1Thessalonians 5:16,17 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.
What happens when we pray? We communicate with God. We talk to him, make requests from Him for ourselves, family, friends or anyone we know that has a need.
God also talks to us. It is during this quiet time you may get to actually hear Him, in a still soft voice (I Kings 19:12) He will tell you what outrageous, crazy and often very basic and simple things He needs you to do.
You may like it. You may not. But go against it and you will regret it. Change your stinkin thinkin, do it anyway, rejoycing all the while, and you may find a new skill or talent (as in spiritual gift) you didn’t have before. Cooolllllll!!!
Pray while you wake up, eat, get ready for work, during the commute, at your workplace, at lunch, while you fight with your kids (this gets very interesting!), while winding down at night, and even as you go to sleep. Impossible? Yes, but perfection is not required. The more you succeed at this; however, the more you will actually find your day goes better, your job performance improves, your kids will not get the best of you, and overall, you are a much happier person!
The more you rejoice in the Lord, the more you pray and give praise, and the more you rejoice in the Lord!
Showing posts with label Lord. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lord. Show all posts
November 11, 2011
February 4, 2011
Courage for Christ - 3
2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind
What are you afraid of? Persecution? A good solid mocking? Rejection? The latter seems to be the most common excuse for not being a bold witness for God. This excuse works well at work, too, for we all put off difficult, uncomfortable tasks and all to often end up wallowing in mediocrity. In addition, we use profainty, gossip, and rude and cold behavior to others, mostly because everyone else around us is doing it too. (Sheeple!:))))
But if God has given us the spirit of power and love, and of a sound mind, how much more are we capable of doing? Not just for God’s kingdom, but for your employer’s kingdom on earth; where we are supposed to be bearing fruit for His kingdom! This is where we are required to get uncomfortable with ourselves, and “do the difficult”.
Be that Christlike person in everything you do. Your actions will bear witness for Christ when words will never do.
What are you afraid of? Persecution? A good solid mocking? Rejection? The latter seems to be the most common excuse for not being a bold witness for God. This excuse works well at work, too, for we all put off difficult, uncomfortable tasks and all to often end up wallowing in mediocrity. In addition, we use profainty, gossip, and rude and cold behavior to others, mostly because everyone else around us is doing it too. (Sheeple!:))))
But if God has given us the spirit of power and love, and of a sound mind, how much more are we capable of doing? Not just for God’s kingdom, but for your employer’s kingdom on earth; where we are supposed to be bearing fruit for His kingdom! This is where we are required to get uncomfortable with ourselves, and “do the difficult”.
Be that Christlike person in everything you do. Your actions will bear witness for Christ when words will never do.
November 15, 2009
Have You Prayed for your Country Today? 3
But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. Deuteronomy 28:15-20 New King James Version.
The curse list here has been condensed from 54 verses of curses. It follows 14 verses of blessings onto those who follow the Lord’s Commandments. It represents a balanced combination or reward or punishments, and gives the reader a choice.
Yes we are not under the law, we are under grace (Romans 6:14). But if the 613 laws in the Old Testament can be condensed into these two; love the Lord with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself; where has America gone wrong? And why are most of the curses listed here, originally focused on the ancient Israelites, befalling America?
First, our love for one another has grown cold, just as it was prophesied by Jesus regarding end times (Matt. 24:12). In addition, many have fallen from the faith, as evidenced by many Christians converting to other religions, or walking away altogether. Finally, we have tolerated the hedonistic lifestyles of sinners. It is one thing to love the sinner and hate the sin, it’s another to tell them, “It’s all right, Jesus will forgive you”. Sinners need to be encouraged to repent. They will usually rebel when threatened.
We need to return to our first love. We need to return to Jesus as individuals first, then as a nation. We need to lead weak believers and non believers alike to the cross. God does love the sinner, but He will not tolerate the sinner who continues to sin and sin willingly, and openly. (I Cor. 6:9,10)
Pray for the sinners who surround you in your life: at work, in your family and circle of friends, in your business. Pray they repent and that God can use you to encourage them. Pray that our leaders repent and seek the Lord with all their heart in these end times.
© 2009 David Etenburn
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