Month: October 2020

Our Helper In Prayer

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The Spirit of God not only maintains this hope within us, but helps us in our present limitations. For example, we do not know how to pray worthily as sons of God, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonizing longings which never find words. And God who knows the heart’s secrets understands, of course, the Spirit’s intention as he prays for those who love God. Romans 8:26-27 Philipps Version

Last week we looked at being able to pray with confidence because Jesus taught us and encouraged us to come. This morning we are looking at how we can have confidence because Jesus went far beyond simply instructing and commanding us to pray. He does more than stand by and listen to our requests. The Bible tells us that at those times (For me often) when we don’t know how to pray, that He sends His Spirit as our Helper to give us hope, direction and understanding in prayer. In fact, God knows us so well that He and provides both daily bread, and the ability to realize when we need it. He pours out both mercy as well as the spirit repentance leading us to cry out for it. He is not only able to protect us from the devil, but He also puts into our hearts the hope that when we run to Him, He will be our helper and fortress in battle. This week’s video features these three classics about prayer: Sweet Hour of Prayer – Garden of Prayer and Let Us Have a Little Talk With Jesus. What a wonderful God and an amazing Savior we serve. He alone is worthy of our praise and is waiting to have a little talk with us today!

The God of Every Day Prayers

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Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:9‭-‬10‭, ‬12‭-‬13 ESV

Forgive us our debts, give us our food and lead us not into temptation are things Jesus taught us to pray every day. I don’t know about you but for me having to constantly ask for God’s help in these areas makes me feel frustrated and weak. But God is not at all frustrated or angry when we sincerely pray. Instead He taught us to pray these things because He is a God who is ready to forgive us every morning, delights in providing for us every day and who knows we need His protection on our journey!

The Message of the Cross

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Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 NIV

Some people wear a cross around their neck while others have bracelets or earrings, using it as a fashion statement. But even though the cross has become a popular design for jewelry, its message remains difficult to receive.

In Jesus’ day, no one wore a cross for decoration or thought it would be nice to have one on the peak of their roof. That is because the cross to them was both the most horrible way to die and also a constant threat to anyone who would dare to challenge the Roman rule. In fact, the very thought of crucifixion was so horrible that no one even mentioned it. But Jesus was not afraid to talk about the cross. As His time on earth neared its end, He repeatedly told His disciples about it. But just as it is today, the followers of Jesus couldn’t understand and were not ready to receive the sacrifice that Jesus was about to make for them. But instead of turning back, Jesus went to Calvary, freely giving Himself because of God’s great love for us. So today whether or not you wear one around your neck, ask yourself whether you have received the gift of the cross, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. True faith means loving the cross and giving our lives to Him, just as He has for us. Only in His cross will we will discover the wonderful joy and peace of knowing that our sins are forgiven and that we will be with Him forever!