Dear Lord,
I admit that I am a sinner.
I admit that I am unworthy of your grace, your mercy, and your love.
I admit that I am weak in spirit, perseverance, and patience.
I pray that you show kindness to me even though I don't always show kindness to others.
Oh Lord, please forgive me of my sins.
Help me to always see the face of Jesus in others.
Help me to fight the projection and deceitful lies from the evil one.
Help me to be a pillar of Christ.
Help me to be a rock, just as Simon Peter.
Help me to be relentless in praising your name as Paul.
Help me to trust in you as Abraham trusted in you.
Help me to have the wisdom to discern right from wrong such as Solomon did.
Help me to love just a fraction as much as Jesus.
Amen.
Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tough Love
Many years ago there was a woman who was extremely distraught over her sons behavior. Eventually, she went to visit her priest to ask him if he would talk to her son. The priest agreed and met her son a week later. During the meeting the young man (let's call him Robbie) was the most obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, and arrogant person the priest had ever met.
The priest absolutely could not get through to him at all. Eventually, Robbie got up to leave and right before he got to the door the priest said, "Do you mind if I pray for you?" Robbie turned around, gave a shrug and said, "Yeah, whatever."
The priest then said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins." Robbie hesitated for a second, mumbled a few words and then left.
About one week later Robbie was in a terrible car accident and was basically placed a full body cast in the hospital. The priest walked into his room, saw the boy laying in bed and grinned widely. The boy did not smile back. Every day or two the priest returned to visit and it took Robbie several months to get through his rehab. The injuries were serious, but they were not physically life altering.
During numerous visits and watching Robbie go through countless rehab sessions, the priest noticed that Robbie's spirit had changed. The boy had evolved into one of the humblest individuals that the priest had ever known. Robbie's near death experience had changed his entire outlook on life and he became close to Jesus.
I want to go back to a point in the story where the priest said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins."
After that first meeting the priest did pray for Robbie. He prayed that the Lord humble the boy in order to bring him closer to Jesus.
It's only through trials and tribulations that we find ourselves seeking and moving closer to God. God gives us these burdens to bear because He loves us. Trials, tribulations and hardships are invisible blessings from above and it's in these times that we draw closer to God and really find out how dependent we are upon him.
The story above is TRUE and I believe there are at least three points that standout:
1) It's okay to pray that God humble someone who has grossly strayed off the path. God will decide the appropriate action to take...we don't need to be specific. But, this should only be done out of love, not out of malicious intent.
2) The cross that we bare in life can be heavy at times, but God will never give us more than we can handle. He does this to remind us that we need Him more than anything else in the world.
3) Sometimes we just need a good kick in the (you know where) as a wake up call to remind us why were are here.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1Peter5:6
God bless you. And this if for His Glory!
The priest absolutely could not get through to him at all. Eventually, Robbie got up to leave and right before he got to the door the priest said, "Do you mind if I pray for you?" Robbie turned around, gave a shrug and said, "Yeah, whatever."
The priest then said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins." Robbie hesitated for a second, mumbled a few words and then left.
About one week later Robbie was in a terrible car accident and was basically placed a full body cast in the hospital. The priest walked into his room, saw the boy laying in bed and grinned widely. The boy did not smile back. Every day or two the priest returned to visit and it took Robbie several months to get through his rehab. The injuries were serious, but they were not physically life altering.
During numerous visits and watching Robbie go through countless rehab sessions, the priest noticed that Robbie's spirit had changed. The boy had evolved into one of the humblest individuals that the priest had ever known. Robbie's near death experience had changed his entire outlook on life and he became close to Jesus.
* * *
I want to go back to a point in the story where the priest said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins."
After that first meeting the priest did pray for Robbie. He prayed that the Lord humble the boy in order to bring him closer to Jesus.
It's only through trials and tribulations that we find ourselves seeking and moving closer to God. God gives us these burdens to bear because He loves us. Trials, tribulations and hardships are invisible blessings from above and it's in these times that we draw closer to God and really find out how dependent we are upon him.
* * *
The story above is TRUE and I believe there are at least three points that standout:
1) It's okay to pray that God humble someone who has grossly strayed off the path. God will decide the appropriate action to take...we don't need to be specific. But, this should only be done out of love, not out of malicious intent.
2) The cross that we bare in life can be heavy at times, but God will never give us more than we can handle. He does this to remind us that we need Him more than anything else in the world.
3) Sometimes we just need a good kick in the (you know where) as a wake up call to remind us why were are here.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1Peter5:6
God bless you. And this if for His Glory!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Pain versus Pleasure
World renown motivational speaker Anthony "Tony" Robbins often talks about a Pain versus Pleasure principle that seems to be ingrained in each and everyone of us. Basically, it goes like this...
If we ask ourselves the question "Why do we do the things we do?", it seems complicated, but actually, it has a very simple answer. The answer is to either avoid pain or gain pleasure. Think about this for a minute.
For example - If the only way that I can go to the gym and workout would be to get up at 4am versus 6am, then the question I will ask myself is "Is it worth it?" But, what I'm really determining is whether or not the pain of getting up two hours earlier is worth the pleasure of working out. Not only that, but do I want to do this on a consistent basis?
If the pain is greater than the pleasure, then I will stay in bed. If the pleasure of working out is greater, then I will force myself to get up. It's really that simple.
The same can hold true in terms of eating. For example, will I get more pleasure from eating a candy bar or a carrot...or would I rather just eat nothing at all?
The Bible talks about how Pain and Pleasure keep us from entering through the narrow gate. Many times this comes into play when people start going outside of the status quo and talking more openly about Jesus. There are many Christians "in this boat" (I should know, I use to be one of them) that don't like talking about Christ and either get embarrassed, angry, or turned off.
20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Mathew 13:20-21
To elaborate, this verse from Matthew is basically pointing out that many hear the Word, but then tribulation, persecution, isolation, etc. occur on account of the Word and they fall away. This is where the pain versus pleasure principle kicks in. Because we are either thinking short term and trying to please men. Or we are thinking long term - standing firm and carrying forward with God's Word.
28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
Sometimes we may think that people are driven away from God by pain. I'd argue that more people are lured away by pleasures. Earthly pleasures are very unlikely to push people closer to God. When things are going well, we tend to forget who is pulling the strings and even when things are not going so well, we often lose faith and may not try as hard as we should to rectify our situation through prayer.
There are always going to be perils in life. The temptation to receive praise or acceptance from others will remain a constant challenge. Especially if it means that you have to take sides. It's only through faith and prayer that courage is granted and perseverance will win.
33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Matt10:33
In my humble opinion, a little bit of pain now is worth an eternity's worth of pleasure. What do you think?
God bless you. And this is for His Glory
If we ask ourselves the question "Why do we do the things we do?", it seems complicated, but actually, it has a very simple answer. The answer is to either avoid pain or gain pleasure. Think about this for a minute.
For example - If the only way that I can go to the gym and workout would be to get up at 4am versus 6am, then the question I will ask myself is "Is it worth it?" But, what I'm really determining is whether or not the pain of getting up two hours earlier is worth the pleasure of working out. Not only that, but do I want to do this on a consistent basis?
If the pain is greater than the pleasure, then I will stay in bed. If the pleasure of working out is greater, then I will force myself to get up. It's really that simple.
The same can hold true in terms of eating. For example, will I get more pleasure from eating a candy bar or a carrot...or would I rather just eat nothing at all?
The Bible talks about how Pain and Pleasure keep us from entering through the narrow gate. Many times this comes into play when people start going outside of the status quo and talking more openly about Jesus. There are many Christians "in this boat" (I should know, I use to be one of them) that don't like talking about Christ and either get embarrassed, angry, or turned off.
20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Mathew 13:20-21
To elaborate, this verse from Matthew is basically pointing out that many hear the Word, but then tribulation, persecution, isolation, etc. occur on account of the Word and they fall away. This is where the pain versus pleasure principle kicks in. Because we are either thinking short term and trying to please men. Or we are thinking long term - standing firm and carrying forward with God's Word.
28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
Sometimes we may think that people are driven away from God by pain. I'd argue that more people are lured away by pleasures. Earthly pleasures are very unlikely to push people closer to God. When things are going well, we tend to forget who is pulling the strings and even when things are not going so well, we often lose faith and may not try as hard as we should to rectify our situation through prayer.
There are always going to be perils in life. The temptation to receive praise or acceptance from others will remain a constant challenge. Especially if it means that you have to take sides. It's only through faith and prayer that courage is granted and perseverance will win.
33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Matt10:33
In my humble opinion, a little bit of pain now is worth an eternity's worth of pleasure. What do you think?
God bless you. And this is for His Glory
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Road Trip
Do you remember the last time you went on a long road trip in your car? At some point along the way you had to make the decision whether or not to get gas. Depending on where you live and where your going, chances are that you can find a gas station with little difficulty.For this example, let's say that you are going on a cross country road trip....
You fill up your gas tank and hit the road, your tires are smoking as you wave goodbye. Throughout the trip there are several places you could stop for gas; however, you decide to pass these up for now under the certainty that you'll come across several other gas stations sometime down the road.
You are just having too much fun in your new red convertible to take the time to stop for gas. The top is down, the wind is blowing through your hair, your sunglasses look cool, the sun is out, people are waving and admiring your sweet ride.
After a few hours you notice that the thrill of the ride has zoned you out and you suddenly realize that you are lost somewhere in the middle of the Mojave Desert. That's 25,000 square miles of sand, rocks, and blistering sun. Immediately you realize that your flashy convertible is not very good at keeping the sun out. To make matters worse you look down at the gas gauge and it shows near empty. The plethora of gas stations that you passed are now no where in sight. You are lost, alone, low on gas and no ones going to hear to hear your cries for help. So what do you do?
You turn to the only person that can help you...God. And so you begin to pray.
The story above is an example of when some people decide to pray. Why is it that the situation has to be serious or even life threatening before people suddenly "change their tune" and turn and toward the Lord?
This is a classic example of using God as a toy. In other words, the toy is always there, if you want to play with it you can, but most of the time you don't use it. It's exactly the the same way that a desperate act of prayer works. We use the Lord as a "God-in-the-Box" toy. Winding him up when we need him and then suddenly He pops out of the box and comes to our rescue. Do you think this is how God wants to work in our lives?
God looks forward to us praying to Him everyday. He expects it so that He can help us understand our daily direction. If we don't pray, then we will mostly likely pass up all those opportunities (gas stations) and some day realize that we've been "zoned out" for years and are suddenly in immediate and desperate need of Him.
Don't wait until the desperation sets in to pray and ask God for direction. Pray daily for the wisdom, patience, love, and guidance that only He can deploy into your life.
Seek Him daily and you will never get lost.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
God's Will
The Lord’s Prayer-
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.
I’d like to reflect upon the “thy will be done” part of this prayer. Many times we ask God for things that we feel as though we need or will need in the future. These things can be anything such as a new car, a better job, passing a test, getting along with your spouse, health, safety, etc. But, what we need to remember is that God’s will always trump our personal priorities. His glorious plan for us has already been outlined and is in motion. The Lord will provide us with the things that we need when He is ready. This means that when He is ready, then we will be ready as well. Many times, we ask for things prematurely or in great haste, not fully considering the consequences or long-term effect. Even worse, we ask for things out of personal gain, i.e. such as material items or even money. The Lord knows all of our needs and desires and He also knows why we sk for everything. The one thing we must continue to reminder ourselves is that everything will happen according to God’s timeline. What he wants to happen will happen, when it’s suppose to happen. Everything that we have at this moment in time is because he has provided it to us as a gift. We might not see all of God’s blessings as gifts, but we need remember that we are not able to understand the glorious mysteries of the Lord. Not even the Angels in Heaven understand the ways of the Lord. His reasons and actions are perfect and are completed with purpose according to His ultimate plan.
I heard a true story once about a woman that had being trying very hard to get her youngest child to go to sleep one night. Just as the infant began to calm down and fall asleep, her older child came running up the stairs and unintentionally woke the infant up. The mother was exhausted and of course, got frustrated. Then by the grace of the Holy Spirit, she realized how blessed she actually was to even have children. And immediately she was at ease and gave thanks to God that she had two healthy children and that she was able to take care of.
God’s blessings are all around us. Everything that we have is a gift and at times, it’s difficult to remember to give Him thanks for all that we have instead of getting frustrated for all that we don’t have. The next time you become frustrated with a situation I hope the Holy Spirit falls upon you (as it did with this young mother) and you give thanks to God for your life and all that you have in it. Remember – it could always be much worse.
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thought of the Day
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24
I believe that this verse is reminding us of a few things:
1) To pray - Prayer is our way to commune with God and without it we are like tiny island in the middle of a vast ocean. I believe that it is important for us to take time out during each and every day to pray. The Lord always hears us and knows what is best for us. We may not get everything we ask for, but that is okay…because it is all done for a reason. God has a plan and His will shall be done.
2) If we don’t ask God for something, it probably won’t be given to us. And yes, God knows all of our wants and desires, but I think that he wants to us to ask for it. It is through prayer that we ask God for our needs…and prayer allows us to form our own special relationship with Him.
3) Believing that all things are possible through God - For even in the most hopeless or dire of circumstances the will of the Lord can turn things around in an instant. But, we must believe and have faith that He can do all things. The Lord has no limitations and He never takes a day off from loving and watching over us. Therefore, we should not take one day off from being thankful for our gift of life.
Prayer for the day-
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the wonderful gifts that you have given to me. I pray that you continue to breath your breathe of blessings upon me and my family. I thank you for every beat of my heart and every breath from my lungs. I pray that you watch over me and keep me safe. Help me to walk down the narrow path and avoid the wide road of temptation. All praise, glory and honor to you forever.
Amen.
God bless you. And this is for His glory!
Mark 11:24
I believe that this verse is reminding us of a few things:
1) To pray - Prayer is our way to commune with God and without it we are like tiny island in the middle of a vast ocean. I believe that it is important for us to take time out during each and every day to pray. The Lord always hears us and knows what is best for us. We may not get everything we ask for, but that is okay…because it is all done for a reason. God has a plan and His will shall be done.
2) If we don’t ask God for something, it probably won’t be given to us. And yes, God knows all of our wants and desires, but I think that he wants to us to ask for it. It is through prayer that we ask God for our needs…and prayer allows us to form our own special relationship with Him.
3) Believing that all things are possible through God - For even in the most hopeless or dire of circumstances the will of the Lord can turn things around in an instant. But, we must believe and have faith that He can do all things. The Lord has no limitations and He never takes a day off from loving and watching over us. Therefore, we should not take one day off from being thankful for our gift of life.
Prayer for the day-
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the wonderful gifts that you have given to me. I pray that you continue to breath your breathe of blessings upon me and my family. I thank you for every beat of my heart and every breath from my lungs. I pray that you watch over me and keep me safe. Help me to walk down the narrow path and avoid the wide road of temptation. All praise, glory and honor to you forever.
Amen.
God bless you. And this is for His glory!
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