Pray Your Way Through Life

  1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11   Have you ever heard the refrain, "Why is God punishing me?" Yes, religious people can suffer. The fourth chapter of 1 Peter provides a different perspective on suffering.   [Peter is recognized as the author of 1 Peter, and he names himself "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ." However, there are claims that this book is a work of Peter's followers in Rome between 70-100 AD.] The common belief two thousand years ago theorized suffering was a sign that God was angry with the individual suffering hardship. Instead, 1 Peter encourages Christians suffering insults and scorn for following Christ to rejoice and sing praises as they are truly blessed. That God genuinely loves His faithful and their suffering was a sign His spirit rested upon them. "But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are ...

  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.   Matthew 6:33     Brett's story:  Having been raised in church, and thinking I knew the Lord at an early  age.  I  really  can’t  remember a time I did not know Him as God, but not as my God .    During and after High school I ran with the wrong crowd, experimenting with drugs and alcohol to the point that I got high on something every day .   One night I had partied with a friend until 2:00am, I was driving under great influence on the way home. The steering of my car broke while traveling at a high rate of speed .    When I realized what was happening, I was on the straightest section of the highway, and was able to stop my car in the middle of the road, drift  off the  highway, and park  on the shoulder .  I asked myself - Did God just do...

  Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up  that which is  planted;  3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Men have now tried “The Grecian Formula” to “turn back the clock” on the aging process for two generations.   From the top of the head to the bottom of the feet, men have tried everything; elixirs to make hair grow back or dyes to cover the gray, creams to make your skin “come alive” and make age spots disappear, food supplements to grow testosterone and replace amino acids, pills to reduce your prostate and increase stamina to enhance sexual performance.   We drink fruit and vegetable smoothies that are laced with concoctions to enhance our physical stamina and extend our lives, to...

Someone once said, “ Prayer  provides  power ,  poise ,  peace , and  purpose .” William Arthur Ward (December 17, 1921–March 30, 1994), an American motivational writer said, “ Prayer  is the prelude to  peace , the prologue to  power , the preface to  purpose , and the pathway to perfection ”. In Matthew 18:18 , Jesus said: “Truly I say to you; whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in  heaven : and  whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven ” .   In Matthew 16:19. He said: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever  thou  shalt bind on earth shall be  bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven ” .   Many of us are familiar with the concept of “binding and loosing demonic strongholds” as we pray over our lives, our loved ones, and others who have need of prayer.   While listening to a mess...

  Mountains and Gardens.   As we read the gospels, we see Jesus coming apart from the crowds to spend time alone praying…. communing with the Father. He often stated that He only said and did the things that He heard and saw from the Father.   The gospels tell us numerous times that He went “alone into the mountains to pray.” I’ve toured the land of Israel and stood looking upon the Jezreel valley from the precipice from which the angry mob threatened to throw down the Son of Man, stood amazed while gazing out from Mount Carmel, hiked the streams of En Gedi overlooking the Dead Sea. The views from these and other high places throughout the land are spectacular, and from any number of them you get a strange sense that you could see all of Israel laid out before you.   The Promised Land. I’ve walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, imagining myself walking in the footsteps of the greatest Rabbi to ever grace the face of this earth. I’ve reverently stroked the t...

Philippians 4:6-7 says: " Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus". Our son, Gabe, grew up playing sports and decided several years ago that he wanted to try and play golf as a college athlete. We have been blessed in such a way that he traveled and participated in junior golf events throughout the Southeast with some success.   Along the way, we talked about power of prayer and how it can help eliminate anxiety and pressure. As he started the recruiting process, we prayed for guidance that God would lead Gabe to an opportunity to pursue college golf as college recruiting can be brutal for those that are not highly ranked on the junior circuit. Of course, there are opportunities if young players are willing to look for them.   Missy and I noticed a change in Gabe regarding his ...

  Several months ago our pastor Patrick Friday shared in a sermon that you should never feel like prayer is the least you can do for someone in trying times, because if you have experienced the power of prayer, you know it is the most you can do.   If you have taken a casual approach to prayer, this may sound like a lot of “church talk,” but if you are living a consistent prayer life, you know it is an affirmation of truth experienced. I was one of those casual prayers for the first 46 years of my life, but beginning on February 25, 2009 (Ash Wednesday), I committed to a Lenten devotional of daily prayer, and have maintained a consistent, focused prayer life since.   I literally began keeping a prayer list with prayer petitions staying on the list for no less than 30 days, and thanksgiving praises for no less than seven.   At first it was mainly prayers for the needs of myself and others, but over time I learned prayer is broader and more powerful than that.  ...