Friday, May 27, 2005

Only Jesus Knows

My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Matthew 11:27

The New Testament makes strong claims for Jesus. These claims are not just based upon the conclusions of men, but go back to several claims of Jesus. While these claims are most clearly seen in the Gospel of John (the "I Am" statements of Jesus and the emphasis on the Son knowing and doing the Father's will), they occur in the other Gospels as well. In this statement, Jesus is claiming to be the only one to really know the Father and his will. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks as one who has authority, making clear the will of God. As he leaves the earth, he does so with all authority in both the spiritual realm ("in heaven") and in the physical realm ("on earth"). The bottom line for Jesus' followers is what we do in response to Jesus as Lord. What we believe about him and who we believe him to be determine everything of lasting and eternal value in our lives.

Jesus prayed this prayer:

Then Jesus prayed this prayer: "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! Matthew 11:25-26

Dear Father,

Thank you for sending Jesus so I could know you and your will. Your love and kindness in sending him has given me confidence that when I stand before you in judgment, it will be to hear you say, "This is my child, whom I love, and in whom I am well pleased." For this hope, I offer you my praise and my life.

In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Nothing Should Limit Our Prayer

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25

Falsely imprisoned, Paul and Silas had been beaten and locked in prison. Under such horrible condition, they managed to praise God in hymns and pray to their Father in Heaven. Under this kind of pressure, their faith caught the attention of the other prisoners who listened to them. We need to be reminded that over the years of Christian witness, some of the most effective times of evangelism happened because Christians remained faithful and joyous people despite persecution and harassment. Nothing should limit our prayer and praise. God will use them to reach the hearts of those in the most difficult of places.

When we praise God we are blessed. In praise, God begins to soften our hearts to show us more about His nature. In prayer, God begins to mold our hearts like His. In prayer He reveals Himself to us.

Spend time praising Him. Praise God for all the blessings He had poured out on you and your Church.

For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song. Zephaniah 3:17

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16

Dear Lord,

I pray that you will make me a loving, respected, and forceful witness for Jesus. I ask this not so that I can boast, but so that others can more fully know your grace and come to Jesus to be saved. Thank you for your daily blessings.

In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.





Monday, May 23, 2005

Blessed Jesus

He is your God, the one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done mighty miracles that you yourselves have seen. Deuteronomy 10:21

BLESSED JESUS
I love this song. It was a joy for me to sing this song, in sign language, for the deaf ministry www.fxcc.org/deaf yesterday morning. I listened to this song
approximately ten times Saturday night with my BOSE headphone on. God Rocks! Jesus died for YOU and ME! This song is on ZOE DESPERATE cd.
http://zoegroup.faithsite.com/

Blessed Jesus, come to me.
Soothe my soul with rays of peace.
As I look to You alone.
Fill me with Your love

Mountains high or valleys low.
You will never let me go.
By Your fountain let me drink.
Fill my thirsty soul.

Glorious, marvelous.
Grace that rescued me.
Holy, worthy is the Lamb.
Who died for me.

Blessed Jesus, come to me.
As I fall down at Your feet.
Let me touch Your nail-scarred hands.
Jesus I would see.

Glorious, marvelous.
Grace that rescued me.
Holy, worthy is the Lamb.
Who died for me.

Holy, worthy,
Holy, worthy,
Holy, worthy,
Holy, worthy,

Holy, worthy,
Is the Lamb who died for me.


Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery! Psalms 145:3

I will call on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:4

How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Cast All Your Anxiety

Cast all your anxiety on Him!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Someone asks you how you're doing. At first, they seem interested but as you begin to share the burdens of your heart, you begin to realize that they are not really listening and are not really interested. They're just being polite. Most people have so many burdens they simply don't know what to do with more.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power is his forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

God's Thoughts On Loving Moms

Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you. Exodus 20:12

Each of you must show respect for your mother and father, and you must always observe my Sabbath days of rest, for I, the LORD, am your God. Leviticus 19:3

Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother are a public disgrace and an embarrassment. Proverbs 19:26

Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 19:19

Honor your father and mother. This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. Ephesians 6:2

The church should care for any widow who has no one else to care for her. 1 Timothy 5:3

Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. James 1:27

God Wants Us To Come Before Him

God wants us to come before Him in prayer.

"Serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13

God wants us to come before Him in prayer. He has promised to hear and respond when we do so.

Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

God of the universe has given us the amazing privilege and authority of cooperation with God in the accomplishment of God's purposes on earth through PRAYER. This is an important principle to remember when we gather to pray.

Jesus promises in Matthew 21:22, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Ask God to give you a heart of prayer. Pray for God to make your church His House of Prayer for all nations. Pray for God to begin drawing everyone at your church closer to God through prayer.

Pray for every member of your church to have a strong faith in God.
Pray for clean heands and pure hearts.
Pray that you would not be double-minded.
Pray for God to provide His perfect peace and strength to His children who are being beaten and tortured in prison because of their faith in Jesus.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8



Tuesday, May 17, 2005

God Offers Comfort To All

GOD OF COMFORT

If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15

All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in suffering, you will also share God's comfort.

I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger. And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us. He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. As a result, many will give thanks to God because so many people's prayers for our safety have been answered. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you his grace and peace.
2 Corinthians 1:2

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts. Ephesians 6:22

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace 2 Thessalonians 2:16

Dear God of Comfort,

You are the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. Thank you that our suffering is not meaningless, but is for the comfort and salvation of others. Thank you for a hope that cannot be shaken. Jesus has taught to besiege you with constant prayer. Thank you for your Son, Jesus.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Fear Only God

Fear ( RESPECT ) Him

If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15

Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. Deuteronomy 13:4

Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows. Matthew 10:28-31

No one will be able to stand against you, for the LORD your God will send fear and dread ahead of you, as he promised you, wherever you go in the whole land. Deuteronomy 11:25

Don't fear people. The only thing they can destroy is our physical life. God will judge and he can take from us our eternal life. God has no desire to condemn. His desire is to redeem and save. If he knows each sparrow and each hair on our heads, don't you know that he cares for us! God is not going to let the wicked one snatch us from his love or grace. A wicked person can take our physical lives, but he cannot strip from us our relationship with God. Our faith is in God. Since our lives are glued to Jesus, then our future is glued to the resurrected Lord as well.

Show your fear of God by treating the deaf with respect and by not taking advantage of the blind. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:14

No one will be able to stand against you, for the LORD your God will send fear and dread ahead of you, as he promised you, wherever you go in the whole land.
Deuteronomy 11:25



Sunday, May 08, 2005

Mother's Prayer

A MOTHER'S PRAYER

Dear Lord,

It's such a hectic day, with little time to stop and pray. For Life's been anything but calm, since You called me to be a mom. Running errands, matching socks, building dreams with matching blocks, cooking, cleaning and finding shoes and other stuff that children lose. Fitting lids on bottled bugs, wiping tears and giving hugs. A stack of last week's mail to read. So where's the quiet time I need? Yet, when I steal a moment, Lord, just at the sink or ironing board. To ask the blessings of Your grace, I see then, in my small one's face, that You have blessed me all the while and I stop to kiss... That precious smile.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

In My Cardio...

Cardio - HEART!

Christ In My Heart.

Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message. And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me—that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, I saw him, too, long after the others, as though I had been born at the wrong time. For I am the least of all the apostles, and I am not worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted the church of God. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach. The important thing is that you believed what we preached to you.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11

"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again". John 11:25

Dear Lord,

Thank you that Christ's revelation of himself within my soul as Lord of my life and as the living Spirit of truth and holiness testifies that he is not dead but alive forevermore. Thank you that he lives in my heart. By your grace, and by my faith in what you did, I am what I am. The resurrection is preached and I believe it.

Thank you.
In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen