12/16 - 1 Timothy 2

"¹ Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

The promise involved with this passage is pretty amazing. These verses provide hope in that it reveals a connectedness between prayer and life's circumstances. It reveals that our prayers are more than just lip service to God but have the power to actually change things. In this example it shows that if we'll dedicate ourselves to prayer and intercession for men, particularly those in leadership, that things can go well for us and that we can live peacefully. For those of us who pray, this isn't anything new but a biblical reassurance of what we've always hoped to be true - that our prayers matter. It is one of many biblical examples that prayer changes things.

Verse 4 can be a little tough to deal with. God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. The one problem with that verse is that we know that this just won't happen. In fact, most men likely won't be saved (Matthew 7:13-14). So if God is in control of everything (1 Chronicles 29:11) and everyone won't be saved, despite His desires, doesn't that present a problem? Well, not necessarily. That which God wants from us He won't force out of us. If He did, we might as well be robots. The good news is that He at least wants us to abide in Him in spite of our sin. The difficulty is that it requires a decision on our part. This decision God may influence but the final call is up to us.

9/21 - Prayer & Scripture Reference

Good morning. I've been in 2 Thessalonians 2 for a couple days and want to spend a little more time in study before I share. The chapter goes into great detail about the rapture and the second coming of Christ, an issue I'm realizing I know far too little about. I should definitely look a little deeper considering how important these events are and how they could happen like now.....or now.....or maybe not until I'm long gone from this earth. The point is, we don't know the day nor the hour but it would behoove us to know what's coming, especially since he's made it known in His word. Here's a few scriptures outside this chapter I plan to look into concerning the last days if you'd like to follow along: Daniel 9:26-27, Matt 24:15, John 14:1-3, 1 Thess 4:13-18, 5:2-5, Hebrews 10:25, Rev 3:10, 13:2-10,18. I'm actually really excited about where this study will take me & what God has for us to learn.

I'd like to add our country to the prayer list. Keep praying for the U.S. because the division here seems to be getting worse. Keep our president & elected officials lifted up because whether we like them or not, God has appointed them (Colossians 3:22-25). Pray for Issue 3 in Ohio, the latest attempt to bring casinos to Ohio. This time it's being packaged as a way to create thousands of jobs but the cost, as always, is the moral decline that follows casinos where ever they go. And that's not a price I think we ought to pay, no matter what our economic situation may be.

9/19 - 2 Thessalonians 1

First off, thanks to all who prayed for me last week. I can remember distinctly on Thursday morning around 10:25am feeling the Spirit of God minister to me, calming my anxieties and encouraging me to press on. That day was a testament of what can happen when you allow the enemy into your life. By not remembering that each day is a battle, I gave him place to inject confusion & deception in me which lead to a defeated pattern of thinking, a remembrance of all my failures and excuses about why I was unable to do what God has called me to do. Yea, it was bad. But thanks be to God for His Spirit & for your prayers. God even sent someone to speak some words of encouragement to me. Words I didn't want to hear at the time, but words I needed.

Paul's message to the Thessalonians is also a good one for me and any Christians going through something.

"Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering" (v. 4-5)

It is in the enduring of trials that we are found worthy of the kingdom of God. We've already been promised that we would suffer (John 15:20-21) but it is not in the suffering alone that we are honored, but how we endure. The purpose behind suffering is the process of purging, purifying and perfecting us thereby making us worthy for the kingdom. It is in our positive response that this process manifests.

9/12 - 1 Thessalonians 5, Part 2

Short post today. Just wanted to admonish you as Paul did the Thessalonians in this chapter,

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

There's a reason we need to be told these seemingly obvious things - they're not easy. Many mornings (this morning) I struggle to rejoice in spite of what I go through and offer a meaningful prayer. Sometimes I allow my mind to wander and lose focus.

I won't be discouraged & will continue to pray even though its hard to do at times. When I say hard to do, I suppose I should say its hard to want to pray. My flesh desires so many of life's other distractions over quiet time with the Lord. Man, that was even tough to admit just now...

Anyway, if anyone else feels this way let's pray for each other. If i'm alone, then just pray for me! I don't believe it will always be like this because I'm confident in the word of God to change me, that a greater desire for Him will develop in me and that this growth process will draw me nearer to Him. Verse 18 even says its the will of God for us to do these things.

Let's stay in prayer for each other. God bless u all

8/19 - Colossians 4, part 2

This morning the word of God spoke to me from Colossians 4:2 about something I've been slacking on,

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving"(NKJV)
"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (KJV)

I've been struggling recently trying not to fall asleep during my morning prayer. I'll fade in and out in a battle to just have a conversation with the Lord. He seems to be the only one I do this with, which is a pretty convicting thought. I added the KJV version of this verse because this was the order that I read them this morning and came to learn that that word "watch" in Greek means "stay awake; vigilant." The literal translation of the verse means "continue in prayer and stay awake while doing it!" We know from Matthew 26:41 that Jesus told his disciples to be careful of this very thing and their subsequent failure to do so. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is so weak. Can I get an "Amen" from the balcony?! I sincerely want to be vigilant in prayer but often fall short. I know there's some practical things I can do to get better though.

This verse even goes beyond it's literal translation to mean that we should be persistent & staying alert for specific things to pray rather than just the general "God please bless so-and-so" prayers. Being alert also means being aware of the needs of your friends, co-workers, country or whatever you may be praying for. So the full embodiment of my prayer life is no longer just the time I spend in actual prayer, it's how soon I go to bed & what I expose myself to. I say what I expose myself to meaning asking friends what they need prayer for, being aware of what's happening in our country and having meaningful conversations with people so our prayers turn from "God bless this country or God bless John" to "God guide our leaders what to do concerning healthcare and God be with John as he goes through surgery tomorrow." I also say what I expose myself to because, just to be honest with you guys, when I pray other thoughts pass through my mind no matter how hard I try not to let them. So I'm realizing this morning that prayer, for me, needs to become integrated with my life, not just part of it.