46: 50 Days Freed

We hear of natural disasters that cause buildings to collapse and displaces people from their homes. I cannot fathom what it must be like for the families who cannot locate one of their loved ones. As they figure out one is missing the search fort hem begins with the hope that their loved one will be found. In many cases, buildings are moved and large pieces of rubble are shifted just to find those who are lost. Those imprisoned by this mess when rescued thank their rescuers. They are freed from an almost certain death.

 

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Luke 19:10

 

Mankind is eager to assist in the times where people are lost and hurt due to natural disasters. They rally around a family of a missing child and form groups to go search and hopefully rescue them. Helping others is built into our being, the ingrained desire that no man woman or child should be lost has driven us since the creator placed us in the garden. Some suppress this desire as they let the sinful nature lead their lives, but in general, we always want to help find someone who is lost. It could come down to the ‘golden rule’; do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Whatever the reason the fact remains we have the desire to help lost people.

 

Our faith is no different. We are called to reach those who are lost. In our context the lost are those who have yet asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins, repent and begin anew in him. It could be helping those who once had a relationship and walked away come back home. If we are to have the heart of Jesus and want to be like Him then we must have the same mission as Him. He came to seek and save the lost. Bring freedom for those weighed down by sin, covered in rubble. The big difference between seeking a person affected by natural disaster and the mission is that many people will not accept that they need help. They do not see the danger they are in and that the rubble of sin is keeping them from experience life more abundantly. They are satisfied living in sin. It is only when they recognize that the sin has trapped them that they will accept or ask Jesus for help.

 

Maybe today you are feeling trapped by sin. Lost in the rubble of life it is overwhelming and you, no matter how hard you try, cannot climb out. I want to let you know there is hope. There are people out there who want to help you. Even now Jesus wants to help you out of the rubble pile and into a life He has set apart for you. Jesus promised that he would leave the entire herd just to find one lost sheep. This means he is looking for you to help you, to bring you home. Ask Him today why he would do such a thing, do not be surprised when he tells you. What are you going to do about it?

 

Father, I pray for those who want are seeking to help the lost. Give them direction on where to look, words to speak and an unexpected open to what they are sharing. Soften the hearts of family, friends and coworkers to hear about the God who loves them and is actively seeking them to forgive them. If anyone reading this has not accepted you Jesus as their saviour I pray today that they come to accept your grace and they become found and freed from what is holding them down. Thank you for all you do for us. Amen

Day 45: 50 Days of Passion

Like many, we may have given up on people who have walked away from God. They either grew up in church or became a believer in their teens or as a young adult. Maybe  it is someone older who came to Jesus later on. No matter something happened they lost their way. We fervently prayed for them and talked with them but as the weeks, months and years passed by, we lost our passion for them and slowly forget to pray. It may not be that we have given up but as a society in general we are result based, wherein we want to see results for our efforts. If that is our mind set why then continue praying for a lost cause? Because Jesus hasn’t given up.

 

 

“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.”

Psalms 51:1-3 NLT

 

The one thing that baffles me is those who have either grown up in church or once knew Jesus and have walked away. They rebel against what they once held to be truth and choose to walk in darkness. Some even become so disillusioned that they feel that they can never be good enough to come back home. This causes me much sadness as we all know that this isn’t the case.

 

The temptation to walk away and “experience” life is a lie, set in motion by the enemy to draw our youth and new believers away. The life he offers is only a road to pain and suffering. He makes things look like rainbows and puppies only until he has you drawn away, then reality will begin to hit, addictions, abuse and other evil things will slowly but surly consume them. Or worse he draws you to a life of normalcy where you feel you just don’t need God.

 

The amazing news is that Jesus is always there with open arms to receive his children home. Like the father of the prodigal son, he hasn’t stopped expecting their return. He patiently waits with redeeming grace for all those who accept the relationship with him.

 

We as believer must not give up on those who have walked away from the faith. We must earnestly pray and make ever effort to show them that Jesus still loves them. That they don’t need to get their lives back in order first to meet the Father. Come as they are, dirty, smelly, broken. He will welcome them home no matter their condition. He loves them with everything in his being and desires to have relationship with them.

 

If you have family or friends who have walked away from Jesus, why not this weekend invite them to church and lunch after. Take them out for a coffee. Show them the love of Jesus through your actions and words. Pray for them, not in general passing breaths, but take the time to intercede for them. Let’s see a revival in our family and friends this upcoming Christmas season.

 

Jesus, we pray for our family and friends who don’t know you. Some never have and others know but have turned their backs. We pray earnestly for their return to you. We ask you to give us boldness, direction and the words to speak. Give us opportunities even this weekend to remind them that you love them. The matter to you Jesus, so they matter to me. Amen

 

 

Day 7: 50 Days of Passion

Fear can hold back many people. How many are afraid of public speaking, addressing a crowd can be petrifying to some. The medical world has created a whole chapter on this issue of fear and even created words that the classify as phobias. Some have created the terms Evangephobia or Gospelphobia as one who is afraid to share their faith.

 

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Philippians 1:12-14

 

There is no medical reference to a phobia on sharing the gospel. These terms I mentioned above are coined from churches or ministries creating buzz words to point out that the fear of sharing the gospel is a real thing. There was a fear in Paul’s time for sharing the gospel. But their reasons are way different then ours, sharing the gospel for us makes us uncomfortable, sharing in Paul’s day could cost you your life.

Paul displayed in jail that no matter the circumstance, situation or his lot in life he was willing to share his faith. He didn’t care who knew he followed Christ but confidently shared it with everyone including the palace guards. This confidence is infections. You see it says, “most of the brothers and sister”, this tells me that not all dared to surpass their fears. Many did and their passion increased, their fears decreased and they were able to share their faith in confidence.

Can this life experience of Paul ignite a passion in your heart to overcome your fear to share the gospel?  Or do you know someone who is confident in sharing their faith? If you do hang out with them, let their confidence infect you, let their passion for reaching the lost rub off on you. Join them and be mentored by them, ensure that the purpose of your time together is on reaching the lost and not distracted by your needs.

Like any fear the first step is to admit your afraid. Once you do that you can work towards overcoming that fear. Trying to do something you are afraid to do is hard, but asking the Holy Spirit to remove that fear will change you from the inside out. Stepping out in faith and doing when he gives you that push will build your confidence.

If you want your passion to be the consistent in your life then fear of reaching the lost must go. There is a certain joy that can only be experienced by sharing your faith with another person who is lost. It explodes in your heart when that person commits their life to Jesus.

Are you ready to let go of your fear?

Father, so many of us are caught in this fear of sharing our faith, we think we will lose friends, family or social standing. We are confused by the way the world says that we must accept all and be open to everything. Forgive us for falling for this trap of the enemy, let us not give into this fear. Holy Spirit we ask for you to remove this fear that is holding us back, give us a confidence and to share the truth. Give us mentors who will disciple us and provide us direction in sharing our faith. We want to reaching others and share your love to this world. I pray encouragement and renewed passion for anyone reading this. Amen

 

 

Day 12: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts of Day 12: We all at some point need someone to meet us at our low points. Travelling those times alone lead us to depression and anxiety, points where we may feel like giving up on God, our families, friends and maybe even our lives. If we go through these times, then it is safe to assume others do as well. We as believers need to use our low point experiences to help others through their times. You experience may deep and hurts but it may be exactly what’s needed to free someone in need.

 

DAY TWELVE

Galatians 6:1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgiving restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

Have you ever experienced someone admitting their sin, not from you observing their actions, but confessing something to the church as a whole. Something so big that you feel like you could pick up a stone and just start throwing it at them? Well that’s what they used to do in the Old Testament, Lucky for us we don’t do that anymore, but sometimes our words that follow an admittance of such sin is pretty much the same as throwing stones of condemnation

In Galatians 6:1 it says that we are to save our critical comments to ourselves. Critical comments lead to gossip, it is a slippery slope that will lead you down into sin yourself if you are not careful. Those times where a person publicly admits to adultery, fraud, lying, pornography and a multitude of other things, he or she is calling out for help. They realize they made a huge mistake, they may have tried to fix it on their own, have hit rock bottom and are asking Jesus and their family of believers for help. We as believers really have 3 choices here. The one part of the world says to pick up a stone and hit them while they are down. Another says that if you ignore them they will just go away, not my problem to deal with. But as written above God says to Stoop down, reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s Law, “Love one another as I have loved you.” If Christ can forgive and restore in love then why can’t we. Stoop down means getting off your pew, and going right up beside them, reaching out is to go to where they are, offering help wherever they need, sharing their burdens may mean listening to anything they have to share, not just talking but actually listening and praying.

If you don’t have anyone in your life who would Stoop Down, Reach Out, Share your Burdens or show the love of Christ in your life, I pray today that you take some time to ask God to put some Godly accountability partners into your life. We are all going to sin, we will all at some point in our lives need someone to put down the stone and kneel beside us, wrap their arms around us and just love us.

Dear Jesus, Do I have someone in my life that I trust to talk about anything with? If I don’t I ask Father that you will help me find a friend that can stand by my side in the good times and bad. A true friend who is a follower of You, who will never pick up a stone against me. Who will love me and will always be willing to ask me the tough questions. Help me to be the same for them. Jesus thank you for Your forgiveness and that you love me for who I am not who I need to be. AMEN

Day 11: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 11: I honestly still have no idea how things will play out once we get to heaven. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, the important part is how we live our lives here on earth. Are we working towards receiving rewards, or are we more concerned with helping others find the truth that we have found?

 

23Feb 15

DAY ELEVEN

Proverbs 16
20 It pays to take life seriously;
things work out when you trust in God.

We live in a world that focuses on entertaining us. We even have shows that celebrate those who entertain us. For some reason, I turned into the Oscars last night. Not exactly what compelled me to put it on. Now don’t think that was all I was doing, it was background while playing a game with my wife. So, the Oscars. It is kind of interesting watching the award winners give their thank you speeches. Some of them feel the need to ramble on and on over their new dust collector. It made me wonder.

When we meet our maker, he has done all the judging, he has separate the sheep from the goats, will there be an award ceremony? The Bible does talk about gaining crowns in heaven. I envision that there will be no nominees or big intros but I can see us all being honoured one at a time, the glowing smile on the Fathers face as he presents us with crowns. And as we think about what we should say we don’t say a thing, we look over at the King of Kings, humbly walk over to his throne, and lay it at His feet. Honoured that He thought of us and knowing that He is deserving of all our worship and nothing we did in this life would have been possible without Him.

So in saying all this, I pray that you take life seriously. Trust God in all you do, trusting what you see on TV or in the newest blockbuster won’t help your life at all. The newest self-help book or do it yourself won’t get you anywhere. Trust God, with everything, don’t hold nothing back. Cause when you get to heaven and get a chance to see where God was involved in your life you will understand a lot clearer that God has our best interest at heart.

Dear Heavenly Father, I am done playing games. I am done following ideas of the world that only end in disaster and more sin. I pray Jesus that you will help me to daily trust in God. Asking the Holy Spirit to guide me. I will trust that all things will work out and I am going to put God first and trust Him in everything. Holding nothing back, loving others like you do. Amen

Day Seven: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts of Day Seven: Since I wrote this I have become more aware that God does truly love the world as he stated John 3:16. It is not just a catchy verse we love to quote but the truth behind it is what we need to reinforce in our lives if we want to change the world and the people around us. God Loves the world. He loves the people, he wants to have them realize this and love him back, accepting the sacrifice that Jesus made so there can be the redemption of sin that separates.

19 Feb 15

DAY SEVEN

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:11-12 NIV

I started the 50 Days of prayer two weeks ago with the original purpose of praying longer than 50 Shades of G, was in theaters. I have no doubt that we will reach that, but I am praying that God will reach people with this challenge and change lives.

Today I bring a devotional about love. God’s Love is complete. And as it states in the verse above it reads God Lives in us. His love is made complete in us. So that tells me that if I don’t have God living in my life that his love is still there but is incomplete. That is why so many people in the world are looking for something to complete that love. They fill it with so many corrupt things and avoid the one thing that will give them the wholeness they desire. How do we share this love that we have found to the people who seem so eager to ignore the love of God for things of this world that ultimately don’t satisfy their need of Gods love? Especially when you see every day a new post online arguing against who God is, or claiming the bible isn’t real or that Christians are confused and mixed up.

Jesus taught us to love on another. Love your enemies. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and body. Be the example. Work hard at not being a hypocrite when it comes to your beliefs. What you do on Sundays must carry on to every day of the week. We need to be teaching our Children to do the same. Setting an example for them. People will see who we are by what we teach our children.

So I challenge you to Love one another as God has loved you.

Dear Jesus, help us to be the example of your love. Help us to share your love. I pray that everyone who reads this today will be given a clear opportunity to share the love of Christ to someone today. Help us to see others as you see them and that they matter to you, so they should matter to us. Amen

Day 31: 50 Days of Change

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Only one man can ever claim the title of having no sin. We have been infected with this sin since the beginning of humanity in the garden. The moment Adam and Eve made the choice to eat what was forbidden they changed the way we live forever. Adam and Eve were patient zero. We no because of this are born into sin, in which there is no earthly cure. Most sin effects the heart, but we sometimes focus on the sin that affects others as more dangerous.

Some would say that sin is just a buzz word we created somewhere along the way to explain immorality. If we can put a name on it then it can be contained, fixed, studied. Others will ignore it completely say that there is no God, so sin is just some imaginary thing with no value to us. 

But for those who live with the truth that Jesus born sinless, lived a sinless life, then died and took in all past present and future sins this becomes life to us. We trust what Jesus did is enough to free us from the infection and bondage of sin. We are not immune to the effects and allure of sin, it still attracts us, calls to us. To live a life after accepting Jesus without sinning is not impossible but more improbable. We can go days, weeks or months, yet our earthly flesh will fail. It is in those moments where we decide to ignore the sin or deal with it head on and move on. 

For those who don’t know Jesus, and are living in a life of sin, they just don’t understand. Living in the darkness for so long they don’t know any better. They have a skewed interpretation of wrong and right, they could act just like you, they could be a member of your church. Sin envelops them and doesn’t want to let go, it has a home there and doesn’t want to give it up.

So how then can we reach those who don’t know Jesus? How then do we reveal to them that the life they are living is a cheap imitation and that there is light in the darkness? We need to be the light to them. We need to love them, pray for them, be Jesus to them. But how do we do that? Prayer, getting out of the church and being good neighbors, opening your lips and speaking to them. Genuinely love them. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom. You who are free from the grasp of sin need to show others life with out sin.

Got a story about this? Would love to hear how your life was changed, or you were able to show someone else the light of Jesus.

Father, I pray for wisdom and strength to be the light you call me to be. I don’t want to make anymore excuses as to why I am not sharing your love with others. Guide my heart, let me push past all that is holding me back. Let my life be an example. I want to see those around me as you see them, alone and in need of a realtionship with the creator God.  They matter and are loved by you Jesus, so they matter and needed to be loved by me. Amen