HE IS RISEN!

RISEN CHRIST, through Your death, sin has been vanquished and death itself has been defeated.  REIGNING KING, You have been exalted to the highest place and have been given the name above all names.  Every soul in all creation shall bow before You.  Yet You are not only the SAVIOR of the world, YOU are also my personal Savior.  You call my name.  You know me through and through.  Nothing about me is hidden from You.  What a privilege to acknowledge You as GOD ALMIGHTY and to walk with You as the Lover of my Soul, my Savior and my Friend.  This Easter morning, I can only bow in adoration, and worship with a heart full of gratitude for the SACRIFICE you made for me!  I love you.   Amen.


Amen

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SATURDAY

Matthew 27:57-60 (NLT)
   ⁵⁷ As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, ⁵⁸ went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. ⁶⁰ He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left.

Heavenly Father, when I think of your Son in a tomb it seems unthinkable. The shouts of the crowd to crucify him, the beating, the mockery, the nails and now the silence of the tomb with the great stone sealing its entrance.

Father, we know that Saturday was the day between his death and resurrection. But that Saturday is one they will never forget, though by your grace that did survive. It was the worst day in their lives. It was a day without a future.

But, Father, we know in your purpose and plan for the salvation made available to us through your Son, it was just a day of transition. It was a hinge on which the door of hope would swing.

Father, Saturday was a long day, but it did end. And the morning light of resurrection Sunday filled the sky, the great stone was rolled away and the Savior of mankind rose from the dead.

Father, without Saturday how could we ever really appreciate Sunday. And in those times when our life feels like Saturday, we know Sunday is coming. Father, we bless your Holy Name for such glorious hope

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thank you, Lord

Thank you, precious Lord, for being my Savior. For being my shelter and my rock. For always being my refuge in times of trials and testing. Thank you, my precious Lord, for sending your sweet Holy Spirit to minister in those times that I need it so desperately.

You are my comforter. You are my peace. You are my deliverer.

You hide me in the cleft of the rock and you cover me with your hands.

Thank you, sweet Jesus, for loving me. In you, I have everything I need. In You, I can rest in the calm assurance of your Presence. In You, I find the I AM that enables me to make it through each day. 

"That men may know that thou,

whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art

the most high over all the earth"

(Psalms 83:18)

Amen

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Holy Week

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PALM SUNDAY

The Joy of Palm Sunday ~~ The Shadow of the Cross.

Holy Father ~
The city rang out with cries of "Hosanna!" ( Lord save us) they would soon resound with shouts of "Crucify him!"  Little did the people realize that the one could not be accomplished without the other.  Lord Jesus, although You knew full well that you would be killed, still Your heart ached with compassion for those who would put You to death.  Thank You, Lord, for Your passion, for Your courage, for seeing the way and walking in it.  How we love and adore You.  How we want to honor your sacrifice and live for you every day.Amen!

image from googleimages.com

Amen

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Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
   You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Father, I must admit that sometimes I feel frustrated, stressed, uncertain and even uncaring. Sometimes life reminds me of an unfinished puzzle with many missing pieces. When such a state of mind clouds my understanding and blurs my faith, I grope for security.

In those desperate moments when I turn to you in simple trust your peace accomplishes an amazing result. Tranquility, rest, safety, and a sense of well being that settles my troubled soul. Such is the wonder of your peace.

It is perfect peace because it so completely applies your grace as such a wonderful healing balm. Thank you Father that out of simple trust in You we will experience Your sustaining peace that brings abiding hope.

Amen

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Fifth Week of Lent

"We beseech thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." – BCP, collect for the fifth Sunday in Lent

Amen

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HEAVENLY SUNSHINE

Dear Lord, as sunshine pervades this day, and Your light shines so brightly over your creation I am reminded of Your word in Psalms 90:8 "You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of your presence."

Oh Lord, I cannot be in the sunshine of your presence and not see the secrets of my heart.  As painful as it is, to have my sins revealed, I know you do this because you love me, and long for me to seek your forgiveness and enjoy Your fellowship.

So I say, search my heart, take control of every area of my life.  It's my desire to bring you honor and glory.  You are an awesome Father, and I love being your child.  Let Your love shine through me today, and draw some unbeliever to the "Light".  I pray this in Your Son's Holy Name, Jesus Christ.   Amen.

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Proverbs 2:6 (ESV)
    For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Father, each day contains its own journey into the unknown. A path that may be similar to others yet unique in that it is yet to be traveled. So for this day’s journey and the uncertainties it holds, I pray for your wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Wisdom to discern the best choices, knowledge to inform me of the appropriate options and understanding to have insight into what will please you most.

I realize that my choices not only affect me but also those I love, respect and cherish.  So, at the end of this day, may my life be an honor to You and a blessing to those it touches. May others benefit from the mercy I have received. Then it be a day well lived because I followed the guidance You so graciously gave.

I pray this in the Name of Your beloved Son and my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen

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intercession on our behalf

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; 

for we know not what we should pray

for as we ought; but the

Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with

groanings that cannot be uttered"

(Romans 8:26) KJV

How amazing is our God that when we, in our flesh, can't formulate the necessary words for prayer, He provides the sweet Holy Spirit to take over for us! When we just don't even know the words to utter, He steps in. When we are sometimes so deep in a pit of despair that we don't even know what to ask or to petition our God for, the Holy Spirit takes over.

How awesome is our God that we serve? God knows our every prayer before we even say a word. He knows the cry of our heart. He knows the deep need of our spirits. He knows the longing of our souls. And the precious Spirit of God intercedes on our behalf and goes to the Father for us.

So the next time you open your mouth to pray and you just don't even know what to say,  remember that the Holy Spirit knows and that He is already making a way for us through intercession to the Father with groanings that cannot be uttered.

Thank you sweet Father, for being everything that I can't. Thank you for life and for redemption. Thank you for forgiveness of sins and eternal life with you. Thank you Father God, for your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Because of His sacrifice, I am redeemed and forever yours!

Amen

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Prayer for the Fourth Week of Lent

"Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may be mercifully relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." – Book of Common Prayer, collect for the fourth Sunday in Lent

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AN HONEST CONFESSION

John 1:8,9  "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this:  "It is only because we follow Jesus that we can be genuinely truthful, for then He reveals to us our sin upon the cross.  The cross is God's truth about us, and therefore it is the only power that can make us truthful.  When we know the cross we are no longer afraid of the truth."

Dear Heavenly Father, an honest confession is all You ask.  No hoops to jump through, no self-flagellation, and certainly no pay-offs or imprisonment.  Just an acknowledgement of the truth ~ truth that You already know, truth that I have to admit.  There is nothing I can do to earn Your forgiveness.  I can only surrender to it.  Christ died for sinners while we were sinners.  The price has already been paid.  Here I am Lord, a sinner in need of a Savior.  Purify me with the blood of Jesus.  In Your faithfulness and justice, please forgive me and make me clean.   Amen, and Amen.

 

"Hide me, Lord, in Your holiness,

Ev'ry sin I now confess.

Praise to You, Forgiving Lord,

Hide me in Your holiness,

Hide me in Your holiness."

~~Steve Ragsdale

 

Prayer from the Maranatha Worship Bible

Image from googleimages.com

Amen

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RAIN

Leviticus 26:4 (ESV)
   …then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Heavenly Father, we have rain today and it reminds me of your promise to refresh and replenish the earth with new growth, crops and abundance. Even so I need such spiritual renewal in my life and soul.

There are times, I admit, to dryness of soul and little growth in spirit. Then more than ever I sense and feel my need for refreshing and renewing with the gentle rain of your grace.

Father, as the rain falls on the earth today, may your mercy rain on my soul. May the precious fruit of Your Spirit blossom in my life today.  May others, also, experience the joy of your blessing as their spirit is renewed.

We pray this in the Name of Your beloved Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Spring

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the promise of spring. It may be cold yet outside, and there may still be snow on the ground, but today's sunshine is crying "Spring!" It won't be long before even here in upstate NY, all things will be green and growing. New life, just as You promised. Thank you, Lord, for new life in Christ too, where old things are passed away and all things become new.
Amen

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His presence

A.W. Tozer says this, " Deep in the soul of every person on earth

is a longing for the presence of God. There we find true and absolute freedom."

So, how do we get there? How do we find the presence of God?  By spending time in prayer with our Creator. By investing ourselves into personal, intimate and consistent communion with our Savior. By cultivating a deep relationship with God. The King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

God has given us the invitation to draw near to Him many times in the scripture. He is just waiting for us to cry out, to call out His name, to fall on our faces in sweet anticipation of coming into His presence.

"Let us draw near with a true heart in 

full assurance of faith..."

(Hebrews 10:22)

"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw

nigh to you..."

(James 4:8)

We will never find ourselves immersed in the presence of God if we are not actively seeking Him out! We must take the time to commune with Christ. We must take the time to shut out everything else in our lives and just concentrate on the One who matters. We must take the time to listen for His voice and then hear what He says and do it. Then and only then, can we enter into His presence and live in the power of who He is.

Amen

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Third Week of Lent

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Scot McKnight

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SEARCH ME O LORD!

Psalms 139:1-4  "O Lord you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise.  You perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down.  You are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue ~ you know it completely, Oh Lord.

This prayer from Psalms can comfort or convict.  None of us like to be searched.  We all like to keep some little secrets.  Myself included.  Do I want my thoughts perceived, and my words before I speak them.  I think the difference is where we are in our daily walk with the Lord.  It's comforting to know that our Heavenly Father, knows me personally and in interested in the little things in my life, like my sitting, rising, going out or lying down.  He is familiar with me.  He not only knows what I will say, but what I thinking before I say it.   What a blessing when you focus your thoughts and action to worship the Lord.  Then you know you are pleasing Him.  This Psalm 139 ends asking the Lord to search our hearts and reveal to us any wicked way that might be hiding there.  I think that's comforting.

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The Witness

 

Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT)
    The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.  

² Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. ³ They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. ⁴ Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.

Father, what a great witness the silent night sky’s reveal. In the heavens we behold your glory, craftsmanship, knowledge, power and wisdom.  And though the stars of innumerable galaxies are so distant from us You are not. Your presence is with us and through faith in Your Son You live in us.

Father, we behold Your witness, not only in the heavens but also in the Scripture where You tell us: Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

Father, thank you, not only for the wonder of your creation, but especially the wonder of Your presence with and in us. You are truly Immanuel.

We pray this in the Name of Your beloved Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.



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Peace

Dear Lord,
I am feeling incredibly stressed. It takes days of alone time to calm my heart and mind, and only a few days of "everyday activity" to leave me feeling like I am in the pressure pot again. I have no answers and there is no relief in the near future. What am I to do?
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