Category: Prayer

Christmas Reminders

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Last week, I mentioned the prophecy about Jesus Christ in Isaiah – He is Immanuel – God with us.  I think we get stuck on warm fuzzy thinking of God being with us.  The reason Jesus came was to save people from sins.  There is nothing warm and fuzzy about sin.  I think we struggle admitting the ugliness of sin in our lives.  Maybe that is why we have so much grumpiness during this Christmas season.

I wonder if the remedy for negativity is admitting our sin and asking Jesus to forgive us.  We might have more joy to share with others. I think it is worth a try. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus came to save us from our sins.  Please help us to admit our sin and ask forgiveness.  Thank You for the joy of being forgiven.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Christmas to Save

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After the trouble we have seen the last couple of years, we might think we need to be saved from the troubles of life.  The Israelites in Jesus’ day wanted a Savior.  They had been told the Messiah was coming.  The Bible records the prophecy such as Isaiah 7:14. What was missed at that time (and is now) is the fact that Jesus came to save people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).  He did not come to save us from troubling circumstances.  He came to save us from the wrong in us.  I believe if more of us were aware of that need, we would have fewer troubling situations.  However, too many reject Jesus Christ completely.  Some of us after placing our trust in Jesus don’t live as though we know Him.  I pray this Christmas season we learn more about Jesus and seek to show we know Him.  This is the only salvation we need.

Dear Heavenly Father, we groan with the trials we have faced.  Thank You for sending Jesus to save us from the burden and penalty of sin.  Please help us to seek You more each day.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Tis the Season to Be Grumpy

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I don’t know about you, but I have noticed more grumpiness this year than other Decembers. The last two years have been tough for sure.  We can get busy and focused on our Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s plans.  I think we forget the real reason for Christmas – no wonder we have so much grumpiness.  However, God is still good.  Very good.  He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born as a baby.  Jesus came to save us from our sins.  What can bring more joy than knowing that?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to save us.  Thank You for the joy You give.  Please help us to share this joy with others,

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Praise and More Praise

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I am ending Thanksgiving week with the ultimate praise passage.  I want to find every way possible to praise God.  Psalm 100 gives us reasons: We are His; His steadfast love endures.  The longer I know God and the more I learn about Him, the more I understand how praiseworthy God is.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Your steadfast, faithful love.  Thank You for allowing me to be a sheep of Your pasture.  I praise Your name.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Thankfulness to Show the Gospel

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I chose the gospel as my word for this year. This verse is part of the reason why. I am thankful that God saved me from my sins through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. I want to live so others see how good God is. If people know the truth of Who God is, I believe we would see a drastic change in our world. The goodness of God overcomes the ugliness of sin.

Today I am thankful for the gospel and the difference it can make in our lives.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for providing the gospel through Jesus Christ. Thank You for being so good. Please help me to show Your goodness to others. I want others to see Your goodness in my life. I praise Your name.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Thanksgiving and Praise

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Can you believe it is November?  There have been times the last two years when it felt as time stood still; however, as usual, time flies by and I wonder what happened.

I want to take November to talk about thankfulness again this year.  When times get tough, I find it much easier to complain.  I want to be thankful more often.  Writing about thankfulness helps me do that.

Today I want to start with thankfulness for God’s Word.  Today’s verse tells us about the usefulness of the Bible.  We have a whole list of how the Bible (Scripture) prepares us to do good works. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Word.  I am thankful for the instruction it gives me.  I praise Your name!

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Uncomplicated

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I have talked the last couple weeks about trusting in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.  Some think that to have a relationship with God, there is a difficult formula to manage.  No, it is very simple.  Romans 10:9-10 tell us that it is as simple as confession (saying, “I’m sorry”) and belief that God has done what He says.  Jesus did the hard work when He died on the cross.  He took the penalty on Himself. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing such a simple way to have a relationship with You.  You are worthy of all worship, but You made a way for us to come to You.  I praise Your name.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

The Truth About Sin

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My plan this year was to talk about the gospel.  I haven’t done that as much as I originally planned.  I’d like to change that today.  Today’s verses talk about the basis of the gospel, the fact that all of us are sinners.  This is not a popular concept in our world today.  We have such an inflated view of our self-importance that we don’t want to think of the fact that we do wrong things.  Sadly, this thinking has worked its way into the church.  While many in churches have placed their trust in Christ, I fear that we sometimes forget the sin nature is still hard at work.  We are more likely to pass the responsibility on to someone else instead of taking responsibility for our wrongs.  As Christians we need to daily show proper responsibility for our sins.

If this was all we had, life would be very depressing.  However, we have hope because Jesus died on the cross to save us from the power of sin.  We just need to call on Him and give Him our sins.  He will help us day by day to live life fueled by the gospel.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins.  Thank you for reminding us that we need to address sin in our lives.  Please help us to address sin to be a good example to the world that Jesus is worthy and worth it.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Worthy

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I have talked about this before.  We live in a society that fuels self-importance.  However, none of us has done what God has.  God created the world and set everything in motion.  He still sustains everything.  All good gifts come from Him (James 1:17).  God is worthy of glory. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the many wonderful things You have given to us.  Thank You for the beauty of the fall leaves.  Thank You for all You have done for us.  I praise and honor Your name.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Rejoice and be Reasonable

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I think we need a lot more of these verses.  I know when life gets tough, I don’t do enough rejoicing.  In the midst of trials, I’m not sure how reasonable our thinking is.  This is a hard command to follow.  We are dealing with a lot of unreasonable commentary, behavior, etc.  However, as a child of God, I need to obey what God tells me to do in His word.  God only commands what is good and right. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving commands to direct us to right behavior.  Please help us when it gets difficult to rejoice and be reasonable. 

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.