Category Archives: Learning To Pray Effectively

Faith / Trusting God, Learning To Pray Effectively, Wise

Seeking Wisdom from the One Who Is Truly Wise

Truly if you want wisdom, do not look to universities and degrees in higher learning, though those may have some value, but instead look to the Lord and ask Him humbly for the wisdom you seek. Pursue it in study of the scriptures and prayer and God will give it to you in the measure and time He deems appropriate.

Do not seek it though to accomplish your own plans and desires for you own glory, but rather for the Lord’s plans for His glory through you. Do not ask for it expecting Him not to give it either, but rather expect and trust that He will grant what you ask.

2 Chronicles 1

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

     8Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. 9“Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 11God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.” 13So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

James 1:5-8

    5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please grant me wisdom. Help me to grow in my knowledge of You and Your word and also in whatever areas You are calling me to serve You. I will be single minded and not double minded. I ask for wisdom fully anticipating that You not only can but will grant it in Your timing and to the fullness of Your measure. In the name of Yeshua we pray. amen. 

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness

Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good; for His Lovingkindness Is Everlasting

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.  Let there be sounds of joyful shouting and salvation in the tents of the righteous!

Psalm 118

Thanksgiving for the LORD’S Saving Goodness.

1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

2Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

3Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

4Oh let those who fear the LORD say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

5From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.

6The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?

7The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.

8It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in man.

9It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in princes.

10All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.

11They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.

12They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.

13You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the LORD helped me.

14The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.

15The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

16The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

17I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD.

18The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

19Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.

20This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.

21I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.

22The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.

23This is the LORD’S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.

24This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!

26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

27The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

28You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.

29Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Encouragement, Interceding for Others, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Kindness / Gentleness, Learning To Pray Effectively

Pray for One Another and Come Together as One Body

Paul set a good example for all teachers of the gospel to follow. He not only taught the truth of the word, he truly cared about those who were in the body of Christ. He longed to see them and minister to them. He prayed for them and asked them to pray for him. He found great refreshment in experiencing their company. He connected and brought together people from different cities and churches as part of the body of Christ.

Romans 15:22-33

    22For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you; 23but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you 24whenever I go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while— 25but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints. 26For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things. 28Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. 29I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

      30Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; 32so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 33Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Take time to reflect and pray… “Does my behavior separate the body of Christ? or bring it together? How can I change my behavior and attitude to bring together true believers and disciples of Yeshua to work together as one body.”

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others, Learning To Pray Effectively

Please Pray for Hearing From Jesus Ministry

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we ask you to pray with us and for us. We would greatly appreciate your prayer for our ministry to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to lead people to  submit to Jesus as Lord of their lives and then to help them become disciples, who in turn disciple others. We encourage you to pray this for your family and also for other ministries that are striving to serve the LORD.

  • Pray for our leadership and staff to be pure and to maintain personal holiness so that our sin does not obstruct the ministry of the Holy Spirit to those receiving our teaching and support.
  • Pray for our leadership and staff to understand clearly the truth of the scriptures, apply them in our own lives, and organize it in such a way that we can communicate clearly to those receiving our teaching and support.
  • Pray the Holy Spirit will prepare people to hear the gospel and choose Christ and then lead them to our ministry to hear the truth of the gospel proclaimed.
  • Pray that those receiving our teaching will be moved by the Holy Spirit to a personal response to accept the word and commit their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, repenting from sin.
  • Pray that those receiving our teaching will have strong interest in returning to study and learn with us. Pray their attention will not wander or be distracted and that they would set aside dedicated time to study the scriptures with us and to pray to God.  Pray they would not be satisfied to just accept Jesus’ offer of salvation, but rather be led by the Holy Spirit to become disciples and then make disciples of others.

Thank you. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Shalom

Prayer request by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Hope, Learning To Pray Effectively, Money / Finances / Wealth, Wise

My Entire Lifetime Is but a Moment to You

It is very easy to get wrapped up in our own earthly lives and put more importance in them than is due. Our lives on this earth are brief, our days numbered… our entire lifetime is but a moment to Yahweh. We should take care to keep in mind our significance is best appreciated in the eternal impact we can have by helping others to find Christ rather than the worldly accomplishments we value so much and work so hard for.

Psalm 39

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

1I said to myself, “I will watch what I do

and not sin in what I say.

I will hold my tongue

when the ungodly are around me.”

2But as I stood there in silence—

not even speaking of good things—

the turmoil within me grew worse.

3The more I thought about it,

the hotter I got,

igniting a fire of words:

4“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—

how fleeting my life is.

5You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best, each of us is but a breath.”

Interlude

6We are merely moving shadows,

and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth,

not knowing who will spend it.

7And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you.

8Rescue me from my rebellion.

Do not let fools mock me.

9I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,

for my punishment is from you.

10But please stop striking me!

I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.

11When you discipline us for our sins,

you consume like a moth what is precious to us.

Each of us is but a breath.

Interlude

12Hear my prayer, O Lord!

Listen to my cries for help!

Don’t ignore my tears.

For I am your guest—

a traveler passing through,

as my ancestors were before me.

13Leave me alone so I can smile again

before I am gone and exist no more.

Take time to prayerfully consider your priorities. Do not just list what you say is important and a priority. It is easy to say that God is number one. Instead, write down how you spend your time, energy, money, and talent. Is most of it spent honoring God and furthering His kingdom? or building your own through work or even family in which you place your value? Do you stand up for the values God reveals to us in the Bible? They are unchanging over time regardless of public opinion. Or do you change your view of what is right and wrong based on what people think today… and then change it again with them tomorrow to “get along” or “be tolerant”. God is not tolerant of rebellion to do things our own way! God calls out right and wrong clearly and it does not change over time.

If God is truly our priority than our lives should reflect it… as brief as they are. Do not put off to tomorrow submitting to and obeying God, but rather get started right away. The only things that will really matter at the end of our lives is whether or not we submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior personally and the impact we had to further God’s kingdom while we were on earth.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Help / Serve Others, Humility, Interceding for Others, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Kindness / Gentleness, Learning To Pray Effectively, Salvation, Thankfulness

For I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

Paul is a great example. Consider how he engages fellow believers and how he intercedes on their behalf in prayer. He is enthusiastic, encouraging, thankful, and he prays for them often. He seeks fellowship with them. He is not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for those who believe.

Romans 1:8-17

      8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; 12that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

      16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

I ask God that I would be able to be more like Paul in his attitude toward other believers. I pray that believers everywhere would be as well. Imagine if we all were more enthusiastic, encouraging, and thankful and that we prayed often for each other and seek fellowship with one another. This attitude remained while Paul experienced much hardship.

Let us also not overlook verse 16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” It is the death and resurrection of Yeshua, our Messiah, that makes a way for us to be saved, to be reconciled with God. It is not through good works or our own righteousness. Let us remember that with humility and thankfulness.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me and other believers to maintain the attitude of Paul in Romans 1. Help us enthusiastically pray for one another, give thanks for one another, seek fellowship with one another, and maintain humility in remembering that it is You who made a way for our salvation through Yeshua. Thank You! Amen.

I would encourage you also to take a few additional minutes to start praying for others today and to give thanks to God for other believers in Your life or even those you don’t know personally. This is a good practice to do regularly.

Shalom. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Holy / Set Apart, Learning To Pray Effectively, Persecution / Glorifying God, Protector / Deliverer, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Strong in Our Weakness

Let Your Light Shine For Christ

Many in our society try to compartmentalize their faith. Satan has convinced people that it is ok to keep your faith not only private, but invisible. In this way our faith will not hinder our careers or other pursuits where people may persecute or harass us for our faith. This is in direct contradiction to Christ calling us to be a light to others to shine and draw them to Him. We must not keep our faith invisible or entirely private.

Matthew 5:14-16

    14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

For the most part, in the US, we don’t see the levels of life threatening persecution that are common in some majority Muslim countries in the Middle East or in atheist countries like China. Our brothers and sisters in Christ certainly need our prayers. They face true difficulty for their faith. They stand strong. If someone claims to be Christian there, you know they mean it. There are few lukewarm Christians there, because it is not worth the cost unless you really believe.

However, even here in the US we face some level of cultural backlash against openly living out our faith in business. There are law suits or rebukes that we may offend someone. People will come against us on social media and try to silence us. We each must decide what we are willing to do for Christ. What are we willing to risk to honor and obey Him? It is better to decide ahead of time, before the persecution comes to avoid rationalizing why we can accept a little more private faith… really an invisible faith… because we want to protect our “success” or comfort.

Daniel stands as an excellent example. He was successful at his job. He was liked by the king. He not only stood to lose these things, but also he knew he faced the lion’s den. He prayed anyway. He could have closed his window perhaps or blocked it. He could have prayed when he knew no one would be around. He refused to change his prayer behavior because of outside pressure. He did not let “it’s illegal” become an excuse to stop praying to God or to hiding his relationship with God. Daniel was a man of great faith, whom I admire.

How many of us avoid praying or have almost no prayer time even with no persecution? How many of us just allow ourselves to get “too busy” for prayer? We let the daily concerns and activities of the world choke out our prayer life with YHWH.

I hope and pray I would do like Daniel, while admittedly hoping I never have to face a situation like that one. I have, however, made conscious choices to not hide my faith at work, even if that would be more easily accepted. I am increasing my prayer time and asking YHWH to help me truly enjoy and look forward to prayer time. I pray YHWH gives me courage and boldness to live for Him and I encourage you to do the same.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to enjoy and look forward to prayer time , worship, and quiet time with You. Grant me courage and boldness to live publicly for You and help me be a light to others to lead them to You. Please also help my family, and my brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe that they would be bold for Christ and let their light shine, even if it results in persecution. Please raise up the righteous and defend them. Please defeat the plans of the wicked and remove them from power. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Patience, Humility, Interceding for Others, Learning To Pray Effectively, Love, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Persecution / Glorifying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Protector / Deliverer, Thankfulness

O My God, In You I Trust

Psalm 25 is an inspiring prayer for protection, guidance, and pardon. Don’t just read it, but pray it before almighty God with a genuine heart.

1To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

2O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.

3Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

4Make me know Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.

5Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.

6Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from of old.

7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.

8Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.

9He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.

10All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

11For Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

12Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

13His soul will abide in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.

14The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.

15My eyes are continually toward the LORD,
For He will pluck my feet out of the net.

16Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.

17The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.

18Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.

19Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.

20Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.

21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.

22Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.

Share this prayer with others you care about!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively, Salvation, Satan, Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare – the Battle Is Real

The most basic rule of warfare is perhaps that if you don’t realize or accept there is an enemy moving against you, you will most probably lose. If you don’t fight back with an effective strategy, you will lose even if you take on the enemy. If you don’t properly identify your enemy, you will develop the wrong strategy.

In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul provides us important guidance about the reality of spiritual warfare. Too often Christians dismiss spiritual warfare and focus only on the things we can see and touch. This leaves us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. If we do not recognize the true enemy, we will struggle to win against him.

Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Some key points upon which to reflect:

  • Our strength comes from the Lord, not ourselves
  • The devil is real and he has strategies he uses to lie, cheat and destroy. He will use more than one strategy against us.
  • Warfare does not always take place in physical world, sometimes it is in the spiritual world. Consider the book of Job.
  • Just putting on one or two pieces of the armor of God is not enough, we need to put on all of them.
  • Prayer and a relationship with Jesus is necessary! Jesus tells us to pray daily and to pray specifically to not let us yield to temptation, and to be rescued from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13
  • We are to stay alert and pray for others in addition to ourselves. Pray for those preach the gospel that they would preach boldly!

Let’s explore what it really means to put on the full armor of God.

Truth can simply be defined as the real facts about something. Surprisingly the world today proposes that truth is relative when it comes to God or how we live… “True for you but not for me”, etc. This is no more accurate than saying “If I do not believe in gravity, I will not fall off a ladder.” Gravity is true whether or not I believe in or accept it. God lovingly and in great detail shares truth in the Bible and reveals it in the world around us. There is absolute truth.

Righteousness is characterized by living consistently with God’s standards of morality, justice, virtue, etc. As God’s standard is Himself, it is a lofty bar. We will never achieve it to perfection but He is the standard and reference point none the less. We should keep our eyes on Jesus and seek help from the Holy Spirit to keep changing to be more like Him.

The peace that comes from knowing the good news is not a promise that we will avoid conflicts and trials, but rather an affirmation that when we have relationship with Jesus Christ we know He is with us in this life and that we have eternal life on the other side of this world. We can have peace through the mightiest storms.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1. In this context Paul reminds us that we must trust in God even when we are under attack by Satan. Just because we can not recognize how God is working in the situation does not mean that He is not there. We can be confident He is with us.

Salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequence, which is death. It is not enough to know or acknowledge Jesus Christ. Even Satan and his demons do that. By asking and accepting Jesus into our lives and repenting from our sinful ways we receive salvation through grace.

The sword of the spirit, or word of God, is what Jesus Himself used to defeat Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11. We must know the word of God before the attack comes just as a soldier must train and be prepared before he goes to battle.

To be effective we must understand and use all of this equipment daily. It ceases to become “something we do” and becomes “how we do everything” in our lives.

Remember to heed Paul’s warning and guidance for prayer. The battle is not ours alone, but the Lord’s!

18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, help me focus on the real enemy, Satan, rather than thinking of others in the physical as my enemy. Thank You for Your guidance and power to resist him. Help us as Your people in the application of putting on the full armor as You instruct. Let not the enemy divide Your people, but rather bring us together to resist him and glorify Your name. Amen. 

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Learning To Pray Effectively, Obeying God, Seeking God, Thankfulness

Open Our Eyes That We May Behold the Wonderful Things of Your Law, O’ God

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is written originally in Hebrew in a literary style that begins one section after another, each with the next letter of the aleph bet (Hebrew alphabet). It is beautiful and passionate. It focuses on the law of God. It is only one place in scripture that speaks about the law of God, but it is a great place to start. Read and digest all that it claims about the law of God and then ask yourself, does describe the law as burdensome? difficult? harsh? or does it describe it as quite different than that? Does it describe something that we would want to be set free from? Is it bondage?

Take time and consider what was said about the law of God by New Testament writers like James. James calls on us to be doers of the word and then refers to the “perfect law, the law of liberty”. Those who abide by it will be blessed.

James 1:22-25

22But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Paul is often misunderstood by many who take scripture out of context to claim he taught against the law. In truth, he calls on the law as holy and righteous and good. He teaches against following the law for salvation. He does not teach against following the law once we are saved through Yeshua.

Romans 7:12

12So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Put aside what you think you know about the law from those who do not understand it and listen to how it is described by one who understood it well and loved our heavenly Father very deeply. Don’t worry for now about what is the full content of “the law” or if we can fully follow the law today, but instead let us just try to better understand if scripture reveals it to be burdensome or something else.

Pray that the Lord would open our eyes that we may behold the wonderful things of His law!

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let me not be led astray by the culture around me or the ways of man which have strayed far from Your ways according to Your word in the Bible. Help me to study Your word and seek a meaningful relationship with You. Help me test every teaching against Your word. Open my eyes to the wonderful ways of Your Law. Help me to delight in all of Your commandments, not just 10. Help me to understand how to apply your Law to my life today. 

Learn more…

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.