Tag: Power

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The Slippery Slopes

JUNE 18

MATTHEW 6:13_into temptation…

Jesus says pray not to fall into temptation. What is temptation? A place where weaknesses have the upper hand. A slippery slope. A place where you are the controlled – not the controller. 

Everyone is vulnerable. It is easy to think you’re not. Why?  If you are a church-going, Bible-believing, Jesus-following person, you can’t be vulnerable, right?  Wrong! It is true all of those things give you the upper hand. The more your spirit grows, the stronger your resistance to temptation develops. But don’t think you can’t fall like everyone else.

If you get a bit cocky, let go of Jesus’ hand, and think you got this – prepare to go down. Jesus teaches to pray that you are not led into temptation. Praying keeps you focused on the power in you – is from Him!

Jesus knows your weaknesses and the devil’s strength. Be wise and follow His model way to pray, not to be led into temptation. Pray for the discernment to be alert to your weaknesses. Call out to the power of the Father to lead you away from the slippery slopes. Pray for help from the temptations which empower your specific weaknesses.         

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, Please help me become aware of my weaknesses and know the temptations which empower them. Direct my steps not to go there. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ knows my weaknesses—He will help me!

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No Wonder It Will Be Perfect!

JUNE 6

MATTHEW 6:10_Thy kingdom come…

We have already discussed the Apostle John’s vision. Revelation 21:1 (KJV), “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” John sees something new. The former things are no more. He sees a brand new heaven and a brand new earth

Let’s gain a little more insight and read verse 4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.“

This new world sounds very good. Perhaps more like the Garden of Eden before the only two people on the planet decided there was a better plan.

I like no more tears. I like no more death. I like no more sorrow. I like no more crying. I like no more pain.

Now check out verse 5, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

I like all things made new.

Jesus includes that we pray for this new kingdom to come. Thy kingdom come – this is God’s kingdom.

No wonder it will be perfect!

PRAYER

God Who Makes New, Praise Your great power. You will bring a new kingdom. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ knows there will be a new kingdom—He has told me!

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The One True God

MAY 31

MATTHEW 6:8_Be ye not therefore like unto them…

Jesus doesn’t want His disciples to pray like the babbling heathen. For all their crying and cutting themselves, the priests in I Kings 18 could get nothing from Baal. Nothing. And there were 450 priests calling on him!

The contest between God and Baal was that the true god would set fire to the offered sacrifice, with no help from man. Before Elijah even begins to pray, he gives God an opportunity to show His power. As said, Baal had failed. Elijah pours four barrels of water on his wood, and he does it three times. Then Elijah prays. Elijah alone. No crowd shouting and cutting. Elijah prays to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob). 

Carefully notice Elijah’s prayer. He never asks God to send fire. He asks three things. 1-That God make it known He is the God of Israel, not Baal. 2-That God make it known Elijah is the true servant of God, and whatever Elijah does comes from God. 3-That the Israelites return to worship the One True God.

This is real prayer, from a true believer, to the true God. The results were amazing.“39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.”                                                                                  

PRAYER

Holy LORD, Let my prayers cause You to be known as the One True God. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ loves true prayers that honor God—I do too!

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Keep Praying!

MAY 28

MATTHEW 6:7_use not vain repetitions…

Vain repetitions means to automatically repeat phrases with no heart felt meaning. This does not mean you shouldn’t pray a certain prayer more than one time, or join in unity to pray something like the Lord’s Prayer. There is power in unified prayer. The key is whether the group is unified in heart before Holy God. Matthew 18:20 (KJV), “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” I believe God loves to hear unified prayer. 

Neither does this mean that if you have been fervent in prayer but have not received an answer you should stop praying. Luke 18:3-7 (KJV), “And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him [the judge], saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming [emphasis mine] she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?”‘

This judge didn’t even believe in God. But he did what was right for the widow, because he grew weary of her continual asking.

Jesus says God will do much better than people – keep praying!

PRAYER

Holy Jesus, Praise You that You never grow weary of me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                          

Christ never grows weary of my prayers—He hears me! 

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Couldn’t Get Any Better!

MAY 18

MATTHEW 6:4_and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Jesus says the Father Himself shall reward you. If the alms are done for self-glory, you will be rewarded by the world. If the alms are done for God’s glory, the Father will reward you. 

Heavenly rewards come after death. Jesus says God will reward you openly. In this life. I wouldn’t try to name what the rewards may be, but I will claim the truth of Ephesians 3:20 (KJV), “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Here is that power again, working inside you, changing you, giving you God’s desires over your own. 

I would love to receive the reward of Psalm 17:15 (KJV), “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”

Satisfied is to be appeased – a desire fulfilled. Awake is to become alert, active, to come alive. Whether you interpret that verse to mean you awake to see God’s likeness in life, or you awake to have God’s likeness in yourself – it’s a reward either way.

It would be a beautiful thing to begin a new day with a heart and soul like unto Jesus! That’s the goal of any salty-lit-up disciple.

Life just couldn’t get any better than that!  

PRAYER

Loving Jesus, I want to awake with Your heart and be satisfied in You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen. 

Christ’s likeness is genuine love—I want it!