To Be Filled With Jesus

JUNE 11

MATTHEW 6:11_our daily bread.

Not only does Jesus teach you to pray, Give us this day, but He adds, our daily bread. This prayer gives strong emphasis God is present with you daily, and cares about your needs daily. 

The need Jesus concentrates on is food. Jesus knows you need food. He has no problem with you asking for it in prayer. Jesus created food. After that, He created animals and man with the daily need for food. If God had created the other way around, Adam would have been one hungry fellow!

Creation is an example of God’s thought pattern, and organizational skills. He created the supply before the demand. More intelligent design.

In John chapter 6 (KJV), Jesus adds another twist to our need for bread. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Have you ever thought of adding to your prayers to be filled with Jesus each day? Start doing that—to be so full of Jesus you don’t hunger for the temporary things of the world.

 PRAYER

Bread of Heaven, This day meet all my needs by filling me full of Jesus! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is the Bread of Life—I want to be filled with Him!

He Should Be Revered!

JUNE 5

MATTHEW 6:9_Hallowed be thy name.

Hallowed can be defined as to hold someone or something in reverence. This is recognition of God as—the holy, revered God of Heaven. This is who you pray to. Don’t take this too lightly. It is important to hallow God in your prayer life. 

Recognizing the holiness of God adds faith to prayer. You are not praying to someone who may or may not listen because He is too busy running the world. This is the Luke 1:37 (KJV) God, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” This is the God who created all of heaven and earth—He should be revered! This is the God who parted the waters of the Red Sea—He should be revered! This is the God who made the sun stand still—He should be revered!

The more you hallow God, the more you pray with courage. This is the God who gives the ability to slay giants—giants who taunt you with your weakness. This is the God who frees from any shackles of bondage the devil has lured you into.

The Father in Heaven is pleased when you talk to Him about the cruelties of the world.

He has already answered: Hebrews 13:5 (KJV), “… for he [God] hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”    

PRAYER

God of Heaven, I do hallow Your name. You only do I serve and give my heart to. You are God Alone, God of the Impossible, God of Creation. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ wants me to hallow the Father—I do!

Amazing and Miraculous

JUNE 4

MATTHEW 6:9_Our Father which art in Heaven…

Jesus begins by recognizing who God is. Remember how Elijah began his prayer in I King 18 (KJV), “36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel.” Recognizing God through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would be important to the Jewish community. Jesus’ recognition of God as Our Father which art in Heaven, opens up a prayer path for Gentiles. This says God is the Father of all mankind—not just the Jews. All people are made in His image. 

God’s creation is amazing and miraculous. God’s DNA can connect you to your biological parents, whom you may have never met. You may blame God if you’ve never known your parents, or if you know them but have a poor relationship. Don’t blame God for the mistakes of people. Rather, praise God that He can help you overcome—anything. 

Without the Savior people are sinful. They cause pain—lots of pain. Your Father, which is in Heaven, wants to love you through the pain.

Include Him in your sorrow—don’t blame Him for it.

PRAYER

Father God, I worship You as the One True God, Creator of all of Heaven and Earth. I praise You there is nothing I face in life that You cannot give me the ability to overcome. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ wants me to know God is my Father—I do!

Our Heart Is Exposed

JUNE 3

MATTHEW 6:9_After this manner therefore pray ye…

Jesus taught us how not to pray—the hypocrite in the synagogues and street corners—the heathen with vain repetitions and no heartfelt relationship with God. 

Jesus taught us how to pray. Leave the outside out.

Inside alone with God and the door closed, the depths of our heart is exposed. 

There is another reason private prayer is so important. Regardless of the fact that God already knows our heart, through private prayer we learn what’s in our heart. We have managed to hide some things so deep it requires talking to the Creator to bring them to the surface. We won’t learn that as easily in public prayer.

As in the previous devotion, there is a place for prayer groups and out-loud prayers. There is also a place for sharing prayer requests. If those requests are answered with a yes, we are not the only one praising.

Psalm 109:27 (KJV), “That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it.

If the requests are answered with a no, hopefully we will not be the only ones thanking.

If they are answered with a wait, hopefully we will not be the only ones anticipating God’s will.

Jesus will now teach us a model prayer. He does not teach this as the only prayer to pray. Take heed to the word manner in this verse—it is important. This prayer is a pattern.  

If our prayers are just asking-for-something-prayers, this prayer teaches a better way.

PRAYER

Holy Creator, Teach me to pray. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ is the creator of prayer—He will teach me!

Doubts

AUGUST 16

MATTHEW 6:30_shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

The basic purpose of Bible study is to get to know God, to learn how He thinks, to learn His heart. The last part of verse 30 teaches something about God. Another part of the I AM. The words much more describe God’s heart perfectly.

A heart which not only sends grass what it needs to survive, but dresses it up as well. Wouldn’t that heart care much more for a human – created in His own image? This is a heart you feel safe to trust. A heart that makes you feel more than just loved, but special.

You can gain understanding of God’s love and provision for His creation right from the get-go – in the very beginning. Genesis 1:28 (KJV), “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

God loved all of His creation and considered it good, but He set people above anything else. Just like with the animals, God had already created what people would need to live and enjoy the earth. 

Life brings confusing days of doubts. Doubts come from the devil. Don’t listen, don’t be of little faith. 

PRAYER

Omnipresent God, Thank You that if You care for nature, You care more for me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Christ gave people dominion on earth—He cares for me!