1 John

The Ammunition Of Prayer - 1 John 5:14-16

11:00 AM


1 John 5:14-16


We as Christians are in a battle for our very souls. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that there is a great spiritual war waging around us even as we speak. As such, we are commanded to be warriors in God’s army. Soldiers armed against the Enemy’s attacks, and at the ready with our spiritual weapons. And some of the greatest ammunition we have is prayer.


There are some who definitely have God’s anointing when it comes to prayer. They pray easily, fervently, and persistently. Their prayers are filled with complete assuredness that God will answer their pleas. But for others, prayer doesn’t some so easily. To them prayer may feel awkward, or they worry they’re doing it wrong. Still others are too proud or too ashamed to come before the Lord. But God calls all Christians to pray; with no exceptions. So how do we strengthen our prayer lives and become mighty warriors? 


John tells us that the first step is knowing God’s will. To do this, we need to be reading His Word. For in it He has revealed to us who He is, and what He wants. And the more time we spend in the scriptures, the more in harmony our hearts and minds will be in praying according to God’s will. Next we are to have complete confidence that God not only listens to such prayers, but when they align with His plans, have faith they will be answered every time. 


Prayer is an unbreakable bond between us and God. There is no special formula, ritual, or words that have to be said. All God wants is for us to come to Him in complete and humble faith. Through the blood of Jesus Christ we have unlimited access to the Father and His throne. And He wants to hear from us! James 4:2 tells us we don’t have, because we don’t ask. So today I challenge you to ask! Go to God in prayer. Give to Him your heart and all it holds. And have unshakable faith that if it is His will, He will see it done! 


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God's will

If you are willing {Luke 22}

12:30 AM


October 9, 2018



“One day, Jesus said to His disciples, There will always be temptations to sin…”  Luke 17:1

“Pray that you will not be overcome by temptation.”  v. 40  In other words, pray in the crisis, that temptation will not get the better of you.  Notice that Jesus doesn’t encourage them to pray that they won’t be tempted.  Temptation is a fact of life that neither we nor Jesus can escape.  But it’s the prayer that they won’t “enter into”, or “be overcome” or give into temptation.

How do we resist temptation?

Through prayer.

That’s the simple, but vital lesson of this passage.  It's the communion with the Lord that we develop through prayer and become like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Imagine being “about a stone’s throw” away from someone.  It’s a short distance, but you can see and hear the person.  In this passage, Jesus’ posture for praying is different.  He kneels.  Typical Jewish prayer posture of the day was standing, with arms open and eyes lifted to heaven.

Ok, so Jesus is just a stone’s throw away and there’s no doubt the disciples heard His prayer.  “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me.”  Just a few chapters earlier in Luke 5, a man with leprosy asked Jesus to heal him if He was willing.  But now, Jesus is asking His Father “if you are willing.”  Only Jesus adds, “Yet, I want your will, not mine.”

Jesus listens.  Matthew and Mark record that Jesus prayed this prayer three times.  Three times!!!!  We tend to flit into the throne room and toss God a contract containing our plans and ask for His signature.  “Please God, rubber stamp this for me.”

Not Jesus.  He doesn’t ask if the Father will permit it.  It’s more if He desires it.  And that’s a huge difference.  Only Father, if you desire it, do I make this petition. 

Jesus had a mission.  On earth, Jesus wasn’t all knowing.  This was part of the glory of divinity that he voluntarily laid aside for a time (Philippians 2:7) when He “emptied” Himself.  As He prepared for His ministry before and after His baptism, and then in the desert, the Father revealed to Him the full scope of the “cup” that He would drink, the destiny to which He was called, the mission He was sent to accomplish.  The scriptures spoke to Him as His Father interpreted them to Him.

As Jesus read Isaiah 53, He begins to understand.  He’s not just a teacher of the truth.  He IS the Redeemer.


 Image result for isaiah 53:4-6

Jesus is the Sacrifice itself.  He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  He doesn’t come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).  He is the sin-bearer for the people.  He is the righteous one who dies for the sins of the unrighteous to bring them to God (1 Peter 3:18).

But the destiny of the sin-bear is utter desecration as the horrible, despicable sins of mankind begin to weigh upon Him with an unbearable weight of filth before the Lord.  Lust.  Hatred.  Greed.  Deceit.  Theft.  Promiscuity.  Anger.  Murder.  Selfishness.  Betrayal.  Sins that deserve death.  Iniquities that inevitably drive their perpetrators into the lake of fire prepared for Satan and his angels (Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8; Matthew 25:41).  In the Garden Jesus can almost feel what it will be like tomorrow when the sheer weight of the sins of His people literally crush Him and snuff out His life.

And what about His blessed communion with His Father?  How can that continue while He becomes fatally infected with sin, and sins, and innumerable sins of billions and billions of people who inhabit and who had inhabited and who will inhabit this world?  Where is that sweet fellowship and trust?  Of prayer and joy in His Father?  There is no fellowship with sin or the sin-bearer.  It’s no wonder the agony shouts out on the cross the cry of desolation that begins Psalm 22:  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”  (Mark 15:34)

We may know what pain and agony feels like.  I’m assuming none of us know what it must be like to be tortured to death until we suffocate while upright, too weak to lift our bodies to take another breath.  But the crushing load of sin?  How can we understand that?

Can you imagine what the pain must have been for the Father?  Can you imagine how the very unity of the Trinity is threatened by the cross?  This is truly the tension of love stretched to its very limits in putting to death the Son for sin. 

But we do know that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not parish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

We also know that Jesus, “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Hebrews 12:2)

Image result for Philippians:6-8\

His cup was drunk down to the very dregs, to take on Himself the wrath of God that we deserve for our sin.  Can we fault Him for praying, “Take this cup from me”?

But Jesus yields, submits, and surrenders to the Father’s decision.  Jesus has a preference – that the cup be removed.  But He voluntarily surrenders that preference if the Father’s will differs.

Too often we make the mistake of praying surrender prayers without ever owning up to our own will in the matter.  Instead of petitioning God to do any specific thing at all, we pray:  “Let your will be done.”  That’s is good, but that’s not the real petition, and sometimes it can be a cop-out for determining how we really should pray.  It is not wrong to come to God with a preference.  We should follow Jesus, after we have clearly stated our preference openly, it is then appropriate to pray, “yet not my will, but yours be done.”

If we never state and deliberately set aside for the moment our own preference, we run the risk of “hearing” God say what we might want Him to say.  It is important to sort out what we want and ask for that – it’s not wrong – before submitting to God’s will, whatever that might be.  Our will may very well be God’s will.  But it may not be.  To discern God’s will, we must state our own will and then surrender it to God.  We need to become neutral about the outcome if God were to desire some other outcome than ours.  That is real surrender.

We have one of the foundational prayers in the bible from Jesus in the Garden.  Let us all learn this lesson well.


Lisa


Amos

Decerning God's Will - Part 2 {Amos 1-4}

12:00 AM


I have taught women’s Bible studies for almost thirty years now and have discovered the #1 question everyone seems to have is:

How can we know God’s will, or plan for our lives? 

I shared an example from my own life on steps to take in order to discern His will a few weeks ago, and here's the link if you'd like to look back at it.

But, here in the Book of Amos the Lord reveals a huge part of the answer to that question in a form of a question in Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

The word used here for "together" gives the idea of two people moving in rhythm together, as in riding a tandem bicycle. Think about that for a minute. Have you ever ridden a tandem bicycle before? Both sets of peddles operate in unison. One may be applying more force in peddling but both sets of peddles circulate together and only the person sitting in front seat gets to steer!

Therefore, it's not about getting God into rhythm with us; it’s getting ourselves into rhythm with Him. This is what it means to “walk with God”.

The Lord also gives us another clue in verse 7, “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets."

We are His servants and since God loves His children, He graciously takes us into His confidence so that we will be directed and warned in advance as to His plans and purposes for each of us. 

God is warning His people through Amos of the pending judgment coming so that His people will have time to repent, but the practical application for each of us is to stay in His word and in fellowship with Him and allow God to speak to each us of what He has for our lives.

But there are also a few other keys I’ve discovered along the way that may help as well: 

__Surrender your will to God’s. This one has tripped me up more times than I care to admit! Many times when I’ve claimed to be seeking God’s will, what I actually wanted Him to do is get in step with my will. I have tried to take over steering the bike countless times, but have learned that before God will begin to reveal His will to us, we must be committed to doing whatever it is that He desires for us to do. Proverbs 3:5-6 fits well right here and also;

Romans 12:1-2, I beseech  you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

__Next be careful to obey what you already know to be God’s will. Many people seem to want to know what God’s plan is for their lives, but they aren’t following what has already been commanded through His Word. If we don't obey the things that God has already shown us to be His will, why would we assume He would reveal anything further regarding His plan for our lives? Obedience is definitely an important first step, and often times before we seek His will we should first confess where we’ve fallen short.

__Simply ask Him. There are many verses where God encourages us to come to Him seeking wisdom. Here are two of my favorites:

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’ Jeremiah 33:3

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-6 

I can honestly say, that He has never failed to give me the wisdom/answers I’m seeking at the moment. Though I can tell you, the wisdom I’ve sought has come in many different ways and at different time, BUT it has always come!

 __Seek godly counsel. God’s Word is one avenue in seeking His will, and another is to seek input from other godly advisors in your life.

Proverbs 11:14 says, Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

__ Finally, Listen to God’s Spirit. I’m learning to be still (quiet) and listen while praying rather than running on with my list of requests. I’ve learned to sit with a journal and ask questions BEFORE I open His Word. Jesus promised in John 10:27, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. We will know when He is speaking.

I’m wholly confident that if you follow these key steps to help you hone in on His plans, you will definitely discover them! After all what Father would ever want to keep His children in the dark?

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discerning God's Will

Decerning God's Will for Your Life {Jeremiah 39-45}

8:00 PM


Do you want to know what the will of God is for your life, or in a particular situation? Which way to go? What is the right thing to say or not to say? What to do?


There are four key steps to take in seeking a word from God in any and all situations. BUT before I let you in on them, let me share how I found out just what they were…

You see, The Lord chose to uproot us and move my husband and I thousands of miles away from all we knew and loved back in 1999, and we were miserable. We tried to keep a stiff upper lip during the week, but on Sunday afternoons we’d sit in our empty house and cry. We missed our kids, our family, our home! We were trying to settle in, trying to make friends, but all that takes time.

Suddenly, only a few months after arriving to our new environment, we were handed a way to go back home!

A new job offer came to John from a huge multi-billion dollar company! They were willing to move us back home to NH, give us a huge signing bonus and raise! It was an awesome job opportunity working for an old boss John had loved working for years before. Everything screamed, “TAKE THE JOB AND GO BACK!!”

Only, there was this one nagging question, “Why would the Lord move us here and have us buy a home, only to move us back four months later?” It just didn’t seem to make sense. So we began to pray… and pray… and have everyone we knew pray. We went back and forth; we’re going … we’re staying … we’re going.

We finally decided to accept the job, put our home on the market and head back home when John was invited to lunch with our pastor at the time, Dr. Adrian Rogers. The conversation started off lighthearted as all were getting to know one another until that is, John let on that he had just accepted another job offer and was heading back to NH in about six weeks. The room suddenly grew very quiet and Dr. Rogers grew very serious and pointed his finger at John and told him in so many words, that he was here for a reason and he needed to go home, get on his knees and confess every unconfessed sin and ask God to reveal His will to John. John came home and told me what Dr. Rogers had said, but I didn’t think much of it until the next morning.

John’s contract with the new company was being delivered that morning by FedEx for John to sign and ship it back overnight. I had only run to the store for a moment, but when I returned there was a note on my door from the FedEx deliverer informing me that he was sorry he missed me and would return on Monday.

Now we had the weekend to nail down what God’s will was for us.

By Sunday night John was pretty convinced that The Lord wanted us to remain here in our new home, but I still hadn’t heard from God in spite of all my seeking and crying out to Him.

That was until early Monday morning while it was still dark, The Lord woke me up with the words, “Come away with Me, My beloved.” And I knew at that moment I would finally learn exactly what God’s will in this situation was. I grabbed my Bible off my nightstand and hurried to the sitting room where I usually met with the Lord in the morning. I got down on my knees and set my Bible, that was still closed, on the couch in front of me, and began to pray! I sat there confessing everything I could possible think of and then promised Him that I was, “not getting off my knees until I know in which way we are to go.” I sat silently listening, waiting ….. nothing. I was growing more and more frustrated by the minute!

I began to pray again and I promised Him, “I’m going to whip this Bible open, and I’m going to start reading wherever it lands and I’m going to keep on reading until I know in which way I am to go.” I whipped open the Bible and it opened to the book of Jeremiah. Chapter 42 was on the left-hand side of the page and since we read left to right, I thought chapter 42 was a good place to start!


Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”
4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”
5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

My heart began to pound within my chest! "What if I don’t like the answer???"  But I kept reading,

Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. 9 He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 10 ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. 12 I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’
13 “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’ 15 then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there,

That was all I needed to hear! I grabbed my Bible and ran back in the bedroom, woke John up and read this to him. He then shared that a friend had brought up this same chapter the day before as they were shooting hoops. We both looked at one another and knew, we were to remain in this land.

The FedEx envelope arrived a few hours later and I signed for it, but we never opened it. It still sits unopened in John’s night stand drawer 19 years later. John called and told the company he wasn’t coming and for some reason they weren’t surprised. We called our real-estate agent and told her to take the house off the market and she admitted she hadn’t put the house on the market, for some reason she had a feeling we’d be staying.

What God did after that is absolutely AMAZING! I wish I had the time to share with you! Suffice it to say, when you are in the center of God’s will it is AWEsome! We were in absolute awe just being able to watch Him work over the next few years!

Unfortunately, the remnant of Judah hadn't listened to the words of Jeremiah then, but we are so thankful we did!

Now let me share the steps I learned to take when you’re desperate to know what God’s will is in a certain situation, for I want you all to experience the joys of being in the center of God's will!

1.      Confess any known sin in your life. 1 John 1:9a, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." Confess your attitudes. Ask Him to reveal anything that would prevent your channel of communication from being wide open
2.      Surrender your will. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) If you really want to know God’s will, you need to set yours on the altar to be burned or given back.
3.      Ask trusting Him to answer: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” –James 1:5-6
4.      Commit the decision to Christ.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." In other words, don't try to figure it out by yourself! Look to God for your understanding of what is going on, or what He wants you to do. (Proverbs 3:5-6). Then, “Commit your way to the LORD; and trust Him to do it!"- Psalm 27:5

I can honestly say, He has never fail to answer and give me exactly what I was seeking as soon as He knew my heart was right to receive all He needed to tell me.

Blessings! 

Sue

Cyrus

God Can Use Anyone {Ezra 1:1-3:13}

12:00 AM


The prophet Isaiah wrote a prophecy concerning one whom God called “His anointed”. (Is. 44:28-45:25) A man who God would take by the right hand. This man would subdue nations, rebuild God’s temple and shepherd the Lord’s people. Who was this man? No other than Cyrus the great. A mighty king of Persia who didn’t know God, and who followed his own rules. And yet roughly 150 years later, this unbelieving king became an instrument of God, proving that not only does God keep His promises, He can use anyone to do so.

Because of their sins of idolatry and rebellion, God allowed the Jewish people to become captives and taken to Babylon. But in Jeremiah 29:10 God promised, “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place’.” To fulfill this good word, God used Cyrus. “The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom.” (Ezra 1:1) This proclamation allowed the exiled Jews to be freed; to return to their holy land and rebuild the temple. Cyrus even restored the temple treasures to Jerusalem and allowed building expenses to be paid from the royal treasury (Ezra 1:4-11);(Ezra 6:4-5). And all of this happened at God’s hand. He rules all; even the actions of a pagan king. For as proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is like the channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

Throughout Scripture we find God using believers, nonbelievers, and even His enemies to accomplish His will. He is the Sovereign Creator of the universe. And because of this no matter what; not our past, not our shortcomings, not even the condition of our hearts prevents Him from using us for His purpose. Think about the story of Pharaoh in Exodus. We know that God used Moses powerfully to save His people, but He also used Pharaoh to bring about His desired results. Just like Paul says in Romans 9:17, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the entire earth’.” 

God’s not looking for perfect people to accomplish His goals. In fact, He doesn’t need our help at all. Instead He gives us the privilege of being used by Him. Whether we are given a small purpose like volunteering at church, or being a friend to someone in need, or given a large purpose like leading His people or rebuilding His temple, being used by God is a wonderful thing! I love how Pastor Rick Warren puts it, “Remember the basics. You were planned for God’s pleasure, formed for God’s family, created to become like Christ, shaped for service, and made for a mission! These are the purposes for which God made you!”

The next time you feel unusable by God, reflect on 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 which says, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty,  or many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” The Lord loves to use the weak, the simple, the unexpected, and the flawed. There’s a saying that goes, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” No matter who you are or how imperfect you feel, when it comes to accomplishing His will the Lord can and will use anyone or anything. And no matter our circumstances, that includes you and me!

“Think about the people in your own life, believers and nonbelievers. How is God using them to work in your life? Take time to thank Him that He is not bound by our preconceived ideas about who is ‘worthy’ or not to do His bidding”....iworship Bible



1Chronicles

7 Keys to Discerning God’s Will {1 Chronicles 17-21}

7:30 PM




 I’m sure all of us at some point have found ourselves wondering just what God’s will was in certain situations – Should you take the job? Move? Marry? Which schools? Church? Ministry? What to say or not to say? The list is almost as long as the advice we’ve probably received at one time or another!

Even David can relate! Suddenly he had come up with what he thought was a great idea: “And it came about, when David dwelt in his house that David said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains.’” – (1 Chronicles 17:1). David decided it was time to build God a beautiful temple, for why should David be afforded the luxury of a beautiful home while the Ark of the Covenant was still housed in a tent?  It sounded like such a great idea that even Nathan the prophet encouraged David to move ahead with it; “Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” (17:2)
That was until the Lord came to Nathan that same night, “Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another.”-1 Chronicles 17:4-5
 
That got me thinking…how can we be sure that even our great ideas are God’s will? I’ve come up with a few, “keys” to unlocking His will that have worked for me and should you think of  others, I hope you’ll share them with us as well.

Keys to Discerning God’s Will

1.)    Walk Closely with God (probably the most important key)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”- Pr 3:5-6

If we want to know God’s plan for our life, we will need to learn to walk with God.  Christianity first and foremost is all about a relationship with a holy God, rather than just a religion. We need to seek to know Him and not just to know about Him.
The very best ways of growing to know Him more is by spending time in His Word, taking time to pray, and taking every opportunity you can to be involved with other believers who are also seeking to know Him more.

2.)    Surrender Our Will to Him.
“ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”- Romans 12:1-2

Often times when we claim to be seeking God’s will, we may already have an idea in mind and what we really want is for God to agree with our idea. Especially if it’s a good idea, like in David’s case. Even our “good ideas” may not be “His best” for us. Therefore, before God will begin to reveal His will, we need to be committed to doing whatever it is that He desires for us to do. This step might even seem scary at times, for He wants our hearts to be wholly His; trusting Him completely, and He may hold back from revealing His will until He knows your heart is His.

3.)    Walk in Obedience to All You Know He Wants You to Be Doing
 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.” – John 14:23-24

If we don’t obey the things that God has already clearly shown us to be His will, why would we think He would reveal any further information regarding His plan for our lives? Therefore, before we begin asking and seeking His will we need to confess and repent (turn from) of any unconfessed sins.

4.)    Ask Expecting to Hear from Him
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.- James 1:5-6 (AMP)

If you’ve followed the top three than go on and ask Him in faith, claiming James 1:5-6 and expecting Him to answer. I can honestly say in all the years I’ve gone before Him seeking His will and claiming these verses He has never failed to answer! Never! Though, the answer has always come, it has never come the same way twice, or right away. Sometimes it comes through His Word, sometimes through other. Sometimes it’s come right away and other times I may have to wait days, weeks, even months, but when His answers do come I’ve always known it was my answer from Him!

5.)    Seek the Counsel of other Godly People
“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”- Proverbs 11:14

Once you’ve done steps 1-4, and you’re continuing to seek His will, perhaps it’s time to seek godly wisdom from others. The church (body) is designed to help you.  The more you involve yourself with a community of believers, the greater your chances will be of finding godly men and women who can help you discern God’s will.

6.)    Listen to The Holy Spirit
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”- John 8:27

When you are seeking, be sure to be in tuned to His Spirit and you will be able to recognize when the wisdom you’ve been seeking comes. The greatest turning point in my own prayer life came when I began taking time to simply listen while I was praying. I began keeping a journal and I would write down specific question I needed answers to. Often, as I meditated on the questions, God would start speaking to my heart with ideas and information and I’d write it all down as fast as I could. (I love when He does that!)

7.)    Thank Him and Give Him Praise!
Devoted yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” – Col 4:2
And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.” –Col 3:17 (AMP)

Sometimes I don’t think we do enough of this last key. I know I’ve been guilty myself a time or two, which is another reason why I like keeping a journal, for this way I can look back and see all He has done for me and give Him the thanks and praise He is so very worthy of!
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I'd like to share a time when God took six weeks to finally give me the answer I was seeking, but when He did, He did it in a most powerful way! So powerful, we couldn't possibly refute it! I hope you'll join me today on The Women in the Word Bulletin Board!

Till then,
sue




Deborah

A Mother in Israel {Judges 3:7-5:31}

12:00 AM










The Hebrew title for the book of Judges is Shophetim, which means judges, rulers, or deliverers. These judges appointed by God, were responsible for settling disputes and leading the people politically and militarily.

After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel became disobedient and idolatrous; forsaking their covenant with God time and again. Every man did “what was right in his own eyes.” (Judg. 21:25) What resulted was corruption and defeat. Yet  even when they turned against Him, God remained faithful to His people. He heard their cries and raised leaders to break Israel free from their bondage and return them to fellowship with Him. And one of these “judges” was Deborah, a mother in Israel.

Even though the culture at the time meant that men usually did the ruling, this time God, who isn’t bound by tradition, chose a woman. “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgement.” (vs. 4:4-5) The Israelites were being persecuted by Jabin, king of the Canaanites and the commander of his army, Sisera. The people cried out under their oppression and it was Deborah who answered the call.

Under the direction of God, She summoned Barak, the son of Abinoam to gather ten thousand men for battle. But she didn’t stop there. She also promised to lure Sisera, to the riverside and deliver him into Barak's hands; which she did successfully. Deborah loved the Lord and served Him faithfully. She obeyed and insisted that His will, not hers be done. Because she followed God’s direction, the armies of Canaan were defeated and their king destroyed. And the Lord rewarded Deborah by giving her the honor for the Israelites win.


After the victory instead of patting herself on the back, Deborah, like Moses, sang a song giving God the glory ending with, “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord; but let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” (v. 5:31) A sentiment echoed in Daniel 12:3 which says, “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” 

Deborah is a beautiful example of a woman whose faith in God made her shine as a light to her people. Her story shows us that that no matter who we are, male or female, great or small, when we are open and willing to be used by God, great things can be accomplished in His name. Because Deborah listened and obeyed God’s direction, Israel experienced a great victory and were led back into righteousness. And even better, because of her service to the Lord,  “the land was undisturbed for forty years” (v. 5:31) 

I pray to have the heart of a Deborah! How about you? Do you have the same strong faith and commitment to serving God? Are you willing to listen to God’s direction and follow His plans? Are you willing to go to battle to see His will done?

“To have Faith in Christ means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him”....C.S. Lewis

1 John

ASK IN CONFIDENCE!

9:00 PM

ASK IN CONFIDENCE!




Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

Today we are memorizing 1 John 5:14 and 15…

And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.

Here is the amplified version…

This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us. And if we know [for a fact, as indeed we do] that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him.

Confident, abiding faith combined with God’s power can produce amazing results, if the request is in harmony with God’s will. God is fully capable of doing what we may regard as impossible.

John outlines in these verses three keys to effective prayer:
  1. ask for anything
  2. seek according to God’s will
  3. knock until He hears

If God has given each of His children the ability to pray for anything, it only follows that He expects us to rightly use this power of prayer to accomplish His great and glorious will. 

Commit yourself to prayer. What practical steps can you make to make your life count for Him? Ask the Lord to train you to pray and be prepared for an wonderful journey with your hand in His!


Have a blessed and precious day everyone!