THE JOY OF KNOWING JESUS

A wonderful place to go, if only in your devotions and imagination is the Garden to walk and talk with Jesus.  I love this old Hymn because it pulls me from the caous of our world and the roar of the crowds to the quiet of the garden where I can walk and talk with the One who calls me His own!

"I Come To The Garden Alone"

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing

And He walks with me and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

Dear Heavenly Father, this old hymn is my prayer today.  The joy of knowing You, and the assurance that You know me and call me Your own.  Thank You for in your grace and your priceless gift of salvation through Jesus Chrisit.  I love you. Amen.

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Peace........Please

Pray for Peace

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (GW)  ¹ First of all, I encourage you to make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and prayers of thanks for all people, ² for rulers, and for everyone who has authority over us. Pray for these people so that we can have a quiet and peaceful life always lived in a godly and reverent way. ³ This is good and pleases God our Savior.

Dear Father, I am weary of the hatred, hostility, and outrageous behavior of all who talk peace and make war. War with You, with fellow human beings and war with creation itself. What a wreck sin has made of what was at first heaven on earth.  Paradise was not just lost it was destroyed by Satan’s deception and man’s complicity in evil.  So many foolish decisions repeatedly made through out human history by refusing to listen to You and to obey Your word.

Yet we are to pray for all people, for peace and for the gospel to be proclaimed and accepted through repentance and faith in Christ. This pleases You because it brings people to the opportunity of salvation, sanity and safety.  Father, only You make it possible for us to have peace with God, the peace of God and peace with people. And we know that someday the Prince of Peace will come, set up His Kingdom and then there will be peace on earth. This prophetic promise we long for, look for and live for.

Micah 4:1-4 (NLT)  ¹ In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. ² People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. ³ The LORD will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. ⁴ Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!

Colossians 1:19-20 (NIV) ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Thank you Father for Christ who is our peace now and for the assurance of eternal peace in Your presence forever. And we do pray for peace in this turbulent world.

 Through Jesus our Savior and Lord. Amen.

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without ceasing

Heard it once that the way to pray without ceasing is to always be listening.

With that in mind, please join me in offering ourselves to the Lord.

Help us Father to remember that you are always with us.

Open our spiritual eyes that we might see what you are showing us.

Sharpen our inner ears to hear what your Spirit is teaching us.

Soften our hearts that we might flow in the compassion of Christ.

Teach us Lord to always rejoice and be thankful regardless the circumstance.

That we might walk in your will and become more like you.

Amen

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for strength, courage and hope

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Draw close and Endure

Truly, life can be hard. 

Circumstances can seem impossible. Situations can feel unbearable. 

We can feel despairing, defeated, tired, and just plain worn out. 

So how do we cope? We refuse to allow the distractions of this world to pull our gaze away from God. 

We cling to Him. We draw near. 

We stay in the Word. We pray constantly. And we endure the trials of life with Christ by our side every step of the way.

Amen

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a prayer for discernment

Holy and Righteous God,

It's so hard to be living in days when there is so much deception that it is often difficult to know the truth. Most days it feels like no information can be trusted. Deception not only in the world but in the Church because sin still lives in this world, even though we have been set free from the spiritual bondage of sin. Lord, why can't it be so for the whole world, so that we can know the truth easily?

Thank You that we are already free form the bondage of sin and death. Thank You for planting my feet firmly planted on the Lord Jesus Christ. But I also ask that You would grant us discernment and an understanding heart to know what is good and true, and to be able to identify and reject what is false and deceptive. For we know this is a promise You've made for us. 

Help us to test every spirit to see what is truth or whether deception is being peddled. Give us wisdom and understanding to discern the difference between truth and error. And give us courage to speak against error when we see in in this world. May we listen to Your voice, and may we do what it says.

You are the God of peace. Give us gentle spirits and an understanding hearts.

Amen. 

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth -1 John 2:20 

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Prayer for Wisdom

Father, we don’t know how to navigate all of the things that are happening around us. There are many voices trying to sway us and we are unsure who to listen to. Give us wisdom and insight to know the right way. Help us to be good ambassadors for the Kingdom and point others to Jesus. Amen

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HOPE WILL ARISE

"Up from the ashes, Hope will arise

Death is defeated, the King is alive.

Hallelujah. 

I will watch the darkness flee."

Heavenly Father, where do we find hope when all we see is ashes.  The fires that have swept California and neighboring states have left many without homes and hope.  The words of this song talk about your death and ressurection, but like the ashes of the fire, Hope Will Arise, because you are in control and have not forgotten those who have suffered such great loss.  The hope comes from Your Word.  Your promises.  Your character and attributes.  You are a Holy God, and a giver of Hope to the Hopeless.  Thank you for the promise that you are with us, and will never leave us hopeless.

I love You

Amen

Amen

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Witness

“You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the LORD.”

A witness is a person who has knowledge, observation, and experience about a person or event in which he or she was personally involved.  They honestly tell the truth about the event or person. The value of their testimony is based on their integrity and clarity in relating factual evidence of what they saw or encountered. In this context it is both astonishing and humbling that God has called believers to be His witnesses. Isaiah 43:10-12 (NLT)

     ¹⁰ “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the LORD. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. ¹¹I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior. ¹² First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the LORD.

 Father what an honor you have bestowed upon us to share with others the uniqueness of your existence, nature, character and salvation. Salvation planned by the Father, purposed in the Son and powered by the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”   Acts 1:8 (NLT)

 Dear Father our witness for you has such infinite value because “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NLT)  And “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. Ephesians 2:18 (NLT)

Father help us to joyfully, humbly and with courage be faithful witnesses of your salvation granted to all who will believe in your Son and our only Savior, Jesus. Amen!

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he hears our groans

Many times we see the psalmist begin this way. It is encouraging to know that people of faith often offer prayers when they are desperate for answers. Often these kinds of prayers are offered with cries and groanings. God hears us in such difficult times.

We ask you today Father to consider our groanings and cries. Help us to know that you are near and that you feel our pain. We confess you as our God and our King. We commit our hearts and lives to you. We trust you. Amen.

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praying with confidence

I love the simplicity of this passage of scripture.
It says that we can present our prayers with confidence.

When we pray we can be confident that we will receive mercy.
And that we will find grace to help us in our time of need.

It did not say that our prayers would always be answered.
Just that mercy and grace would be given.

I bring my needs to you today dear Father.
I bring my hurting back and pain filled ankles to you.

I bring my wife's health and her well being to You.
I bring all of my needs to you.

I trust You with my needs and believe that you will help me.
And I thank You that You will give me grace and mercy. Amen.

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Cry out!

Let’s never forget that when we cry out to God, He answers us! 

He hears! He cares! And He responds!

Amen

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WITHOUT EXCUSE

Romans 1:19-20  "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities ~~ his eternal power and divine nature ~~have been clearly seen, being understood from what he has made, so that men are without excuse."  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God or gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images make to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

Oh Lord, my Creator, the whole earth is full of Your glory.  I choose this day to glorify You and to give thanks.  I will worship and serve You as my God.  I will look to You rather than my own mind for wisdom.  I will hold on to Your Word of truth and resist anything that raises itself up against the gospel.  I will flee anarchy and its degradation; a darkened heart, shamful lusts, a depraved mind, the surpression of truth and the worship of lies.  Your truth has been made known.  There are no valid excuse.  Thank You for loving me.   Amen.

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Amen

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How To Beat The Giants

“So David triumphed over the Philistine 

with only a sling and a stone…..”1 Samuel 17:50 (NLT)

Five Stones. ”He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then…..he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40 (NLT)

A metaphor of the stones:

Knowledge – His understanding of the LORD. “….I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies….” 1 Samuel 17:45 (NLT) 

Faith – His confidence in the power of God. “Today the LORD will conquer you….  I. Samuel 17:46 (NLT)

Courage – His bravery in facing overwhelming opposition. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth…” 1 Samuel 17:34-35 (NLT) 

Experience – His victory in fulfilling his responsibility. “The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear” 1 Samuel 17:37 (NLT) 

Skill – His natural ability to use a sling with precise technic. Such skill is mentioned in Judges 20:16 (NLT) “Among Benjamin’s elite troops…. and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth without missing.”

We all face Goliaths of monstrous proportions that are beyond our capacity to confront or conquer. But like David we must do our part in confronting the giants who oppose us with confidence and courage that victory is ours through Christ. Out of his experience here is what the Apostle Paul says: “despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37 (NLT)

Father we acknowledge our total reliance and dependence on you for victory in our daily struggle with the Goliaths that threaten us. Help us to recall: “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid…” Psalm 118:6 (NLT)

In the name of Him who is the mighty conqueror, Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

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