As believers in Christ we should be always thinking "am I doing this to be impressive, or am I doing this because He’s impressive?"-She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible. Why are we sharing that verse on facebook, twitter, instagram, google + or other social media sites? are we being selfish and trying to make ourselves look good or are we trying to make God look good.
We need to take time out of our day and have private prayer time with God. We need to have our own time with God, spend time with just him. But we also need to take time and pray together. We need to confess our sins to each other, pray for each other corporately.
"16Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results" -James 5:16
-Tiff
The last 17 days, we have been focusing on the different types of prayer. We have learned all about praise, petition, intercession and Kingdom praying. Today was the beginning of a challenge of who, where and when.
It is very important that we don't spend our prayer time seeking to glorify ourselves. We also need to be aware of our motives when we are praying. The attitude in which we pray is very important to God. The Pharisees would pray like they did everything else, self-important and judging other people. There is the story about the Pharisee and the tax-collector who were both praying in the synagogue. The tax-collector was humble and his conversation was meant for himself and God. He was praying with an attitude of submission. The Pharisee, however, was praying with an attitude of self-importance and was judging the tax-collector in his very public prayer. Jesus, telling this story to His disciples, told them that the tax-collector was the one who was justified before God, rather than the Pharisee.
Praying in private is an important part of our walk with God. We want to be in constant communication with Him, but it's not a thing that we need to be proudly broadcasting to the world to make ourselves feel important. When we're approaching it with an attitude of self-glorification, we are not pleasing God. When we approach Him humbly and seek His will and His glory, then He is pleased.
Praying corporately is also important. Praying together with other believers for things to happen is a powerful weapon against our enemies. The attitude is also very important, but getting to know our King corporately through prayer is not wrong. The Bible actually tells us to confess our sins to each other. When our attitudes are right, and we are gathered together with other believers who have the same attitude, God is listening.
-Meg
Saturday, 31 August 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Revelation 11:15 (NIV)
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.
Ever have a moment where you hear about something going on in the world that just overwhelms you? Sometimes it's something really cool and you are blown away by how good people are. However, in more cases than not, it seems, the opposite is true. Bad things are happening, people are hurting and nobody seems to be doing anything to make things better. It's so easy to get discouraged by those things and then, because we hear about so many bad things, to start tuning it out and harden ourselves to it. We feel that we can't directly affect the situation and so we ignore it. God calls us to a higher service, He calls us to pray.
When we're overwhelmed by things that seem so horrible or tragic, God doesn't want us to harden our hearts and try to forget about it. He wants us to have compassion and talk to Him about it. There is no way that we, as individuals, can make a great change in the things that concern us, but we can pray that God's kingdom will be advanced because of the circumstances. We can pray for the people who are able to be there to give relief and comfort. We can support the Christian organizations that go into disaster areas or that are in place to help people who are in the middle of a crisis. We can pray that through the tough situations God will soften and touch the hearts of those affected.
God touched us, we should be praying and hoping that He will touch the hearts of many more. If He loved me, who could not possibly deserve His love, why would I ignore the other undeserving people? God gave me an indescribable gift, I should be praying for it to be given to many more and doing whatever I can, to share it with others.
-Meg
We need to remember to pray about the big picture, the things happening in the world around us, not only the things that are happening in our lives. I personally feel we forget the big stuff and only focus on the little things. I think its like that because we live in a society who focuses on the "me" not the "us". We need to remember that God has a plan for us and that we need to trust in his plan. We need to stop avoiding the bad and take action by praying about it.
"The poor, brokenhearted, captives and prisoners are being set right in front of us. What better opportunity to pray?" -She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible
We don't need to ask God to always give us the outcome to all the bad things but that He will use these things to his advantage, for his kingdom.
"15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.
Ever have a moment where you hear about something going on in the world that just overwhelms you? Sometimes it's something really cool and you are blown away by how good people are. However, in more cases than not, it seems, the opposite is true. Bad things are happening, people are hurting and nobody seems to be doing anything to make things better. It's so easy to get discouraged by those things and then, because we hear about so many bad things, to start tuning it out and harden ourselves to it. We feel that we can't directly affect the situation and so we ignore it. God calls us to a higher service, He calls us to pray.
When we're overwhelmed by things that seem so horrible or tragic, God doesn't want us to harden our hearts and try to forget about it. He wants us to have compassion and talk to Him about it. There is no way that we, as individuals, can make a great change in the things that concern us, but we can pray that God's kingdom will be advanced because of the circumstances. We can pray for the people who are able to be there to give relief and comfort. We can support the Christian organizations that go into disaster areas or that are in place to help people who are in the middle of a crisis. We can pray that through the tough situations God will soften and touch the hearts of those affected.
God touched us, we should be praying and hoping that He will touch the hearts of many more. If He loved me, who could not possibly deserve His love, why would I ignore the other undeserving people? God gave me an indescribable gift, I should be praying for it to be given to many more and doing whatever I can, to share it with others.
-Meg
We need to remember to pray about the big picture, the things happening in the world around us, not only the things that are happening in our lives. I personally feel we forget the big stuff and only focus on the little things. I think its like that because we live in a society who focuses on the "me" not the "us". We need to remember that God has a plan for us and that we need to trust in his plan. We need to stop avoiding the bad and take action by praying about it.
"The poor, brokenhearted, captives and prisoners are being set right in front of us. What better opportunity to pray?" -She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible
We don't need to ask God to always give us the outcome to all the bad things but that He will use these things to his advantage, for his kingdom.
"15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:
“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever and ever.”" -Revelation 11:15
-Tiff
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Matthew 6:33-34 (NIV)
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus tells us not to worry at the end of Matthew chapter 6. He points out that we don't need to worry because God will take care of our needs. If God cares about the grass in the fields and the birds in the sky, then He most certainly cares about you and I. We are not to worry but rather, we are to focus our hearts and minds on seeking to do God's will. We are to further His kingdom and He will take care of our needs.
-Meg
"2These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields" - Luke 10:2
-God takes care of us.
"33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." -Matthew 6:33-34
-He cares for us even when we don't think he is, we just have to open our eyes and see that he is always there.
-Tiff
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus tells us not to worry at the end of Matthew chapter 6. He points out that we don't need to worry because God will take care of our needs. If God cares about the grass in the fields and the birds in the sky, then He most certainly cares about you and I. We are not to worry but rather, we are to focus our hearts and minds on seeking to do God's will. We are to further His kingdom and He will take care of our needs.
-Meg
"2These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields" - Luke 10:2
-God takes care of us.
"33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." -Matthew 6:33-34
-He cares for us even when we don't think he is, we just have to open our eyes and see that he is always there.
-Tiff
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
We are a part of His kingdom, and when we turn our attention to the things He cares about, then we are opening the door for Him to bless us as well. - She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible
We have gone over prayers of praise and how important it is to acknowledge what God has done. We talked about petitioning God. Intercessory prayer has been covered. Confession is key. Now, we focus on praying for the kingdom of God. When we pray for God's kingdom, we are praying for His will to be done. Instead of focusing on how awesome He is, or how much we need His mercy, we are focusing on what He wants to happen on this earth. We are praying for His plan to be worked out on earth. We ask that He would use us as His instruments to grow His kingdom. When we are willing to be used by God for His glory, we will be blessed by the things He will show us in the process of growing His kingdom.
-Meg
What I learned:
-Praying for the Kingdom is important
-we are asking God to bring heaven to earth when we are kingdom praying
-we should be kingdom praying on a regular basis
-we often focus on ourselves too much
"Turn your attention outward, sisters. See this world through His eyes, with the love He has for His creation. See His grief for the bruised and scarred state we’re in. And pray." -She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible
-Tiff
We have gone over prayers of praise and how important it is to acknowledge what God has done. We talked about petitioning God. Intercessory prayer has been covered. Confession is key. Now, we focus on praying for the kingdom of God. When we pray for God's kingdom, we are praying for His will to be done. Instead of focusing on how awesome He is, or how much we need His mercy, we are focusing on what He wants to happen on this earth. We are praying for His plan to be worked out on earth. We ask that He would use us as His instruments to grow His kingdom. When we are willing to be used by God for His glory, we will be blessed by the things He will show us in the process of growing His kingdom.
-Meg
What I learned:
-Praying for the Kingdom is important
-we are asking God to bring heaven to earth when we are kingdom praying
-we should be kingdom praying on a regular basis
-we often focus on ourselves too much
"Turn your attention outward, sisters. See this world through His eyes, with the love He has for His creation. See His grief for the bruised and scarred state we’re in. And pray." -She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible
-Tiff
Monday, 26 August 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Today, we memorize another verse.
-Meg
Today we were to memorize Matthew 6:10, I don't think I have ever been very persistent in memorizing scripture, but today I have come to realize that its quite important and I need to work on remembering scripture.
-Tiff
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Today, we memorize another verse.
-Meg
Today we were to memorize Matthew 6:10, I don't think I have ever been very persistent in memorizing scripture, but today I have come to realize that its quite important and I need to work on remembering scripture.
-Tiff
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Ephesians 6:18(NIV)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
Today was an assignment to write out an intercessory pray for an individual, or a group. We are to put into practice what we have been learning about over the past few days.
-Meg
I share this verse again because I think its important.: "18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere" -Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
Today as Meg has said we wrote an intercessory prayer for someone. Well I chose to write one for my family. And its great to get to practice what we have been learning.
-Tiff
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
Today was an assignment to write out an intercessory pray for an individual, or a group. We are to put into practice what we have been learning about over the past few days.
-Meg
I share this verse again because I think its important.: "18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere" -Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
Today as Meg has said we wrote an intercessory prayer for someone. Well I chose to write one for my family. And its great to get to practice what we have been learning.
-Tiff
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Intercessory prayer is less about changing God's mind and more about participating in His mercy. - She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible
Sometimes it is impossible to understand God, and that's alright because, after all, He is the Creator and we are His creation and the creation is never greater than the Creator. This is the way that it is with prayer, especially intercessory prayer. God has a plan, and He will carry out that plan, but through prayer, we can choose whether or not to be part of that plan.
When we pray for someone, we are participating in the plan that God has set out for their life. He wants us to get closer to Him by bringing our troubles and the troubles of others to His attention. When you talk to someone about what is troubling you, you will find that you begin to feel a closer relationship with them. I am excited to think about how people are praying intercessory prayers for me, and I don't even know it. I am even more excited that I have that same authority to talk to God about things that I have seen in the lives of others that I can pray about.
God is always listening. He will never turn a deaf ear to you. Never be afraid to bring your concerns to Him, no matter the size of the problem. God wants you to know that you are loved.
-Meg
Sometimes it is impossible to understand God, and that's alright because, after all, He is the Creator and we are His creation and the creation is never greater than the Creator. This is the way that it is with prayer, especially intercessory prayer. God has a plan, and He will carry out that plan, but through prayer, we can choose whether or not to be part of that plan.
When we pray for someone, we are participating in the plan that God has set out for their life. He wants us to get closer to Him by bringing our troubles and the troubles of others to His attention. When you talk to someone about what is troubling you, you will find that you begin to feel a closer relationship with them. I am excited to think about how people are praying intercessory prayers for me, and I don't even know it. I am even more excited that I have that same authority to talk to God about things that I have seen in the lives of others that I can pray about.
God is always listening. He will never turn a deaf ear to you. Never be afraid to bring your concerns to Him, no matter the size of the problem. God wants you to know that you are loved.
-Meg
What I learned today:
-prayer is so important. And throughout this devotion I am continually reminded of that.
-we should be praying for each other
-prayer causes change
-"Intercessory prayer is less about changing God’s mind and more about participating in His mercy." -She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible reading plan on Youversion Bible App
-Tiff
Friday, August 23, 2013
I came across John 17:20-26 in my reading last year sometime. I had decided that I would read the entire Bible in 3 months, and though I didn't manage it in 3 months, I did get through it within a year. I don't think I had ever realized that Jesus prayed for us while He was here on earth before and the fact that He did was really special to me. Jesus intercedes for us with the Father and He wants us to be unified with Him and each other. I am so blessed that my Saviour loved me enough to pray for me.
Nehemiah also prayed an intercessory prayer in the very first chapter of his book. Our church was studying Nehemiah a few months ago and the main theme that carried throughout the entire study was that Nehemiah was all in. He was completely committed to doing God's will and he wasn't distracted by the antics going on with the people who were trying to pass themselves off as part of the Israelite nation when really, they were posers. He interceded for his people with God and then He set to work to build the walls that needed to be built to bring the people back to right relationship with the Father.
Sometimes it is important to intercede for other people when we are praying. We see that someone is in need of that intercessory prayer and we take the time out to pray for them. Those prayers are powerful and will build our faith and the faith of those we are interceding for. If Jesus intercedes for us, we can certainly intercede for our fellow believers when we realize a need.
-Meg
"12Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying" Romans 12:12
What I learned:
-to intercede is to pray on behalf of another person.
-I often intercede in prayer for people who are not even aware that I am doing it, I pray for family, friends, classmates, and often people I don't even know.
-One of my most recent memories of when I interceded in prayer for someone I don't know is when me and my friend Dusty were heading back to school after a weekend home and we saw a car accident, we stopped and prayed for the people in the car and then also prayed for others who were also driving down that road.
-we have the ability to pray for others and we should. Jesus did it all the time, we should follow his example.
-I challenge you if your reading this to follow Christ's lead a pray for others.
-Tiff
Nehemiah also prayed an intercessory prayer in the very first chapter of his book. Our church was studying Nehemiah a few months ago and the main theme that carried throughout the entire study was that Nehemiah was all in. He was completely committed to doing God's will and he wasn't distracted by the antics going on with the people who were trying to pass themselves off as part of the Israelite nation when really, they were posers. He interceded for his people with God and then He set to work to build the walls that needed to be built to bring the people back to right relationship with the Father.
Sometimes it is important to intercede for other people when we are praying. We see that someone is in need of that intercessory prayer and we take the time out to pray for them. Those prayers are powerful and will build our faith and the faith of those we are interceding for. If Jesus intercedes for us, we can certainly intercede for our fellow believers when we realize a need.
-Meg
"12Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying" Romans 12:12
What I learned:
-to intercede is to pray on behalf of another person.
-I often intercede in prayer for people who are not even aware that I am doing it, I pray for family, friends, classmates, and often people I don't even know.
-One of my most recent memories of when I interceded in prayer for someone I don't know is when me and my friend Dusty were heading back to school after a weekend home and we saw a car accident, we stopped and prayed for the people in the car and then also prayed for others who were also driving down that road.
-we have the ability to pray for others and we should. Jesus did it all the time, we should follow his example.
-I challenge you if your reading this to follow Christ's lead a pray for others.
-Tiff
Friday, 23 August 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Philippians 4:6-7(NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes we forget how much God really cares for us. We know it in an abstract way, but we forget how real that love is. When you care about a child, I mean really love that child, you are so excited to do whatever it is they need you to do, no matter how small that task may be. That's how God loves us. We can ask Him anything. Even the tiny little things that we sometimes decide aren't "big enough" for God to be concerned with are the things that He wants us to bring to Him, tell Him about, and let Him help us with.
When we pray to God, we are talking with Him and we want to express our gratefulness for what He has done in our lives. We also want to tell Him about the things that we are experiencing. We want to tell Him absolutely everything because He cares about absolutely everything in our lives. He is big enough to handle all the little and big things that we can possibly think to tell Him about. If something seems insignificant, still talk to Him about it. If something seems to big to handle, talk to Him about it. He is our amazing and wonderful God. He is omnipotent after all, so why do we keep thinking He has limits?
-Meg
- prayer is often repeated
- we should take everything to Jesus, our worries, our needs, our sins, our praises, our thanks.
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit,O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” -What a Friend we have in Jesus by Joseph Scriven
-always pray for God's will to be done in our lives
-be specific and bold while praying
-bring everything to him
-Tiff
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes we forget how much God really cares for us. We know it in an abstract way, but we forget how real that love is. When you care about a child, I mean really love that child, you are so excited to do whatever it is they need you to do, no matter how small that task may be. That's how God loves us. We can ask Him anything. Even the tiny little things that we sometimes decide aren't "big enough" for God to be concerned with are the things that He wants us to bring to Him, tell Him about, and let Him help us with.
When we pray to God, we are talking with Him and we want to express our gratefulness for what He has done in our lives. We also want to tell Him about the things that we are experiencing. We want to tell Him absolutely everything because He cares about absolutely everything in our lives. He is big enough to handle all the little and big things that we can possibly think to tell Him about. If something seems insignificant, still talk to Him about it. If something seems to big to handle, talk to Him about it. He is our amazing and wonderful God. He is omnipotent after all, so why do we keep thinking He has limits?
-Meg
what I learned today:
- practice makes perfect“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit,O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” -What a Friend we have in Jesus by Joseph Scriven
"6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Phillipians 4:6-7
This verse has got me through so much. It has been a verse I look to in the hard times.-Tiff
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The pleas of an honest heart following hard after God are music to His ears. - She Reads Truth: Prayer in the Bible
When David is in trouble, being seized by the Philistines in Gath, he cries out to God to save Him. He pleads with God. He holds nothing back. David has a completely honest and forthright conversation with God.
Do we ever have a completely honest conversation with God? Are we willing to put it all on the line when we talk with our Creator? I know that I am not completely open with anyone. It's a little stupid to be so closed off with the people you care about, but it's even more ridiculous to be closed off with God. For starters, God already knows you intimately. He created you and is present in every moment of your life, so why would you not talk to Him about the things He already is aware of? Secondly, God is wisdom. He knows what is best for you and if you're in intimate conversation with Him, you will begin to see what He has planned for you, even when you only see the next step you're supposed to take.
Do we understand the privilege that we have in talking to our heavenly Father? Do we realize the boldness that we can have in approaching Him with our concerns and needs? God is righteous, and He will do what is best. We are just required to ask for what we need. God will cause justice to prevail. He knows the whole story and knows what is right. We can trust Him to lead us where we should go.
-Meg
What I learned from today Scripture and Devotion:
-always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1)
-God listens to our prayers.
-prayer is not some formula it is a conversation with God.
-God hears our prayers.
-Tiff
When David is in trouble, being seized by the Philistines in Gath, he cries out to God to save Him. He pleads with God. He holds nothing back. David has a completely honest and forthright conversation with God.
Do we ever have a completely honest conversation with God? Are we willing to put it all on the line when we talk with our Creator? I know that I am not completely open with anyone. It's a little stupid to be so closed off with the people you care about, but it's even more ridiculous to be closed off with God. For starters, God already knows you intimately. He created you and is present in every moment of your life, so why would you not talk to Him about the things He already is aware of? Secondly, God is wisdom. He knows what is best for you and if you're in intimate conversation with Him, you will begin to see what He has planned for you, even when you only see the next step you're supposed to take.
Do we understand the privilege that we have in talking to our heavenly Father? Do we realize the boldness that we can have in approaching Him with our concerns and needs? God is righteous, and He will do what is best. We are just required to ask for what we need. God will cause justice to prevail. He knows the whole story and knows what is right. We can trust Him to lead us where we should go.
-Meg
What I learned from today Scripture and Devotion:
-always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1)
-God listens to our prayers.
-prayer is not some formula it is a conversation with God.
-God hears our prayers.
-Tiff
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Matthew 7:7-8(NIV)
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
The prayer of petition is the one that we probably find ourselves praying the most. It's ok to ask God for things and as these verses say, God actually expects us to ask for things. The thing we need to remember, however, is that God will do what is right and good. If what we ask for is not the right thing, then it won't be done. God answers our prayers, but He may not answer them the way that we expect or want Him to. When Jesus was praying the garden of Gethsemane just before Judas betrayed Him with a kiss, He asked God to take away His cup. He wanted to be relieved from having to go to the cross. He understood that the cross was going to be a painful and horrible experience, and He wanted out. But Jesus wasn't under the impression that our wants and our needs are the same things. He didn't just pray to be relieved from the suffering He was about to experience, He also prayed that God's will would be done rather than what He wanted. He knew that God's will is always better than what we want. If there had been any other less painful and horrible way for Him to reclaim our souls from Satan, He would have taken it, but He was willing to suffer that painful death if God willed it.
We should always remember that we need to ask for the will of God to be done in our lives and the lives of the people we pray for. We aren't always going to understand or even like what God's will is, but it is way better than ours. Maybe God will call you to do something that will put you out of your comfort zone. Maybe He will give you exactly what you asked for in exactly the way you wanted it. Whatever God gives you, that is what is best for you. The best thing about it is that He is with you through it all. If you ever feel that you can't handle what He's given you, ask for His Holy Spirit. God will not withhold good gifts from His children.
-Meg
"40There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”"-Luke 22:40
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
The prayer of petition is the one that we probably find ourselves praying the most. It's ok to ask God for things and as these verses say, God actually expects us to ask for things. The thing we need to remember, however, is that God will do what is right and good. If what we ask for is not the right thing, then it won't be done. God answers our prayers, but He may not answer them the way that we expect or want Him to. When Jesus was praying the garden of Gethsemane just before Judas betrayed Him with a kiss, He asked God to take away His cup. He wanted to be relieved from having to go to the cross. He understood that the cross was going to be a painful and horrible experience, and He wanted out. But Jesus wasn't under the impression that our wants and our needs are the same things. He didn't just pray to be relieved from the suffering He was about to experience, He also prayed that God's will would be done rather than what He wanted. He knew that God's will is always better than what we want. If there had been any other less painful and horrible way for Him to reclaim our souls from Satan, He would have taken it, but He was willing to suffer that painful death if God willed it.
We should always remember that we need to ask for the will of God to be done in our lives and the lives of the people we pray for. We aren't always going to understand or even like what God's will is, but it is way better than ours. Maybe God will call you to do something that will put you out of your comfort zone. Maybe He will give you exactly what you asked for in exactly the way you wanted it. Whatever God gives you, that is what is best for you. The best thing about it is that He is with you through it all. If you ever feel that you can't handle what He's given you, ask for His Holy Spirit. God will not withhold good gifts from His children.
-Meg
"7“Keep
on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and
you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
-this verse is always a reminder to me that God will give us what we need if we ask for it.
-I think that there is limits to what he gives us because sometimes we think we need something when really we just want it.
"40There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”"-Luke 22:40
-this verse reminds me that we have to not only pray for forgiveness but also pray that we will not give into the temptation to sin.
"13Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14Are
any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come
and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15Such
a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make
you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
16Confess
your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and
produces wonderful results. 17Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops." James 5:13-18
- Prayer is powerful. I have a little example from my life where prayer showed to be powerful. In February of this year I was accepted by Power to Change to go to the United Kingdom on a missions project over the reading break. Leading up to the trip each student going had to raise support to go. I contacted every Christian I knew and asked them to support me financially or prayerfully. The Monday before my departure day, which was on a Friday, I was still $700 short of my fundraising goal, I was nervous because the responses to my calls, letters, and emails were becoming very little. A few girls on my campus were planning a wedding shower for some girls and when we were there we prayed about my support raising. By the time I arrived home that night I was only $70 short of the goal. I was on facebook, I was pretty excited because I knew that I could put $70 from my own pocket to cover the amount. But something amazing happened like a few minutes after I signed in. I received a message from a girl on my campus who had graduated a year or two ago. She said "how much do you need to reach your goal Tiffany?" and so I told her $70, she immediately told me that she would donate $70. I jumped for joy and thanked God, I had prayed with those girls and we within hours God answered our prayers, it was then clear that He wanted me to go to the UK. Prayer is powerful. Don't ever doubt it.
-Tiff
Monday, 19 August 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Romans 12:12(NIV)
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Memorizing scripture. We tend to push this aside when we come across verses that are a little more complicated or difficult because we don't want to take the time to commit them to memory. Most Christians know John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Jeremiah 29:11 and probably John 11:35, even if they don't know the references. Those are wonderful verses and I love them myself, but what about all the others that are so full of the Truth that God has given us.
I am so grateful for the Christian education that I received as a child. I grew up in a Christian home and went to church and Sunday School every Sunday. I was also blessed to be able to attend a Christian school from kindergarten to grade 8. Every morning at school we would come into our classroom, stand and sing Oh Canada along with the music coming over the P.A. system, listen to the announcements for the day, and then we would sit down and begin our lessons for the day with Bible. We would learn about the passage we had been studying and then we would look over the verse we were to memorize for the week. Thanks to this education that my parents sacrificed for me to have, I am able to say that I have a small amount of Scripture memorized.
Though the Christian education gave me a firm standing and taught me a lot of Scripture, I didn't continue learning verses on my own. I know that it is a good thing to do, as David states: "I will hide Your word in my heart that I may not sin against You." Psalm 119:11 but I still find myself struggling to practice it in my own life. I know that it is good to have the Word memorized so that I am always "...prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks [me] to give the reason for the hope that [I] have." 1 Peter 3:15 and yet, I still struggle to do this on a regular basis.
I think the key is to be deliberate about anything you do to be more like God. We need to deliberately set time aside to spend time meditating on His word everyday. We need to deliberately plan out how we are going to memorize scripture, not just single verses, but entire passages. We need to deliberately take time to stop the hectic pace of our lives for a time to talk with the One who loves us more than any other person ever can. Jesus sacrificed His all for our salvation, can we not sacrifice some time for Him?
-Meg
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Memorizing scripture. We tend to push this aside when we come across verses that are a little more complicated or difficult because we don't want to take the time to commit them to memory. Most Christians know John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Jeremiah 29:11 and probably John 11:35, even if they don't know the references. Those are wonderful verses and I love them myself, but what about all the others that are so full of the Truth that God has given us.
I am so grateful for the Christian education that I received as a child. I grew up in a Christian home and went to church and Sunday School every Sunday. I was also blessed to be able to attend a Christian school from kindergarten to grade 8. Every morning at school we would come into our classroom, stand and sing Oh Canada along with the music coming over the P.A. system, listen to the announcements for the day, and then we would sit down and begin our lessons for the day with Bible. We would learn about the passage we had been studying and then we would look over the verse we were to memorize for the week. Thanks to this education that my parents sacrificed for me to have, I am able to say that I have a small amount of Scripture memorized.
Though the Christian education gave me a firm standing and taught me a lot of Scripture, I didn't continue learning verses on my own. I know that it is a good thing to do, as David states: "I will hide Your word in my heart that I may not sin against You." Psalm 119:11 but I still find myself struggling to practice it in my own life. I know that it is good to have the Word memorized so that I am always "...prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks [me] to give the reason for the hope that [I] have." 1 Peter 3:15 and yet, I still struggle to do this on a regular basis.
I think the key is to be deliberate about anything you do to be more like God. We need to deliberately set time aside to spend time meditating on His word everyday. We need to deliberately plan out how we are going to memorize scripture, not just single verses, but entire passages. We need to deliberately take time to stop the hectic pace of our lives for a time to talk with the One who loves us more than any other person ever can. Jesus sacrificed His all for our salvation, can we not sacrifice some time for Him?
-Meg
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12
A verse with so much truth. It's such a great reminder to be rejoiceful, to be patient not only in tribulation but always, and to pray often. I guess I have I admit I don't pray as often as I should. I kind of forget to do it, it's something I really have to work on doing more often.
-Tiff
Sunday, August 18, 2013
"It is because of the hasty and superficial conversation with God that the sense of sin is so weak and that no motives have power to help you hate and flee from sin as you should." - A. W. Tozer -
The task for today's blog was to write out a prayer of confession. We are so caught up in our own lives that we find ourselves rushing through our time with God. We read a few verses from the Bible and say a quick prayer and then we feel like we've accomplished our devotional requirement for the day. That is, when looked at objectively, a very sad way to approach our relationship with God.
When we begin a new relationship with another person, we tend to be very excited to spend time with them. We make plans to see them so that we can talk with them. We find out everything we can about them and we want to get to know how to make them happy. We are so excited about making our lives work together. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, their relationship with God, though it may have started out that way, has become more of a chore and they just grab a quick moment before getting on with the rest of their day. If we were to treat our earthly relationships the same way, we wouldn't know very much about the person and it wouldn't be much of a relationship.
If we spend time getting to know God on a daily basis, and I mean spending more than five or ten minutes reading a short passage and then saying a quick prayer, we will begin to have a much deeper relationship with Him. When we have a deeper relationship with Almighty God, He will reveal to us more of Himself. When we see more of who God is, we will understand more about how the things we continue to do that are against His commands are grieving Him. We will begin to get a real grasp on how we are hurting the One who loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to be our Saviour, Redeemer and Lord.
Today, we need to look at our lives and our hearts and discover for ourselves what it is that God wants us to change in our lives. He will be there every step of the way to help us overcome our difficulties and sin nature. All we need to do is draw near to Him and resist the devil. We will see what we should change when we see who He is.
-Meg
-Tiff
The task for today's blog was to write out a prayer of confession. We are so caught up in our own lives that we find ourselves rushing through our time with God. We read a few verses from the Bible and say a quick prayer and then we feel like we've accomplished our devotional requirement for the day. That is, when looked at objectively, a very sad way to approach our relationship with God.
When we begin a new relationship with another person, we tend to be very excited to spend time with them. We make plans to see them so that we can talk with them. We find out everything we can about them and we want to get to know how to make them happy. We are so excited about making our lives work together. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, their relationship with God, though it may have started out that way, has become more of a chore and they just grab a quick moment before getting on with the rest of their day. If we were to treat our earthly relationships the same way, we wouldn't know very much about the person and it wouldn't be much of a relationship.
If we spend time getting to know God on a daily basis, and I mean spending more than five or ten minutes reading a short passage and then saying a quick prayer, we will begin to have a much deeper relationship with Him. When we have a deeper relationship with Almighty God, He will reveal to us more of Himself. When we see more of who God is, we will understand more about how the things we continue to do that are against His commands are grieving Him. We will begin to get a real grasp on how we are hurting the One who loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to be our Saviour, Redeemer and Lord.
Today, we need to look at our lives and our hearts and discover for ourselves what it is that God wants us to change in our lives. He will be there every step of the way to help us overcome our difficulties and sin nature. All we need to do is draw near to Him and resist the devil. We will see what we should change when we see who He is.
-Meg
I have to share the quote again.
“It is because of the hasty and superficial conversation
with God that the sense of sin is so weak and that no motives have power to
help you to hate and flee from sin as you should.” ~ A.W. Tozer
What I learned today from Psalm 51:1-12 and the
corresponding devotion:
-Be open and honest with God. He knows everything we do, so
we should always be honest with him.
-Be willing to change and flee from sin.
-Confess your sins; the weight of them will be lifted from
you.
-Ask God to reveal the sins you may not recognize.
-Pray from the heart.
-Be thankful for God’s forgiveness.
-Tiff
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Luke 15:20(NIV)
So he got up and went to his Father. But while he was still a long way off, his Father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; He ran to His son, threw His arms around him and kissed him.
We all make mistakes. Whether we make what we perceive as small ones, or big ones, or massive ones, we all make them. There is no chance in all of the universe that you or I will get through even one hour without making some sort of mistake and sinning against God. We rebel against His authority in our lives and live the way that we want and sometimes feel entitled to live. We turn away from the Father and do our own thing with the wonderful gifts He has given to us. We squander our talents and use them for personal gain rather than for building up the kingdom of God, but at some point in our lives, we will realize that doing things our way is not satisfying.
When we come to the point where we realize that we are not being satisfied by things that we are doing, we have a choice. We can either spend our days being dissatisfied with what we have in our lives and just continue to do what we've always done, or we can look to the Father and run back to Him with the heart of a servant, ready to serve Him and His kingdom in whatever way He has called us to do so. We also need to do this without expectations. We can't go running back to the Father expecting Him to give us an elevated position or a wonderful experience. We should go back, humble and ready to do even the most menial tasks to build His kingdom. He will put us in the place that is right for us. He knows where our talents are best used and where they will build His kingdom the most.
My most cherished part of this parable is verse 20. I love how when we make the decision to turn back to the Father, even though we feel like we are so far away from Him, He will run to us and fold us into His arms and just love us. When we choose to go back to Him, He will be there, no matter how far we have strayed from His purpose for our lives!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9M_QHgapY Please take a look at this video about this parable of the prodigal son. It is a beautiful song about the love God has for us, even when we have turned our backs on Him.
-Meg
So he got up and went to his Father. But while he was still a long way off, his Father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; He ran to His son, threw His arms around him and kissed him.
We all make mistakes. Whether we make what we perceive as small ones, or big ones, or massive ones, we all make them. There is no chance in all of the universe that you or I will get through even one hour without making some sort of mistake and sinning against God. We rebel against His authority in our lives and live the way that we want and sometimes feel entitled to live. We turn away from the Father and do our own thing with the wonderful gifts He has given to us. We squander our talents and use them for personal gain rather than for building up the kingdom of God, but at some point in our lives, we will realize that doing things our way is not satisfying.
When we come to the point where we realize that we are not being satisfied by things that we are doing, we have a choice. We can either spend our days being dissatisfied with what we have in our lives and just continue to do what we've always done, or we can look to the Father and run back to Him with the heart of a servant, ready to serve Him and His kingdom in whatever way He has called us to do so. We also need to do this without expectations. We can't go running back to the Father expecting Him to give us an elevated position or a wonderful experience. We should go back, humble and ready to do even the most menial tasks to build His kingdom. He will put us in the place that is right for us. He knows where our talents are best used and where they will build His kingdom the most.
My most cherished part of this parable is verse 20. I love how when we make the decision to turn back to the Father, even though we feel like we are so far away from Him, He will run to us and fold us into His arms and just love us. When we choose to go back to Him, He will be there, no matter how far we have strayed from His purpose for our lives!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt9M_QHgapY Please take a look at this video about this parable of the prodigal son. It is a beautiful song about the love God has for us, even when we have turned our backs on Him.
-Meg
What I learned today:
-God loves us no matter what!
-we are lost but found in Christ and in Luke 15:11-32 it is
illustrated by the two sons and their father.
-we have to confess/admit our sins to ourselves too, if we can’t
admit we did something then really we haven’t truly confessed.
This devotion and passage reminded me of a conversation I had with my mentor Sarah. She used this parable as an example when I was struggling with some family issues and was upset that my parents were favoring my brother over me. It really helped me come to terms with it, and see everything in a different way.
-Tiff
Friday, 16 August 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Psalm 32:1(NIV)
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
For three days we have been learning about prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God for the wonderful things that he has done. His glory and power are so wonderful that we can't help but be amazed by Him. After this acknowledgement of His greatness, however, we cannot help but realize how truly unworthy we are of His amazing love and the things that we have done to dishonour Him. The next type of prayer is of confession and repentance.
Our Father is perfect and holy. He cannot look on sin and so, we cannot look upon Him. Fortunately, God sent His one and only, perfect and holy Son to be sin for us. He sent Jesus into the world to take on our sin upon the cross and be the perfect, blameless sacrifice that we would need to be able to have fellowship with the Father.
We can honour this perfect sacrifice by confessing the things that we have done that are sinful. We think, say and do things everyday that are wrong in the eyes of God. Fortunately, Jesus mediates for us with the Father and so, we are able to approach the throne of grace and confess those sins and repent of them. Our Father has made a way for us to have fellowship with Him, which is what our hearts crave.
-Meg
-Tiff
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
For three days we have been learning about prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God for the wonderful things that he has done. His glory and power are so wonderful that we can't help but be amazed by Him. After this acknowledgement of His greatness, however, we cannot help but realize how truly unworthy we are of His amazing love and the things that we have done to dishonour Him. The next type of prayer is of confession and repentance.
Our Father is perfect and holy. He cannot look on sin and so, we cannot look upon Him. Fortunately, God sent His one and only, perfect and holy Son to be sin for us. He sent Jesus into the world to take on our sin upon the cross and be the perfect, blameless sacrifice that we would need to be able to have fellowship with the Father.
We can honour this perfect sacrifice by confessing the things that we have done that are sinful. We think, say and do things everyday that are wrong in the eyes of God. Fortunately, Jesus mediates for us with the Father and so, we are able to approach the throne of grace and confess those sins and repent of them. Our Father has made a way for us to have fellowship with Him, which is what our hearts crave.
-Meg
Confession and Repentance. (Psalm 32:1-7)
Things I learned just from reading the passage (which is
pretty awesome because that’s wher I should be learning the most.):
-confession of our sin is super important, it isn’t just a onetime
thing you do in the beginning when you first accept Christ, it needs to be continual,
an everyday thing.
-being honest and confessing your sin will help you live a
joyful and guilt free life. Even though you will probably feel guilt every once
in a while because it is in our nature.
-confession of sin=forgiveness.
-don’t hide your sin, because God knows anyway its just
going to make you feel bad.
Things I learned after reading the devotion:
-Don’t keep silent.
-It’s not that we have to confess our sin we have the
privilege. We don’t always remember every sin we commit, because in reality we
do sin a lot and sometimes we don’t even realize it.
-be honest about your sin.
-Tiff
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Psalm 8:1(NIV)
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.
Dear God,
You are so awesome! You have made me a healthy and cared for young woman and have placed so many amazing people in my life. You have given me a wonderful family and great friends. You provided a two good jobs for me exactly when I needed them and you have continued to up hold me when I felt like I was drowning in the stress of everyday life.
Thank-you for your beautiful creation that I get to enjoy with all of the senses that you have given me. I love that I can experience the beauty of your creation through sight, touch, smell, hearing and tasting. You have created such beautiful things for me to experience. I looked out my balcony door last night and there was a beautiful sunset for me to enjoy, with brilliant pink and red reflecting up on the bottom of the clouds.
I woke up yesterday morning to some wonderful news from an uncle that I don't know very well, but had been praying for. Not only was my prayer for him answered, it was answered before I even prayed it! You have done such amazing things in my life.
Thank-you that I was able to see one of my roommates briefly this week, and thank-you for the two wonderful young women that you allowed me to meet and have as roommates this past year. I have been so encouraged by their joy and faithfulness.
Thank-you for all the love that you show to me. I love you so much, my Father.
I am yours,
-Meg
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.
Dear God,
You are so awesome! You have made me a healthy and cared for young woman and have placed so many amazing people in my life. You have given me a wonderful family and great friends. You provided a two good jobs for me exactly when I needed them and you have continued to up hold me when I felt like I was drowning in the stress of everyday life.
Thank-you for your beautiful creation that I get to enjoy with all of the senses that you have given me. I love that I can experience the beauty of your creation through sight, touch, smell, hearing and tasting. You have created such beautiful things for me to experience. I looked out my balcony door last night and there was a beautiful sunset for me to enjoy, with brilliant pink and red reflecting up on the bottom of the clouds.
I woke up yesterday morning to some wonderful news from an uncle that I don't know very well, but had been praying for. Not only was my prayer for him answered, it was answered before I even prayed it! You have done such amazing things in my life.
Thank-you that I was able to see one of my roommates briefly this week, and thank-you for the two wonderful young women that you allowed me to meet and have as roommates this past year. I have been so encouraged by their joy and faithfulness.
Thank-you for all the love that you show to me. I love you so much, my Father.
I am yours,
-Meg
Today we learned about Practicing Praise. How do you
practice praise?
-Remember to address God (focus on him)
-Remember to thank him for everything not just the good but
also what we might consider as bad at the time.
-Say thank you.
- Tell God how much you love him.
Do this every day, not just once.
-Tiff
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