, we are also fearless. Though the temperatures may rise, our abundant life is continually being renewed. Droughts come and droughts go, yet the planting of The LORD continues to produce fruit. Souls still get saved, bodies still get baptized. 

    The day is coming, and even now is close at hand, when there will be a famine of the hearing of The Word. Why? Because there has been an extended drought of the preaching of The Word, the Whole Word of God, the full gospel message has not been preached everywhere. 

    Prosperity and gain is in the pulpit. Self-righteousness and pride is in the pulpit. Evil sins which should not be in the church, much less the pulpit, have gained entrance through wolves in sheep's clothing. They appear to be Christ-like on the surface, but the hiss of their souls is evident in their dissolvence of The Word of God. 

    Because of their unbelief they preach and talk about only the good things of God, and even then, only part of the Truth is preached. The promises of God are many, both to the obedient soul and to the disobedient. Except the promises on the believer are also referred to as curses. 

    John 3:18 

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned (promise for the good), but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in The Name of God’s Only Begotten Son (promise for the evil). 

    Where the blood of Christ is not preached, the full gospel is not preached. Where the cross no longer stands, the pulpit is also empty. Only a shadow puppet is there. The mouth moves, but there is no Word of God on the throne of their hearts. And the songbook has been edited, as well. 

    For where the blood is not applied and where the cross has been removed, there is no need now to sing of either in the dead churches. It is impossible to sing of  Victory in Jesus, where there is no victory. At The Cross and The Old Rugged Cross do not draw people to a place of repentance and forgiveness because these things are no longer taught and sermonized in the dead churches. 

    Where there is no belief, there is no trust, no hope, no real everlasting joy. And if there are prayer groups, to whom are they praying? and why? God hears the prayers of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29) and answers the prayers of the righteous (1 John 3:22), not the unrighteous. And when He hears the prayer of the sinner who has believed, that person is a saint from the moment of belief, and that prayer is from the heart, the lips of a righteous person. 

    Let us pray that we remain in The Lord that He might remain in us; that we might be called the planting of The LORD, trees of righteousness. Let us pray that in these days of heat and drought we remain in Him, in The Living Word, in order that we, too, may live fruitful lives wherever God has planted us. 

    

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Nine

 

Psalm 37:7

Rest in The LORD, and wait patiently for Him:

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

because of the man who brings 

wicked schemes to pass.

    Did you know that the word 'fret' does not mean 'anxious' or 'worry'? I didn't until I studied it out. Verse 8 accentuates the definition of fret, making it plain to us that fretting is frowned upon by God. 

    To fret is to lack constraint in our emotional desire to get even, to get angry, to take vengeance against the person or persons who has or have wronged us. To fret is to be indignant, hateful, mean-spirited, waspish, evil-minded, jealous, envious. It is the opposite of Christlike behavior. 

    Rest in The Lord. Let Him give us rest from the battles of this life. Allow Him to take the lead. Wait on His direction. Sometimes the directive from God is immediate. When we allow His Holy Spirit to fill us with God's Peace, the need for retaliation dissipates and disappears. We forgive the insult and the intent. 

    And though the enemy of our soul may constantly bring old things to mind, taunting us with our seemingly apparent failures or old thefts committed against us, we need to stand firm on God's Word and remember that we have forgiven the old assaults and intents; now we are forgivers, not haters. We are a new creation in Christ and as such, we pray that the same Christ Who dwells us would dwell in the hearts of those who have sinned against us. 

    We rest in His promises, which are many. We take rest in His Word, which is consistent and unchanging. What God promised in the beginning to those who would believe and obey, He promises now to us who believe and obey His Word.  This is but one promise. 

    There are hundreds, but I'm not going to list them here. However, if you need another example, Deuteronomy 28 is a good place to start. The first half is all the promises that will overtake us when we obey God's Word. The second half is all the promises that will happen if we disobey God's Word. 

    Rest. Wait. Fret Not. Take everything that's been done against you, write it down if you must, then bring it to The Lord in prayer. And leave it there. 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Eight

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden upon The Lord,

and He shall sustain you:

He shall never suffer the righteous

to be moved.

    When we cast our burdens on our Lord, He provides not only the answer, but the strength to keep on going despite the burden we have just relieved ourselves of. The phrase "Let go, and let God" completely applies here. Let go of what is weighing us down and let God handle it. 

     There is one word of praise that fits here, as well. Whether we raise our arms above us or hold them out in front of us, that word of praise is 'yadah'. It is first mentioned in Genesis 29:35 when Leah praises God after the birth of her son Judah. 'Yadah' occurs 114 times in The Old Testament. That is 114 times that people through up their arms or put their arms out in front of them to praise God. 

     Why do I bring this up? The act of tossing away or throwing out requires our arms to follow suit. When we worship God, we are throwing out whatever would keep us from worshiping Him and giving Him ALL the glory. We give Him our praise because He is worthy to receive our praise. Doesn't matter what we are going through. God is with us. 

    Not every burden is an attack on ourselves. Not all of our children are still in God's house. They grew up and left. We carry the burden of them being restored and we give it to God. Everyday. We carry the burden of our parents, our siblings, our cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, inlaws and so on and so forth; we give them all to God. 

     We pray for their salvation. We pray for the indwelling power of The Holy Spirit to fill them. We pray for them to know the joy of The Lord when they choose to serve Him in the fear of The Lord.

     We shall not be moved is a wonderful phrase. And with God's help, we shall, indeed, stand and withstand the onslaught of the enemy's attacks on us. For we are being tested and tried that we may come forth as gold in God's eyes: pure and holy and complete in Him. 

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Seven

 

1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your care upon Him;

for He cares for you.

    Many Scriptures inform us that we cannot carry the burdens, the loads we gather upon ourselves, by ourselves. We need Someone to help us, especially to carry the burden of sin with which we have entangled ourselves. Jesus carried that burden on the cross, for the weight of the sins of the whole world, including you and I, were laid on His shoulders and He became sin, that you and I might have eternal life in Him. 

    Psalm 55:22 

Cast your burden upon The LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

    Philippians 4:6, 7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

    Matthew 6:25-27, 30

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

    Matthew 11:28

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

    Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will bring it to pass.

    When we cast our cares on our Lord and Savior, we are trusting in His timing, His covenant with us. to take care of our burdens, our loads, our struggles, our failures, our needs and our wants. When we bring these things to God in prayer, we need to leave them there, too. Stop taking the impossible situations back into our own hands and leave them in God's hands. 

    We sing quite a few songs about casting our cares on God, too.  "Casting Your Care Upon Him" by Fanny Crosby. "It Is Well With My Soul" - Horatio Spafford. "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" - Joseph Scriven. "Oceans" - Hillsong. "Be Still My Soul" - Kari Jobe. "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" - Helen H. Lemmel. "Blessed Assurance" - Fanny Crosby. 

    The soul is detail-oriented. I like things to be in order, but I'm not totally organized yet. I like what I wear to do more than clothe me: it must be sufficient for the works that I must do. Not necessarily matchy-matchy, but put together well. I'm funny that way. 

    The soul gets weary, too. It knows emotional pain and bears the weight of grief until the times of mourning pass. The weary soul has learned to lean on The Word of God. "Leaning On Jesus (Leaning On The Everlasting Arms)" is a classic hymn by A. J. Showalter and Elisha A. Hoffman that meanders across my thoughts when I need strength. The arms of God never fail me, for His Strength holds me up every day. 

    Come, let us cast our cares on our Lord today.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Six

 

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves therefore,

 under The Mighty Hand of God,

 that He may exalt you in due time.

    A humble heart is a must when entering God's presence in prayer. Yes, we are bold and confident, but we are also souls of humility.
    Arrogance and pride have no place in the tabernacle which is not made with hands, nor is there room for it in our churches. God is our God. Christ is our Lord.
    We sing, "I Surrender All" and "Lay It All Down" because we recognize that our flesh is at war with The Holy Spirit within us, and we must come to the throne of grace and mercy with an attitude of Lord, I can't but You can.
    I can't get out of bed as easily as I used to, but I will with Your Strength and urging. I can't speak as well as I ever did, but I will with Your Spirit and at Your prompting. I bump into air and it leaves a mark, but You, O LORD, are still my God and You, O LORD, are still my King.
    I sing through the unction of Your Holy Spirit and I write what He speaks to me. Like a mountain explodes from the pressure of the song within me; like a river flows over smoothened rocks and into streams which meander across my years, You fill me and flow through me. What a blessing it is to have You in my life!
    You, O GOD, amaze me every single day. I could not live this life I live without You in it. Where You go, I will follow. When You speak, I will listen. I bring You an offering, this heart You have transformed within me is all Yours, Father. Do with me as You will. I belong to You in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Five

 

Luke 11:9

And I will do whatever you ask in My Name, 

so that The Father may be glorified in The Son.

If you ask Me for anything in My Name, 

I will do it.

    We should never be afraid to approach the throne of glory, when we approach it in Jesus' Name. We should come boldly (Hebrews 4:16), confidently (Ephesians 3:12), and in the full assurance of faith (Matthew 21:22), that whatever we are asking God for, we know that He will give it to us: whether we ask once, or whether we keep on asking. 

    Luke 11:10a; Matthew 7:8a

For everyone who asks receives

    Asking alone gives us joy because we are asking our heavenly Father for something He wants us to have, for something He knows we need. We are asking because the reward is greater than the request. 

    John 16:24

Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. 

    Asking in Jesus' Name requires faith in Jesus' Name, trusting in Him for our salvation. We cannot ask anything in His Name, if His Name is not already living in our hearts. 

    John 15:7

If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you will, and it will be done for you.

    1 John 3:22

And we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. 

    

     

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Four

 

    First, we need forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

    Second, we need to forgive everyone who has done us wrong: Colossians 3:13 Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

     Third, we need to stay near God: In His Spirit and in His Word: 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is Faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

Our Prayer here today:

Lord, You have taught us to forgive through Your forgiving grace. We are thankful You have not left us here to fend for ourselves, for surely we would have failed long ago.

Thank You for Your example of forgiveness. May we be known as the people of forgiveness, forgiving all wrongs and trespasses; forgiving even the evil done against us and our families. For when we were not Your people, You forgave us of the evil we had done against You.

Thank You for dying for us, showing us even there, that forgiveness must be given. Not just as a mandate of obedience, but as a mandate of Love, Your Love. Forgiveness given unconditionally, without strings attached.

And, Lord, thank You for strengthening us in You Word, through Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for the desire to read and study Your Word, hungering, desiring, to know You better as You reveal Yourself to us.

Thank You for giving us tools and weapons, Your Word and Your Spirit, to speak when we are tested and tried. You overcome when we cannot. You triumph where we would have failed had we tried in and of ourselves to overcome temptation.

You are The One we love and adore. May we ever be Your people.

In Jesus' Wonderful Name,

Amen.