Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Have you ever thought about the great freedom that you have to access things all around? Growing up, I wanted access to the cabinets at home that were securely guarded by my mother. I couldn’t eat sweets all day and especially before supper. Occasionally, she would grant me the privilege of getting a snack before supper. I can remember having my own key to my parent’s house and being amazed that they would entrust me with it. Later, I was given keys to a car at sixteen years old. Can you remember the power and freedom that you enjoyed? About a year ago, I was able to get a key that would give access to me and my wife’s first house. There is definitely power in having access!
My mom is no longer guarding the cabinets, and I can lick the bowl of yellow cake batter without her watching over me. It seems that I have also lost the awe of entering my parent’s home, driving my car and entering our home anytime. Accessing these things is part of everyday life. They become mundane. The privilege of being able to get into the cabinets at will and having a key to my parent’s home, a car to drive and a home to sleep in each night has turned into a right that I think I sometimes deserve. These blessings are easily taken for granted. Even the freedom to access my bank account with a debit card loses its luster when I look at the account balance.
With our accounts of sin being settled with God at Calvary and with the realization of true conversion in the heart, we are given peace with God through Jesus Christ. We are adopted into the family of God and become His sons and daughters. Have you ever seen a loving Father turn away his son or daughter when they come to them with a question or desire? We have an amazing privilege today to go to God in prayer and access His wisdom, nurture, love and truth for every situation. It is not a right that we deserve or have earned. It is all of grace. We never have to worry about the account running low, because He is able to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. He is the Creator of the earth, above all things and is watching over His children. Have you forgotten about the gift and privilege of prayer?
Today, we have the power to access about anything that we want. From the power of buying books to getting on the internet, we can retrieve any kind of information that we desire. With good relationships with people, you can access many homes. However, the only way to access Heaven is through Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Do you understand the greatness of the One who allows God’s people to access heaven? Though millions of people are praying today at different times, only those who are conversing with God through Jesus Christ are being heard. There is only one true God. How great of a revival do you think God would send if His people would pray and seek His face?
God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 gives the challenge, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” The power that is needed in the church today is a result in God’s children knowing their Father in heaven. Daniel 11:32b says, “But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Are you looking for strength, wisdom, understanding and courage? It is only found in Christ. “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18)
Showing posts with label Answer to Prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Answer to Prayer. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A Simple Penny
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. (Psalms 139:17-18)
What kind of intimate moments do you share with Christ? Are there little things in your life that make you look up and realize that He has been watching over and protecting you ever day? It is a great blessing to be a child of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. It is not something that is just written on paper, but it is a living reality. He is so gracious to speak in the small moments of our lives. I heard a story about a preacher a few years ago who made a deal with God. This was the simple deal that he made in his heart with the Lord. Every time he saw a penny on the ground whether it was on heads or tails, he would pick it up and think about the innumerable thoughts that God thinks toward His children everyday.
One day, the old preacher was getting a little tired and weary and needed a good boost. Of course if you are a true child of God born from above by the Spirit of God, we must realize that our Lord Jesus will give us the sustaining grace that we need for every moment of every day. The old preacher needed a little reminder, and as he was shaking hands with the congregation one Sunday outside the church, he came to a little girl who had found a penny on the ground and wanted to share it with her pastor. The old preacher was elated by that little penny, because it had more worth than a cent and pointed him to the eternal truths of God’s holy word. God’s thoughts toward us are deeper than the oceans, higher than the sky and vast as the grains of sand of the earth. Isaiah 26:3-4 reminds us, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:”
Over the past few years, I have used this same reminder in my own life. Every time I find a simple penny that has been dropped, thrown by the wayside, or buried in dirt, I pick it up and remind myself that my Heavenly Father is watching over me and caring for me as His son. I realize not everyone will understand what it means to be a child of God. It comes through repentance of sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died, was buried and was raised to complete the work of redemption. It is not enough to know the facts but actually know Christ personally. I was born by God’s Spirit on April 7, 2003 in my bedroom one night when my heart was convicted and condemned by my sin. That night I found peace for my troubled soul. Ever since then, I have tried to walk with the Lord though failing often. A simple penny reminds me of God’s abundant grace to pardon guilty and common sinners like you and me.
I am learning more and more that Christ is concerned with every area of our lives and truly is Lord and Savior. Recently, I have been trying to find a different car for my wife. With gas prices going up, we wanted to get into a more economical one. After much prayer on when, where and what to buy, I found one that would fit our needs. Of course, I had to go through all of the talks with the sales managers to get a fixed price. We went back and forth a few times, and finally, I gave them my final offer. The salesman went to talk with his manager and came back with a smile and bad news. He told me that they couldn’t reach my final price no matter how they worked it. He said, “every time we put the numbers in the computer, we were left with a one cent difference.” He placed a penny on the desk, and I laughed inside when I told him I would take the car. What a wonderful joy to have a Lord and Savior so near!
What kind of intimate moments do you share with Christ? Are there little things in your life that make you look up and realize that He has been watching over and protecting you ever day? It is a great blessing to be a child of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. It is not something that is just written on paper, but it is a living reality. He is so gracious to speak in the small moments of our lives. I heard a story about a preacher a few years ago who made a deal with God. This was the simple deal that he made in his heart with the Lord. Every time he saw a penny on the ground whether it was on heads or tails, he would pick it up and think about the innumerable thoughts that God thinks toward His children everyday.
One day, the old preacher was getting a little tired and weary and needed a good boost. Of course if you are a true child of God born from above by the Spirit of God, we must realize that our Lord Jesus will give us the sustaining grace that we need for every moment of every day. The old preacher needed a little reminder, and as he was shaking hands with the congregation one Sunday outside the church, he came to a little girl who had found a penny on the ground and wanted to share it with her pastor. The old preacher was elated by that little penny, because it had more worth than a cent and pointed him to the eternal truths of God’s holy word. God’s thoughts toward us are deeper than the oceans, higher than the sky and vast as the grains of sand of the earth. Isaiah 26:3-4 reminds us, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:”
Over the past few years, I have used this same reminder in my own life. Every time I find a simple penny that has been dropped, thrown by the wayside, or buried in dirt, I pick it up and remind myself that my Heavenly Father is watching over me and caring for me as His son. I realize not everyone will understand what it means to be a child of God. It comes through repentance of sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died, was buried and was raised to complete the work of redemption. It is not enough to know the facts but actually know Christ personally. I was born by God’s Spirit on April 7, 2003 in my bedroom one night when my heart was convicted and condemned by my sin. That night I found peace for my troubled soul. Ever since then, I have tried to walk with the Lord though failing often. A simple penny reminds me of God’s abundant grace to pardon guilty and common sinners like you and me.
I am learning more and more that Christ is concerned with every area of our lives and truly is Lord and Savior. Recently, I have been trying to find a different car for my wife. With gas prices going up, we wanted to get into a more economical one. After much prayer on when, where and what to buy, I found one that would fit our needs. Of course, I had to go through all of the talks with the sales managers to get a fixed price. We went back and forth a few times, and finally, I gave them my final offer. The salesman went to talk with his manager and came back with a smile and bad news. He told me that they couldn’t reach my final price no matter how they worked it. He said, “every time we put the numbers in the computer, we were left with a one cent difference.” He placed a penny on the desk, and I laughed inside when I told him I would take the car. What a wonderful joy to have a Lord and Savior so near!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Divine Moments
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (James 4:2-3)
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16b)
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)
Do you ever get caught in the monotony of life and wonder if God is really hearing your prayers? You might feel like you are exactly where you need to be and just need a little confirmation from the Lord. There are many reasons that God may have you in a place of silence. Sometimes, God seems silent and distant, because we are silent and distant toward Him. Whenever there is a communication breakdown, there are always problems with sending and receiving messages from God or each other. At other times, God may be silent just to see if you are willing to open up and share your heart with Him. He has so much to share, already knows everything about you, but it seems that when we talk to Him, our hearts are set free in the vulnerable yet freeing force of prayer.
Yesterday, I was having one of those days when I had been talking and talking over the past few days and hadn’t really seen the evidence of my communion with God. For the most part, it is often easy to neglect, overlook or take for granted all of the daily blessings of being a child of God. I do this often and I am sure that I miss many blessings, because my spiritual eyes are sleepy and heart becomes calloused. However, God can give us breakthroughs into eternity just as we need them. They are divine moments… I had one about 9:05 yesterday.
While walking beside the 12-15ft high fence with razor barbwire, I prayed a simple prayer to the Lord. “Father, are you listening to anything that I have to say. Will you please let me know today?” How many times have you felt like this? It was about 8:45AM. I went through checkpoint, behind two metal doors and into the common area of the prison. The inmate I was visiting had not arrived, so I opened my Bible and began reading. At 9:05, a man named Mr. Whitaker came up to me and asked if I was the one who spoke at a prison across town about 8 months ago. He said that he was there that day and remembered the message very well. He encouraged me to continue to share the Gospel. He was around 40 and was encouraged by a 27 year old who loved Jesus. He told me to keep pressing forward, because the Lord was with me.
Of all the people and places that I could have been, God chose to use a prisoner that I couldn’t even remember his face or name to remind me that He was looking down at that moment and saying keep pressing on my son! God has a special way of encouraging us. He spoke to Hagar the Egyptian servant of Sarah by a well, and she called Him the LORD who sees (Gen 16). When Elijah needed food by the brook Cherith, God used the ravens that are normally pests to feed him (1 Kings 17). God has enough power to use anything at anytime to get His message through. The Lord encourages us in Jeremiah 29:13, “You shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
What do you think are divine moments? Or, what do you think makes a person so great in the eyes of God. Is it some great milestone or achievement that automatically places someone into a class of the spiritual elite? I don’t think so. I believe God’s greatest treasures and pleasures on earth are those who consistently pursue the His heart, day in and day out. Over the course of a lifetime through the rigorous day-to-day activities, those divine moments where heaven touches earth paint a picture of grace through a godly man or woman of the life Jesus lived. The last line of an old hymn says it best, “May I thy consolation share, Till from Mount Pisgah lofty height, I view my home and take my flight, This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise to seize the everlasting prize and shout while passing through the air, Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.” Let those moments spent with Jesus add up to minutes, hours, days, weeks and years until at the end your life becomes one big conversation with God!
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16b)
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)
Do you ever get caught in the monotony of life and wonder if God is really hearing your prayers? You might feel like you are exactly where you need to be and just need a little confirmation from the Lord. There are many reasons that God may have you in a place of silence. Sometimes, God seems silent and distant, because we are silent and distant toward Him. Whenever there is a communication breakdown, there are always problems with sending and receiving messages from God or each other. At other times, God may be silent just to see if you are willing to open up and share your heart with Him. He has so much to share, already knows everything about you, but it seems that when we talk to Him, our hearts are set free in the vulnerable yet freeing force of prayer.
Yesterday, I was having one of those days when I had been talking and talking over the past few days and hadn’t really seen the evidence of my communion with God. For the most part, it is often easy to neglect, overlook or take for granted all of the daily blessings of being a child of God. I do this often and I am sure that I miss many blessings, because my spiritual eyes are sleepy and heart becomes calloused. However, God can give us breakthroughs into eternity just as we need them. They are divine moments… I had one about 9:05 yesterday.
While walking beside the 12-15ft high fence with razor barbwire, I prayed a simple prayer to the Lord. “Father, are you listening to anything that I have to say. Will you please let me know today?” How many times have you felt like this? It was about 8:45AM. I went through checkpoint, behind two metal doors and into the common area of the prison. The inmate I was visiting had not arrived, so I opened my Bible and began reading. At 9:05, a man named Mr. Whitaker came up to me and asked if I was the one who spoke at a prison across town about 8 months ago. He said that he was there that day and remembered the message very well. He encouraged me to continue to share the Gospel. He was around 40 and was encouraged by a 27 year old who loved Jesus. He told me to keep pressing forward, because the Lord was with me.
Of all the people and places that I could have been, God chose to use a prisoner that I couldn’t even remember his face or name to remind me that He was looking down at that moment and saying keep pressing on my son! God has a special way of encouraging us. He spoke to Hagar the Egyptian servant of Sarah by a well, and she called Him the LORD who sees (Gen 16). When Elijah needed food by the brook Cherith, God used the ravens that are normally pests to feed him (1 Kings 17). God has enough power to use anything at anytime to get His message through. The Lord encourages us in Jeremiah 29:13, “You shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
What do you think are divine moments? Or, what do you think makes a person so great in the eyes of God. Is it some great milestone or achievement that automatically places someone into a class of the spiritual elite? I don’t think so. I believe God’s greatest treasures and pleasures on earth are those who consistently pursue the His heart, day in and day out. Over the course of a lifetime through the rigorous day-to-day activities, those divine moments where heaven touches earth paint a picture of grace through a godly man or woman of the life Jesus lived. The last line of an old hymn says it best, “May I thy consolation share, Till from Mount Pisgah lofty height, I view my home and take my flight, This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise to seize the everlasting prize and shout while passing through the air, Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.” Let those moments spent with Jesus add up to minutes, hours, days, weeks and years until at the end your life becomes one big conversation with God!
Monday, January 15, 2007
An ordinary man with an Extraordinary God
May 4, 2005
Never underestimate the power of prayer and God's ability to hear every word we say!
Stop for a moment and think about where you are going in life! Are you wandering, wondering, and walking in circles or is each day full of meaning and purpose. Often circumstances cause us to pause, let us catch our breathe from the fast lane of life, and allows us to reevaluate our current position.
On Monday, a friend and I were walking through a park in Franklin, TN and sharing about what God was teaching, and how he was stretching and empowering us for His service. It was one of the most refreshing times that I have spent in the recent weeks. Time seemed to stand still or actually pass by without us even knowing it. I love when life is so full that I forget about my age, my agendas, my problems, my this, my that, my, my, my. We were focused on helping each other grow and learn to be better men of God.
As we walked through the park, we noticed a guy in the field searching for something in the grass. Honestly, we walked on by barely saying "Hi!" We were so focused on the great time we were having sharing about the Lord and the other guy was so busy searching. Our paths didn't seem to cross. We were both in two separate worlds. As Christians, we tend to do this often. People are lost, lonely and abused, and we simply neglect them because they are not a member of our church or maybe even do not go to church. We have forgotten to be observant and open minded to what God is really saying. As we walked about 100ft past the guy, I thought, "What if we could help him find what he is searching for?" We turned around and began praying for an open door to share. Upon approaching the guy, he continued searching with his face to the ground. It was a collision of egos. He was embarrassed, and we really didn't know what to say. We politely asked, "Can we help you?" It startled him for a moment and he seemed to be taken back asking, "Why would someone want to help me look through all this grass?"
My friend and I gazed across the landscape and asked, what are we looking for? In slight humiliation he told us that on Saturday during a game of Frisbee golf, his tooth had broken in half from the dog chain that he held in his hand. Don't ask me the details. I am still puzzled. Somehow, he threw the Frisbee with one hand and the dog chain in his other hand slipped and swung around slapping him in the mouth leaving him with half a tooth. We asked if we could pray for this situation, and he finally agreed. "How else could we find half of a half of a tooth in a field of grass?" However, God knew right where it was!
This story may seem long, interesting, and almost unbelievable but after looking up to heaven and calling out to God on the smallest of matters, he heard us! I walked around for a few moments stopped and said, "Father please help us by showing yourself strong in this guy's life!" I looked down and in the midst of the grass, I found a pearly tooth of great price and returned it to its rightful owner. He hit his knees knowing God had heard our prayer and praised the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! The morale of the story is that many are searching and wandering in the grass alone searching for their life. They are ashamed to ask for help, because we are so caught up in our own world and pride. When we take time to say a prayer and step out in faith, God is able to make an ordinary day extraordinary! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Never underestimate the power of prayer and God's ability to hear every word we say!
Stop for a moment and think about where you are going in life! Are you wandering, wondering, and walking in circles or is each day full of meaning and purpose. Often circumstances cause us to pause, let us catch our breathe from the fast lane of life, and allows us to reevaluate our current position.
On Monday, a friend and I were walking through a park in Franklin, TN and sharing about what God was teaching, and how he was stretching and empowering us for His service. It was one of the most refreshing times that I have spent in the recent weeks. Time seemed to stand still or actually pass by without us even knowing it. I love when life is so full that I forget about my age, my agendas, my problems, my this, my that, my, my, my. We were focused on helping each other grow and learn to be better men of God.
As we walked through the park, we noticed a guy in the field searching for something in the grass. Honestly, we walked on by barely saying "Hi!" We were so focused on the great time we were having sharing about the Lord and the other guy was so busy searching. Our paths didn't seem to cross. We were both in two separate worlds. As Christians, we tend to do this often. People are lost, lonely and abused, and we simply neglect them because they are not a member of our church or maybe even do not go to church. We have forgotten to be observant and open minded to what God is really saying. As we walked about 100ft past the guy, I thought, "What if we could help him find what he is searching for?" We turned around and began praying for an open door to share. Upon approaching the guy, he continued searching with his face to the ground. It was a collision of egos. He was embarrassed, and we really didn't know what to say. We politely asked, "Can we help you?" It startled him for a moment and he seemed to be taken back asking, "Why would someone want to help me look through all this grass?"
My friend and I gazed across the landscape and asked, what are we looking for? In slight humiliation he told us that on Saturday during a game of Frisbee golf, his tooth had broken in half from the dog chain that he held in his hand. Don't ask me the details. I am still puzzled. Somehow, he threw the Frisbee with one hand and the dog chain in his other hand slipped and swung around slapping him in the mouth leaving him with half a tooth. We asked if we could pray for this situation, and he finally agreed. "How else could we find half of a half of a tooth in a field of grass?" However, God knew right where it was!
This story may seem long, interesting, and almost unbelievable but after looking up to heaven and calling out to God on the smallest of matters, he heard us! I walked around for a few moments stopped and said, "Father please help us by showing yourself strong in this guy's life!" I looked down and in the midst of the grass, I found a pearly tooth of great price and returned it to its rightful owner. He hit his knees knowing God had heard our prayer and praised the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! The morale of the story is that many are searching and wandering in the grass alone searching for their life. They are ashamed to ask for help, because we are so caught up in our own world and pride. When we take time to say a prayer and step out in faith, God is able to make an ordinary day extraordinary! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
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