Faith And Prayer

Who, what, where do you put your faith? How deep and strong is your faith? Have you exercised your faith recently? Do you know how to exercise your faith? Is your faith in the right person? Is your faith in God?

We all put our faith in someone or something. We have faith the sun will rise the next day. We have faith the people driving in traffic all around us will drive safely. We have faith Mom and Dad will always have our backs. We have faith there will be farmers to grow food. We have faith there will be jobs for us to earn a living.

Having faith in all of those people and things is all well and good, but our faith must ultimately boil down to one. We must either put our faith in ourselves or in God. When we put our faith in ourselves, we exercise our faith by approaching life as though it all depends on us. True, we contribute, but it doesn’t all depend on us.

When our faith is only in ourselves, we may be overconfident and cocky. Or we may be filled with anxiety and worry. We rely on our physical capabilities and those around us. We rely on manmade apparatuses to accomplish our tasks. We don’t look beyond ourselves.

When we exercise our faith in God, we ask for His guidance. We trust God to provide what we need, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. We are confident God is working at all times and He cares for us. We refuse to put ourselves on a pedestal, rather we give the credit to God.

We have lost, to a large degree, our faith in God. Rarely will we see someone ask to be prayed over with the laying on of hands when they are sick. Rare is the person who sings praises to God as part of their daily lives. We often fail to repent of our sin, instead believing we really aren’t that bad because we compare ourselves to others. We have lost our belief in miracles. Oh, we may say God can work miracles, but we don’t really count on them. We have forgotten that God is bigger than any of our troubles, sicknesses, or failures. We forget that God created everything we see.

Prayer is the way to bring God into the equation. Prayer is the pathway to increasing our faith. Prayer is the means by which we praise God, ask Him to heal the hurting, and repent of our wrongdoings. Prayer is our ultimate communication mechanism with the Almighty.

I pray we all spend time with God in prayer. I pray we return to a faith in miracles. I pray each one of us brings God into the equation today and every day. Strengthen your faith. Spend time with God. Praise Him. Pray to Him. Communicate with God. Trust Him.

James 5:13-16 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Heal The Sick

What immediately comes to your mind when you think of church? Who is the first person that comes to mind when you think of a Jesus follower? Do those two thoughts make sense when you put them together? Or do they seem to be very different thoughts?

There are people who think of the church as nothing more than a social club. Perhaps they see all the flaws in the people of the church and want nothing to do with it. Maybe all they know of the church are the negative stories told by the news media. In either case, they don’t see a need nor have a desire to be part of it.

Some of those same people know people who go to church regularly, even if they don’t know it. There may be people they work with who are regular church goers, but they don’t talk about it. They may sit beside a follower of Jesus in a classroom without realizing it. They drive by churches in towns across this country and don’t even notice them. They are simply part of the landscape. This is very unfortunate and sad.

You see, the church was put here by God to be a place to heal the sick. As we see in today’s passage, Jesus states He came to call the sinners—those who need healing. He even references being a doctor to heal the sick. Each follower of Jesus is a member of the church, and we are to go about healing the sick—the sinners—much like a hospital heals those who are physically sick. We are also to be about preventative medicine, teaching people how to live abundant lives by following Jesus. We need to rid ourselves of our self-righteous image, thinking we are better than everyone else, get down in the trenches, and start doing the very same work Jesus did—seeking and saving the lost.

It is one thing to have confidence in knowing we are saved. It is a completely different attitude that looks at others as though they are less than we are. We are all sinners. We all need Jesus to be saved. We all are to be about doing the work Jesus has tasked us with. We need to recognize that we work in a hospital, not participate in country club activities.

I pray we all seek to eliminate self-righteous attitudes. I pray we go about working in the church/hospital. I pray each one of us seeks to be a true follower of Jesus and work as He worked. Recognize the church as a hospital. Seek to heal the sick. Rid yourself of self-righteousness. Work as Jesus did. Follow His lead. Seek to save the lost.

Matthew 9:12-13 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Be A Good Neighbor

How are you with your neighbors? Do you get along with them? Are you looking out for them? Do you even know who they are? Do you know that Jesus has redefined who your neighbor is? Have you thought about that?

We all have neighbors. For some of us, our neighbors are the people who live on the other side of the wall, above us, or below us in an apartment complex. For others, they live in the house next door in a neighborhood. For farmers, your neighbor may be some distance down the road.

We think of our neighbor as someone who lives close by. Yet Jesus redefined who our neighbor is. When we think of the story of the Good Samaritan, we find that the good neighbor happened to be someone who lived far away from the injured man and someone he would normally hate.

During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated that we are to love our enemies. He reversed the old Jewish saying. For all intent and purposes, Jesus was saying that everyone is our neighbor. We don’t really like to think of it like that. We like to hold our prejudices, grudges, and rivalries. We like to point our finger at “them.” Doesn’t is always come down to “them” being the problem? It isn’t on us. At least, that is how our mind wants to twist it.

Jesus was a revolutionary. He commanded those who were listening to Him, and us, to love all people. That is absolutely countercultural for us. It goes against our innate feelings and emotions. We have bad or hard feelings toward certain people…and we like it, we don’t want to let them go.

How can we overcome our feelings? We pray. Pray that God remove those bad feelings toward the other person. Continue to pray that prayer until they go away. Make every attempt to see the other person as Jesus sees them—a child of God, someone God created. No, it isn’t easy to do this, yet we are called to do it by Jesus Himself. I can promise you, from my own personal experience, the blessing you receive from doing so will far outweigh the hate you harbor.

I pray we all strive to love everyone. I pray we pray that God remove our hard feelings. I pray each one of us decides to follow Jesus’ command to love all people and pray for them. Know that everyone is your neighbor. Love all people. Choose to love rather than hate. See all people as God sees them. Be a good neighbor.

Matthew 5:43-45a “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”

Love One Another

Are you wondering why the world seems to be in chaos? Do you look around and see the hate? Would you like to fix it? Are you willing to do what it takes to fix your own little world? Will you give your own preferences? Will you love without conditions?

It isn’t hard to look around and see all the discord. We see politicians fighting and arguing like two-year-old’s. We see clashes between racial and ethnic groups. We see finger pointing going on in our workplaces. Everyone puts up deflector shields to deflect the blame to someone else.

How do we end it? When will it end? Those are questions many people are asking. Unfortunately, we can’t legislate morality. We can’t pound people over the head with a sledgehammer until they quit their bigotry. It simply doesn’t work. For some, the more you try push them into being a better person, the worse they get.

So, what to do? The first thing on our agenda is to love one another. We, Christians, must stop our own bickering back and forth. We may have differing opinions. We may not see eye-to-eye on the interpretation of the Bible. Yet, we absolutely need to agree on one thing—love one another as Jesus loves us. Otherwise, we are living lies and we have no chance to change this world for the better.

Jesus clearly states in today’s passage that by loving one another we show the world we are His disciples. Otherwise, we are no better than the world. Even pagans love those who love them. We aren’t any different, if we don’t love one another despite our differences. We are no better, if we don’t love all races and ethnic groups. We are no better, if we don’t love those of differing political opinions.

Jesus has called us to love as He loved. He didn’t say we must like what everyone does. He didn’t say we must all be exactly the same. He did say to love—to love one another unconditionally, with grace, mercy, and a forgiving heart. As we love one another, we become peacemakers, reconcilers, healers, and a true representative of Jesus on this earth.

I pray we all decide to love as Jesus loved. I pray we give up our hatred toward one another. I pray each one of us loves in order to be a peacemaker and Jesus’ representative. Choose love. Be like Jesus. Give up your selfishness. See others as Jesus sees them. Be a peacemaker. Be a disciple of Jesus.

John 13:24-25 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love oneanother. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Running the Race

Why do you run the race called life? Are you running to gain a prize? Do you have goals set to achieve? Are you educating yourself? Do you train and practice regularly? Are you running a race that can be won?

We all run the race of life in one form or another. Some of us run to merely survive. Others run to obtain a crown of glory. And still others run for something in the middle. Unfortunately, there are many who run the race blind.

Running the race of life is challenging, even if we are merely running to survive. A very large portion of the world’s population is doing just that—running to survive. We, in America, often don’t see that race nor do we care to see it. We may acknowledge it on a superficial level in our minds, but we don’t really see it nor understand it. If you made $59,000 dollars in 2018, you were in the 91st percentile worldwide. That means you were among the 9% highest income individuals. Do you understand that means there were 91% of the world’s population who made less money than you did?

Of course, making money is only one way of determining how well we are running the race. Yet, it is one we Americans often use to judge our success. We think money will make us happy. It won’t. It is a hard lesson to learn and one that can have very dire consequences.

If we are not to strive for more money, what are we to strive for? We should seek the crown that will never tarnish. That is the crown of life. It is only obtained from God. It is what we receive as a follower of Jesus Christ. Unlike worldly possession that will eventually decay to the point of complete destruction, the crown of life will never decay.

Rather than chasing after more of this world, we should be chasing after more of Jesus. Only He can provide us what our heart’s truly desire. We don’t like to think of leaving this world, which is unfortunate. You see, if we are followers of Jesus, when we leave this world, we go to spend eternity with Him. We go to a place of perfect love, joy, and peace. All the hurt, hate, frustration, struggle, deception, conniving, and the rest of our discontent is gone forever.

I pray we all seek the crown of life. I pray we seek to follow Jesus. I pray each one of us realize the things of this world will disappear, while our eternal reward will not. Run the right race. Chase after the crown of life. Be a follower of Jesus. Find what your heart truly desires.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Be Righteous

Are you struggling to do good? Are you seeking to be recognized as an upstanding citizen? Would you like people to say good things about you? Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? Is your faith waning?

Most of us want others to say good things about us. We care about our reputation. We want to be known as someone who is good. Yet, we also know internally of all our failures, which often cause us to have a lower opinion of ourselves, whether we voice it or not.

We can remember every little failure we have ever made. For instance, I can remember being in sixth grade, which is more than forty years ago, borrowing a nickel from another kid and never repaying it. Having those smallest of failures in our heads, it is no wonder we often think of ourselves as a failure. It is no small wonder we continue to struggle to think we don’t live up to others’ expectations.

Here is the hard truth. We don’t have to live up to other people’s expectations, we are to live up to God’s expectations. Unfortunately, we cannot do that either. So, what are we to do? The good news is this, Jesus died, was buried, and rose again so that we might be made righteous.

What does it mean to be righteous? It means to be made perfect, just as God is perfect. It means that we are forgiven, because Jesus paid the price. It means that God sees us through the veil of Jesus and sees us as righteous children. No, we are not perfect of our own accord or doing, but we are perfect when seen through Jesus.

How do we attain this righteousness? Through our belief in Jesus. It cannot be a simple belief, but one that goes down deep in our heart. We are to believe that He is the Son of God. We are to believe He is our perfect sacrifice. We are to love Him with all our heart. All of this is to encourage us to do as He commanded us. We cannot fully repay Him, but we can strive to repay as much as we can. This is not done through works, but through our love, behavior, and attitude. It is done by putting God first in our lives.

I pray we all seek the righteousness God offers us. I pray we put God first in our lives. I pray each one of us believes in Jesus wholeheartedly. Put God first. Believe in Jesus. Allow your belief to change who you are. Show the love of Jesus. Be righteous.

Romans 4:23-24 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Battle Effectively

Are you in the middle of a battle? Does it seem as though you are in a constant battle over one thing or another? Are all those battles really worth fighting over? Or are you fighting the wrong battle? There is some battles worth fighting.

We fight many battles throughout our lifetimes. Some are petty while others are very important. Some come to us unexpectedly while others we see coming way down the road. Doing battle is exhausting. Therefore, battles don’t typically last for long periods of time.

Research conducted to discover the effectiveness of units in battle found five key characteristics that impact success: Weapons Proficiency, Situational Awareness, Tactics and Drills, Cover and Concealment, and Leadership/Communications. Do these look familiar? You don’t need to be a military person to recognize them. You will see these referenced, perhaps a little differently, in Ephesians 6:10-20 when Paul exhorts us to put on the full armor of God. The study also found the unit became more efficient with experience. No surprise there! The more you are engaged with any task, the more efficient you become.

As we go about our lives, we need to become efficient and effective in battle. Not battles over minor disputes such as what we will eat, when we will see a pay raise, or what is going on in a different department. No, we need to ask ourselves the age-old question, “Are you willing to die on that hill?” If not, don’t fight the battle. Let it go.

Battles we should fight are those that include the battles against evil. In order to know the difference, we need discernment—the discernment only provided by God. So, pray that God gives you discernment to know what battle is worth fighting.

Most of us are fighting the wrong battles. We need to focus our attention on the battles God wants us to fight. He will equip us to not only fight those battles, but to win them. How do we gain the knowledge and skills to win? We train. Our training comes through interaction with other Christians, being in a constant learning state of mind, practice and experience, and spending quiet time with God. The more we know how to use the defensive measures and weapons God grants us, the more successful we are.

I pray all of us take up the fight against evil. I pray we seek God to gain discernment. I pray each one of us spends time training, practicing, and gaining experience for the battles we will face. Know that God will equip you for battle. Seek His discernment to know which battles are important. Stop fighting the unimportant battles. Spend time training and practicing. Prepare yourself for the battles you will face.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.

Wisdom Seeking

Are you looking for wisdom? Do you long to gain understanding? Have you been searching for answers to important questions? Is there a desire within you to discover meaning in your life? Do you know where to find the knowledge you are looking for?

We all have questions. Whether we realize it or not, we want to know what our purpose is. We long to discover what we are meant to do, where we belong, and who we are to be with. Our search carries us to many people, places, and situations.

There is an old country song by Johnny Lee titled Looking For Love. The lyric in the chorus says, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” We can apply the meaning of this lyric to our search for wisdom. We look for knowledge and wisdom in the wrong places. We look to this world to fill us with understanding. Don’t misunderstand, going to school, being educated, is good. Yet, the discernment and understanding we need to gain wisdom does not come from the world but from God.

As we are told in today’s passage, wisdom is provided through the church. It is not that any one individual within the church can provide all the wisdom we desire. It is the collective wisdom of the members of the church that fulfills our desire. We gain insights from one person that we can’t gather from another.

In order to gain the wisdom we seek, we must be willing to talk with the various members, even those we may not particularly care for. We must participate in Bible classes. We must be attentive when the pastor preaches. We must pray to God for discernment. And we must spend time reading and studying on our own.

Wisdom doesn’t come quick nor easily. However, it won’t be acquired at all, if we are not active in the church, the place and group of people where God sheds His wisdom and provides understanding not found in the world—an understanding, not of how things work, but of the meaning of life.

I pray we all choose to be active in our churches. I pray we turn to God’s people for insights. I pray each one of us seeks the wisdom that only God can provide. Seek true wisdom. Be active in a church. Participate in Bible classes. Listen attentively. Pray for discernment.

Ephesians 3:10-11 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mighty Power

Are you in need of strength today? Are you facing a mountain of struggles? Do you feel as though your world is crumbling around you? Do you believe there are evil forces at work against you? Do you realize how true that feeling may be? Do you know how to survive it?

As much as most of us don’t want or don’t like to admit it, evil is at work in our world. We face it on a daily basis. Satan likes to toy with us like little children. Unfortunately, far too many of us don’t know how to defend ourselves against him. There is only one way to do so.

The Apostle Paul knew all too well about evil forces exerting their will in this world. He gave us instructions in Ephesians 6:10-20 to fight against evil. All but one of his instructions were for defense. Why would that be? We are to take up a defensive position against the attacks of Satan and allow God to take the offense. In fact, the only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is God in us. We access this weapon through prayer. Praying in the Spirit, through the Spirit, and in our full spirit is both defensive and offensive.

There are many who will not attribute the dissension, hate, discrimination, crime, and brokenness of this world to Satan. Their eyes are blind, and their ears are clogged. Their hearts are hardened. This is also the work of Satan. His schemes are many and varied. We often say all this is a result of human nature. True—broken human nature.

How do we overcome our brokenness? We must put our trust in God. We need to spend time with God’s people learning, reading God’s Word, and praying for wisdom. We must give up our own desires in favor of God’s desires. We need to learn how to put on the armor of God to protect ourselves from the schemes Satan throws at us.

We have a choice to make—fall for Satan’s schemes or protect ourselves with God. It isn’t always an easy choice. It isn’t typically a popular choice. Yet, if we want to live a life of peace, joy, contentment, and love, it’s a choice we need to make.

I pray we all choose to put on the armor of God. I pray we defend ourselves against Satan’s schemes. I pray we choose to dedicate ourselves to following God and trusting Him. Put on the armor of God. Spend time with Jesus’ followers. Learn from God’s Word. Spend time in prayer with God. Trust Him to protect you. Open your eyes and ears.

Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Content with Inadequacy

Are there times you feel inadequate? Do you get the feeling others look down on you because of where you come from? Is it because of the reputation your hometown has? Or is it due to their ignorance? Do you believe God can use you, no matter where you are from?

Many of us experience prejudice because of where we come from. We may be from small towns or the inner city. We may be from the beaches along either coast or from the farmland of the Midwest. We may be from the south or the north. We may be from another country.

Being looked down upon by others is not enjoyable. We feel like an outsider, less than others, like we don’t belong. We may even want to run and hide. Our desire to fit in causes us to feel guilty when we don’t. We strive to figure out what we can do to fit in the next time.

Here is the good news, God can and will use us, no matter where we come from. Take a look at today’s passage. There were some in the crowd that looked down upon and made fun of the apostles. Why? They were from the region of Galilee. You see, the Galilean region was widely known as a somewhat backward region of Israel. Many of them were fishermen and far less educated than those from Jerusalem. They weren’t cultured like the people of the big city.

The crowd was amazed to hear the apostles speaking in their own language. At a minimum, there were fifteen different languages and dialects being spoken by the apostles. This coming from people who typically only knew and spoke their own dialect. It would be like hearing a North Carolina fisherman speaking Japanese or Hebrew. Totally unexpected!

Some in the crowd made fun at them, stating they had drunk too much wine. Isn’t that what usually happens? Those who make fun of us do so in a ridiculous manner. Sometimes, it doesn’t even make sense. So, what are we to do? I suggest we ignore them and be comfortable knowing God has a plan for each of us.

Just like God used the less educated fishermen of Galilee, He plans to use us in ways we can not imagine. We simply need to be open to God’s plan. We need to listen for His guidance. God can and will use us, if we are willing, to carry out His bigger plan, even if we only play a smart part in it.

I pray we are all content with God’s plan. I pray we listen for His guidance. I pray each one of us ignore those who look down on us and rest easy in God’s love. Look to God in all situations. Know that God loves you. Know that God has a plan for you. Don’t worry what others think.

Acts 2:6-8, 12-13 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”…Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”