Trust In The Lord

From Psalm 9:10

“10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

Lord, when I woke up this morning I thanked you for all the many wonderful things that happen. The heat was still working, my bed was super comfortable, and my dogs were eagerly waiting for me. You know what I need, and your level of giving is never short in supply. Father I trust that whether it be good or bad, that you always have my best interests at at heart and will never leave me. I seek you out in all that I do. I humbly ask that you use me and the others around me to be your face here on Earth. Should we come in contact with folks that are in need of help or assistance that you serve as the inspiration to act. We trust your sovereign plan and know that no matter what happens you will always have our back. Amen.

We Need Strength

From Isaiah 41:10

“10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

If you were in need of strength, would it not be wise to ask for it from someone who has an unlimited supply?

Lord, we give you thanks and praise for all of the many gifts that you offer your children. Father, there are times where strength is needed. We need strength in the face of fear. We need strength in order to carry out our convictions, and to spread the Gospel. We also need strength in the face of sin, and to reject selfish or self centered activities. Today, Lord, gift us with the strength to overcome and carry out all of these things. Inspire us to pursue our hopes and dreams with the strength that only You can provide. Give us extra strength to encourage and assist any brothers or sisters that need our help today. In this we pray, Amen.

Heaping Thanks and Praise

From Psalm 71:8

“8 My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.”

What more can we aspire to? If we fill our mouths with praise for our lord all day long, could you possibly have a better day? I promise you that a day filled with praise for our King will result in you feeling better. It will result in a day where you feel fulfilled!

Lord, we give you praise in all that we do. In our hearts, in our minds we yearn to give you thanks for all of the many gifts that you give. May we be mindful that your sovereign plan is perfectly constructed. Thank you for access to you, through the blood of Christ. Jesus is our advocate, our savior, the only perfect man to have ever walked the Earth. We humbly ask that in return for all of the many gifts that you offer that you put us in position to do good works and offer comfort for those around us. Lord, we would be most thankful for the ability to raise up and help out anyone who crosses our path today that either needs to hear your truth, or needs our encouragement. We pray fervently for these things, and passionately thank you for all that you do for us. Amen.

Let Us Offer Love and Encouragement

From Hebrews 10 24:25

“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Lord, I thank you for all the many gifts that you give us. We have the ability to be the face of your love as we see friends, family, and people that we love today. We know not the needs of others. However, it is possible, even likely, that they need our encouragement. Lord inspire us to offer that encouragement, and put us in position to offer love to all your children whom we come across today. Without your encouragement and Love we would be lost. But because we seek out your guidance, your love, your wisdom we have the ability to be great and feel great. Let us use that feeling to boost the way others are feeling today. Amen.

Conclusion of the James Trilogy

From James 1:6

“6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Stop me when this sounds familiar….You have a trial, you ask God for wisdom, but you don’t like the answer that you get…We’ve all been there. We must believe in the almighty wisdom that flows from our Father. Failure to do so leads to turmoil and tumult.

Almighty God we thank you for your plan that sometimes has unexpected trials. We thank you for the wisdom that you give to us to deal with those trials. We then have a choice, we can remain faithful to your wisdom and let you lead our direction. Or alternatively we can try to swim upstream against your wisdom and seek out our own result. Lord I pray that we do our best to take your direction, and always keep in mind that your plan is always to our benefit. Let us remain faithful to heeding your guidance and carrying out our plan as best we can. Amen.

Fill Us With Wisdom

From James 1:5

“5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Yesterday in James we asked for faith through trials, today we ask God for wisdom in the face of those trials. So you’re in a situation….You have remained faithful but still don’t know what to do. The best step you can take is ask God for wisdom! As referenced above for the faithful he gives it away generously without finding fault!

Lord, you put obstacles in our path as part of your grand yet sometimes mysterious plan. That plan is perfect in design so it only makes sense that we would ask for your wisdom and guidance in working through those trials. Father, when we run into problems let us double down on our faith and rely on you for wisdom. Amen.

Faith Through Trial

From James 1 2:3

“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,a whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

In a fallen world your next trial is right around the corner. We can be upset by that, or ultimately we can look at this as an opportunity to strengthen our resolve and faith. God is working on your behalf all the time. We may not see the value in the trial that has taken place, but if you trust God it will become apparent over time.

Father we thank you for everything that takes place in our daily lives. Our human brains cannot sometimes understand the trials and tribulations that you put in front of us. However, if we place our faith in you like you have asked, there is no greater force in the universe to have our backs. Lord we pray that we remain thankful even through the trials. In the sweet name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Worship Song Wednesday – Mighty Warrior

Worship Song Wednesday, Mighty Warrior – Elevation Worship

On Wednesday’s we’re going to start doing something slightly different. Rather than focus on something from scripture I’ll take a look at a worship song. This one is definitely one of my favorites. Here is the chorus from Mighty Warrior:

Our God a mighty warrior

You’re a consuming fire

In victory You reign

We triumph in Your name

Jesus the great commander

You conquered death forever

In victory You reign

We triumph in Your name

When we think of God do we not want for him to be a mighty warrior? Do we not want the strongest force in all the universe fighting on our behalf? He is a consuming fire, I know this well! Once you get into the word of God it is really difficult not to be consumed by it. We want for our passion to burn like a mighty fire as we read God’s word and how we can apply its truth to our lives! Is there triumph without God? If the world is a function of his sovereign plan I’d argue that there is no triumph without God. Also, you want good news? How about death being conquered forever? What is the worst thing that can happen here on this Earthly plane? You could die. However, if you are in Christ the sting of death is now meaningless. What an empowering way to live!

Let’s close out in prayer. Father you are great, and act as a mighty warrior on our behalf. Lord may we have passion that burns like a fire as we thirst for a relationship with you that grows by the day. All triumph comes through you, we ask humbly that you intercede on our behalf and lead us to the ultimate victory. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Welcome to 2019

From 2 Corinthians 5:18

“17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

A popular verse, but on the first day of the year a great reminder. If we are in Christ it means that the sin that could keep us from God forever has been forgiven. We are made new because now sin has been forgiven and we can have a relationship with God yet again.

Let’s pray. Father we are ever so thankful that reconciliation through Christ took place. There would have been no worse fate for us, had we eternally been separated from you. Lord we start of this new year with many goals and aspirations. May our first goal be to worship you like the heavenly king that you are. A king that loves us so, and would do anything for us. Let us also pray that we be your face of love to our brothers and sisters here on Earth. You love everybody because they are your children, let us treat everyone we encounter this year with that same kindness. Lord we pray for all of those that had a difficult 2018, let us be the ones to help raise these folks up and make 2019 a better year for them. Father, I bow before you and humbly ask that you put myself and anyone reading these posts, in a position to carry out your awesome will. In the most precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

May Your NYE Activities be Safe and Blessed

From Proverbs 23 19:22

“19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path: 20 Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, 21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”

Ok, so maybe I’m telegraphing my opinion of New Year’s Eve. If I’m totally honest I very nearly did Grace (135lbs ground to overhead, 30 reps, as quickly as possible) last year in my garage, by myself, instead of watching the ball drop. That said, I hope everyone has a safe, enjoyable, and fulfilling New Year’s Eve.

Let us pray to the Lord and give thanks for the many blessings that we received this year. Many of us had a roof over our heads, and bellies that were fed. We pray for our brothers and sisters who did not have these things this year. Father we humbly ask that you position us in the coming year to help those folks that are struggling for safety and security. We also pray for those folks that are struggling with addiction or mental issues. Again, we want so very much for you to put us in position to help these folks. Lord you provide us with an unbelievable amount of food, drink, and opportunities. May we always bear in mind that these are gifts and are not to be taken for granted. Lord we love you, and are so thankful to all that you do. Amen.