How can we pray when it’s hard to pray? When we experience times of trouble and need God most, we often find it hardest to pray. Our emotions are all over the place. Words don’t come. Yet, God understands and left us many road maps to follow during those times. Today’s reading in Psalms has one example.
We’ll, also, look at a verse in Proverbs that could have been written about our turbulent political times. And we’ll take a closer look at Ezekiel’s puzzling vision of four living creatures and wheels within wheels and what it all means.
These are challenging times to be a believer. There is a huge clash of worldviews. The truthfulness of God’s Word is being attacked on many fronts. Perhaps, you are being attacked personally for standing for the truth. How should a believer respond to those attacks?
Also, read about the source of our strength, the value of staying where God has placed us, and the importance of earnestness in prayer.
Jesus said in Matthew 11 that He came to give us rest or we could say peace in our souls. Are you enjoying that kind of peace of mind? Or are you full of anxiety, restlessness, and discontent? If it’s the latter, it turns out that learning to enjoy God’s peace of mind is neither impossible nor mysterious. You can read more in today’s post.
The Apostle Paul had a passion to see those he led to the Lord grow and become faithful followers of Christ. And the prayer recorded in today’s reading from Ephesians and others from his letters give us a blueprint for how to pray for those we love. How might his prayers be different from those we often pray?
We will also look at:
One of the most complete Old Testament pictures of the sufferings of Christ and all that would come about as a result. And what Proverbs has to say about sarcasm and mean-spirited joking.
Most of us have probably heard and thought more about politics in the last couple of years than we would like. The political narrative has become so contentious and divisive that at times it seems to threaten the stability of our nation. How did we get here? Some of the blame goes back to an attitude that is not new but is shared by many of our politicians. But could we bear some of the blame?
In the first century, a small army of believers turned the known world upside down in a matter of a few years without TV, radio, or mass media. They simply believed in the power of the gospel to change lives and the Holy Spirit working through them. And they did it in the face of intense opposition.
Today our world is being turned upside down but not by the gospel. How should we respond? What can we do? What is the ultimate answer? These are questions that haunt many of us.
In today’s post, you’ll also read about:
One of the greatest evils in our nation and our accountability before God.
And finally, we’ll look at one of the greatest prayers ever recorded. It was prayed by a man who fell short like us, but who understood where to turn for help.
God gifts us all differently and those differences not only enable us to do a variety of things, but they will also cause us to see things from different perspectives. Even in ministry, we may disagree. And as with Paul and Barnabas, those disagreements can cause us to go in different directions. But when understood rightly, just as in Paul’s illustration of the body in 1 Corinthians 12, people with different visions can not only work together but complement each other.
All believers receive at least one spiritual gift at the time of their salvation and more often several in varying amounts. Do you know your spiritual gifts and are you using them for God’s glory?
And from our Old Testament reading:
Are there times when you feel completely overwhelmed by the circumstances in your life? Read about a man who was completely outnumbered in battle and how he turned to the Lord in prayer.
By what are your children known? Do you see tendencies that, if not dealt with biblically, will produce attitudes and actions that are not pleasing to God? What will those attitudes look like if carried into adulthood? Could our lack of wise parenting hinder them as spouses or in other relationships? Today’s reading in Proverbs speaks to this issue. But good parenting, also, includes teaching our children to understand history, economics, and civic responsibility. This is not only important to our nation wherever we live but it is our responsibility before God.
And speaking of our nation, how do you view what is going on in our country? Do you believe God is chastising or pruning our nation? Could He be turning up the heat because of our rejection of Him and His truth? Are you praying about what you see happening or merely complaining?
What does it mean that God gives us the desires of our hearts? Is prayer like having a blank check with God? Should we expect God to give us anything we want when we ask in prayer? How should we interpret passages like the ones we’ll read today? Are there some simple principles we should know and understand that can help us?
We are all faced with decisions on a regular basis. Some of them are big and others seemingly small, but life is full of choices. You have probably read or had someone suggest you write out a pros and cons list to help you make a decision. But are there some other things we need to consider as believers or at least a deeper way of looking at the pros and cons of any situation? Elizabeth George provides us with four questions we can ask ourselves when faced with decisions.
Also, what can we learn from a first-century Roman centurion about hearing God’s Word?
