Category Archives: Prayer or Panic?

Prayer Day 3 of 8??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #279

30 Wednesday Oct 2024

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Prayer Day 3 of 8???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #279

Our prayer for today is from Daniel, but also from his friends, not just a prayer but a testimony of the strength that dependence upon God provides.  And as I’m often wont to say, “We win!”  And that what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said as well.  Let me preface this with a bit of context, Daniel and his friends were taken captive and carried to Babylon to serve in the king’s palace; but their commitment and devotion was totally in their God—Jehovah God Almighty.

“But Daniel purposed in his heart

that he would not defile himself

with the portion of the king’s meat,

nor with the wine which he drank:

therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs

that he might not defile himself.”  Daniel 1:8

Without going too deep, I do need to say that Daniel and his friends remained faithful to God, they had been put to the test at the beginning, and then in chapter 2 they had another crisis of life and faith.  They chose to pray together, and God heard and answered those prayers. (And just FYI verse 17 is their Hebrew names, not the names given them by the Babylonians! verses 1:16-17)

“Then Daniel went in,

and desired of the king

that he would give him time,

and that he would shew the king

the interpretation.

17 Then Daniel went to his house,

and made the thing known to

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

18 That they would desire

mercies of the God of heaven

concerning this secret;

that Daniel and his fellows should not perish

with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel

in a night vision.

Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”   Daniel 2:16-19

Daniel and his friends heard from God.  And what did they do when they saw God’s answer?  What we should always do, they praised God and Daniel wrote down part of their praise; one of the most revealing and powerful passages in scripture.

“Daniel answered and said,

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever:

for wisdom and might

are his:

21 And he changeth

the times and the seasons:

he removeth kings,

and setteth up kings:

he giveth wisdom

unto the wise,

and knowledge

to them that know understanding:

22 He revealeth

the deep and secret things:

he knoweth

what is in the darkness,

and the light

dwelleth with him.

23 I thank thee, and praise thee,

O thou God of my fathers,

who hast given me wisdom and might,

and hast made known unto me now

what we desired of thee:

for thou hast now made known unto us

the king’s matter.”  Daniel 2:20-23

May we pray with this same confidence!

Amen and Amen!!!

Prayer Day 2 of 8??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #278

29 Tuesday Oct 2024

Posted by in PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!, Prayer, Prayer or Panic?, Press ON!

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Prayer Day 2 of 8???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #278

Our prayer for today is from Paul, I would encourage you to study the prayers of the Apostle Paul in his letters to believers; they are a testament to truth, love and encouragement.  The one I am sharing with you today is from the letter to the Colossian believers, whom Paul had never met personally, but he cared for them and wanted to be a help to their faith and spiritual maturity.  His words are most apropos for us today.  May we join Paul in this prayer for those around us today, for our families, our churches, our nation and our world.

“For this cause we also,

since the day we heard it,

do not cease to pray for you,

and to desire

that ye might be filled

with the knowledge of his will

in all wisdom

and spiritual understanding;

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord

unto all pleasing,

being fruitful in every good work,

and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 Strengthened with all might,

according to his glorious power,

unto all patience

and longsuffering

with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father,

which hath made us meet to be partakers

of the inheritance

of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us

from the power of darkness,

and hath translated us

into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption

through his blood,

even the forgiveness of sins:”             Colossians 1:9-14

So, as we consider this amazing prayer may we take it to heart for ourselves and then we can pray it over all those around us—starting at home, and then spreading out as God leads!

      Letting God fill you—through His Word—

      Letting God help us to walk worthy—through obedience—

      Letting God strengthen us with His power—finding His joy—

      Thanking God for all HE has done, is doing and will do—

           All through the blood of Jesus where we find

                 Redemption and forgiveness of sin!

And sin, my friends, is the issue—starting with me!

“If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

Amen and Amen!!!

Prayer Day 1 of 8??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #277

28 Monday Oct 2024

Posted by in Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem, PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!, Prayer, Prayer or Panic?

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Prayer Day 1 of 8???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #277

I’m going to do something that I’ve not done before, I’m going  to post for eight days on the same subject, prayer.  I am asking you to join me in praying for God to move in our midst, in our communities, our states, our nation and our world; but especially I am asking that you join me in praying for America in earnest these next 8 days.  Won’t you join me in asking God to work in the hearts of His own children, in the hearts of those who know about Him, and those who have turned their backs on Him, and especially for those who are His enemies.  I simply want to start today with a brief portion of Jesus Sermon on the Mount.

May we take it to heart, look inside and ask God to make “me” what I need to be, to lead “me” where I need to go, doing that which pleases my Lord Jesus!  May we bow before our God and stop casting stones, when we are the one walking in disobedience, or rebellion, or willful sin, or just plain stubborn refusal to obey our God in the small things.

“Blessed are the pure in heart:

for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers:

for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted

for righteousness’ sake:

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye,

when men shall revile you,

and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil

against you falsely,

for my sake.

12 Rejoice,

and be exceeding glad:

for great is your reward in heaven:

for so persecuted they the prophets

which were before you.”  Matthew 5:8-12

I’ll make just a few comments, particularly about “peacemakers”, Jesus isn’t only referring to the absence of conflict, but the fact that without His salvation we are all enemies of God, and those who share the Gospel are spreading the peace of God that only Jesus can provide, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”!  When we have that “peace with God”, we will also have the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding”; and no matter the conflict around us we will be filled with the peace of our Lord!  Pray my friends, please pray, and share Jesus; and may our hands and our hearts be filled with grace and peace not rocks!

Amen and Amen!!!

Pray Without Ceasing??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #270

09 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by in PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!, Prayer, Prayer or Panic?, Press ON!, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, Time Is Grace!, What's In Your Heart?

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Pray Without Ceasing???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #270

“Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

concerning you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

I would like to take a few minutes this morning to consider our call to pray!  Not just a passing thought to ask God to bless our day or forgive us….; but a mindset of seeking God’s will in all things, a mindset of intercession, a mindset of humble petition on behalf of others!  Jesus gave us our direction for prayer—and it has to start with looking upward not around.

“After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father

which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth,

as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day

our daily bread.

12 And forgive us

our debts,

as we forgive

our debtors…”. Matthew 6:9-12

While this is just a portion of the model prayer, I want us to consider a few things that stand out and hopefully will spark us onward and upward in our commitment to “Pray without ceasing”.  First and foremost is the call to lift our prayers upward to “Our Father”; notice Jesus didn’t say “my” but “our” father!  I am never to pray as a spoiled child—thinking that I am the only one that matters!  We are called to pray in consideration of the family of God’s children—all those who are born again by the “blood of the Lamb”!  Notice the pronouns used here—our, us, our, us, we, our; Jesus is reminding us that we aren’t the lone ranger, but He is reminding us that we are part of His sheep!

This first consideration of looking upward is to remind us that we are praying not only to “our” father, but He is our Heavenly Father, and His name is to be revered, honored, and bowed before as we pray pursuing Him:

“Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

in earth,

as it is in heaven”!

Our pursuits in prayer are to ever be focused on our God—His kingdom—His will here on earth (and while I won’t dig into it today, if you want to see what God’s will looks like in heaven, take some time and read and consider Revelation 4 & 5!). This mindset of God being our heavenly slot machine, put in your prayer quarter and pull the handle of God’s/Jesus’ name and the jackpot will fall, is a total misunderstanding of God and prayer.  Prayer is communion with God; seeking to know Him better, to pursue His will not mine; seeking to lead others in His ways not mine; seeking to bring Him glory as we bring others to see the truth of God’s Word and His blood bought salvation through Jesus!

It’s so easy to get distracted by all the needs around us and think it’s impossible to pray well; but when we listen to the precious Holy Spirit directing us, we will find power, hope and reassurance to press on in the right direction with Jesus.

“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,

This is the way,

walk ye in it,

when ye turn to the right hand,

and when ye turn to the left.”  Isaiah 30:21

We have the precious gift from Jesus of His indwelling Holy Spirit who will lead us when we learn to seek God’s face and dig into His Word.  Jesus promised to provide all we need—most of all by the gift of His Holy Spirit to dwell within us and guide us into all truth.  Are you pursuing Jesus?  His truth?

“And I will pray the Father,

and he shall give you another Comforter,

that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth;

whom the world cannot receive,

because it seeth him not,

neither knoweth him:

but ye know him;

for he dwelleth with you,

and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless:

I will come to you.”  John 14:16-18

“But when the Comforter is come,

whom I will send unto you

from the Father,

even the Spirit of truth,

which proceedeth

from the Father,

he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness,

because ye have been with me

from the beginning.”  John 15:26-27

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth;

It is expedient for you that I go away:

for if I go not away,

the Comforter will not come unto you;

but if I depart,

I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come,

he will reprove the world

of sin,

and of righteousness,

and of judgment:

9 Of sin,

because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness,

because I go to my Father,

and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment,

because the prince of this world

is judged…

….13 Howbeit when he,

the Spirit of truth, is come,

he will guide you into all truth:

for he shall not speak of himself;

but whatsoever he shall hear,

that shall he speak:

and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me:

for he shall receive of mine,

and shall shew it unto you.

15 All things that the Father hath are mine:

therefore said I,

that he shall take of mine,

and shall shew it unto you.”  John 16:7-15

 The choice is yours, but choose wisely, there is a test.  Will you be found faithfully praying for God’s kingdom and God’s will?  Will you be found faithfully praying “without ceasing”!  Not going around with your head bowed and your eyes closed all the time; but with a heart set on Jesus and listening for His direction as you go about being salt and light in this world of darkness.  There are so many needs in so many places and crises all around us, and we can make a difference as we heed the call and direction of our Lord and Master, Jesus!  May you find the power of that continual spirit of prayer ever working in your heart, life and ministry!  And as you pray while you drive, please don’t close your eyes!!!

Amen and Amen!!!

Praying This Friday??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #268

04 Friday Oct 2024

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Praying This Friday???   A Word from THE WORD!!! #268

With all the trouble, chaos and confusion around us, I want to spend this Friday reflecting on Paul’s instructions to believers that we might be one of those who stands in the gap when others are overwhelmed with trials, sin or trouble.  May we be found faithful intercessors!

“Now we exhort you, brethren,

warn them that are unruly,

comfort the feebleminded,

support the weak,

be patient toward all men.

15 See that none render evil for evil

unto any man;

but ever follow that which is good,

both among yourselves,

and to all men.

16 Rejoice evermore.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus

concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.

20 Despise not prophesyings.

21 Prove all things;

hold fast that which is good.

22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

23 And the very God of peace

sanctify you wholly;

and I pray God

your whole spirit

and soul

and body

be preserved blameless

unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Faithful is he that calleth you,

who also will do it.”  1 Thessalonians 5:14-24

Amen and Amen!!!