Prayers Devotionals

 The late great Dr. E.V. Hill was once asked if he thought Jesus was Caucasian as depicted in paintings. This was his reply: “I don't know anything about a white Jesus... I know about Christ, a Savior named Jesus. I don't know what color He is. He was born in the brown Middle East; He fled to black Africa; and He was in heaven before the gospel got to white Europe. So, I don't know what color He is.” “I do know one thing: if you bow at the altar with color on your mind, you'll get up with color on your mind. Go back again - and keep going back until you no longer look at His color, but at His greatness and His power - His power to save.

 Welcome to Revelation chapter two. Remember that we are reading seven letters from Jesus to seven different churches. Letter number three begins in verse 12: “To the angel of the church in Pergamum…” (Revelation 2:12). Pergamum is the compromised church. The word Pergamum means “objectionable marriage.” In this case, a marriage between church and state. Just after 300 AD, a new Roman empire arose under Constantine, and Constantine decided that he would conquer under the sign of the cross. Christianity became the national religion, and politics and power corrupted the church. Suddenly it was cool to be Christian. That’s bad. When everyone calls themselves Christian, you find a lot of hypocrites, and genuine Christianity becomes hard to find. To the compromised church, Jesus presents himself as “him who has the sharp, double-edged sword” (2:12). That’s the Word of God, and the Word pierces and separates. Jesus encourages this church. Many remained true to His name, and did not renounce

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“A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid” (Mark 5:15 NLT). Here in America, we have riots in our streets, and we’ve witnessed outright anarchy in some cities. Those serving in law enforcement have never had it more difficult than they have it right now. Meanwhile, the family continues to disintegrate and break apart, which by the way, is at the root of most of our social ills today. Social media was supposed to bring us closer together. But I think that in many ways, social media has divided us and driven us apart. That’s because society and culture cannot cope with the problems caused by Satan and sin. In Luke 8 we read of Jesus encountering a demon-possessed man. The Bible tells us this frightening, evil man with superhuman strength was hanging around in a graveyard, screaming and howling. If that weren’t enough, the man was naked. So everyo

"There is a potent medicine in the great pharmacopoeia of Scripture." When people sinned against God, they repented and asked God for forgiveness. The Psalmist is teaching us that it is not enough, we should also ask for healing. Not only forgiveness, but God will also heal and deliver you from the power of sins, negative thoughts, habitual sins, all this when you ask and believe. Prayer: Father Lord, heal our hearts and deliver us from temptations to do things our way. Help us to stand firm and make quick decisions to run away when we are facing temptation.In Jesus' Name, Amen

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. —Psalm 119:11 When temptations come, let me suggest that you ask God for strength—and also to show you the way He has prepared for your escape. One other word of counsel; be very sure that you do not deliberately place yourself in a position to be tempted. All of us are not subjected to the same weaknesses and temptations. To one, alcohol may be the temptation; to another, it may be impure thoughts and acts; to another, greed and covetousness; to another, criticism and an unloving attitude. Regardless of what it may be, be sure that Satan will tempt you at your weak point, not the strong. Our Lord has given us an example of how to overcome the devil’s temptations. When He was tempted in the wilderness, He defeated Satan every time by the use of the Bible. Prayer for the day With the shield of Your Word, I will face temptation, almighty God.

Repentance isn’t easy, but God promises to be with us as we take an honest look at our sin. As one of the many warnings in Scripture, Proverbs 28:13 urges God’s people to practice repentance since “whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper” (ESV). But many of us hesitate to comply, since it’s not easy to look at our sin, renounce it, and muster the courage to turn away. The good news is that the proverb finishes by promising, “But he who confesses and forsakes [his wrongdoings] will obtain mercy.” This is the part of repentance we tend to forget: that God doesn’t expect us to do the work without Him, and His presence and compassion are constantly available (Isaiah 41:10). In other words, before we even begin to repent—when we first feel even the smallest inkling of guilt—we can ask the Lord for grace to start. Or, anytime we feel afraid to confront sin, we can request the courage to look inside. And if we’re not ready to turn and walk towards Jesus, we can pray for Him to pr

Going back to someone’s teen years to dig up old sins to use against them today is a special kind of cruel. At an age when the part of the brain that controls impulsive behavior isn’t fully developed, we’re all capable of profound stupidity. I know I was. But when the court of cancel culture is in session, there's no innocent till proven guilty. There's no trial or defense or room for growth. You're just guilty. Forever. Here's the thing: Sin can never be paid for by canceling others; only Christ’s blood can do that. Condemning others won’t add one speck of goodness to your life. In fact, you’ll be more miserable than you were before, and here's why: You were not created to cancel. You were created to un-cancel others by loving them enough to tell them about the only one who’s ever been good: Jesus! You were saved to tell others about the one who can liberate us all. “Phil Robertson” 

 It’s actually a dangerous thing to hear the Word of God and not apply it in your life. The golden key of spiritual growth is hearing, receiving, and obeying the Word of God.

... teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. - (Matthew 28:20) Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is a lot different than just going to church once or twice a week. To get excited because the preacher moved you and the choir inspired you is nice, but that’s not spiritual growth. To enjoy fellowship with your friends is a wonderful part of the Christian life, but it in and of itself is not discipleship. The goal and the cornerstone of your activity, that which brings God the most glory, is for you to become a disciple. God’s goal is not salvation; that is just the introduction to God’s goal. His desire is that those who are saved become disciples. It is not enough simply to say: “I’m on my way to heaven.” The issue is, are you becoming like the One who is taking you to heaven? That’s discipleship, and that’s what Christ wants from you. Discipleship is that developmental process that progressively brings Christians from sp

And Jesus said, . . . and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. —Mark 14:62 The world in which we live is full of pessimism. No Christian has the scriptural right to go around wringing his hands wondering what we are to do in the face of the present world situation. The Scripture says that in the midst of persecution, confusion, wars, and rumors of wars, we are to comfort one another with the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming back in triumph, glory, and majesty. Many times when I go to bed at night I think to myself that before I awaken Christ may come. Sometimes when I get up and look at the dawn I think that perhaps this is the day He will come. He has told us Christians to be watching constantly and to be ready, “for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). Do you think Christ will come today? “Probably not,” you say. It is on just such a day that He may come. What a glorious ti

Many religious folks believe any religion without deep knowledge, and they blindly believe what others believe. God wants us to love Him with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. The Lord wants us to believe him not just by faith, but also by studying His word. By understanding His Word, we will know His character and nature in order to have strong relationship with the Lord Prayer: Father God, we pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to find knowledge of You and help us to study your word in a systemic way. Help us to apply our heart to understanding, so the discretion will protect us and our understanding will guard us.In Jesus' Name, Amen.

 TLB Proverbs 3:13-15 The man who knows right from wrong and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich! For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels. Nothing else compares with it. 16-17 Wisdom gives: a long, good life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace. 18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; happy is the man who keeps on eating it. 4:5 Learn to be wise,” he said, “and develop good judgment and common sense! I cannot overemphasize this point.” 6 Cling to wisdom—she will protect you. Love her—she will guard you. 7 Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And with your wisdom, develop common sense and good judgment. 8-9 If you exalt wisdom, she will exalt you. Hold her fast, and she will lead you to great honor; she will place a beautiful crown upon your head. 4:23 Above all else, guard your affections. For they influence everything else in your life.  25 Look straight ahead; don’t even turn your head to look

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned     "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me — John 14:6 Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only . . . —James 1:22  

  “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22 NKJV).    ` In addition to rocks, there are a lot of weeds in Israel, and weeds hinder the growth of seeds. In the parable of the sower, Jesus talked about seeds that fell among thorns, and immediately the thorns choked them out. Then Jesus said, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22 NKJV). This describes someone who seems to be growing spiritually, but they gradually walk away because other things become more important. It isn’t bad things necessarily, but it’s the worries of this life, the concerns of this life, that take priority. There’s nothing wrong with being concerned about putting food on the table or a roof over your head. There’s nothing wrong

 Tal (טל), ‘dew,’ is a common biblical symbol of Hashem’s bountiful blessings. Rain is another sign of God’s love for mankind. What is the difference between rain and dew? According to Jewish mysticism, rain is a sign of God showering his abundant blessings freely from above. Dew, which forms below from condensation of atmospheric water vapor, is related to the divine blessings which are a result of man’s own efforts and achievements. This psalm teaches that Hashem’s blessing from above allows for the flowering of man’s work below.

 In other words, the term Christian should not just be a title. It is to be your identification, just like your name. Being a follower of Christ is the essence of who you are.  Scripture teaches that there will one day be a judgment, but God has already determined that those who trust in Christ will stand with Him while the rest will be sent away (Matt. 25:34-46). An unrepentant man or woman is not condemned by God but, rather, has chosen to remain in the company of all those condemned by their own free will. God desires that everyone come to a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9). To that end, He has granted each person the right to decide whether or not to follow in obedience. However, those who reject the Savior are forewarned that they have settled for condemnation.

“But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” (Matthew 13:20-21 NKJV). Some people get excited about a lot of different things. They’re into the latest fad or the newest this or that. But then they suddenly abandon it and move on to whatever is next. The same thing can happen in a person’s relationship with God. Sometimes people will say something along the lines of, “I tried the whole Christianity thing, and it didn’t work for me.” No, actually they never built their life on Christ. They had an emotional experience. If it was a real conversion, they still would be walking with the Lord. Jesus described people like this in the parable of the sower when He said, “But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with j

The apostle's words are, "To Him be glory both now and for ever." Will you not this day make it your prayer?  "Lord, help me to glorify Thee; I am poor, help me to glorify Thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give Thee honour by patience; I have talents, help me to extol Thee by spending them for Thee; I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve Thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but Thine, and glow with no flame but affection for Thee; I have a head to think, Lord, help me to think of Thee and for Thee; Thou hast put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into Thy treasury; I am all Thine; take me, and enable me to glorify Thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have."   I ask for all this in Jesus mos

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you . . . —John 14:27 Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Where does peacemaking begin? How can we become peacemakers? Can peace be discovered within ourselves? Freud has told us that peace is but a mental attitude. Cast off our phobias, shed our neuroses, and “bingo!”—we’ll have the coveted peace we long for. I respect psychiatry for what it can do. Unquestionably, it has helped many. But it certainly is not satisfactory as a substitute for the peace which can come only from God. If psychiatry leaves God out, ultimately we shall see psychiatrists going to each other for treatment. There can be no peace until we find peace with God. The Bible says, “He is our peace.” The balm of Your peace pours over my soul and I humbly praise You, almighty God.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. - ( John 15:4 ) As you put God first in your life, make certain that what you do is rooted in relationship rather than in rules. Too frequently people will confuse structure for surrender. They cross off a list and think that they have put God first. When in actuality, if God is first, you don’t need a list because you will naturally seek Him, His heart, and His way in your own personal surrender out of love. Whenever religious activity trumps relationship, the victory of Christ is no longer experienced in the fullness it ought to be in the believer’s life. One of the greatest dangers in our churches today is for religion to replace an intimate relationship with the Savior. By religion, I mean the external adherence to exercises, codes, or practices in the name of God yet apart from God. For example, if you go to church because it i

 His Loving-Kindness Continues Forever

The Second Sphere of Stewardship In His Presence: As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10). The second sphere God has entrusted to us is talent. This area includes the skills that God has bestowed on us for His purpose. A more specific word for a Christian's talent would be giftedness. God doesn't give us talent just so we can benefit from it—it's meant to benefit others. We live in the "me" generation. Everyone only wants to be served, not to serve. There is not an overflow of God's goodness coming out of the hearts of people. But Romans 12 describes how God has given us gifts for the purpose of serving others: "Through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members

  Responding to God's Love John 3:16 God has to be true to Himself. People are foolish to entertain the hope that He will ignore justice and sacrifice holiness in order to allow unbelievers into heaven. Living a mostly moral life will not satisfy a righteous Judge. As much as the Lord loves us and desires to save us from our sins, He cannot deny His holiness by accepting sin in His presence. The Father is pristine perfection--a holy Being who, by His very nature, must condemn all sin. Therefore, it is the height of egotism to think that God will bend both His law and His nature to welcome one whom still bears the stain of wrongdoing. There is not one person who's good enough to enter heaven on his or her own merit. Every one of us needs Jesus. The stain of sin is washed clean only by the sacrifice of God's holy and blameless Son. Those who believe in Christ are forgiven their wrongs and cloaked in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Let me make it very clear that trusting Jesu

In this story Jesus is betrayed by two of His best friends. First Judas and later Peter. Imagine that. Two of his closest friends. Judas chose money over Jesus. He told the soldiers where to find Jesus and in return he received cash. Peter let fear take over. He followed Jesus after His capture. He followed the soldiers to see what was happening to his beloved friend. But when he was questioned, he got frightened. To save his life, he denied knowing Jesus. Such a betrayal. Imagine the heartache for Jesus. In His time of need these friends let Him down. But surprisingly we do not hear Jesus complain. He does not seek revenge. He knows the heart of people. He knows we can all betray, deny and leave Him. And to be honest some do (as it's called now days they have lost there faith). I love Jesus but sometimes some shut there mouths and because they feel ashamed or afraid of what people might think of them.   Perhaps you have betrayed Jesus in a way. By saying bad things about Him, or n

Jesus taught us the dignity and importance of being a person.   God put us on this earth for a purpose, and our purpose is fellowship with God and to glorify God.   G.

Jesus' prayer is probably one of the most famous prayers in the world. It is overwhelming. His main prayer topic is: unity. To be united with God and to be united with each other. Perhaps He knew the struggles the church would face. The differences about theological issues. But Jesus says: unite! As Christians we need to focus on what unites us, not what separates us. Set aside our differences and unite our hearts. We can all have our different ways of worship and celebrate our differences. Let's cheer each other on and show the world we all believe in the same Jesus, the savior of all.  

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light . . . —1 John 2:10 This age in which we live could hardly be described as conducive to a sensitiveness of the needs of others. We have developed a veneer of sophistication and hardness. Abraham Lincoln once said, characteristically, “I am sorry for the man who can’t feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.” Much of the world is calloused and indifferent toward mankind’s poverty and distress. This is due largely to the fact that for many people there has never been a rebirth. The love of God has never been shed abroad in their hearts. Many people speak of the social gospel as though it were separate and apart from the redemptive Gospel. The truth is: there is only one Gospel. We must be redeemed, we must be made right with God before we can become sensitive to the needs of others. Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam, shines down before it radiates out. Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and refl

1 John 4:7-12 Many people simply can't believe that the Lord loves them. Others believe that He loves them, but only when they are pleasing Him in some way. Why is it so hard for us to accept His unconditional love? One reason is that we have a hard time loving others without condition. We might say the words "I love you" to our spouse, children, friends, co-workers, or fellow believers but all too often are calculating in our mind whether or not they've lived up to our standard. We sometimes excuse ourselves from loving certain people because their behavior upsets or annoys us. The fact that we place restrictions on extending favor causes us to wrongly assume that the Lord does likewise. Another reason is poor self-image. Considering ourselves unworthy, we refuse to accept God's love. You know what? None of us are worthy of the heavenly Father's goodness and mercy—so you can let go of that excuse once and for all. We're not coming to Him based on our wort

“This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:6 NKJV). In movies about Jesus or in religious art depicting the disciples, we can easily figure out who Judas Iscariot is. He’s the disciple who’s always lurking in the shadows, looking treacherous. But that is not the way Judas actually appeared. He gave the impression as the most virtuous of the lot, but he was the literal definition of a hypocrite. A hypocrite, literally defined, is an actor, a performer. We find a perfect example of this in John’s gospel, when the disciples gathered for a meal in Bethany. Mary began to wipe Jesus’s feet with some very expensive perfume, and the fragrance filled the air. Mary had insight into the fact that Jesus would suffer and die on the cross, and she wanted to do something extravagant, something to demonstrate how much she loved Him. The perfume probably was a family heirloom worth thousands of dolla

A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ. You have read lives of Christ, beautifully and eloquently written, but the best life of Christ is His living biography, written out in the words and actions of His people. If we were what we profess to be, and what we should be, we should be pictures of Christ; yea, such striking likenesses of Him, that the world would not have to hold us up by the hour together, and say, "Well, it seems somewhat of a likeness;" but they would, when they once beheld us, exclaim, "He has been with Jesus; he has been taught of Him; he is like Him; he has caught the very idea of the holy Man of Nazareth, and he works it out in his life and every-day actions." A Christian should be like Christ in his boldness. Never blush to own your religion; your profession will never disgrace you: take care you never disgrace that. Be like Jesus, very valiant for your God. Imitate Him in your loving spirit; think kindly, speak kindly, and do

Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. - (Deuteronomy 28:1) like the story of the chicken and the pig. Both are walking down the street one day when they come to a grocery store with a sign in the window which reads, “Bacon and Eggs Desperately Needed.” The chicken looks at the pig and says, “I’ll give them the eggs if you’ll give them the bacon.” The pig stares back at the chicken and replies, “No way.” The chicken asks, “Why not?” To which the pig states, “Because for you it’s a contribution, but for me it’s my life.” Unfortunately today we have too many Christians who are only willing to give God an egg here or there, and after they do so they think they’ve given enough. They wonder why God isn’t showing up miraculously in their lives. The reason He is not is that God has asked us as kingdom followers to climb up on His altar

 “‘No, we don’t know, Lord,’ Thomas said. ‘We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?’” (John 14:5 NLT). If you’ve ever been at a family reunion where one relative sees things completely different than everyone else, then you have an idea of what the apostle Thomas was like. He was someone who thought for himself. If Thomas didn’t understand something, he would talk about it out loud. For example, Jesus said to the disciples, “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going” (John 14:1-4 NLT). I can envision the other disciples nodding in unison and agreement at this point. Thomas, on the other hand, spoke up and said, “No, we don’t know, Lord. We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (verse 5 NLT). But instead of

Audio Version Links of this are at the bottom: Psalms 119      The Living Bible   Verse 1 Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God   Verse 2 Happy are all who search for God and always do his will   Verse 3 rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths   Verse 4 You have given us your laws to obey   Verse 5 oh, how I want to follow them consistently   Verse 6 Then I will not be disgraced, for I will have a clean record     Verse 7 After you have corrected me   I will thank you by living as I should     Verse 8 I will obey! Oh, don’t forsake me and let me slip back into sin again     Verse 9 How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules     Verse 10 I have tried my best to find you—don’t let me wander off from your instructions      Verse 11 I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin     Verse 12 Blessed Lord, teach me your rules      Verse 13 I have recited your l