Tag: love

O LORD, Hear Me As I Pray

Psalm 5:1-2 ESV, “O LORD, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.”

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. We don’t have to carry our own burdens, because we can cast them on you. We give you all of our worries, doubts, fears, brokenness and pain. Thank you for promising to supply all of our needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Help us to find contentment and peace in you during these difficult times. Keep our minds sound and filled with your truth. Protect our bodies from illness and disease, and keep us safe and healthy. Thank you for comforting us through the trials that we face. You are always near, and we thank you for your continuous presence with us. Thank you that your Holy Spirit leads us on level ground as we trust in Him daily. Show us areas of our lives where we need to repent. Give us a pure heart, and help us to draw closer to You, as we diligently seek you each day. Teach us to represent you well in all that we say and do. Speak to our hearts about the things that should be a priority in our lives, and help us to obey your voice. Thank you Father for loving us with an everlasting love. Thank you for the power of prayer and the joy of thanksgiving. Through your power working in us, may we love you, love others, pray without ceasing, and be thankful always, this is your will for us in Christ Jesus. Greater is He who lives in us, than he who lives in the world! Thank you Father for who you are and for all that you do.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Have a blessed day and keep trusting in our God, His faithfulness will never end.

Photo by: Fabian Wiktor of Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪

Stay Alert, Stay Alive

1 Peter 5:8 NLT, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

Several years ago, I was living in an apartment where the landlord refused to do pest control. So I called a pest control company and had it done myself. I remember before the pest control technician left, he said that any bugs I saw from now on, would be dead and on their backs. It was true, every bug I saw after he exterminated was dead and on their backs.

I recently thought about this, and I realized it works the same way for us in our walk with Christ. If we are properly prepared when the enemy comes against us with his evil tricks, he will end up defeated, like those bugs. We must take responsibility to ensure spiritual readiness so that we can win the spiritual battles we face.

Photo by: Mike

In Christ we are more than conquerors, however we must do our part by acknowledging Him in all of our ways. We must also put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand firm in our faith and be victorious against the enemy of our souls.

I remember back when I was in the army, one of the phrases they taught us was, “Stay alert, stay alive!” We must stay alert so we don’t fall prey to the sinfulness and deception that is all around us. Blessings to you as you continue on your journey of trusting in the Lord with all of your heart. Let’s continue to pray for and encourage one another in our walk with Jesus.

A Peaceful Sleep

Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Life is busy, and most of us have many different things going on. When we lie down at night, if we are not careful to take the necessary precautions, our mind may become overwhelmed with worry and fear. It is important to take captive any negative thoughts that attempt to steal peace and rest from us (2 Corinthians 10:5).

The Lord desires for us to cast our cares upon Him (Psalm 55:22), so that we have a peaceful sleep. When we lie down to sleep, intentionally finding ways to focus on God, His Word, and the countless wonderful things He has done, will help to ensure that we enjoy a good night’s rest.

Photo by: Shahbaz Akram of Dubai, United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪

God will keep us safe and sustain us as we sleep. He has each one of our days numbered, and wants to use us to help accomplish His will here on Earth. Proper sleep is an important part of having a clear mind and being ready to do God’s will. I pray that you enjoy good sleep, and that any obstacles you are experiencing that hinder your sleep will be removed in the name of Jesus.

Psalm 3:5 NIV, “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

It’s All Working For Good

Romans 8:28 NLT, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

This is a great truth for us to remember as we continue to trust God during these very difficult times. God promises to work everything out for those who love Him, and are working to fulfill His purpose for their lives. Even when things are bad, God says He will bring good out of it.

Photo: Andrea Piacquadio of Hungary🇭🇺

There have been so many times I have gone through difficulties, but in the end I was in awe at how God brought blessings out of it. When we find ourselves in circumstances that seem hopeless, based on this verse in Romans, we can have full assurance that God will cause things to work out in our favor. As God’s children, none of our experiences, rather they are good or bad, are ever wasted. They are used for His purposes.

When we find ourselves standing face to face with bad, it can be hard to see the good. But God has a perfect plan. We can trust Him. His love for us will never fail, and His favor surrounds us like a shield…

Psalm 5:12 NLT, “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

God Is Always Available

Matthew 7:7-8 NIV, “7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

As I read these verses, it reminds me of how available God is. He’s not cold and distant from us. He is very near, and always willing to give to us and make Himself known. We do have a part to play, because Jesus clearly says we must ask in order to receive, we must seek in order to find, and we must knock before any doors can be opened up for us.

Photo by: Pixabay

As a Christian, knowing that the presence of God is always with me and that He lives inside of me through His Holy Spirit, keeps me calm and reminds me just how much He loves us. However, we must ask, seek, and knock. Our Heavenly Father delights in giving good gifts to His children when we ask Him (Matthew 7:11).

We have to examine our hearts daily and ask ourselves if we are asking, seeking, and knocking. Because in doing so, we will learn who God is and come to know Him intimately. We will also see how He is working in our lives, and learn to open our hearts to Him. Our daily goal should be to make ourselves available to God, like He has made Himself available to us. As I write this, Psalm 34:8 comes to mind, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Rest in the Shadow of the Almighty

May those who dwell in the shelter of the most High meditate on these words in Psalm 91, and find peace in God’s love and faithfulness. I am so thankful the Lord is faithful to watch over us and protect us during these perilous times. Have a blessed day.

Psalm 91 NIV

1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Photo by: Engin Akyurt

Love Does Not Give Up

1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

In order to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things, we need the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us daily. Godly love in action is able to impact lives in ways that we have yet to even imagine. When we allow ourselves to be vessels that God can use to share His love with others, it not only blesses the other person, but it also blesses us. We are able to sense God’s presence in a special way, when we humble ourselves and show love.

Photo by: Helena Lopes of Brazil 🇧🇷

The enemy presents so many opportunities for us to become offended by the actions and words of others. But we must not forget that rather knowingly or unknowingly, we as Christians are sometimes the ones to do the offending. Therefore in order to effectively represent Jesus Christ, we must be quick to repent when we do offend people, and quick to forgive when people offend us. One way God has taught me to show love, is by remembering how much He has forgiven me of. I have sinned and fallen short just like everyone else. Yet in His mercy, He has forgiven me, so I must do the same towards others.

God will never give up on us, so we can find the strength through Him, not to give up on loving other people. When we submit ourselves to Him, His love and compassion will rule and reign in our hearts. He will transform us more and more into His likeness so that we will be people who will bear, believe, hope, and endure all things for His glory. Through our words and actions we have the privilege to show others True Love.

Father,

Please teach us to love others by bearing, believing, hoping, and enduring all things, that You will be glorified through our lives.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.