Clean Hearts and Acceptable Sacrifices                                      

Isaiah 1:11  "What are all your sacrifices to Me?" asks the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. .....15  When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.  16  "Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil.  17  Learn to do what is good. Seek justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow's cause.  18  "Come, let us discuss this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.""

God cares not for our sacrifices, our prayers and our fasting.  He cares most for our hearts and soul.  If our hearts be evil, then our sacrifices, prayers, and fasting will also be evil as they all flow from our inner man.  If our heart be right, then these practices will also be right and pleasing to the Lord. 

Therefore, before I enter into a time of sacrifice and prayer and fasting, and before I offer my sacrifice unto the Lord I must first spend time in personal examination.  I must honestly examine myself from any sin and wicked way, and then judge it for what it is: sin against God.  I must call it by name as I confess it to myself and then to God.  If I do, then He has promised me that I will be cleansed from all of my sin (1 John 1:9).  Our Lord and Savior has made it clear time and time again in Scripture (Isa. 1:11-18; 58:1-8; Matt. 5:23-24) that He does not want my sacrifices but a pure heart that results in loving Him and loving others.  Without a clean heart my sacrifice, prayers and fasting are futile and even dangerous as they deceive me into a false assurance that my fleshy offerings are pleasing to God.   With a clean and pure heart my prayers and sacrifices are precious to my Lord as they are pictures of my dependence on Him and are acts of true worship.

Let us each take time to examine our hearts that we may come to Christ with clean hearts and acceptable sacrifices.

I heard the Lord say, "Hello"

 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.

-          Psalm 19:1-2

I heard the Lord say “hello” this morning.   I heard Him in the sweet voice of my granddaughter who awoke from a good night’s rest and cheerfully talking to herself.  I also heard Him say “hello” as I watched the sun peeking over the tall Florida pines to tell me a new and blessed day has arrived.  Actually, I have heard my Lord say “hello” already several times even though it is still early morning.   Even now I hear Him through the crowing of our neighbor’s big red rooster and through the obvious results of a well-needed and refreshing rain last evening.  What a joy to have a God who welcomes me each day into His incredible creation and reminds me time and again of His presence through His blessed, “hellos.”  If you have not heard His voice say “hello” to you this morning then I encourage you to stop and listen.  He is speaking all around you.

No Secrets

Mark 4:7. For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to life.

There are no secrets with the Lord.  He knows all things and there will be a day all things will be exposed. This can be a blessing and a curse. It will be a blessing for the faithful who have served the Lord for years without fanfare. These never sought the praise of man for their deeds, but instead were content that God alone knew of their faithfulness. One day God will reveal all the good and faithful deeds that were done in secret and He will honor His faithful servants.  But there will be others whose deeds were not faithful and although they were done in secret shall be exposed. To them this truth shall be a curse.  They have lived their lives seeking the praise of men, presenting themselves as one thing but secretly hiding sins that would bring them disgrace in the public's eye.  Yet, sadly, they are only deceiving themselves and are blinded by three major truths: first, there are no secrets from God.  You can fool men, but not God.  Second, ultimately God is our judge and not men.  The same men whom we seek to please will stand in judgment even as ourselves.  Finally, one day every every thought, every motive of the heart and every deed will be exposed and thus judged by the righteous God.  Therefore, it is imperative that we remember: there are no secrets to God.  Our good deeds as well as our evil deeds will be exposed.  That my friend is why we need God's grace.  The question is, "On that day of exposure will we experience a blessing or a curse?"

The Joy of Simplicity

Over the last few months the Lord has placed one word on my heart and mind over and over and that word is “simplicity.” As I grow older and hopefully wiser, it as become so clear to me that it is the simple things that really matter and it is the simple things that bring us the greatest joy. As I review my life I ask myself, “How many times have I robbed myself of the simple pleasures of life by making things so difficult?” And “How many times have I robbed myself of the simple joy of my salvation by taking myself so serious?” Our Lord Jesus Christ is a perfect example of simplicity. Although, He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, He came to this earth as a simple man and preached a simple message. Never did He allow Himself to get tangled up in the complexities of the confusing religious practices and debates of the day, but instead He simply taught the importance of the love of God. He explained to Nicodemus, a teacher and ruler of the Jews, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” How simple is that? When asked about the greatest commandment He simply responded, “Love God. Love People.” Again, how simple is that? Jesus Christ did not come to complicate our lives, but to set us free from the confusing man-made rules that stroke our pride and yet only complicate and frustrate our lives. The simplicity of the fact that Jesus loves me and calls me to love others is why His message has so resonated throughout the years changing lives, changing families, and changing nations. Simplicity is another example and blessing of God's unending grace.   I encourage each of us to keep things simple this year: love God and love people. Also, quit taking yourself so serious and quit being so pious.  Remember, it is by the righteousness of Christ we are saved and not of our own.  I assure you that not only will you make a greater difference in the lives of others, but you will find life much less complicated and thus discover the joy that Christ has for you.

Those Secret Sins

Psalm 90:8  You have set our iniquities before You. Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.

Oh, those secret sins; those sins that we keep hidden so that we alone can enjoy them and caress their wicked delights. We keep them secret, unexposed so that no one will judge us or confront us about our waywardness although our spirit constantly reminds us of the deadly games we are playing. We may fool others but not ourselves as our own hearts know those secret sins are wrong, and thus the secretness. And how easy is it to justify ourselves in this little game that we play? We make excuses to ourselves as we enjoy these forbidden pleasures, yet we hide them away in the darkness so that no other can see. But, how terrible is the deception which we become so easily entangled. Yes, our secret sins will bring our flesh pleasure for the moment, but we are blinded or do not want to see the the deadly canker that gnaws away at our soul. These secret sins allure us to their tasty delights, but fail to remind us of the guilt of our soul that keeps us awake at night and the constant anxiousness from the worry when they will be exposed. There is a passing adrenaline or the fleeting rush received from the “getting away” with something, but there is no “getting away” as we know of our schemes and more importantly God knows. Therefore we live in the forced denial of the conviction of our soul and more importantly the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Our secret sins promise our freedom, but in reality only lead to bondage. Soon, our secret sins begin to control us rather than us controlling them. Our lives begin to be consumed of the sneakiness and the coverup of our secret sins which ensnare us into deeper bondage. We began to hate the hypocrite that we have become, and not able to honestly look at ourselves in the mirror. The temporary pleasures of our secret sins rob us of the blessed pleasures of the abundance that Christ has promised and the eternal joy of walking in fellowship with the True Lover of our Souls, Jesus Christ. We have traded the corrupt fruit of the world, for the sweet fruit offered only Christ. What a glorious day it is when we can become honest with ourselves and lay our secret sins at the foot of the cross and we begin to enjoy the freedom that can only be found in the grace of God.

Forget Not From Where You Came

Exodus 23:9 Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of the stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Lord commanded the Israelites to never forget from where they came as He instructed them to “not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” It is so easy within our natural man to allow ourselves to forget from where we came before Christ Jesus delivered us from our sorrows. We soon forget that it was us who once struggled in the depths and the bondage of sin. It was us who was held hostage by our own selfishness. It was us who fought the battle with alcohol or drugs. It was us who lived sexually immoral lives. It was us who were once quick to lie and steal and were prone to outburst of rage. Yes, it was us who were bound in the grip of our sins yet God through His grace and mercy offered us pardon through Jesus Christ and set us free. Therefore, we have no right to be pious or condemning toward those who live now at our old address. Instead, we should remember that we once lived there and bound just as they.  We should never foget the heart-ache of the misery of sin.  We should with empathetic hearts extend the message of hope found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. Again, let us never forget from where we came.

Praising God for His Grace .................. in the Little Things

John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

I mowed my lawn today. “Wow”, one may say  in a sarcastic tone;. or another question, “What’s the big deal?” Allow me to explain: it was  a big deal for me because I enjoy mowing my lawn. I enjoy the work, the quiet time, the joy of a job accomplished and a the blessing of a cared for lawn. Yet, the biggest reason it is a big deal to me is that over the past four months mowing my lawn has only been a thought and a desire to be longed for as I have been recuperating from a severe shoulder injury.  During this trial I have also vividly realized how big a deal it is to bathe myself, or to put on my socks by myself, or to be able to reach over and touch my wife at night.  

Until you are not able to do even the simple things you will never really understand how big of a deal they are and that each are a blessing of God.  Each blessing we enjoy, whether it big or small, is a provision of God’s grace.  My very salvation is by His grace as well as the ability to take another breath.  Our lives consist of God’s grace upon grace upon grace.  Sadly, we become so accustomed to the daily graces of God we fail to even consider them as such and therefore fail to give God the proper praise for the simple blessings of life.

David understood the reality of the blessing of God’s grace in even the little things as he proclaimed, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).  This proclamation was made at one of the darkest times of David’s life, but in these dark times he was able to see the beauty of life’s simple blessings and the reality of God’s unending grace.  In times of Paul’s greatest need Jesus reminded him, “My grace is sufficient for you”  and Paul would later say, “Therefore, I most gladly I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ would rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9).  Paul realized even his infirmities were measures of God’s grace, because through them he would experience the power of Christ.  Now, that’s heaven sent perspective.

We are taught of the generous blessings of being of child of God when John writes, “Of His fulness we have all received and grace upon grace” (John 1:16).  When we are saved we receive all of Christ and become the recipients of His unending grace.  Let us never fail to praise Him, even for the simple blessings of life.   Just a thought: if you can read this blog, then stop, and praise God for His grace.

I took a walk today.  Thank you Jesus for your grace.

Overcoming the Darkness

Psalm 77:9-12

Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

And I said, “this is my anguish/infirmity; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”  I will remember the works of the LORD, surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of all Your deeds.

The pains and struggles of today are real and can wear on the mind and emotions of even the strongest believer. At times they can so overwhelm us that we can no longer see God’s presence or hear His voice. We look for Him but cannot find Him in the darkness. We cry out to Him but the noise of our troubles seems louder than His response. In our loneliness and despair our minds and soul begin to doubt the very love of God and even question His faithfulness. These times of struggle provide fertile ground for the adversary to sow seeds of doubts and imaginations into a weary soul.

At these times we must, as the apostle Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 “take every thought captive” to protect ourselves from the deception of the devil. We then must discipline ourselves to think on those things which are true, which are noble, which are just and those things which are lovely and of good report as Paul also teaches us in Philippians 4:8. Paul is reminding us that the struggles of this life can clutter and confuse our thinking and must be addressed by remembering and meditating on the truth.

The psalmist practiced this discipline of thinking on truth as he began to remember and meditate on the wonderful works of God. Not only did he meditate on the truth of God’s goodness but he also began to talk to others about God’s faithfulness . Soon his doubts were vanquished and his faith restored. Although his circumstances may not had changed but his view of God and His faithfulness was restored. As he meditated on and proclaimed the truth of God’s goodness the darkness began fade and he began to see once again the beauty of his Lord and hear His precious voice. His peace returned with the assurance that God’s love is everlasting and He is bigger than any circumstance.

Our Lord has never promised that we would not go through tough times. Instead, His word teaches they are part of our Christian growth, our sanctification. Yet, He did promise He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is always there, even when we cannot see Him. In the darkest of days, let us set our minds on Jesus. He is the Light. He has overcome the darkness.

Shining Bright in the Darkest Hour

Luke 23:39-43 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

There hung Jesus Christ, beaten and bruised, ridiculed and rejected, crucified between two thieves on Calvary's hillside. Yet, in the darkest moment in the history of humanity a light shown so bright that it penetrated the darkest of hearts, the heart of one of the thieves beside the Lord Jesus. Something occurred during these few hours on a horrific cross which caused a belligerent malefactor's heart to be humbled and to desire the things of God. In the beginning of the terrible ordeal this thief was reviling Jesus in the same manner as the angry crowd and the other hurting thief, but now he is defending the crucified Christ against their unjust railings. The dying thief admitted and confessed his own failings while recognizing the justness of the man in the middle.

The question must be asked, “What made the difference?” None of the gospel writers recorded a sermon preached by Jesus from the cross or a plea to the thieves for their souls. The only clue we can find is the very witness of Jesus Christ in the time of his deepest sufferings. Christ's sermon was preached by actions in His darkest moments. 

There was the witness of Jesus' conduct while hanging on Calvary's cruel cross. Although ridiculed and mocked by angry men and women on the ground and even by those crucified beside Him, Jesus never once lashed back at them. If anyone had the right to respond in anger for His unjust treatment it should have been Jesus. Yet, He opened not His mouth with words of bitterness, but instead with words of compassion as He prayed for His accusers and executioners, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Even in His agony His light was brightly shining with a spirit of forgiveness and mercy. 

There also had to be also a marked difference in His very countenance even in the midst of terrible circumstances: a countenance of peace and assurance rather than a countenance of scowl and vindictiveness as seen on the faces of his religious accusers. There was a marked difference in the actions and the countenance of the accused and His accusers. Obviously, this spoke loudly to the heart of one of the thieves. There, hanging on a cross beside him he saw love personified through the person of Jesus Christ. It there in the midst of death, he saw true Life, abundant life; and in the midst of confusion he saw peace in the face of the One that had accused of being a King. The light of Jesus Christ shown so bright it penetrated the dark heart of the one right beside him which created a humility and a hunger to join Christ in His kingdom.

There were probably others on that day who saw the light shining bright in the midst of Jesus' sufferings as Matthew records the statement of the centurion upon the death of Christ. Jesus never quit ministering even in the midst of His sufferings. We each should learn this powerful lesson from our Lord, “Our light can shine the brightest in our darkest moments.” The great Teacher never quit teaching and the great Lover of our souls never quit loving.

Let us also use the times of darkness for His glory and let us remember that someone is always watching us.

O, what a Savior!

Jesus Knows

John 2:23-25  Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  24  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,  25  and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

The apostle John teaches us an important lesson about Jesus Christ, “He knows the heart of man.”  Many believed in His name upon witnessing His many miracles, but that did not necessarily equate into saving faith. Clearly, these believed that Jesus was from God and maybe even the Messiah, but did that belief transfer to a heart changing, life altering commitment as Jesus being Lord of their lives?  Intellectual belief, although important, is not the same as heart-surrendering belief.  James reminds us that even the demons believed (James 2:9).  

The key to this passage is that “Jesus did not commit Himself, because He knew all men.”  Jesus looks past the surface and deep within the heart.  It is not a simple testimony of belief that transforms a man into a child of God, but a heart-surrendering, heart-regenerating trust that reveals itself in a new birth resulting in a new creation.  John continued to explain this reality in the example of Nicodemus, a great student of the Word and one who recognized Jesus as one whom had come from God. Yet, Jesus explained pointedly to Nicodemus,   “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Therefore, each of us should humbly and fearfully examine our own faith even as Paul challenges us in 2 Corinthians 13:5  “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”   We can fool others and we can even fool ourselves, but not Jesus Christ.  Jesus knows what is in us.  He knows what is in our hearts and He alone is the Righteous Judge.  Only those who have saving faith will He commit Himself and His glorious salvation.

Again, meditate on the truth, “He knows what is in man.”  This includes you and me.

Leaving Judgment in the Hands of God

1 Samuel 26:9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him (King Saul) not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?

David valued the Lord's honor more than he valued his own well-being or life. For months David lived in exile while escaping attempt after attempt on his life by the jealous King Saul. Now, King Saul had unknowingly fallen into David’s hands and in the eyes of the world and even his own men, David had every right to kill this mad adversary. 

Yet, David did not live by the world’s standard; instead, he lived by God’s. He knew that God was in control and that God is also faithful in His justice. He knew that God would bless his obedience for not taking vengeance in his own hands. Saul was the Lord's anointed and the Lord would surely judge him for his unjust acts. David was tested twice in this, and yet he remained faithful.

David honored the position of the anointed king and the Lord blessed his faithfulness by later anointing him as king. How many times have we robbed ourselves of future blessings by failing to wait upon God and taking matters, His judgments, into our own hands today?

Only Believe

Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Jairus’ life came quickly to a crashing halt. News arrived that his little daughter had died. She was his precious darling and the apple of his eye. This man who had devoted his life to serving God was certainly devastated. Death had come uninvited into his home and claimed his most prized treasure. Being a ruler of the local synagogue he had access to the finest doctors but none had the necessary answers nor help for his daughter’s illness. 

His only hope, however thin, was from the controversial carpenter from Galilee who was gaining quite a reputation of being a healer and a miracle worker. Yet, now his little hope had vanished. He fervently tried to reach Jesus in time to bring this healer to his ailing princess, but his time ran out. Now she was dead. There would be no healing and there would be no rejoicing, only mourning. Jairus had faith that Jesus could heal but his faith ended there. His situation was now impossible. 

If only he could have realized that with God all things are possible, and that as he stood at the feet of Jesus he stood in the presence of God Himself. Jairus’ problem was not that his daughter had died, but that he had placed a limit on his faith and with this limited faith fears soon overwhelmed him. Therefore, the merciful Christ encouraged him to not be afraid, but only believe. Jairus did believe and his faith was rewarded with the resurrection of his daughter by the Resurrection and the Life personified. Never place a limit on the limitless Christ.

Living Each Day as a Gift from God

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it. ESV

In an proclamation of praise the psalmist gives us the key to a life of daily joy. He reminded us of the simple truth that “every day is a gift from God” and therefore we should live each day in knowledge and the attitude that “I am a blessed man.” He emphasized “this” or “today” is the day that the Lord hath made: not yesterday nor tomorrow, but “today”. Yesterday is past and cannot be reclaimed and tomorrow may never come.

Therefore, we should live our lives one day at a time enjoying it as a precious gift from our Lord. Sadly, I believe that many forget this simple truth and thereby living presumptuously that every day is a given and wasting the precious moments that have we have been graced. Not only do we rob ourselves of each day's blessing, but we rob God of the praise He is due.

Another simple truth in close relationship is that “Life itself is a gift from God and should be handled as such.” I must admit that I have not been a good steward of this truth at many times in my adult life. I have at times become so caught up in “doing life” that I have robbed myself of “celebrating life.” I have been so busy in the management of life, the ministry of life, and the work of life that I have forgotten to enjoy life.

At times I have forgotten to enjoy the very basic realization that every day is God's new gift of life. Every breath I take, every butterfly I see, every melody I hear, every morsel I taste, every person I encounter, and even every challenge I face is a part of life and that life is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed. The very idea that God should grace me with anything should result in my praise and gratitude. Yet, there have been too many times that I have simply trudged through day after day thinking to myself “this is vanity.” Wow, I sound like the preacher of Ecclesiastes. God forgive me.

Oh, what a wasted life that does not receive and live each day with merriment understanding that day as God's precious gift. Oh, how God must be insulted and grieved when we trudge through life complaining about the monotony and the troubles rather than rejoicing and celebrating each precious moment.

What about you? Do you live each day as a gift of God or do you trudge through each day in monotony and complaint? Let us each be reminded of the proclamation of the psalmist, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Let us understand and live each day as a precious gift from God. Let us celebrate life!

Let us not grow weary

 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.  2 Thessalonians 3:13

Paul was speaking a challenge to his brothers and sisters in Christ to keep their chins up and their hearts encouraged as they continued to serve their Lord. He understood from personal experience that walking faithfully as a follower of Jesus can and will become tiring and weary at times. God's word is very clear that a faithful follower of Christ will face many difficulties on life's path. Our Lord Jesus had explained, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Paul himself had tasted the bitterness of pain and tribulation in the service to Christ. He had been stoned and left for dead for preaching the gospel, but he and Barnabas continued to proclaim God's word. Then Paul returned to the same city of his stoning "strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God'"(Acts 14:22). Paul practiced what he preached. He would not give up and challenged us to do the same.

Paul's focus was not on his difficulties, but on those whom he was ministering. He did not take the time to feel sorry for himself as this was the cost of serving Christ. Was this not the same pattern that Christ Jesus had set before us? We should rejoice that our Lord did not grow weary in well doing as our salvation and eternity was secured through His faithfulness. Let us be thankful for those who persevered before us so that we may hear the glorious gospel. Let us also be faithful and not grow weary as there is much work to be done and remember more words from Paul, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Cor 4:17). ---To God be the glory!

Giving Thanks for the Thorns

 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.       ----2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

What a joy to gather around our tables this Thanksgiving day to enjoy good fellowship, good food and most importantly to give thanks for the abundant blessings the Lord has poured out on us this past year.  A tradition of many is to allow each person around the table to take time to list what she/he is grateful.  These times can be contemplative and sometimes emotional as we think upon the many ways God has moved in our lives recently.  Even last night at a pre-Thanksgiving meal my heart was moved by the thanksgiving made by Sarah, a beautiful young single mom who chose life and has been blessed by a precious son, Jack, and now has found life in her new relationship with Christ a few months ago.  Two years ago the world seemed to be collapsing around her but through God’s grace and mercy she is now experiencing the abundance our Lord has promised.

Yes, God’s grace is sufficient as He reminded Paul during his time of deepest trials. It is during those darkest moments of life, those torturous thorns and infirmities that life sometimes gives us, that we can truly see the grace and power and faithfulness of our loving God and Savior.  Except for the thorns of life we would not be shaken from our own self-sufficiencies and weaknesses and come to understand that our sufficiency comes from Christ and Christ alone.  Only through the pain and the confession of our weaknesses can we hear the great promise, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness," and then turn our thorns into a matter of thanksgiving as the apostle Paul proclaimed with a grateful heart, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This Thanksgiving as we take time to thank God for all the “good” things that He has so graciously blessed us with, let us not forget to also thank Him also for the thorns by which He revealed His strength and sufficiency.  To God be the glory!

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

Luke 11:1-4, Matthew 6:9-13

When I think on the countless graces that our Lord has poured upon us I cannot help but to think and rejoice in His glorious grace of prayer.  Prayer is simply communion with the God of Creation, the God of Redemption.  To understand the beauty of this grace one must understand the significance and the realization that the God of Creation desires communion with man.  He wants relationship and fellowship with His people on an individual level.  He is concerned about our every need and has made provision through the grace and the privilege of prayer that we may communicate with Him at a very personal and intimate level.  He knows us and wants to know Him.  

Yet, many never tap into and experience this sweet and powerful grace.  Even his disciples did not fully comprehend the grace and the practice of prayer as they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples (Luke 11:1).   What sweeter words could have been asked to Jesus, our Lord and Savior, than “teach me to pray.”   Jesus responded immediately by giving them an incredible outline to pray.  Therefore, for anyone who desires to learn to pray or to strengthen his/her prayer life then there is no better place to start than with the instructions of Jesus Himself.   Let’s us break down this model prayer that we may grow in the grace of prayer and develop deeper communion with our Lord and Redeemer.

“PRAY LIKE THIS”             ----Jesus (Matthew 6:9-13)

PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME                         -Pray the names of God

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Jesus teaches us to begin our prayer by focusing first on God Himself and not on ourselves.  We do this through spending time on praising His holy name.  Notice that we are to present our prayer to “our Father” who dwells in heaven.   We must understand and accept that as a child of God He wants to be addressed as “Father”.  This reminds us of the role He works in our lives.  Only those who have been born unto Him can make this claim, and for those who do we can be assured that He is the perfect Father who only desires that which is best for His children.  Jesus explained this, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Mat 7:11).  Again, begin your prayer meditating on the fact that you have a Father in heaven that wants the best for you.

Then we are to praise Him for the holiness and the glory of His Name.  Take time to meditate and then rejoice in the wonderful names that are attributed to God in the Scriptures.  Each of these reveal attributes of our Father in Heaven that deserve praise and can bring great encouragement to our souls.  I have included many of the names of our Lord below. Study them, meditate on them and praise Him for the great God that He is.  If the list seems too overwhelming then just focus on one or a few of His names each prayer time and  rejoice in Him

NAMES OF GOD                                “Hallowed be Thy Name”

Elohim:                      the Creator, Preserver, Transcendent,  Gen. 1

El Shaddai:                the All Sufficient God,  Gen 17:1-2

Adonai:                       Lord,Master,  Gen.15:2                                                               

Jehovah:                    the Self-Existent One    I AM WHO I AM,  Ex. 3

Jehovah Jireh:          The Lord Will Provide,  Gen. 22:14

Jehovah Rapha:         The Lord that Heals,  Ex. 15:22-26

Jehovah Tsidkenu:    the Lord our Righteousness,  Jer. 23:5,6; 33:16

Jehovah Mekoddishk:        the Lord Sanctifies You,  Lev. 20:7-8

Jehovah Nissi:             the Lord is My Banner,  Ex. 17:15

Jehovah Shalom:         the Lord is Peace,  Judges 6:24

Jehovah Saboath:        the Lord of Hosts,  Isa. 1:24, Ps. 46:7,11; 2Kings 3:9-12

Jehovah Shammah:    the Lord is There,   Ex. 48:35

Jehovah Ra’ah:            the Lord is My Shepherd,  Ps 23

Jehoshua “Jesus”:       the Lord is My Salvation

If you spend time focusing on the person of our Father through meditating and praising His names, then your heart will be prepared to experience true communion with your Lord as you continue to pray.

 

PRAY FOR HIS PERFECT WILL

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

We are then to focus on God’s will for our lives and not our own.  Remember, He is our Father in heaven who desires that which is best for us.  We are to seek for His kingdom to be accomplished in our lives and not our own.  Again, remember the words of Jesus when He was warning us about worrying about the cares of this world, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Mat 6:33).  This requires humility and a daily dying to self and by praying for His will to be done will turn our eyes off of ourselves and onto Him.

 PETITION FOR YOUR NEEDS:

After we have given our Father the recognition that He deserves and submit ourselves to His will, then our hearts are ready to bring to Him our personal needs which He desires to meet

Needs of  Daily Provision

Give us this day our daily bread

Our Father knows of our needs even before we ask but petitioning Him for our needs is a practice in humility whereby we are saying, “God, I need you.”  When we pray we need to ask specifically for those things pressing upon our hearts and never be afraid to ask for something that you may think is “too small” or “too big.”  Your Father is concerned for the smallest of your needs as well as the greatest.  These requests can be for your daily substance, physical or relational healing.  God wants to know your heart and has an open ear.  Remember, He is your heavenly Father.

Needs of Forgiveness

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

An extremely important part of our time with the Lord is the seeking of forgiveness.  Christ paid our sin debt on the cross of Calvary, but our unconfessed sins affect our relationship with God.  Unconfessed sin keeps our prayers from being answered (Isaiah 59:2).

We must spend time searching our heart for anything not pleasing to our Lord and confess the sin by name.  John writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  There is nothing sweeter and more refreshing than to experiencing the cleansing of our sins and being restored to full relationship with the Father.

A key point to asking God for our own forgiveness is how well do we forgive those who have sinned against us.  Jesus clearly addresses this issue at the close of Matthew’s recording of the Lord’s prayer by stating, “"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mat 6:14-15).  Unforgiveness of others clearly affects our relationship with God, but also our relationship with the person who offended us and is a cancer that eats away at our own lives.   Therefore, Jesus teaches us to address this very important matter in our time with Him.

 Needs of Protection

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

We are taught also the need to pray for our protection.  We must understand our weakness in standing against the temptations of this world and our spiritual adversary, the devil, alone.  We need to identify those areas in ours lives in which we struggle and ask the Father to protect us even from temptation in those areas.  Do you struggle with anger, or lust, or covetousness, or ……?  Then, call upon God in your prayer to protect you from temptation, from the evil one and from yourself.

CLOSE IN PRAISE AND REMEMBRANCE:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

We are to close our time of prayer by reminding ourselves that all things are His and that He is to receive all glory.  Think about it: we are to begin our prayer focusing on God and we are to end our prayer in the same manner. 

Again, prayer is one of the great privileges offered to us as the children of God.  This grace is available to the each Christ whether new in the faith or a seasoned believer in Christ.  Jesus has given each of us a powerful and effective model to pray and the more we exercise this privilege of prayer the more comfortable and natural we become in our time with God.

Prayer is a discipline and is expected by God.  Therefore, you must set aside time each day and guard it diligently.  I can promise you that this will be the most important, refreshing and fulfilling time of your day.