Prayer Projects

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;"
Colossians 4:2 (NKJV)

Whether it was on the job or at home, at one time or another pretty much everyone has had some type of project to do.  Depending on the work that needed to be done the project may have only taken a little bit of time or it may have lasted for quite a while.  We might start a project thinking it will take us a certain amount of time but once we begin the project we find that what is required to finish the work is more than we had planned on so the time we spend on that project is longer than originally anticipated.  But no matter what, for a project to be done right we have to stay with it until it is finished.

In Ephesians 6:18 Paul talks about praying with all kinds of prayer.  We always use the Word of God as our foundation for prayer, no matter what we are praying about we first find out what the Bible says and then we pray.  Many people are familiar with the prayer of faith where we ask God for something He promised in His Word; we pray and believe and that is the end of the prayer, once you have asked in faith you don't keep asking again and again, otherwise you did not ask in faith.  But there are some things that we pray about that become prayer projects and then we pray in a different way.

Paul said he prayed for people repeatedly (Ephesians 1:15, 16; Colossians 1:9) and Paul asked that people pray that he would have opportunities to speak and the right words to say (Colossians 4:3; Ephesians 6:19), these things could be called prayer projects, things that can be prayed about often.  Some prayer projects like these are the kind that we just keep on praying about repeatedly and some prayer projects are the kind that we pray about several times and then see the result, which brings that prayer project to an end.  There are many different prayer projects we could have but no matter what, once we have that project in prayer we continue with it and expect to see results.

Are We There Yet?

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

When I was a child our family took different trips to visit relatives or to go on vacation.  Some trips were longer than others but one thing that happened on just about every trip was that I or one of my three brothers would ask our parents the question that every child asks, "Are we there yet?"  The problem was that we wanted to reach our destination sooner than we would and in our view the trip took too much time.  But as long as we were taking the right course we would get to where we needed to go, maybe just not as fast as my brothers or I had hoped.

God has a path and a plan for each of us and our goal in life should be to do the will of God and to follow His plan.  But, while there is a plan for our life there is no set time for that plan to come to pass and each person's plan is different.  We may be in the perfect plan and will of God and still think that it is taking too long to achieve all of the goals that God has given us.  Just like children who are impatient with the amount of time it takes to reach a destination, we too can lose our focus on what is really important if we get caught up in the wrong things.

Our part in the plan and will of God for our life is to recognize that plan and to then follow God's direction.  It is not up to us to decide what that plan should be or if it is working to our satisfaction, God's plan is not subject to our approval as to whether it is happening as fast as we think it should or in the way we think it should, this is often where we have problems.  Find the plan and will of God for your life through the Word of God and by listening to the Holy Spirit, then when you are on that path keep on going, knowing that God will help you reach your destination.

What Future Investments Are You Making?

"Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'do not murder,' 'do not steal,' 'do not bear false witness,' 'honor your father and your mother.'"  And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."  So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing.  Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich."
Luke 18:18-23 (NKJV)

There are many things that you can invest in.  You can invest your money in stocks, bonds, and precious metals.  You can invest your time in your work, hobbies, family, and friends.  You can invest your efforts and energy into sports, being productive on your job, and self-improvement.  Whatever you invest into will give you some return.  While all of these things we can invest in are good things not all of them will produce the same return, not all are equally profitable.

Some people think the story in Luke 18 shows that God wants everyone to be poor.  But the issue was not finances or possessions, the real point of the story is investment; Jesus wanted the young man to make the right kind of investments with his life and resources.  This young man had done some good things, he had made some good natural investments, but there were other things he needed to do, there were other eternal, spiritual investments that he needed to make.

Where do we invest our money, our time, our efforts and our energy?  All of the things we do will bring a return of some kind but not all of the things we do will make the right kind of future, eternal investments.  There are natural things that are good for us to invest in but we must make God's Kingdom, His Church, our priority for our investments.  By putting our money, time, efforts, and energy into godly things we are making good, future, eternal investments.

I've Heard That Before

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

Have you ever been describing something to someone and part way through your description or explanation they stop you and say, "I already know that" or "I've heard that before", letting you know that they are not interested in hearing the rest of what you were going to tell them.  You might try to continue and share your information thinking that they don't really know what you are trying to say or you may even realize that they are misunderstanding what you are trying to explain to them.  But the other person remains convinced that they really don't need to listen to what you are saying.

Over the years that I have been a Christian, and especially during the years I have been in the ministry, I have had the experience of talking to someone and sharing with them a Bible verse or two that I believe can help them.  There have been several times when I have done this that people have responded with, "Yes, I already know that, I've heard that before".  But the truth is, if they really knew it or had heard it before and it was something that was a part of their life then their life would be different and I would not be talking to them about it.

No one has heard the truth from God's Word too many times or knows it so well that they don't need to be reminded of it.  We must be careful not to develop the "I know that, I've heard that before" attitude.  We need to hear the truth from God's Word over and over again, that is how we build our faith and stay strong in our faith.  Hearing and hearing the Word of God will help us to stay sharp spiritually and continue moving forward in God's plan for our life.

God Wants You!

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
2 Chronicles 16:9a (NKJV)

Years ago there was a recruiting poster for the military that had the slogan "I Want You For The US Army".  The poster was used to recruit men to join the Army in 1917 and 1918 because the United States had entered World War I.  Today all of the branches of the military are volunteer so we don't see recruiting done in the same was as it was back then.  But whether it was done through the method of recruitment or just through people volunteering the situation was the same, there was a need that had to be filled.  Without people joining the military the military would not be able to do anything.

God does not use recruiting posters but He is looking for people to do the work He wants done in the earth today  The Bible tells us that as Christians we are the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and Jesus is the Head (Ephesians 1:22, 23).  Naturally speaking, if we want to get anything done it will have to be done through our body.  We may have great plans and ideas in our head but if our body does not do anything then our plans and ideas will not be carried out.  The same thing is true spiritually; God's plans are carried out through His Body, the Church, that means God wants us to do His will.

Some people think that it is just pastors and other spiritual leaders that God uses to do His will.  But we are all a part of the Body of Christ and we all have something we need to do; God has given each of us a gift to use for His glory (1 Peter 4:10), so every part of the Body of Christ is necessary.  We need to be involved in what God is doing through our local church and we need to reach out to those around us who do not know Jesus as their Savior.  Today God is looking throughout the world for opportunities to show Himself through His people; God wants you to do His will.

Are You Easily Shaken?

"If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small."
Proverbs 24:10 (NKJV)

Earthquakes are normally measured by what is known as the Richter scale, which ranges from 1 to 10 depending on the severity of the earthquake.  An earthquake that is a 1 on the Richter scale is not even noticeable but an earthquake that is a 4 on the Richter scale is very noticeable and an earthquake stronger than this starts to cause damage to buildings.  Some buildings are specifically designed to withstand most earthquakes while some poorly built structures being to fall apart at a much lower level.  How well something has been built determines if it will stand when the shaking starts.

How do we deal with difficult situations and the problems that we face?  How do we react to news that we did not expect to hear or did not want to hear?  When there is a problem or we unexpectedly get some negative news do we just fall apart or do we stand strong?  The answers to these questions tell us a lot about how easily we are shaken and how firm our foundation is.  As Proverbs 24:10 says "If you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small".  If we want to stand strong in the day of adversity then we need more strength and a solid foundation.

How easily are we shaken by the challenges we face in life, what is the first reaction we have?  Leviticus 26:36 says that the sound of a shaken leaf will make some people flee.  This is what life can be like for someone who does not know Jesus, the least little thing can shake them up.  As Christians we cannot let just anything that happens shake us and make us lose our hold on what God has said in His Word.  We have to develop an absolute trust in God and His ability to help us in every situation to be sure we stand strong and do not get shaken in difficult times.  We do this through a continual process of spiritual growth and development.  Then, when we face the day of adversity we stand strong and overcome every time!

Tell The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But The Truth

"The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever."
Psalm 119:160 (NKJV)

When someone is called into court to be a witness in a legal case their testimony will begin with them being asked a question, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" and the witness presumably will answer yes. The witness is then asked to tell what they know about the case before the court.  The witness is not supposed to give opinions, tell what they heard someone else say, or make a guess about something.  The witness is supposed to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the questions they are asked.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and it is all about God's Word.  2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that we need to rightly divide the Word of truth and Ephesians 1:13 says that the Gospel is the Word of truth.  God's Word is the truth and it endures forever.  What we say is extremely important so when we talk about ourselves, our families, the situations we deal with in life, the challenges we face, our future, and anything else, we need to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about all of these things, we need to say what the Bible says.

Christians are new creations and the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21), able to do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13), the Lord is the strength of our life (Psalm 27:1), and God will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).  We may read about this and it does not seem possible or we somehow feel unworthy of such a thing.  But no matter what others have said, what has happened in the past, what things look or feel like it is still true and we have to be sure we tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; we must say what the Bible says.  That is how we live a victorious Christian life.

Blooming Where You Are Planted

"But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."
Luke 8:13 (NKJV)

Recently I was out running and I saw something very strange.  The path I run on is close to the street and between the path and the street there are some places where shrubs have been planted.  The shrubs are not the nicest thing that could be planted in that space but for the location I suppose it is a good choice.  But, as I was running past one of these places where the shrubs are planted I saw a yellow tulip!  My first thought was that this was a nice change from the shrubs but then I thought about how this tulip is in the wrong place; this is not a place for tulips but for shrubs.

There is a saying that people use about blooming where you are planted.  This is a nice saying but it is not always completely true.  You may have a wonderful flower but if it is planted in the wrong place it will not bloom or even survive.  Palm trees are nice but you don't see many, if any of them, being planted in Germany.  Palm trees do well in a certain type of environment and not so well in others.  The same thing that is true with plants is true with people.  While I agree that in every situation and season of life we can grow, develop, and prosper it is important to be planted in the right place.

In the parable of the sower Jesus talked about the Word being sown as seed and how it produced results based on where it was planted and the conditions involved.  Some of the seed sown did not produce real, lasting results because the seed fell on rock and there was no possibility to take root there.  To really bloom where we are planted we must be sure we are planted in the right place.  If we plant our life into the wrong things we can hear the Word and hear the Word but we will not bloom like we should.  Be sure your life is planted in the Word of God and follow God's direction in life to be sure you are planted with the right people and situations as you should be, that is how you can bloom where you are planted.

Get The Truth And Hold On Tight!

"Test all things; hold fast what is good."
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)

When you find something really good you want to make sure you hold on to it; you don't want to let it go or take the chance of losing it in some way.  When you have something good, something valuable, something that might be irreplaceable, you will do whatever you can to hold on to it and never let it go.  The first thing you need to do to have something valuable is to know if something really is worth keeping.  Once you know what that good thing is you have to locate it and then you must hold on to it and not let it go.

The Bible is very clear about the fact that we as Christians are not just supposed to accept anything and everything, especially in the area of our beliefs.  We have to check and recheck what God's Word has to say to know what is right, to be able to discern both good and bad doctrine.  Then once we know what the good things are we should hold on to them, this is what we see in 1 Thessalonians 5:21.  We find the truth and we keep our focus on it; but this is only possible when we actually know the truth.  If we don't know the truth then we are in danger of holding on to something that is false.

There are some things people believe to be true because some family member, close friend, or trusted leader told them that thing.  But, no matter what we have learned, every "fact" must be tested to see if it is true.  We look at the things we already believe, and the things we learn, and check them against God's Word.  Things that are in agreement with the established truth we see in the Bible we hold on to and things that are not biblical must be rejected.  The truth of God's Word is our basis for a successful life, that is why we must prove all things and hold on tightly to what is good.

Set Your Course And Don't Turn Back

"Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem."
Luke 9:51-53 (NKJV)

Whenever I am taking a trip somewhere I check the route and make a plan.  Sometimes I fly to a destination or I might take a train and other times I just drive to the place.  Before my trip begins I will set the course and make the necessary preparations for a successful trip.  But, no matter how good my planning and preparations are I often have issues on my trip where things are less than perfect.  Still, once I have set my course and made a plan to go somewhere I am going to get there no matter what.  Even if there are some difficulties along the way I will reach my destination, I will not turn back.

We are all on a journey in life and things will not always be easy.  No matter who you are or what you do you will face challenges that will tempt you to turn back from the course you are on.  If you ever want to amount to anything or do anything meaningful in life you will have to be determined to go forward no matter what.  When Jesus went to Jerusalem in Luke 9 He was determined to get there.  We can see that not everyone was happy with His decision but He went anyway.  In the same way we set our course in life and follow it until we reach the end, no matter what.

For Christians, God gives us a course in life and we keep going, we don't let anything stop us.  We must first have the correct course from God; that comes through His Word along with direction by the Holy Spirit.  We have to keep our sights set on the goal and not get swayed by any bumps along the way.  We never quit no matter what.  Take the time to get the right course from God and then be resolved to never go back from that path.  Once your course is set listen to any further direction God may give you along the way and be determined to go forward and not turn back.

Input And Output

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
Colossians 3:16 (NKJV)

Generally speaking, you cannot have more going out of something than you have coming in.  This is true financially and it has been said that if your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.  This principle is true physically, if you expend more energy and effort in activities than you take in nourishment you will become weak.  Another example would be with a car, you can only drive your car as long as you have gasoline in the gas tank. This same principle is also true spiritually, if we are giving out more than we are taking in we will have trouble.

Colossians 3:16 tells us to let the Word dwell in us richly, but this requires action on our part, it is not something that happens automatically.  We first have to take in the Word of God so that it can dwell in us.  The second part of the verse shows the result of our having a rich supply of the Word of God in us, we can teach and encourage each other and we will sing with grace in our own heart.  If our supply of the Word is low it will have an effect on our ability to help others and maintaining a healthy spiritual level for ourselves.  Without a continual supply of God's Word we become weak spiritually.

Some people just think about how important it is for those who are teaching and encouraging others to have a supply of God's Word without realizing the problems each of us will have in our own spiritual life if we do not let the Word dwell in us richly.  Trying to live the life God intends for us to live day after day without continual input from God's Word will create a deficit due to more output than input.  We have to know the Word, speak the Word, meditate on the Word, and do the Word to keep ourselves spiritually fit and to help others.  We need to have an abundant supply of God's Word in us.

Is That Really True?

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Acts 17:11 (NKJV)

Whenever I see something on the Internet or hear something that someone claims to be true, and especially if it seems a bit odd, I always want to check its accuracy.  How can I know that this thing is really true?  I would rather do a thorough check on something than just to accept what someone claims to be factual.  In the past people could make outrageous claims or say things that were hard to prove as to whether they were true or false.  Today almost anything someone says can be researched through various websites and search engines to see how accurate those things really are.

Over the years I have heard many things that people claim to be in the Bible itself or Bible based that had no basis in the Bible at all.  No matter who it is that tells us about what the Bible has to say we need to check it for ourselves and not just blindly accept everything anyone says as actually being from the Bible.  This is what we see in Acts 17 where it talks about the people of Berea.  These people did not just accept whatever they heard, they searched the scriptures to see if it was so.  That is a great example for us to follow. 

Too many Christians do not know much about the Bible and what it actually says, that is very sad but it is also easy to fix.  Today Bibles are easily available and we can search the scriptures for ourselves as the Bereans did.  We don't have to just listen to other people to know what the Bible says.  We can read and study the Bible for ourselves and check to see if what we hear is really Bible based.  Doing this will enable us to have a solid foundation of the Word of God in our life and this will help us to live the victorious Christian life that God has planned for us.

How Much Can You Help?

"A man of great wrath shall suffer the penalty, for if you deliver him [from the consequences] he will [feel free to] cause you to do it again."
Proverbs 19:19 (Amplified)

No one likes to see other people suffer or go through problems in life; when we are around a person who has some type of difficulty we want to find a way to help.  A person would have to be cold and callous to not want to help someone who is in trouble.  But the question is not just if we can help someone when they have a problem.  The real issue is how much can we actually help someone and for how long.  We should do what we can to help other people but there will come a time when we cannot help someone any longer and that person needs to help themselves.

The Bible does tell us to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) but it also shows us that we need to bear our own burden (Galatians 6:5).  In a normal situation where someone faces challenges in life that person has to come to the point where they have to deal with their problems on their own or they will never get anywhere in life.  This does not mean we do not care about people but are we really helping someone who has some problem if that same person will not do anything to help themselves?  Is it right to always come to someone's rescue and not expect them to do anything themselves? 

Certainly there are times when we can and should help other people but each person needs to learn how to apply biblical principles for themselves and to become someone who is able to help others and not just receive help.  We should be ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, to pray for others, and give a word of encouragement.  But our goal is not to build a dependency on ourselves but to help others learn to do these things for themselves.  It is good and right to help others but the time will come when they have to help themselves and that is the point we need to bring them to.

Walking In Love - Speaking The Best About Others

"He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends."
Proverbs 17:9 (NKJV)

We all face choices every day about different things: what we do, where we go, and what we say.  Some of the choices we make may not be entirely up to us because of obligations and commitments we have.  What we do depends on who we are, whether we are single or married, have children, and so on.  Where we go also depends somewhat on other factors, like what our occupation is, where we live, and things like this.  But one choice that all of us have, that is really just up to us, is the choice of what we will say about ourselves and others; no one chooses our words for us.

We should say the right things about ourselves, based on what the Bible says, but do we realize the importance of how we talk about others?  Do our words help or hurt?  Do we talk about other people the way we would like them to talk about us?  What do we do when we hear something negative about another person?  We have all heard bad things about others, whether it was something they had intentionally done wrong or just a mistake.  But should we repeat everything we hear?  Do we think about what the results will be if we repeat something bad that we have heard about someone else? 

We have a choice with what we hear, are we just going to repeat it to others and possibly create more problems or are we going to walk in love and watch our words?  This does not mean that we overlook problems or ignore something that is wrong, but it does mean that we don't have to repeat everything negative we hear or know about other people.  Our words can help keep people together or our words can separate even close friends and family members.  Walking in love means that we speak the best about others, even when we know something about them that is not so good.

In Like A Lamb And Out Like A Lion

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:29 (NKJV)

"But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals."
Revelation 5:5 (NKJV)

There is a saying that people have for the weather in the month of March that goes like this, "In like a lion and out like a lamb".  What people mean is that the weather in the beginning of March is usually worse than the weather at the end of the month.  This is because typically winter weather is still seen in the early part of the March while at the end of March the weather is milder and more like what is seen in the spring.  This difference in how the weather changes from the start to the end of March is seen in other things where the way something starts is different from how it finishes.

In John 1:29 John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  In 1 Peter 1:18, 19 it tells us that Jesus redeemed us by His blood.  In the Old Testament sin was only covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb but through the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, our sins have been washed away!  However, what Jesus did for us did not end at the removing of our sins; Jesus overcame sin, sickness, depression, lack, and anything else that would hinder us from living the abundant life He came to provide for us (John 10:10).

Jesus paid the price for our sins as the Lamb of God and as the conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, as He called in Revelation 5:5, He also gave us the ability to live a life free from the domination and oppression of the devil and sin.  Jesus is the victor over sin, is seated at the Father's right hand, and has all authority in heaven and on earth.  While Jesus did come into the world as a lamb, He finished His work and went out like a lion.  We need to read and study the Word of God to get a full understanding of everything Jesus did for us and then walk in the benefits He provided for us.