Discernment For Others

Jesus has placed His Spirit in us so that He may guide us in all truth. This does not mean that when we see another sinning not leading to death that we should be openly critical of that one. Instead we are encouraged to intercede in prayer for another and the promise is that the Father will give life. It well may be that His time and our time are different, but the promise doesn't change, God will give life.

Daily Prayer: Father, help us to be earnest and consistant in our prayer life. Let us not only pray for ourselves, but especially for the unsaved so that they may come to know You and worship You. In Jesus' name we pray Amen.

Prayer Is More Than Words, Its Worship

We pray in vain when we are not engaged in worship when we pray. The purpose of worship it to elevate our minds to the mind of Christ so that we may know and understand God desire over the situation. This is known as intecessory prayer. God honors this kind of petition and this is why the Bible teaches that the prayer (in the mode of worship) of the saint will always be given by God.

Daily Prayer: Father, we often come to You with shallow words and requests. Teach us by Y0ur Spirit to first worship You and then commit our words to prayer. This is our desire Amen.

WAITING EXPECTANTLY FOR JESUS

Purely religious people seldom believe they will see Jesus and face Him. The pagans certainly don't believe. The one's whom Jesus treasures are those who do expect to see Him and await Him with high expectations. Do you have children who run and meet you at the door when you return. This pleases you doesn't it? So it is with our Lord. He wants those who call themselves believers to have their highest hopes set on meeting Him face to face because He said He will return.

Daily Prayer: Lord, it there are those among us who have childlike faith, let that remain with them. In the same way, if there are those who find not this kind of faith, plant that in them so they can rejoice with exceeding gladness upon Your appearing. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

God's Grace, Satan's Temptation

It is usual that what God uses for good, Satan uses for evil. God's gives grace to the saint who grows in spiritual maturity and elevates this saint to a higher level of understanding. Satan uses the idea of elevation to tempt the one who is not ready or able to understand so that if this one is elevatated, they will feel unsteady and afraid. Discernment is our protection against the methods of the Evil One. If higher responsibility makes you uncertain, you can be sure it is not from God and you must withdraw. If greater understanding comes from God, then incorporate it into your daily life and be more useful to others.

Daily Prayer: Father, You know what is good for us. The Bible says greater is He that is in you, than He who is in the world. Let us follow the leading of Your Spirit, who will lead us into all truth and we won't be afraid. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

I have for you both good news and bad news. The good news is that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He transferred His righteousness to you for the sake of salvation. The bad news is that even if you are saved and going to heaven, to live a holy life on earth will require some sacrifice and cost. The first step in the spiritual life is your view and opinion of others. If they are saved, God sees them as righteous "in Christ." I and you must agree with God on this no matter how sinful they appear to us. Secondly, just a we notice the spec in our brother's eye, we cannot ignore the log in our own. To walk in a way that honors the work of Jesus is giving up of one's own will to the Holy Spirit of God. That means that you are not the boss of your own life anymore. You recognize and agree that you have been bought with a price and no longer is your will what counts. The responsible Christian will allow the Spirit to conform our life to Christ's so that we will be a new man and live in newness of life.

Daily Prayer: Lord, it is far easier to describe the spiritual life than to live it. Please, by your grace, allow the Holy Spirit to do His illumination work in our life so that we can see our life for what it really is, instead of what we imagine it to be. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

What A True Friend Should Do

There are charmisac people, including preachers, who by their appeal draw people to themselves and not to Jesus. This is the problem with the charismatic movement including those who lead megachurches. Those who are not careful to use their gifts to point to Jesus are actually enemies of Jesus and wage war against Him using His tools.

In the Bible, the word "covering" means to submit to another. That is why women would cover their heads, because it was an outward sign to others that she belongs to another. In the same way, we need to present ourselves as ones who belong to another. It is not wrong to have appeal so long as it works for the glory of Jesus.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us know right from wrong in the way we present ourselves in daily life. Teach us by Your Spirit to be magnets, but not for the purposes of bringing attention to ourselves, but to lead others to You. Help us in this task we pray Amen.

BE A "FRIEND OF THE BRIDEGROOM"

When I was led to Christ by a minister, once I accepted Christ, Christ increased and he decreased. That's the way it is when you are a friend of the bridegroom. You don't want to dominate the life of this person, but instead rejoice in his new beginning. He would say "don't come to me for your advice, because I'll be over there with Jesus." Our duty is to be a servant of the master and not try to fill his shoes.

Daily Prayer: Lord, we rejoice at the sound of the voice of the Bridegroom. Let the celebration begin. Let us cast all of our cares on you, because you care for us. Amen.

SOME CHRISTIANS ARE CARNAL

What comes to mind when you hear of someone being carnal. Carnal is the person who is quarrelsome, self-centered, envyous, and carries strief. It's problem is obvious. It breaks the unity of the Christian community. We are tought to edify one another and to encourage one another. This is carnal's opposite. Therefore when you find yourself with any of these conditons, the responsibility is confession before God so that you can once again be a useful tool of the the Holy Spirit.

Daily Prayer: Lord, so often we find ourselves with this condition. Forgive us. We need to think less about ourself and more about unity. After all, you died for all persons, not me alone. So let me yield to Your Spirit so that I do not offend those for whom you were crucified. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

When Jesus Speaks, It Sets The Listener's Heart On Fire

A fired up heart is our passion for the Words of Truth. Jesus wants believers to be passionate about His business. He states in Revelation that the luke warm Christian He spits out of His mouth. Emothions set ablaze by Christ must be allowed to run their course. All other emotions should be evaluated based on their final out come. Although we don't live most of our Christian life on a mountain top, that doesn't mean we cannot have passion in the valleys of life.

Daily Prayer. Lord, keep our hearts passionate for Your Gospel. Let us not grow either weary or weak as we do Your work where we are. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE FUTURE, HE IS HERE NOW

Time was created for the benefit of man. In God's world, everything is in the present. We look for God when He is in us now. It is as Luther said: "He is among you now. He is your love for your neighbor and your neighbors love for you." Yet, often time we are like the disciple Phillip when he asked Jesus "Show us the Father and that is enough?" Were did that come from? God wants us to do the work of the Son from where we are so that all may come to the knowledge of God."

Daily Prayer: Father, thank you for not being a God who is too far off or to lofty for us. Let us take advantage of the present and speak with boldness about the Father and the Son. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

When a believer reaches spiritual maturity their natural inclination is to do the will of God. This is because they are so knitted with Him that they choose what he would choose. There may be times that a choice is made in error at which times the Father restrains his child by the tugging of the Spirit. This is what is meant by Christian liberty. Freedom not from God, but freedom related to him.

The child of God communicates with God through prayer. Never think that if God does not answer or doesn't grant you a petition that it is not his will. Keep on praying in earnest so that your Father may reward you with the desires of your heart.

Daily Prayer: Father, often times we receive not because we ask not. Let us draw close to you so that you may enjoy us and we enjoy your fellowship. Let us not seek the pleasures of this world and instead place all our apples in the Jesus basket. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

FAITH IS TRUST IN A PERSON

It may come as a surprise to discover that biblical faith is not related to either holiness or sanctification. No. Instead it is a willingness to follow the guiding of a person and your faith is your trust in the One who is doing the leading. Abraham who is the father of our faith was called to separate from his father, his family, his country, and to go to a place that God will show him. It is his utter trust in the Most High that his faith is attributed to. In the same way in our times our faith is in Christ and the Holy Spirit He sent to guide us. This may lead to a separation from those you know, but His goal is to bring you to a place of trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. It is this trust or faith in Him that reckons us as righteous. Not by our good deeds, but in the finished work of the One who was sent to save us.

Daily Prayer: Lord, thank you for sending us Your Spirit to guide us into all truth. Let us not feel bad for the good that we desire to do but cannot. Instead, let us be thankful that there is One who accomplished Your good will and it is He that we are now judged on and not ourself. Let us make it our business to tell others, so that they too may be heirs of your salvation. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

ALLOWING CHRIST'S WORD TO FORM IN YOU

Without yielding in the flesh, one cannot obtain spiritual maturity. The Apostle Paul states it is Christ's desire for all believers to become mature in their faith. Christ's word is to form in the inner-man requiring that we in our flesh, yield to His Spirit. This is the meaning of holiness. It is asking the question "What would Jesus do" as we live our daily lives.

Daily Prayer: Lord, even more often than what we realize, we put our will ahead of Your's. Forgive us. Lead us this day in a heightened awareness of our spiritual needs. As food is good for the body, Your Word is good for the soul. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

THIS MUST BE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY

It's funny. Ask President Obama his highest priority. He might say the war on terror or having a national health care plan. Ask the school teacher the highest priority. She might say reading, writing, and arithmatic. Ask the preacher his highest priority. He might say to win souls for Christ. Ask the true son of God his highest priority and he will say to be well pleasing to God. When Jesus was being baptized in the Jordan, the Spirit of God lit on him in the form of a dove and a voice resounded from heaven "this is my Son, with whom I am well pleased." Especially now in New Testament times, our mission is not centered on a building, place, or thing, but on a relationship. God desires sons and daughters to hunger and thirst for Him. When we develop that thirst, then we can come to know the deep secrets of God.

DO NOT BECOME HARDENED TO SIN

We as believers are instructed to "walk in the light, like He is in the light." This means two things. First it starts with self-examination. Do not think more of yourself than what you would be apart from the grace of God. In the same way, do not look down on those who live in their sin, because you were once that way also. Instead, confess your own sins before God, never failing to give Him thanks for all that He has accomplished in you. Also, as for your neighbor, judge not lest you be judged. Instead, show compassion, acting as a role model of what having the Spirit of God looks like so that others will want that life also. Jesus said to the harlot, "where are those who condemn you?" She replied, "they have all gone away." Jesus said, "then I will neither condemn you, but go and sin no more."
This is how we should model ourself in our daily life.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, we need to look to you as our model. You came not only to forgive our sins, but to be a model for us. Let us consciously seek to imitate You. In Your Name we pray Amen.

Jesus' Word & Ways Are Hard

We like the comparison of our Savior to a shepherd or even a friend. Sometimes, though, His words and ways are hard. His words seem radical and scary to defend. His face is set like flint and I wonder how well I know my Savior?
Yes, it is good to fear the Lord your God, but sometimes His words strike terror to the hearer. He says things like to eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to be made whole. He calls His body the true food. When someone asks me if I am a believer, it can be hard to answer. All I know is that His ways are not man's ways. As far as the heavens are above the earth, this different is He from man. I must persevere though, to be His follower.

Daily Prayer: Lord, you are different from us in many ways. We pledged to trust in you and that we will do. Strengthen us in times of weakness or confusion. We are different from You and sometimes Your ways are lofty for me. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

WE ARE ALL SLAVES, WHO'S YOUR MASTER?

In our daily decisions, we all yield to someone or something. Our yielding is the outward sign that we are placinging authority with a master. For many of us, we yield to ourself. This is the sign that we trust ourself over all others with the affairs of our life. To other's it is a place. They may say "I can never leave this place." Whoever we ultimately yield to should have the power and resources within it, to deliver us. For the person who trusts in themself, are they fully sufficient?

Disciples of Jesus yield to Him. Not all Christians are disciples, but those who are yield to Him. This is because He has transformational ability over our lives to bring us from certain death and separation from God to eternal life with Him. The key to having Jesus as your master is to decide for Him before you perish. The Bible writes "by faith we are saved by faith apart from works so that no man may boast." The Apostle Paul said "I boast in nothing other than the gospel of Jesus Christ." Words are often times shallow. The test of discipleship is determined by which direction your feet are heading.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, we say with our lips that we desire You as our Master. Let us take that conviction to our heart and be the guide by which we walk. In Your name we pray Amen.

THIS IS WHAT TRUE SURRENDER LOOKS LIKE

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. Whosoever believes in Him as Savior will not perish, but have eternal life." Total surrender was offered by God first in advance of any talk about our surrender to Him.

True surrender is total, unconditional, and without reservations or regrets. This is not a sacrifice on our part, because when we surrender to the Lord, we join Him to us and we become partakers in His life instead of trying to straighten out our own.

Daily Prayer: Lord, let us comprehend the true riches of heaven. It is not about sin or lack of it. It is not about paradise or a place. Instead it is about You, the Son, and the Spirit and learning that life is not possible apart from our Creator. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

FOR HIS SAKE & THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL

I hear Christian's say all the time "God will bless you for that." These are the same people who believe in salvation apart from works. God blesses all people. Jesus said "My Father gives rain to the just and the unjust alike." When it comes to the subject of surrender to God, it is very costly. One will not necessarily count their blessings the moment they have died to theirself. So why then do we surrender our will to His? We do it for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of the gospel. Salvation is a free gift from God, but discipleship is costly, but one cannot be a disciple apart from surrender.

Daily Prayer: Lord, we understand with our mind that to die to ourself is to live for You. To die is a very hard thing to do. By Your Spirit, please convice and convict us to go this way, not so our life will be easier, but for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

PLANTED BY GOD

We all have a heavenly calling. The key to living out your calling is allowing God to plant you where you will flourish. Often times we do not walk in the light of our calling and try to plant ourselves where we think is best to be of service to God only to learn that the place where we chose only yields empty pods. It is far better to wait on God and don't move until He moves. Then when He plants you, you will bear much fruit.

Daily Prayer: Lord, we are always in a hurry. We need to remember that the saints of old all had to wait. Whether it be Moses in the wilderness or Joseph in prison, all of God's people had to learn patience in order to be productive. Grant us wisdom not to plant ourself and instead learn from the examples that have been given to us. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

OUR MESSAGE IS TRUTHFUL AND REAL

Walk the walk is what the World expects of a disciple of Jesus Christ. They don't want to hear do as I say, not as I do. Jesus uses believers as His messengers and He wants them to speak in truth. To do this, Jesus' gospel needs to be real in the life of the believer. It is not that we can earn God's favor, but we ask that by His Spirit, that He guide us into all truth and to conform our lives to the life of our Savior.

Daily Prayer: Father, we realize the high calling the believer's have in the World. Guide our steps by the strength of the Spirit and help us to be set apart for your glory. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

MANY TURN AWAY FROM JESUS

There are many good intentioned persons who turn away from Jesus. Sometimes Jesus' simple truth offends people and they are cut to the quick. In this scene, Peter perceives Jesus as the One who would lead many to eternal life. Jesus is not alone in His mission. We too are called to go out and confront the masses in love and in truth. This is our commission and the will of Jesus.

Daily Prayer: Lord, let us not draw back into a comfort zone. Let us persue the multitudes that come into our presence daily. Keep us steadfast and help us get stronger through our trials. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

GOT FALSE PRETENSES? THEN GIVE THEM UP

When one thinks of surrender, we imagine giving up those things that we most cherish. This is not really so. When one surrenders, the first thing we give up is false pretenses. We begin to see ourselves the way Jesus does and what horrifies us the most is not our most outragous sin, but the prideful nature by which we present ourself to the Son of God. We really don't think were that bad. When we understand that apart from Jesus that we can do nothing, it is much easier to depend on Him for everything including exchanging our pride for His rightesouness.
So let us surrender today so that we can give up what little we really do have and inherit what the King of King has.

Daily Prayer: Lord, often times we really don't get it. Even though we have been told the truth, Satan comes along and builds up our depleted human nature convincing us that we are pretty good. Forgive us. Now, lead us by Your Spirit so that we may led into all truth. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

FLESHING OUT YOUR FAITH

When I was in seminary, some would watch to see if it changed my daily life. Even though it should, there are some who have been saved who are still trapped in their sin. To be saved is a work of God, so one doesn't need any particular strength to be saved. To bring that salvation into practical life requires the lavish grace of God in our life and our utter dependance on the Spirit of God in our walk. Jesus said "apart from me, you can do nothing." That's about right. One really ought to pray earnestly and frequently to "lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil," quoting Jesus once again. He was right when he told Paul "My grace is sufficient for you."

Daily Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the gift of eternal life. We ask now that your grace find its way into the members of our bodies and into our mind to be freed from sin, because we have a new leader now. No longer are we led around by Adam. Instead, we have the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the w orld. Allow us to be freed from guilt so that we may live in freedom as is your will. Amen.

SERVANT VERSES SON

You know, not all sons all who call themself a child of God are His servants. It may be that when you die you will go to heaven, but that does not mean you are valuable to your God while living on earth. It takes fellowship to know God's desires for you. When you have fellowship, then you can come to know God's desires from your life in terms of service to Him. Once He has imparted that knowledge to you, then your role is to be faithful to His calling. You don't have to be a pastor to have a calling. The church is like a body, where every member is to contribute it's part to the overall success of life. It may be that your role is very private and unnoticed before men. You can be sure, however, it does not go unnoticed by God and His Son. Jesus says, "truely I say to you, whoever is faithful in bringing one of the elect a cup of water, they shall by no means lose their reward." In servitude, God seeks our faithfulness just as He was first faithful to us.

Daily Prayer: Father, let me not hinder You so as to lose fellowship with You. Reveal to me those things You have for me from eternity past so that I may render myself as a faithful servant to You. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BAD TO BE WRONG

When it comes to the subject of being a follower of Jesus, unless he calls you to a certain task don't do it. In Jesus' world common sense rarely makes sense. You may be born again and will for sure go to heaven, but unless you follow what he wants from you in service then you are useless to him. Some, even in the church, pack religious emotion around what seems like good service. Unless those ideas came from Jesus, they should have never been undertaken. Jesus tells us that we have been bought with a price and now our service must be to him as he desires. Apart from full surrender to him, our service is in vain.

Daily Prayer: Lord, often times we are like Peter. We try to come to you on our own terms. We are full of zeal, but our service soon fades. Help us by Your Spirit to yield to you and to turn it all over to you. This is the hardest thing in the world to do, because it involves dying to ourself so that we can live for you. Help us to put away the Old Man and walk in newness of life. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

JESUS WILL NEITHER DELIVER US OR FREE US FROM THIS

One of Jesus' great imperitives to all who believe in Him is this: "Feed My sheep." From this command, He will neither deliver us or free us. In His flock, there are some who are obedient, some who are dirty, some who are wild and some who have gone astray. Our privilege is to tend to those that are His so that none are lost. The requirement to tend the sheep is to be partakers in the love of God who neither becomes weary or grows weak. We could not handle the job if it were not for the Holy Spirit who indwells us giving every tool to fulfill our commission.

Daily Prayer: Lord, help me walk your walk by pouring myself out for the good of others. I realize You did not save me only so that I would have a comfortable dwelling place in heaven, but also so that your will may be done. Help me to abide in You as You do in me so that I will not let You down in this great responsibility. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

DIVIDING THE SOUL FROM THE SPIRIT FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS

If the truth be known, few of us who name the name of Jesus as our Savior would do any better than Peter on the day of his denial of Jesus. We say with our lips that we love Jesus, but emotional love will never prevail in a time of crisis. Jesus uncovers the shallowness of our love by asking us do you agape (have sacrificial love) for Me? Again we say with our lips that we do. Then when we face trials, our tendencies are toward the flesh and not for the love of Christ. It is not until our love reaches our spirit will our love be sufficient to not only say we love Jesus with our mouth, but also to demonstrate it by our deeds.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, we confess that both our love and are faith are shallow. Even though You have saved us from a second death, we ask now that we receive the Spirit of Truth that You sent us so that He may teach us all things in love and in truth. Let us neither to grieve or quench the Spirit, but to give Him sway in our life so that He me bring us into the image or You who are our Helper and our Redeemer. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.