Pray with Thanksgiving

 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

Words of Paul

Be anxious for nothing,

We must not fear anything. A large percentage of what we fear does not happen.

in everything by prayer and supplication

God has ALL THINGS in His hands. We must not be afraid of giving everything to Him. When we tell Him of our sins, we are telling Him that we know the severity of what we did.

with thanksgiving,

When we approach God, we must thank Him for what He has given us and what He will give us.

let your requests be made known to God,

We must take our requests and thoughts to God FIRST. Not our best friend, not our spouse, not our next-door neighbor. But to God because He alone can remedy the problem.

and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

We end our prayer time and experience an indescribable, yet peaceful feeling come over us. This is a gift from God.

will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

When we truly pray and lean on God and His Holy Spirit, we feel as if a weight has been lifted off of us. As I understand it, that feeling is a feeling of God’s peace.

Come Thankfully

 

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Let us shout joyfully with psalms.

Psalm 95:2 (NKJV)

The message in this verse speaks to my heart. We should always look forward to meeting with the Lord, be it in personal or corporate worship.

Our focus should be on giving Him thanks for all the many blessings He has given us.

* Have we had a ‘bad week’; we must thank Him for getting us through it.

* Have we had ill feelings about someone and had to seek that person’s forgiveness? We must give thanks to Him for allowing us to ask forgiveness.

* Have we not been ‘up to snuff’ lately? We must thank Him for bringing us through that lethargic time.

* Have we heard some good news from or about a friend? We must thank God for that kindness He extended to our friend.

* Have we read a book that has touched our hearts? We must thank God for that author or authors.

* Have we read a scripture passage that has spoken to us? We must thank God for His Word and learn to apply it to our lives.

As we approach this Thanksgiving season, let us remember to give thanks to out Father in heaven, as He hase made all things possible.

Rest in the LORD

 

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Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

                                                        Psalm 37:7 (NKJV)

A Psalm of David

David advises his readers to rest in the LORD. What does this mean to those of us reading this in 2023 A. D.? Can we do this, given our society’s ways of living?

I believe we can. However, I know we have to try in order to achieve rest in Him. People may have to give up certain practices and attitudes in order to be able to fully rest in the LORD.

Sometimes, we run ahead of the Lord. In order to rest in Him we must learn to wait patiently for Him. In order to do this we must commit (give) ourselves to Him and to follow Him and His instructions as best we can.

David also tells us, Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way. We are not to envy anyone who seems to get ahead in this world. We may be happy for them but we are not to wish any thing bad on them.

I recently read that we must not fret about what we don’t have but give thanks for the things God has provided for us. I, personally, find this helps me as I sometimes deal with depression.

HE IS WITH US (and Blog Break)

 

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Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14 (NRSV)

Do we understand the significance of the angel’s message? This message refers to a prophecy of Isaiah some 4oo years earlier. God is with us!

Even today, we see evidence of God’s presence in our world. The end of November 2017, I received a prayer request from my best friend. Her husband’s nephew had called and asked her to pray for his new-born granddaughter. The baby was born with three heart abnormalities.

The medical team waited for almost a week before performing surgery. In the meantime, several of us were praying. I requested prayer from one of my social media friends and from an online social media prayer group. This family needed to see God’s working in this circumstance. On the day I prepared this. My friend texted me a picture of the baby being held by her 3-year-old sister. She seems to have no tubes for breathing or feeding or heart monitor leads. We believed that this baby will go home very soon. God was with them throughout this past year.

UPDATE: In the fall of 2022, my friend and her husband along with their younger daughter journeyed out west and visited this nephew and his family. The little girl told my friend’s husband that she has a zipper on her chest. He told her that he has a zipper as well. The child is doing very well.

In the early part of our nation, there were people who believed that God created the world and chose to stand back and see what we would do. However, this is not the way the modern theologians teach. Those of us who have witnessed His workings know that God chooses to stand beside us in the good times and in the not-so-good times and guides us through those less than good times.

As we continue in our walk with God, let us learn to seek God in our lives and let Him lead us through the difficult times of our lives.

May this thought continue as we approach the upcoming New Year.

I am going to take a blog break until Tuesday, January 3, 2023. There are some things I need to get done here at home and also finish a bit of Christmas shopping,

What Lacking Self-Control Looks Like

 

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A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Proverbs 25: 28 (ESV)

Words of Solomon, the son of David.

Someone without self-control seems to fall for ‘the latest’, what he or she hears from the television or reads in the newspaper. That person is not grounded in faith.

We see this result in our world today with the seeming popularity of “groups” that promote ideas that were unheard of 40, 50, or more years ago.

Carla Gasser, author of The Beauty of An Uncluttered Soul, tells us that a person who practices self-control practices spirit- control. That person lives with the Holy Spirit guiding him or her.

At first, it is not easy to function with the Holy Spirit leading our lives. I believe it gets easier to do as we go practice giving issues to the LORD through our days. Even then, we may have times when the enemy chooses to test our resolve.

We must remember that we serve a LORD who understands the stress when the enemy tempts us. He tempted Jesus and Jesus rebuked him.

My sister-in-law had a friend give her a print-out of a meme that had a special message:

“When the devil knocks at your door, ask Jesus to answer it.”

A Gift of God’s Grace

 

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)

When we turn over our hearts and lives to Jesus, He gives us His Father’s grace to guide us through our lives. We receive salvation and so much more.

We receive the strength to stand against the worldly ungodliness that, from time to time, we have to face. Yes, as I read this scripture believers can say “No” to the worldly things.

The grace of God teaches us that we can manage in this world when we trust in the Holy Spirit to utilize self-control through Him and live lives pleasing to God before our neighbors and those we see where we do business.

I believe it is important that each follower of Jesus must strive to get closer to God and model our beliefs to those around us. However, I do not say this is easy to do. We have to rely on the Holy
Spirit to guide us through the roadblocks that life throws in our way.

Let's Remember

Do you remember the song "Do Lord" 

One memory I have of this song is that I sang it when I was in labor when our son was born. I found out several years later I sang it wrong. I thought it was " Do Lord, do you remember me?"

 

Who of us could not use a bit of joy in our hearts and lives?

I heard this Children's song as a young mother. I love the message that God can use anyone at any age to do His work.

I am trying to work on something special for children. Please pray for me as I attempt to follow God's leading in this area. I will share more with you later. I believe I am doing this out of obedience to God.

Peace and blessings to you and yours.

A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

 

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Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging your hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV)

Words of the Apostle Peter to those who were dispersed into five regions of Asia Minor.

His words speak of the inner beauty of the believers of Christ. Per his thought, the inner person is what God sees and deems as our true selves.

I am concerned that our world has worshiped youthfulness, forgetting that people age. Madison Avenue (the advertising industry) has caused us to forget the fact that we are aging. Several of my lady friends have aged gracefully. I have a picture of one of them and her husband in our living room.

Now, please do not misunderstand, there are things we might need to do to our skin. However, there are things we need to do to keep our inner self presentable before God.

#Reading God’s Word

# Applying what it says to our heart

# Living out His Word to others

# Seeking His guidance through prayer

Father God, Please help each one of us to be gentle and humble as we go through our days. In Christ’s Name, I pray. Amen

Show Humility to All Men

 

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Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. Titus 3:1-2 (NKJV)

Paul’s words to Titus whom he describes as a “true son in our common faith.”

Paul lays groundwork here for believers to follow.

* To submit to rulers and authorities.

* To not speak badly about anyone.

* To live peaceful lives.

* To show humility to all we know.

Paul makes some very strong points, getting to the core of human relationships. He writes these words to a pastor who is young. Titus faces a huge task, that of establishing churches.

As we go through our days, we must follow these words of guidance from Paul. We are tasked to helping enlarge the kingdom of God, however, we must learn to daily practice gentleness.

This is a very difficult thing to do. Recently, I received a phone call from a friend who lives in my neighborhood. She wanted my advise on something. She told me her feelings on an issue and I told her that if she felt uncomfortable doing what she was asked, then maybe she should not do it. She had some good reasons about why she felt the way she did. I could have been more gentle about certain related issues she spoke of. I intend to be more careful in the future.

Do we always find ways to show humility to those around us?

We Must be Faithful

 

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This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him.

If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He will deny us.

If we are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NKJV)

Paul wrote these words to Timothy. This was his last letter he would write. Paul knew he would die.

Paul gives words of encouragement to Timothy to stay close to God. These words are especially important to followers of Christ today. We see people who followed Christ in their youth go their own ways and get tripped up by the enemy. We have at least two generations that seem to have denied Christ. We must endure for His sake. We must not deny Him. God is faithful; we must be faithful to Him.

Each of us must re-dedicate our lives to live for Jesus, to stand for what He has taught us.

Faith-Our Lifeline

 

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised

is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)

When a person gives his heart to Jesus, he or she becomes a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). God has forgiven that person for his or her sins. This is basic to the Christian belief.

Each new Christian goes through a time when all things are new and bright. However, certain issues enter the new Christians’ life that can cause them to fall away.

The writer of Hebrews tells us we are to hold fast to that which we experienced when we first met Jesus. We are not to waffle in our beliefs or “sit on the fence” about our faith. We are in the world but not of the world. We have a life-line that we can hold onto when we are faced with issues the world puts in our path.

We can hold fast to our beliefs and our salvation because we have the promises of God.

                              

Being Faithful

 

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His Lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant: you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)

The disciples asked about the end times and the Rapture. Jesus told them several parables that relate to the end times and His return. One was about being faithful with what we have.

A wealthy man prepares to travel a great distance from home. He leaves three of his household servant in charge of some talents (money). After a lengthy absence, the wealthy man returns. Two of the servants had made the talents work for them, doubling the amount each was given. They were praised and rewarded for their efforts. Their master said they were faithful. The third servant did nothing with what he was given. The master took away the gifts and gave them to the other two servants.

Do we see many people being faithful to the LORD or even to each other in our world today? Are we as faithful to God as we were when we first gave our hearts to Him? This is something I have to deal with often.

We all want to hear God tell us that we were faithful over what He has given us.

Peace with God

 

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Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Rom. 5:1-2 (NKJV)

 

The Apostle Paul tells the believers at Rome something very basic to Christian belief.

 

Simply put, we have access to peace with God through our relationship with Jesus Christ. There are others who state that there are other ways to establish our relationship with God. His Word tells us otherwise.

 It is through our relationship with Jesus that we come to know God. It is our faith in Jesus that allows us to learn of God. It is this relationship we have with the Son that allows us access to the Father.

 Jesus went to the cross, shed His blood, and rose and entered heaven so that we may someday go be with Him and His Father.

Access to God is a very special concept to those of us who try to live for Jesus. We use this access daily, sometimes more often as needed. Because we have this privilege, we can weather the storms that life puts us through. Those storms can enter our lives unannounced and very unexpectedly. But God is there with us as we travel through those times.

Our Joy May Be Full

 

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These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. It is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:11-13 (NKJV)

 

Jesus has just told His disciples that He loved them as God loved Him. He also told them that if they ‘keep’ His commandments, they will have His love in their hearts.

 

Jesus told these disciples for them to remember His joy and rely upon it. He then commands them to love one another as He has loved them.

 

Have you ever wondered what our world would be like if each of us would love those around us as Jesus has loved us?  

 

As I think on this, I see a world where there are no broken homes, no divisions in extended families, no fights that lead to killings, each holiday would be truly a time of joy.

Abound in Hope

 

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 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

 

This is a prayer of blessing Paul wrote to the believers in Rome.

 

There are times, even today, that we need to experience joy and peace in our lives. There has been a lot of heartache these past two years beyond the COVID pandemic. Families have lost loved ones to various other illnesses and conditions. Parents have had to bury their children.

 

Our nation received an influx of refugees from the middle east last year. It looks as if we will be receiving refugees from the Ukraine.

 

We may have become weary because of the issues we have faced these past few years, however, looking at this verse of scripture, I find that we may find hope through the Holy Spirit.

 

We will receive the power of the Holy Spirit to stay the course as we seek God’s guidance and direction for our lives.

 

 

               

Sorrow turned to Joy

 

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Therefore, you now have great sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day, you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:22-24 (NKJV)

                              

Jesus speaks to His disciples. The words He uses speak volumes to those who believe in Him.

 

 you now have great sorrow

 

            The disciples thought that they would have more time to learn from Jesus, to aid Him in preaching and observe Him healing those who came to Him.

 

            In a similar way, when we lose someone in death, we are never fully prepared. We go through a time of grief.

 

 I will see you again

 

Jesus states these words to the disciples were not fully comprehending His words.

 

 your heart will rejoice

 

Jesus tells them that they will be overjoyed when they will see Him. They must have been confused by these words. How can someone be sad and then rejoice? I imagine they looked at each other with the same question in their minds. “How can this be?”

 

 your joy no one will take from you.

 

Jesus tells them, and us, that the joy we will have when we see Him is so great that it is permanent in our souls. He gives us our joy.

 

 whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.

 

Jesus instructs the disciples that His Father will honor all supplications and requests that they make, in Jesus’ name to Him.

 

Praying to God for anything in Jesus’ Name tells God that we are praying in the manner that Jesus would.

Joy—Jesus, Others, Yourself

 

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                A woman in one of the churches I belonged to gave a group of us a secret to living the Christian life.

 

            It is quite simple. Basically, we try to live for Jesus. Every day, in as many ways as we can. We try to help others in a like manner. Then, we seek our needs and wants last.

 

On another website that I frequent, someone asked how he could pray for other people. In my comment to him, I told the story of the lady in my former church and her message to us, Jesus, Others, Yourself.

 

 Jesus

 

We don’t always see people working for Jesus. I always wonder about the reason we see this lack of interest in working for the Lord.

 

 Others

 

I do see a lot of ministry groups reaching out to those who are in need. Food pantries, Christian centers, Rehabilitation centers, Habitat for Humanity, just to name a few. One in our city assists men who have been incarcerated—providing skills to allow those men to have jobs. This ministry group also provides a time of worship and prayer each day.

 

 Yourself

 

I often wonder if I have done as I should when I choose not to pray for myself very often. That lady’s thought has come to me more than once.

 

 Prayer:

 

Father God: Please guide us through our days and help us to remember to follow the sage advice of that lady so long ago. Help us to prioritize our lives in such a way that we follow that precept the rest of our days here on this earth. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen

Joy’s Seen in Gentleness

 

 

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NKJV)

 

The Apostle Paul tells his readers, us included, to rejoice. He repeats this thought He was imprisoned! He spent 24 hours a day chained to a Praetorium guard. What could Paul have to rejoice about? Simply put—He knew the LORD was in control.

 

He says that we are to let our gentleness be known to all men. Gentleness is defined as being reasonable—not so concerned with unimportant matters that a person fights over nonessentials^{. (1)} Paul reminds his readers that the Lord is nearby.

 

Paul continues with the best counsel. He tells us to be anxious for nothing. He then tells us to request what we need from God through prayer and humble entreaties (pleas) and then thanking Him.

 

By prayer and thanksgiving, we will receive God’s protection for our hearts and minds through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

(1) Jeremiah Study Bible © 2013 Worthy Publishing Co. Hachette Book Group, New York p.1662)

Joy Being Shown

 

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Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4 (NKJV)

 

I have always loved the passage that these verses introduce.

 

if there is any consolation in Christ

From time-to-time believers face difficult times where only Jesus can guide us through the issue that causes the pain and heartache. No one is exempt from these events of life.

 

if any comfort of love

 

When we realize God’s love is guiding us and comforting us through difficult issues, we can relax and more clearly focus on what needs to be done.

 

if any fellowship of the Spirit,

 

When we spend time alone with God, with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit, we have perfect fellowship with God. These times can come at the beginning or the end of our days, possibly both. It is during these times that He speaks to us.

 

if any affection and mercy,

 

When we experience God’s presence in our lives, we receive love and even undeserved love. Sometimes, He gives us love when we are unlovely, that’s called mercy.

 

fulfill my joy by being like-minded,

 

Paul entreats his readers to not get angry when another person has ideas that are other than ours. It happens in families, among friends, and in the leadership of our nations. We have the responsibility to remember that the other person may have experiences that cause them to have those thoughts that differ from ours.

 

having the same love

 

Because we are followers of Jesus Christ, our focus should be that we love Him. This love should overcome differences we may have.

 

being of one accord, of one mind,

 

As children of God, we should have one goal in our hearts, to reflect Jesus as a way of expanding God’s kingdom.

 

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit,

 

I once heard someone quote Harry Truman.  “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. Think about that for a minute.

 

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others

 

In our world today, we feel a connection to people who live near us, to people who are friends, and people who help us with our purchases. When we hear of or see that they are in difficult circumstances, we should respond with kindness and gentleness, giving any help or encouragement we can.

God’s Love.

 

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For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

 

We all learned this verse as children in Sunday school. We could recite it from memory with ease.

 

For God so loved the world, God has His reasons for all He does. That reason is that He loves what he creates-our world and all who inhabit it. Sometimes, He has to allow difficult things to entre our lives. He does this to teach us something.

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He gave His only begotten Son,  God gave. He willingly gave His only Son. He sent His son to earth, divesting Him from the glories and splendor of heaven. Our Father again gave His Son to give us, His children life eternally.

 

 that whoever believes in Him should not perish, All who come to trust in the Son will not go through a spiritual death.

 

 but have everlasting life.  The men and women who choose to trust Jesus will be able to be in heaven with Jesus whenever their time on earth comes to its end.

 

All this happens because God loves us that much. He sent His Son to earth, making Him identify with mankind so that we might learn about the Father. God loves us so much that He allowed Jesus to suffer a criminal’s death for us, to take away our sins.