QUALITY PRAYER

Matthew 6:7, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

MATTHEW 6:5-8

Some of the most effective prayers are the shortest prayers. Jesus said, “Peace, be still,” and the wind and the waves ceased (Mk. 4:39). He said, “Lazarus, come forth,” and Lazarus came back from the dead (Jn. 11:43-44).

Today, there is a new emphasis on the quantity of prayer instead of the quality of prayer. Jesus never advocated long prayers, and there are only a few instances where Jesus prayed long prayers. This is not to say that communion with God is not important. It certainly is, but formal prayer is only one part of our communion with the Lord.

Psalm 5:1-2 uses the words “prayer” and “meditation” interchangeably. Therefore, communing with God through keeping your mind…

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you

John 15:12, NIV

In the Old Testament, the meal offering consisted of fine flour that was ground to powder by being placed in a round hole, where it was grated by a square pestle. The flour was then mixed with oil, which represented the Holy Spirit. The oil and flour, thoroughly mixed together and offered to God, was a picture of a totally consecrated life.

Sometimes God puts us with someone whom He uses to grate us. For instance, perhaps you are very generous with your money, and you are married to someone who is so careful, he or she is almost stingy. Or perhaps you are very quiet, and God has put you on a committee with someone who talks nonstop. Or worse, perhaps you are a nonstop talker and you are on a…

The choices we make today will shape who we are forever. May we live to be what God created us to be

Acts 20:15

“We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus.”
NKJV

Are you changing the world or is the world changing you? You see, the world can change you into something you don’t like or want to be. It takes deliberate effort not to allow the world to change you. With God, you can go somewhere different with your life. If you partner with God, you will see yourself and the world changed. Because of those serving God and serving others, the world is not the same today as it was yesterday. Are you participating? If you are, then you are making a…

Minnesota state photograph “Grace” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you

All Grace!

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always
having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work
2 Corinthians 9:8

The Amplified Bible says that all grace is every favour and earthly
blessing. God’s favour is His anointing, and the good things that
manifest as a result of it are the fruit. You will always have all sufficiency in all things if you have all grace on you. You will not
need to go to the bank to attain a loan for your house or finance your
car, and you will not need financial aid to send your children to
school.

What does God put on your life that causes these promises to be your
end result? All grace! Grace…

God’s Sacrificial Love

“If I gave everything I have to the poor, and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”

(1 Corinthians 13:3)

Many years ago in China great numbers of Chinese people were being seized, bonded in slavery, and delivered to the mines of South Africa. They were forced to descend into the black depths of the earth where gold was mined. They worked long, sunless days deep in the caverns, with no hope—and it was never long before death from suffocation, infected lungs, or perhaps the occasional avalanche delivered the Chinese slave from his life of agony.

Lough Fook, a wealthy man, and a follower of Jesus Christ, took the pains of his brothers to heart. He placed himself on the human slave market and became a coolie slave for a…

God Chose You Too…

Psalm 78:70“He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;”

David was known as a man after God’s own heart. It’s no secret that God loved David dearly. Although he wasn’t always perfect, God saw what was on the inside and carried David to greatness. Great news….did you know that God also chose you?

You’ve been on God’s radar since the day you were created and he had you in mind when Jesus went to the cross. Just like David, you too weren’t created to live a mundane or trivial life. You were created to do extraordinary things! The dreams God has placed in your heart aren’t meant to be entertaining thoughts. They’re meant to be your reality. He’s given you the ability to do some incredible things. The only requirement is that you act upon His calling.

To those around…

Resurrection of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus staked His life for you and I on the Cross of Calvary

“And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point
of death, even death on a cross.” -Philippians 2:8

God stooped down to earth. He came down, down, down into the womb of a virgin. Jesus
stooped down to pick up His cross. He stoops down to lift you up – no matter what
you need. He has, He will, and He will continue to bend down, to stoop down to pick
you up!

You do not need to stand up on tiptoes to reach Him. You do not need to get a stepladder
and try to climb to heaven to get near to Him. You do not need to do anything.

And what a relief that is because for many of us our legs have…

Serving and keeping God’s commandments is not only a commitment but an act of love as well

1 Corinthians 7:19

“For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.”
NLT

Friend, you have unique talents and abilities that God wants to use for His glory. Your act of love for God is expressed when you serve and keep His commandments. Don’t be dissatisfied with your giftings, but obey God and walk in them.

Serving God with your gifts and obeying his commandments should be a high priority in the life of the believer. This is not to say that you are under the law, but because of His amazing love for you, you can respond in love by serving others with your talents. While you are not trying to earn your righteousness, you should desire to…

There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins

Take Out the Plank

There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.
Ecclesiastes 7:20

When was the last time you knelt and asked God to forgive your sins? Yesterday? Last week? Last month?

Are you in need of forgiveness today?

We live with sin every day. We see it on TV, in movies, in our neighbours, friends, co-workers and family. Sin is usually easy to spot in others, but with all of the exposure we have to sin, we frequently become blinded to our own sin.

You may have told a little white lie to your boss about being sick when you took the day off or accepted more change than you were due when the cashier handed you too much by mistake. Maybe…

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path

Follow the Light

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105, NIV

In what area of your life do you need illumination? Discouragement about the future and the direction we have chosen, depression over the lack of fulfillment in our lives, or disillusionment by our previous attempts to find meaning for life through organized religions can all plunge us into the darkness. Do you ever wonder,

“What is the meaning to my life?”

“Why is genuine happiness so elusive?”

“Why do I feel guilty?”

“Why do I feel afraid?”

“Is there a God?”

“Is there life after death?”

God’s written Word and the answers we find there turn our darkness into light. God’s Word “is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”…

A Living Soul, God‘s Seed

But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And
why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your
spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
Malachi 2:15

God wants His people to marry born-again believers because He seeks
godly seed. It is no accident that my children are called to the
ministry. There is a “generational anointing” that is a crucial
component of God’s plan for man. Tendencies toward alcoholism, drug abuse and witchcraft tend to be passed down from parents to children
for generations (barring supernatural intervention by the power of God,
but this is a dim picture of the true purpose of generational
transference-God wants to pass on the anointing on you and your spouse
to your children, only in greater measure!).

Abortion is another way the enemy tries…

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

VICTORY – A PROVISION

Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.”

MATTHEW 6:9-13

A temptation can be a difficult situation or a pressure. Contrary to popular belief, God is not the source of our temptation (Jas. 1:13). When we are under pressure, it is important to realize that God is not trying to entrap us. Satan is called the tempter (Mt. 4:3; 1 Th. 3:5). Then why did Jesus instruct us to pray that the Father would not lead us into temptation? This was simply a request for guidance so that we could be delivered from evil.

Jesus himself was tempted by Satan (Mt. 4, Lk. 4). He trusted God fully for provision, protection, and…

A life filled with love for the Lord and for others is a fulfilling life

READ:Philippians 2:1-4

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also the interests of others. —Philippians 2:4

Harry Tupper is a fishing legend here in Idaho where I live. There’s a spot on Henry’s Lake over on the east side of the state that’s named for him: “Tupper’s Hole.”

The thing I remember most about Harry, aside from his rare ability to catch those huge Henry’s Lake trout, was his dog, Dingo. Now there was a dog! Dingo used to sit alongside Harry in his boat and watch intently while he fished. When the old fisherman hooked a trout, Dingo would bark furiously until the fish was netted and released.

Dingo’s enthusiasm taught me something: It’s better to get more excited about what others are doing than…

As we abide in Christ Jesus and allow His Word to reveal to us His will

John 15:7 says: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” As we abide in Jesus and allow His Word to reveal to us His will, then we have a foundation of faith. Our faith is not in what we presume, not in what we see, and not in religious practice, but it is in the Word of God. As we stay in Christ and let His Word dwell in us, then His Word fills us with faith. His Word is a revelation of His will; therefore, whatever we ask according to His Word we receive of the Father. Jesus gives us two great secrets to answered prayer.

First, we must be born again, and…

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me

The voice inside must always agree with God‘s Word.

John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

Motives, ambitions and preconceived ideas, can make it difficult for us to recognize God’s voice. All these things can make us hear what we want to hear and not necessarily what God is telling us. It is important to remember, that the voice we hear inside, must always agree with God’s Word.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God is Absolute Truth

A Young Radical

“The Word Of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword….it exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.” (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Many years ago, I was speaking at a large university. A young radical student, who was the head of the Communist Party on campus, confronted me. He railed at me, because I was encouraging students to follow Christ.

Rather than argue, I invited him to come to our home for dinner. After dessert I said, “I want to read something to you from the Bible.” He reacted with obvious irritation. “I have read the Bible from cover to cover,” he exclaimed. “It’s a ridiculous book. It’s filled with contradictions, lies and myths.”

I replied, “If you don’t mind, I will read it anyway

Speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men
-Titus 3:2

Years ago when I was in college, I was a young man running as hard as I could away from God. I was angry – angry at life, angry from disappointments, and working very
hard to feed that empty feeling in my gut with whatever the world had to offer.

During that time, one conversation in particular affected me significantly. I’ll
never forget sitting across the table from a fellow student I’ll call Mike. The
words that poured out of my mouth that day certainly reflected my state of mind.
“I don’t get it,” I said, “the hypocrisy of it all. All these people claim to be
Christians, yet they treat each other worse than most atheists I know.” Mike just
sat there and sipped his coffee as…