My friend Richard goes to a neighborhood restaurant almost every Thursday for breakfast.

Over several weeks he noticed a lady who looked troubled.

He couldn’t shake the thought that something serious was going on with her.

So he decided to do something.

The next Thursday, he handed her an envelope with a note and a check.

When she opened it and saw the check, she broke down in tears

Yes, something serious was going on in her life.

She didn’t know how she was going to pay her rent.

And that day God answered her prayer through Richard.

So today, let me encourage you to look around.

You will see all kinds of ways that you can make a difference in this world.

And that is the joy of being in Christ.

Categories: Prayer Christian Living Love

What do you call people who:

Deny God’s involvement in everyday life.

Who deny that there is a resurrection of the dead.

Who do not believe in an afterlife.

Or in angels or a spiritual realm.

Back in Jesus’s day, these were the Sadducees.

Now this is strange because the Sadducees were religious.

They held the strong conviction that only the written word, the first five books of the Bible, was the word of God. They even maintained the Temple.

But they could not see beyond the here and now. Or their own self-sufficiency.

I bet you meet people like this everyday.

Let me encourage you to pray for them and ask God to open their eyes to see the life and hope and forgiveness that is in Christ Jesus.

Categories: Jesus Christ Prayer

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

That’s what the Bible says.

Now you may be thinking, “I wish that verse described my prayer life.” Well it can.

Just look at Elijah. He was human. Yet when he prayed for the stop, it did for three and a half years. And then when he prayed for rain, the rain poured down and the earth produced crops.

Well how did that happen?

Because Elijah simply prayed God’s Word.

You see, God was the one who said he would dry up the skies if the people rebelled. And that he would open the heavens if they returned to him

It’s His Word that is powerful and effective.

So if you want you prayers to be powerful and effective, let the Word of God shape what you ask for.

That’s the prayer of a righteous person.

Categories: Prayer God's Will Righteousness/Justification

Tragically, many people are confused about how prayer works.

Maybe you can identify with this person’s question.

I don’t understand why some people think that when they pray for something and get it, it was because of their faith. And when they don’t get what they prayed for it was because of their lack of faith.

Well this is the most common misconception about prayer… that if you have enough faith you’ll get anything you want from God.

Well prayer is not a magic wand or a quick fix, it’s merely a conversation with God.

So talk to him. Tell him about your fears, your pains, your desires, and dreams. And then trust him to answer according to his will and plan for your life.

This is the kind of prayer that will help you experience the peace of God that passes understanding.

Categories: Prayer God's Will Christian Living

Does God answer prayer?

Sometimes you wonder, right?

Well, let me encourage you with this promise from 1 John 5:14 & 15:

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him."

Well if you’re asking according to his will you can count on the fact that he hears you.

Think about that. God, the one who spoke the world into existence, hears your prayers.

And here’s the best part, you know you have what you asked of him.

So dig into the Word. Trust the Spirit to teach you God’s will, and then pray with confidence knowing God hears and answers.

Categories: Prayer God's Will

God is your heavenly Father. And that changes everything about prayer.

First it makes your prayer more personal. You’re praying to someone you really know and to someone who really knows you.

So you don’t have to be like those hypocrites who pray just to be noticed on to look more spiritual. You can simply share an intimate conversation with your heavenly Father.

And second, you know he cares about you. He is interested in every detail of your life and already has his ear turned your way.

That means you don’t have to beg and plead like the pagans do just to get him to listen. He’s so interested in you, he already knows what you need even before you ask him.

So when you pray, you are praying to the one who loves and cares for you most.

Categories: Prayer Christian Living

Prayer is simple part of being human. Think about it. In times of trouble you cry out to God. When life is good you thank him for the many blessings.

And this is true for people from every walk of life and every belief system. Everyone prays.

So as far as the Bible is concerned it’s not a matter of if you pray, it’s when you pray.

And when you pray as a believer you pray to your heavenly Father. This is what makes your prayer so radically different.

And you know him as such because you have been born of God and by his spirit you cry out “Abba, Father”.

And crying out to God was your Father changes everything about prayer.

Categories: Prayer Christian Living

Let’s face it. Life can be tough. From work to home and everything in between, new worries fly at us every day from every direction.

Couple these concerns with your personal fears and insecurities… and you have the perfect recipe for anxiety.

But God knows all about this and that is why he has given you a powerful weapon to ward off anxiety…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

If life has made you anxious, be encouraged. The God of the universe cares about you—so go to Him in prayer! And let the peace of God guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Categories: Prayer Emotions/Depression

What do you ask God for when you pray?

Paul was very specific with his requests.

For example, in Ephesians, he prayed

• that we may know Jesus better
• that we may know the hope to which he has called us
• that we may know his incomparably great power for us who believe
• that Christ may be at home in our hearts
• that we understand and experience the height and depth and length and breadth of the love of God
• that we will be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Let me ask. What would happen if you started to pray to know Jesus better, or to know the hope that you have in Christ, or to gain a deeper understanding of the love of God? Try it, your life will never be the same.

Categories: Prayer Jesus Christ Love

Grace is the fuel that moves us, that transforms us, that shapes all that we are and all that we do as believers.

It even shapes the way we pray. Take Paul for example.

His prayers were soaked with thankfulness. It interesting that at the heart of the Greek word meaning thankful is the Greek word charis, which means grace.

Paul’s thankful attitude was formed and shaped by the grace of God.

Think about all that the grace of God has brought to your life — eternal life, forgiveness of sins, a new identity and the Spirit of God living in you.

And all of this is true of you regardless of your circumstances. It’s no wonder that Paul encouraged us to give thanks in all things.

So, when you pray, let it flow from a heart of thankfulness.

Categories: Prayer Identity/Self Image Grace