Are you a person of prayer? Do you pray at the first sign of a problem? Or do you first exhaust all your other options and pray only as a last resort? And when you do pray, what is the focus of your prayers?
King Hezekiah gave us one of the greatest examples of prayer in the Old Testament. His amazing prayer has a lot to teach us about the importance and right focus of prayer.
Have you ever wondered, “Does God really use imperfect people like me?” “How could He use me with my past?” “I don’t know enough,” “I don’t have the right gifts,” “I can’t do anything great for God”?
If your knowledge of God’s Word is primarily what you heard in Sunday school stories, you may not know how flawed some of God’s people really were.
While it’s true that David killed a giant with a slingshot, he also committed adultery and plotted to have the woman’s husband killed. Gideon led the Israelites to victory over the Midianites with just 300 men, but at times he was full of doubt and fear. Jonah was in the belly of a great fish because he was in rebellion against God’s calling. And mighty Sampson … well, you’ll have to read about it for yourself in today’s post.
We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re there right now. You’re going through a trial yet God seems nowhere to be found. And you find yourself wondering why.
You believe His promise to never leave you or forsake you. You believe God answers prayers. But … silence.
We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re there right now. You’re going through a trial yet God seems nowhere to be found. And you find yourself wondering why.
You believe His promise to never leave you or forsake you. You believe God answers prayers. But … silence.
I first wrote this post a couple of years ago near the beginning of the year when many of us make fresh commitments to read more in the Bible, pray more, and in general, have a more effective quiet time. But when I came across it this morning, I thought it was worth republishing since it’s something most of us think about often.
While there is no right way or wrong way to do that, there are some things that can make our time with God more spiritually profitable and enjoyable. I’d like to share twenty-eight of them.
I have had a desire for some time to really dig into the book of Colossians. And this year I’m one of several teachers who will be taking our women’s ministry through this powerful little epistle. So I thought I would share some of the truths we are learning with you all, as well.
Colossians is all about Jesus. It calls us to worship Him, to understand who He is, and to live in light of that truth. It’s both theological and practical. And it contains one of the most quoted and most taught portions of Scripture, especially when it comes to Christ.
Studying it will help us answer some very important questions. For starters, what does it mean when we say that Jesus is preeminent? That He is sufficient? And how should we live in light of who He is? So, I hope you will come back each week and grow with me through Paul’s letter to our first century brothers and sisters.
How to pray, that has been a question on the minds of believers for at least 2,000 years. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and He responded with a very familiar outline for prayer. We can learn more about how to pray from the way the Apostle Paul and others in the Bible prayed.
How do you pray for those in your life? How do you pray for yourself? Do you use any of those examples and could there be some you have not thought about?
I believe prayer changes things and I care about people. So, why do I sometimes forget to pray when I say I will? Maybe you have, too. Someone shares a need and you promise to pray. You really mean to, but...
Throughout the centuries, some of the greatest men and women of God have kept journals. But journaling isn’t just for spiritual giants. It’s for you and me. If you find it hard to concentrate during your quiet time, a journal...
One book that continues to resonate with me and impact my life, particularly my prayer life, is Donald Whitney’s book Praying the Bible. Even though I had prayed many Bible passages in the past, his book encouraged me to...