Month: August 2015

  • Great Golf Tip

    “But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.”
    Daniel 6:10   NLT

    The other day, Todd and I went out on the motorcycle, to a car show and then he taught me how to hit a golf ball at the driving range.  It was so much fun and I didn’t do so bad either!  Todd taught me the tricks of how to hit the ball far and then how to direct my drive.  Todd explained how aiming my feet towards the direction I want my golf ball to go in would help me reach my goal.  Todd’s Great Golf Tip made me think of Daniel’s position for prayer.

    The Bible records that when the Israelites were held in Captivity, Daniel prayed to God directing his view towards Jerusalem.  Not even a law forbidding anyone from praying to their god could stop Daniel’s focused prayers.  Daniel knew that the only way to get out of captivity would be to follow Solomon’s instructions in 2 Chronicles 6:38-39 that were recorded over 400 years before Israel even went into captivity!  Solomon instructed that if the Israelites were ever to find themselves in captivity, that they should pray towards the temple in Jerusalem and God would bring them back into their land.

    Apply Todd’s Great Golf Tip to your spiritual life and pray like Daniel.  Direct your view towards the promise God has for your life and keep giving God thanks until you see the promise become a reality!

    Prayer

    Father…I thank-you for your promises.  Help me to direct my view towards all that you have for me.  Grow in me the tenacity like Daniel to pray consistent, focused prayers and give you thanks for bringing your promises to fulfillment.  In Jesus Name…Amen

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  • Repeat Offenders–Jesus’ Teachings on Offence #4

    ““Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.”
                                                          Mathew 18:21-22   The Message

    Repeat offenders use your welcome mat way too many times to wipe off their dirty boots! We all have people in our lives that seem to use a revolving door to our welcome mat and leave us feeling trampled on. Peter asks Jesus for His wisdom on how to deal with these people and it’s not what our human hearts want to hear.

    Jesus is encouraging unlimited forgiveness.

    Jesus’ teaching was counter-culture to people in His day and nothing has changed in our modern culture thinking. People don’t like to forgive. People want others to forgive them for what they do, but it’s rare to find someone who wants to extend forgiveness when they’re offended.

    Natural instinct is to protect ourselves and put up a fence, blocking the person from ever causing us pain again.

    Right after Jesus teaches the principle of forgiveness, he explains further with a story called The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. Jesus condemns the man in the story that doesn’t release forgiveness to his debtor when the debtor pleaded for it.

    Jesus reminds us through the parable that we are all debtors to God. Some of us may have larger debts than others, but we all owe a debt we cannot pay.

    If Jesus so willingly releases forgiveness to us each time we truly repent, we need to extend that same forgiveness to others when they ask for our forgiveness.

    Open your heart today and release anyone that you may be holding unforgiveness towards. You’ll be setting both of you free!

    Prayer

    Father… Thank-you for forgiving me when I offend You. I should really be out of chances, but Your grace keeps taking me back. Soften my heart. Melt it so that I can forgive others like you forgive me. In Jesus Name…Amen

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  • Dream

    “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you”
                                                                 Ephesians 1:18 NIV

    This week I dropped my daughter off at Southeastern University in Florida. Getting there was nothing short of a miracle! So many things came against Shelby attending school this year, but she was determined God had called her to go and she was going to believe for a miracle. Through prayer and fasting—Miracles she received! Shelby had a dream and she pressed on to believe until that dream became a reality!

    The older you get, the more difficulty you have to allow the “eyes of your heart” to be enlightened…to dream! Dreaming comes easier for the young. I think it’s part because they’re closer to childhood and still in the practice of imagining. Youth are often better able to “see” their dream and go after it. Adulthood really frowns upon imagining. You get out of practice and tend to close down the “eyes of your heart” and that hinders you from knowing “the hope to which he has called you”.

    Today, I’m praying Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers over you, no matter how old you are! I’m asking our Father to open your spiritual eyes so that you will dream His BIG dreams for your life and have the courage to pursue them!

    Prayer

    Father…Help me to have the faith of a child so that I can look at my life through your eyes. Please open the eyes of my heart to clearly see what you have called me to so I can chase after the dreams you desire me to fulfill. In Jesus Name…Amen

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  • Work It Out—Jesus’ Teachings on Offence #2

    “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend.”
                                             Mathew 18:15

    I find this verse hard to live out. I would rather just ignore when someone hurts me and pretend it didn’t bother me. I cringe when I know that I need to discuss an issue with someone. Recently our pastor had the Core Leadership Team go through a teaching on the need for crucial conversations. The training was invaluable in learning how to work it out in relationships when you’ve been offended.

    Jesus’ teachings were given to help us learn how to restore relationship whenever possible. Jesus doesn’t teach us to lash back, get back or stuff it. Jesus tells us to confront the person who hurt us. Confront; not in a hurtful way, but in a way that conveys the offense and still gives the message that you are trying to work it out. I read a great book years ago, called The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. The basis of this book is in line with this verse in Matthew. The book was written for dealing with conflict in the workplace but applies to all relationships. It teaches that when you have conflict with someone, you should not ignore it but immediately confront the person for one minute explaining the issue. The premise is that if you don’t quickly confront, the tendency is to let offences pile up and then it is often too much work to work it out.

    Follow Jesus teaching and learn to gently, but honestly, in private work it out with those around you.

    Prayer

    Father…help me to live out your teachings, even when I find them difficult. Help me to be able to tell people when they hurt me in a way that treats them as your child, while not skirting the issues. Help me to be able to speak in ways that will work it out with those who have hurt me. May your blessing be over my relationships. In Jesus Name…Amen

     

    http://www.kenblanchard.com
    http://www.spencerjohnson.com

     

     

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  • Shake The Dust Off Your Feet–Jesus Teachings on Offence #1

    “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”
                                                                        Mathew 10:14 NIV

    I love walking along a beach. Sand under my feet feels wonderful while on a beach. When it’s time to put your shoes back on it’s so hard to shake the dust off your feet and those same relaxing grains become an irritation. Jesus was so descriptive when he talked. I’m thankful for his analogies that help me understand clearly how I am to live, and in this case, how I am to deal with some people who are less than kind to me.

    Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught his followers different methods on how to deal with people who hurt them. In this case, Jesus taught the disciples to remove themselves from the place and people who offend them. He didn’t tell them to make a big scene about it, but to peacefully “shake the dust off your feet” and in the very next verse God promises that He will deal with the offender and make them give account for what they did to you. It’s still our responsibility to forgive, but not to make them pay.

    Just as shaking the dust off your feet after spending some time at the beach is difficult, so is learning to figuratively shake the dust off your feet and let go of unhealthy relationships. Discerning when it’s right to follow this advice from Jesus to remove yourself from people and places that bring you hurt and going through with it, will set you free to move forward in wholeness.

    Prayer

    Father…You know the motives of men and I don’t. Help me rightly discern those people or places I need to remove myself from and learn to shake the dust off my feet, letting the hurt go. Help me to have a heart that forgives and lives in peace. In Jesus Name…Amen

     

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