Word – Page 2 – 50 Days of Pray

Day 27: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 27: A lot can happen in two years. We are seeing today that people in prominent positions find it very hard, to tell the truth. What makes it, even more, eye opening, is when they start to tell “the truth” and the story is more confusing than the lie. How can we trust those who we should be trusting? Jesus never lied to you. He loves you. God loves you, you can take that to the bank.

11 March 16

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN

“Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming-it has, in fact, come-when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself-Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself-Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” (John 4:23-24 MSG)

Are you engaging your spirit in the pursuit of truth? Discerning the motives being some movements and groups can be daunting. We don’t always know what motivates certain groups or individuals. On the outside, it may seem like a valid Christian organization or a harmless not for profit. But are you taking the time to ask God what He thinks about it first?

Truth is something we as humans crave. It seems that we so easily lie to each other. In the end, all we want is the truth. But once you have been lied to over and over the lies start sounding like truth. That is how people get caught up in cults or get pulled into scams. They just stopped pursuing truth long enough to be caught up in a fairy tale.

Don’t get caught in this trap. Pursuit truth. God wants to engage your spirit in truth through worship. Take some time to just praise God for who He is asking Him to continually reveal truth in the world.

Why then if we as humans crave the truth, desire it, when told about the love of Christ and what Jesus did for them do they get their backs up and put up walls against it? Like I wrote earlier, the world has been living a lie so long that the truth has been manipulated so much that it is now considered a lie. The enemy doesn’t want the world to see the truth so he has corrupted the worlds view of the truth.

Dear Jesus, the truth will set us free, as a believer I know this, but help me to realize that free people can free people. Help me to pursuit truth in my life so I will be able to show the truth in You to others. Please work on those around me who have a corrupted view of You, so when I talk to them about You they will see the truth of Christ though me and in a new light. Amen

Day 26: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 26: It sometimes blows my mind when I write these, a thought that has been running through my head comes to life in the scripture I read. Today I awoke to an FB notification that someone had commented on a link I had shared. It was an article about Gay pride, the responder to my post let me know his thoughts that the article was narrow-minded and the like. I write this not to go off on this topic but to connect that many people out there have opinions on so many issues. The facts are now so muddied that no matter what we say it won’t matter. Tolerance and freedom of expression have been lost in a world where everything can be true. The truth of it all is this, Sin corrupts and once corrupted it is impossible to return it to normal without Jesus.

11 March 16

DAY TWENTY-SIX

Prudent people don’t flaunt their knowledge; talkative fools broadcast their silliness.
Proverbs 12:23

If you’re like me you don’t have a Facebook full of just Christian believers, your friends are a mixed bag of both. Do you ever see a post by your non-believer friends that make you shake your head and wonder why would they believe that?

Maybe it is their latest post about LGBT rights or how some university is evil because of its views on the matter. Maybe it is their view on abortion or Dr. assisted suicide. Drinking to access or use of illegal drugs are flashing on my screen. What about attacking the government or her services? Or just plain using the Lords name in vain.

Did the author of Proverbs know FB was coming when he wrote this verse? If he didn’t then he had some good foresight. People write some very foolish things on here. And they throw their support behind some very silly and destructive things.

We as believers today, in this day and age, needed to be prudent in how we respond to such posts. Some days I would love to respond to all these types of post, but I don’t want to end up being the fool. We are living in the era where if we disagree with someone’s opinions we can be labelled intolerant, our beliefs in Christ has now been taken away and the value is gone in our society.

So, what should you do if you see something and you feel compelled to respond? Think first, don’t respond to quickly, at least not in anger or opposition. Pray to God for a loving response, get your facts straight, find a verse to add that defends your side of the argument. Going into battle without your sword will get you killed. If the Israelite’s had sent someone right away to attack Goliath when he first hurled an insult the story would have ended differently, but they were scared and didn’t know how to respond so they waited for God to answer for them.

The right word at the right time sent by the right person can be the blow to slay a giant.

Dear Jesus, help me to be prudent in all I do. When something of offence comes my way I as that you guide my tongue or my fingers. Give me the right word at the right time so I may slay a giant in Your name. Amen

Day 22: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisisted

6 March 15

DAY TWENTY TWO

Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee. (Psalm 119:11 ASV)

Do you want to have a pure life? Do you want to be able resist the temptation of sin? Read Gods word. Meditate on in. Make it a priority in your life. One who has the word of God attached to their life is one who has a suit of armour on and can resist the enemy’s attacks.

Dear Jesus, do I have Your word fixed to my heart? If I don’t I ask You to motivate me to daily ready, study and affix Your word into my life. Let my life reflect you so I may take charge in the mission you have charged me with. I want to reach the lost, let me see them as you do. They matter to you so they matter to me. Amen

Day 16: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 16: Submitting to Jesus will ultimately give you a more satisfied life than any other option. Sure there will be tough days, but we were never promised rainbows and puppies. We were promised joy, love and hope. These can only be truly achieved in a relationship with the Savior.

DAY SIXTEEN

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21 MSG)

So have you given your heart to Christ but do not want to change how you live? Do you continue to do the same things you did before you gave your heart to Christ? The freedom given to us through Jesus sacrifice is a freedom that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

If we don’t make wise choices in what we do we are destined to spend a life in continual pain and suffering. Stand up and walk away from the things that will damage your life. Stop watching the TV shows or movies that glorify sin. Destroy the things in your home that are pornography. Stop listening to music that will consume your heart with sex, lies, and evil.

God has so much better things for us if we only stop falling back into what we know. He wants us to trust that His gifts and blessings are abundantly better then the world has to offer. Are you ready to shake off the idea that the world offers more then God?

Dear Jesus, help me to see you in everything. Help me to be repealed by evil, instead of drawn to it. God I want to focus on You and only want to please You. I am done worrying about pleasing my flesh. Amen.

Day 14: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 14: Isn’t it amazing how the Bible has so much to offer. The verses come alive and have so much truth and advice in them that reading it one day will give us wisdom in one area, but then tomorrow it will reveal itself in another way which is just as valuable. Dig into the word, don’t just skim the pages like you would your favourite novel skipping the parts you consider ‘boring’. Let them speak to you today.

DAY FOURTEEN

During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honourably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old. (Luke 1:5-7 MSG)
But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you-many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God. (13-15)
When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!” she said. (Luke 1:23-25 MSG)

Reading the scripture above you may be saying, “didn’t I read this yesterday?” You did, but I have had another thought on this that I think is an important one for us as believers might want to consider.

Zachariah and Elizabeth had been praying a long time for a child. It isn’t clear if they stopped asking after they passed the child rearing years, but we do know that they were praying for a child. God sent an angel to Zachariah to let him know that God indeed did hear his prayer and was now ready to answer it. That he would have a son. All Zachariah had to do was go home and be intimate with his wife. I wish all my prayers could be solved like that. I say this with the thought, why are we looking for God to answer our prayers in amazing ways when He can do them in such simple ways.

Another example of a simple answer was Nahaam, a mighty general in the OT. He met with Elisha the prophet to be healed from leprosy. He was expecting Elisha to send him on a huge quest, to scale the highest mountain and find the rarest flower to make a medicine that would heal him. But God through Elisha told him that all he needed to do was wash in the Jordan river seven times. Nahaam was insulted, the Jordan river was gross, and he could never let himself bathe in such filth. Luckily enough for him, he had some friends that were not afraid to hold him accountable in this and made him understand that if he was willing to do the grandiose things maybe God works in the little things too.

We sometimes focus on the big things the bible talks about like Moses parting the red sea, Jesus talking about moving mountains, or raising someone from the dead, but we tend to forget that God works in the little things and works everything out for His glory. He took a boy who was sold by his brothers and through a series of little events he became powerful and saved a nation. He took a boy who was a shepherd and through little trails became king. He clothes the flowers and feeds the birds. God knows what He is doing, are you ready to let Him show you?

Dear Father, we need to see you in all aspects of our lives. We need to hear your voice. I pray that you will reveal Yourself to each of us today in a fresh way. When You ask us to do something that we will listen and obey no matter how odd or mundane the request may be. Show us Your Glory and majesty today. Let your love shine through us so that others may know your love and mercy. They matter to you so they matter to me. 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 10: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Thoughts on Day 10: Over the past 2 years I have seen some marriages fall apart. I think in a four month period I was dealing with four at work alone. I wish that I have the answers and ways to restore all marriages, but the fact remains it is something between them and God. One would hope that Christian marriages would stand the test of time, but even they are breaking which breaks my heart even more. I pray for marriages built on a foundation of faith in Christ, it is never to late for one to restore what has been broken.

22 Feb 16

DAY TEN

Song of Solomon 3 The Message (MSG)

3v 1-4 Restless in bed and sleepless through the night,
I longed for my lover.
I wanted him desperately. His absence was painful.
So I got up, went out and roved the city,
hunting through streets and down alleys.
I wanted my lover in the worst way!
I looked high and low, and didn’t find him.
And then the night watchmen found me
as they patrolled the darkened city.
“Have you seen my dear lost love?” I asked.
No sooner had I left them than I found him,
found my dear lost love.
I threw my arms around him and held him tight,
wouldn’t let him go until I had him home again,
safe at home beside the fire.

If your married do you feel this way when your spouse is away. Do you worry about where he or she maybe? Maybe you and your spouse are going through a troubled time, maybe you might even be going through a time of separation

These verses paint a beautiful picture of Christs love for us. We are restless in this life looking for our lost love, but sometimes we just don’t know who He is. Jesus is waiting to be found. He isn’t that far off, We talked earlier in the challenge about a void in our lives that can only be filled by Jesus. His love can only be accepted never forced upon you.

If you are going through a rough point in your marriage, I challenge you to ask Jesus for a longing for your spouse, ask for a desire to repair what the enemy is working on destroying. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting. (Ephesians 5 v 22&25) If you need help, ask for it. Work with your Pastor, seek counselling, find some accountability partners (together and separately) and pray together.

If Jesus can take our messed-up lives and make them complete trust that he can taken your broken marriage and do the same. He can provide you with the longing for your spouse you once had when you were first married.

If you are single and not married I pray that if you know of married couples who are falling apart at the seams that you will pray for restoration. Maybe you have walked away from Jesus, and your life is restless and broken. Seek Jesus out and rest in His arms.

Dear Jesus, take my marriage wherever it may be and strengthen it. If it is falling apart right before my eyes, take hold and repair it. Bring the love I once had for my spouse and rekindle it. May our marriage be a representation of who You are living through us. Take control of our marriage. I trust You are in control. If I have let You out of my life, ignored you and not paid you any attention I ask you to forgive me and come restore my life in your arms. Amen

22 Feb 16

DAY TEN
Song of Solomon 3 The Message (MSG)

These verses paint a beautiful picture of Christ’s love for us. We are restless in this life looking for our lost love, but sometimes we just don’t know who He is. Jesus is waiting to be found. He isn’t that far off, We talked earlier in the challenge about a void in our lives that can only be filled by Jesus. His love can only be accepted never forced upon you.

If Jesus can take our messed-up lives and make them complete trust that he can take your broken marriage and do the same. He can provide you with the longing for your spouse you once had when you were first married.

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 5: Original 50 Days of Pray Revisited

Day 5 Thoughts

It is so amazing to see how God uses people in spite of the things in their past. He can use those experiences to reach others. We must not glorify our sin, but we can use those moments as a tool in our spiritual toolbox to relate to those we are trying to reach.

17 Feb 15

DAY FIVE
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (Romans 6:22-23 MSG)
If you have been around a while in the family of God, have you experienced a healed life? In Romans written above if talks about “A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!”, it sounds pretty awesome.
We all want that, once we have accepted Christ into our lives it becomes our heart’s desire. But what does put-together life really mean, and why don’t I feel it?
Sin cause our lives to be broken, we think we can superglue our problems back together with quick fixes. That was never God’s true intentions. He sent Jesus to take our brokenness, gather all the pieces of our lives that God intended us to have, put us in the fire and build us back making us put together. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Thank you Jesus that you don’t stop there.
We are still part of this world. We may sin time to time. Our put together lives will chip and crack. Maybe why you don’t feel put together is because you are not. Jesus the same one who put you back together when you asked Him into your life is right there to fix the chip or crack of sin with a bond of love stronger than any glue. He will make you new again and put back together.
But why then do I have to deal with the results of my sin if I have repented and Jesus forgave me? Look at the story of David, in his sin he committed adultery and murder. We know that he asked for forgiveness and God used David’s bloodline still to reveal Jesus. But if you read 2 Samuel you will see David still had to reap what he sowed, his son raped his half-sister, then was murdered by his other son, he lost the throne, & and had to wander alone for a time. Maybe you feel like David, you have asked God for his forgiveness but you are dealing with the fallout of your sin.
I say all this not to justify all the problems in your life, but to ask you to guard your life. Take the time to weigh out your choices. Are they pure? How will they affect your walk with God? Could there be disastrous results if I do this?

Dear Jesus, today I pray that whoever needed to hear this will be encouraged. You are the one who puts us together and I thank you so much for that. I know it cost you so much. Help us to be a people who think before we do. Weighing out our actions, looking before we go forward into a pit. I pray right now that you will renew my life, and refine my life if I have any chips or cracks. Put me back together. Thank you for your gift of eternal life. Let my life be an example to those around me, let me see them as you do. They matter to you so they matter to me. Amen