Tag Archive | prayer

Heart’s Desire

Feb23

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. — Romans 10:1

What are the desires of your heart? Are they eternal desires? Are there people in your life that have no eternal hope?

Pray for them and ask God to give you an opportunity to share the gospel. Be ready and watch for God to open the door, the Holy Spirit to move and Jesus to be proclaimed from your very lips.

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. — 2 Timothy 4:2

 sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; — 1 Peter 3:15

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Weakness

Feb17

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. — Romans 8:26-27

Oh how great our need! Our need for God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to fulfill His great purpose. We are weak but He is strong. We do not know how to pray effectively but the Holy Spirit does. Jesus, who knows our hearts, intercedes with the Father on our behalf to fulfill the will of God, just as Jesus did when He was in the flesh.

To God be the glory for the things He has done and has yet to do in our humbled weakness.

For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. 2 Corinthians 13:4

Exchanging Truth?

Jan28

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. — Romans 1:25

Are you settling for the lie? Do you KNOW the truth?

Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. — John 14:6

that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. — John 14:17

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? — John 8:32-46

Truth or lies. The choice is yours. Do you know the truth? If you do you hear and accept the truth. If not you are settling for a bunch of lies. To know the truth, seek Jesus in His Word and through prayer.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Honor God

Jan27

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. — Romans 1:21

“did not honor Him as God or give thanks” – Isn’t that where it all begins? The deterioration of mankind. When we begin to neglect the very source and power of our existence. We speculate on unimportant, useless, and pointless things that are ineffective for all mankind. The more we neglect our God, disregarding His glory, provision, salvation, the darker our foolish hearts become.

Let today be different. In every endeavor give God the glory and thank Him in your heart, prayer and with praising song.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

The Whole Truth

Jan15

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” — John 31-32

How many times have I heard verse 32 quoted, “and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free”. How quick we are to cling and quote the promises of God and miss the warnings.

Don’t get me wrong I love verse 32 because it is God’s Word and it is a verse of hope. But . . . God’s Word is only effective to those who hear, respond and obey. To those who seek Him continually through His Word.

How many of you “saved” Christians — done the prayer thing, went forward at church, were baptized — open the Word of God, study it and obey it? If we are going to accept the truth of God’s promises, we need to accept the whole truth.

Are you a disciple of Christ?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

New Year’s Resolution

Dec27

The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
The hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked perishes.
The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright,
But ruin to the workers of iniquity. — Proverbs 10:27-29

Time to make those New Year resolutions.

Don’t we go into a new year with expectations of how things will be different from the year we are finishing? What happened to last year’s resolutions? How long did they last?

Well here is a resolution that will change your new year forever. Fear the Lord and hope in Him. As New Year expectations crumble for some, your hope will turn to gladness. Choosing the way of the Lord will be your stronghold so your New Year’s resolution will be one that, at this time next year, as you look back over the past year you will see the handiwork of God all over it.

Let your New Year’s resolution be to choose Jesus and follow Him. Dust off your Bible and read it. Talk to God everyday. I truly believe a heart that resolves to seek God will not be disappointed.

Jesus is a hopeful resolution.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Prayer Answered

Dec8

When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.” But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place. — Acts 12:11-17

I have always found this comical. Here is a group of Christians praying for Peter and when he shows up at the door they are so amazed that he is left standing at the door.

Is our prayer life like that? We pray but don’t expect to be answered? We pray and are amazed at the power of God? 

God is amazing and powerful! He can answer any prayer. Maybe we need to pray more with anticipation at how God will answer our prayers instead of expectation of whether He will answer. God will always answer so we shouldn’t be surprised but we should anticipate His answer to bring glory unto Himself.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Devout Man

Dec5

a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.  — Acts 10:2

Hmm. What influence does a man have on his household?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Get Up And Go

Dec1

And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,  15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; — Acts 9:11, 15-18

It is the Lord Jesus who does the saving. Saul prayed. How many of us have been at dire straits and called out to the Lord in prayer? Jesus called on Ananias to go to see Saul. How many of us have heard the call of God to go and witness to others? Ananias obeyed Jesus and went to Saul. Ananias laid hands on Saul , but Jesus did the work. How many opportunities have we passed by not obeying God and going and sharing the gospel with somebody who needs it?

Jesus can do His work without us but isn’t it an honor and a privilege that He asks us to be a part of the salvation of others?

Can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Ananias had not obeyed the call or Paul had not prayed. You can make a difference in the life of others. Are you listening to the call of God?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon