August 2014 Blog Posts (31)

Although he was the Son of God, Jesus had a clear vision for prayer.

The book of Luke gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ prayer life. One particular night after he started his public ministry, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd of people. But he went alone up the mountain and spent the whole night in prayer. The next morning, he acted upon the result of his prayer time—he chose twelve from among the multitude to be his close disciples (Luke 6:12).

Luke 9:18 says Jesus prayed in…

 discovered God’s Word was a great resource to help me with my praying, not only for my family, but also for myself. In Hebrews 4:12 we read, “The Word of God is alive and powerful ... It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

In her book, Jennifer Kennedy Dean writes, “Prayer is simply opening our lives to God, acknowledging our total dependence…

Click here for everything you need to mobilize prayer

Many people are uncomfortable with the word fear in relation to the Christian life. That may be because we confuse the fear of the Lord with the petty fears of this world. Some Bible translations use the word reverence where the word fear is indicated. I don’t think that is completely wrong. But the word reverence is not strong enough. It does not bring to our minds enough force of emotion. We are to tremble in fear before God. In Leviticus 9 we read…

“Cast all your cares on God; that anchor holds.” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

The God who is the one and only God does not wish to remain anonymous.

The God who cared for His people in the Old Testament gives His saints today peace in pandemonium, calm in chaos, and courage in valleys.

The God who liberated His people from slavery sent Jesus to unshackle us from sin’s cruel bondage. 

The God who observed the misery of…

                “There is power in the name of Jesus. He will break every chain.” (Gospel music played in the background at the viewing of the body of Michael Brown)

                At noon yesterday, family members and friends gathered for a private viewing of Brown’s body in St. Louis. His mother said “they say tomorrow is going to be the hardest day, but I think today was.”

                The black 18-year-old was shot by a white…

Whose heart are you praying? It is often a step of growth for a person to move from praying casual prayers to crying out to God with their heart. But it is greater spiritual growth to move to praying God’s heart. Even a new Christian can desire to please God. And you don't have to be a spiritual giant to know the best things that ever happen are the will of God. As we grow in those prayers, We…

 If your Grandchildren are going Back to School

This eBook will give you Effective Ways to Pray for them.

It’s the time of year our grandchildren are going back to school, some are excited to be back in school, and however, some are anxious because of the unknown.

The beginning of the school year can be a stressful experience for children from preschool thru college. New teachers…

             “He who, from zone to zone, / Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, / In the long way that I must tread alone, / Will lead my steps aright.”

             (William Cullen Bryant, “To a Waterfowl”, 1818)

             Miserable in your circumstances? Feeling nobody understands your heartache or even gives you a passing thought? Skeptics scoffing at your faith stance?

             A baby boy’s whimpers…

1. “We” trumps “I.” Jesus instructed us to pray “OUR Father…” (Matthew 6:9). Ordinarily, things are getting off-track if there is too much use of the word “I” in corporate prayer.
2. God-centered rather than problem-centered. The Lord’s Prayer, the prayers in Acts and Paul’s epistles, and the other prayers in the Bible sometimes addressed current problems (e.g., prayer in Acts 4:23-31 regarding persecution). However, the overwhelming them is always God’s power, glory,…

             “If clearness about things produces a fundamental despair, a fundamental despair in turn produces a remarkable clearness or even playfulness about ordinary matters.” (George Santayana, The Background of My Life, 1944)

                People across America were saddened last week to learn that comedian and actor Robin Williams had died, apparently by suicide. It was also reported that he had suffered from severe depression.He was well known…

 greeting to all my friends and those reading this post.

join me pray for my country, Ebola is killing my friend aand relations.

It is so difficult .

 Starting a prayer movement

The first step is to pray. In Luke 10:2, the Lord invites us to pray and ask for laborers into the Harvest field. Seek Him to identify other prayer laborers in the community.

Secondly, look for where God is already at work. Identify existing prayer groups and networks that are already praying for the city. Explore the different types of prayer meetings that are…

We may not have financial wealth to pass on to our children, grandchildren, and future descendants. However, author Jennifer Kennedy Dean shares in her book, The Legacy of Prayer, about a spiritual trust fund that will only increase in value. She writes, “We can leave behind for our descendants a spiritual trust that can never be stolen, squandered, or…

I am aware that many of you have an aversion to writing out prayer lists. And I understand that this may not be your best way of praying on a regular basis. But I want to suggest using prayer lists to stretch your prayer life. You may want to do this as a temporary experiment. Choose a certain period of time, say a day, a week or a month. Then ask God to lead you to people you should pray for each day for the time allotted.

1. Stretch the…

“It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.”

- Thoreau, Civil Disobedience (1849)

Since God is the Absolute Sovereign of the universe, He alone deserves reverential fear.

We should submit to no lesser governor who dares countermand His rules for living.

No matter what society says is…

We all go through painful experiences of one kind or another, and how we handle life’s adversities will have a lot to do in determining our character and our destiny. The intriguing story of Jabez reveals how our pain can be transformed as we lay hold of God’s promises:

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would…