Be Calm - Jesus Always Answers Your Prayers
Have you ever faced a really tough time in your life and the frustration was multiplied, because it did not seem that Jesus was there for you? The disciples faced this very situation. Jesus told them to take their boat to sea while He stayed behind to pray. Suddenly a powerful storm came up. The terrified disciples faced it for several hours before Jesus, making a pretty dramatic entrance, showed up to comfort them. So, why didn't Jesus come to them right away?
Well, think about it this way. When we are going through storms, it's human nature for us to have the mindset that, "I've just got to work this out by myself!" The disciples knew Jesus was on land and probably assumed there really wasn't anything He could do anyway. But Christ was praying on the shore for the disciples as He saw the storm come up. And you should realize that Jesus is also hearing your prayers in the midst of your problems.
Know this: There is nothing in this world that is stronger than Jesus. The fact is that He doesn't always give us a perfect peace and calm at the very moment that we're pouring out our heart to Him; sometimes the calm comes later. He will bring us His peace in His timing. You can face life's difficulties with courage because Jesus promises that He will be with you.
It Will All Work Out
Ephesians 1:11 is a powerful verse with a vital lesson, In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined
according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.
Over the 30 years of my Christian life, I have come to have great confidence in God’s ability to work things out. No matter what is
going on or how obscured my understanding of a situation is, I believe God is always working things according to His great sovereign plan.
It is as if there is this giant tapestry that God is weaving, and my life is a part of it. I sometimes get caught up with the temporal
things and the stuff that is happening, but God reminds me, “Hey, nothing is taking Me by surprise. I’m weaving all of these things into
this great pattern. Your mistakes, the stuff that happens to you, it is all going to turn out alright!”
Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God? The thing you are embroiled in right now did not take God by surprise. He did not look at your situation and say, “Oh, no! I didn’t figure on that! Gabriel, do you have any suggestions? What are we going to do?”
I know that sometimes in my microscopic view of things I have said, “Lord, such and such has got to happen.” And God has replied, “Well, you don’t have the big picture.” Then, as time went on, God pulled the camera back, and I got the wide view, and I realized God was up to something very cool—totally apart from what I thought “had to happen.”
Whatever your situation, you can rest assured that God has plans to work things out. God is working all things after the counsel of His
own will. So relax! Even if your present circumstances have totally taken you by surprise, God saw it coming and made provision far ahead of time.
Stay the Course because God is Faithful to His Promises - Day 1
The Road to Perfect and Complete
I want us to focus our attention today on James 1:2-4, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
What I want to look at today is how God seeks to bring us to maturity by building patience into our lives. If there is one thing I have learned in my Christian walk, it is that God is not in as much of a hurry as I am!
Now, what is patience? Patience is the long-lasting quality of your faith. If you let go of your patience, your faith falls to the floor.
The end result God is looking for is that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The word perfect here means mature. God is developing maturity in us by working on our patience.
I have a dear friend who has a great church. They endeavored to build another building on their property and it ended up being a major undertaking. In fact, it turned out to be the most difficult thing he had ever done. I mean, it took a strip out of his hide.
Eventually it got built, but you know what my friend says about it? He says, “You see that building? I didn’t build that building. It built me.”
Going through those trials, facing those difficulties, having his faith tested, having to trust God when it seemed like there was a lack of finances, having to hold onto God’s Word when he was a laughing stock with some people, all of that built character in him as he stood the test.
I have a question for you: Has anything been building you lately? If so, rejoice, because God is working maturity in you!
Your Prayers Have Power
If you have taken on the name of Christ, you have clout with the most powerful being in the universe. When you speak, God listens. When you pray, heaven takes note. Jesus said, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action” (Matthew 18:19 MSG). Your prayers impact the actions of God.
Consider Elijah. He lived during a dark time in Israel’s history when the evil king Ahab went after idols and worshiped the pagan god Baal. Elijah called for a showdown: the true God of Israel against the false god of the pagans. Elijah was confident in his attack against the prophets of Baal on behalf of Jehovah, the God of Israel. Why? Because he had prayed.
In this showdown, the one who answered the challenge and sent fire from heaven would be declared the true God. So the prophets of Baal prayed, pleaded, and cut themselves with fervent devotion. But there was no answer. Elijah taunted them, and then took his turn.
Elijah prayed in confidence to the true God, asking Him to answer in a way that would show the people He was the only Lord and that He was turning the hearts of His people back to Him. He left the rest in God’s hands . . . and God answered immediately with fire from heaven!
God delighted in hearing Elijah’s prayer. Nine centuries later, James used the prayers of Elijah as a model: “When a believing person prays, great things happen. Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed again, and the rain came down from the sky, and the land produced crops again” (James 5:16–18 NCV).
God delights in hearing your prayers. But why? Why would your prayers matter? Why would God listen to your ideas? Simple. Your prayers matter to God because you matter to God. You aren’t just anybody . . . you are His child.
Will God do what you ask? Perhaps. Or perhaps He will do more than you imagined. He knows what is best. Regardless, stand firm on this promise: “When a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16 NCV).
You are never without hope, because you are never without prayer. You may find yourself in an impossible situation. You may feel outnumbered and outmaneuvered. You may want to quit. But for such times, memorize this promise and ask God to bring it to your mind.
Prayer is not the last resort—it is the first step. God has power you’ve never seen and strength you’ve never known. He delighted in Elijah’s prayer and answered it. He delights in you, and He will answer your prayers as well.
Respond
How would you describe your conversations with God? How can the truth of James 5:16 impact the way you talk to God?
Why can it be difficult to trust God to answer your prayers? How does confidence that God will do what is best help you trust His answers?
What person in your life would you like to witness having his heart turned back to God? What great things will you pray for God to do in that person’s life?
Unshakable Hope - Max Lucado, Day 2
Romans 8:17 - Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 2 Corinthians 2:9 - However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”, the things God has prepared for those who love him. Joshua 24:28 - Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.
You Are an Heir of God
Let’s talk about your inheritance for a minute. For indeed, you have been promised one. You are a child of God. You have everything you need to be everything God desires. Divine resources have been deposited in you.
Need more patience? It’s yours. Need more joy? Ask for it. Running low on wisdom? God has plenty. Put in your order. Your father is rich! As Paul writes, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT).
Your imagination is too timid to understand God’s dream for you. He stands with you on the eastern side of the Jordan River. He gestures at the expanse of Canaan. And He tells you what He told Joshua: “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6), because this is your inheritance.
All Joshua and the people had to do was trust God’s promise. And Joshua trusted . . . but they didn’t. It was a bad decision with a forty-year probation penalty. God left His people to wander in the wilderness for a generation. Upon Moses’ death, Joshua then became the leader of that generation. God reissued the promised land offer to Joshua.
We typically think of Joshua as taking the land. It’s more precise to think of Joshua as taking God at His word. Joshua took the land, for sure. But he did so because he trusted God’s promise. The great accomplishment of the Hebrew people was this: they lived out of their inheritance. In fact, the story ends with this declaration: “Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance” (Joshua 24:28).
What if you did the same? What if you choose your inheritance rather than cower to your fears and circumstances? Will all your challenges disappear? They didn’t for Joshua. But he knew more victory than defeat. So can you.
You share in the same inheritance as Christ! Your portion isn’t a pittance. Your portion is Jesus’ portion! Whatever He has, you have! People of the promise believe in the abundance of supernatural resources. And don’t we need them? Are we not prone to depletions?
How often do you find yourself thinking, “I’m out of solutions,” or, “there’s no way this will work,” or, “I can’t fix this”? Understand your place in the family. You come to God not as a stranger but as an heir to the promise. You approach God’s throne not as an interloper but as a child in whom the Spirit of God dwells. You are an heir with Christ of God’s estate. He will provide what you need to face the challenges of life.
So trust God’s great promises. Choose hope, not despair. You are a new person . . . live like one!
Respond
What circumstances in your life make it difficult for you to see yourself as a child of God?
When I sin, consciously, especially knowing that it is wrong and still do it - getting angry (road rage - not outwardly like I used to, but still get worked up; short-tempered - no patience with stupid people or situations where common sense has left the building); worry/anxiety - what does the future hold, am I able to manage financially, Sachi and my health; fear - similar to worry/anxiety, include failure/failing - as a husband, father, son, brother, business person, friend, and servant; lust/desire/greed - financially-motivated where I want more and though I say I am happy with what I have, I still look around and wish for more;
What choices do you need to make to change your perspective?
Seeing how much God loves us, loves me, unconditionally, always reminding us to come back to Him, to seek after Him, develop a deeper, meaningful relationship with Him through our Lord and Savior, Jesus. To be able to block off negative thinking, attitudes that tear down and not build up, eliminating resentment for past failures and what-if scenarios. Choose to be engaging, serving, to focus on others ahead of myself and remember that my life is not my own.
How would you describe Joshua’s faith? What have you learned from his example that encourages you to trust God’s promises?
He wasn’t perfect, encountered struggles and difficulties, yet he pressed on and trusted that God would see him through difficult, likely dark days, and that even when no one else was with him, he knew and trusted that God was. No matter how challenging life is or becomes, am I grounded in the promises and word of God as Joshua was? Can I ask God whatever is on my minds without fear He will strike me down or that He stops loving me and my family. The unshakable faith that does move mountains into the sea.
How can prayer help you to better rely on God’s resources to live out your inheritance?
Knowing what God has done for my family and I all my life, showing us unconditional love, mercy, favor, blessings, everything I should be grateful for. Need the constant reminder and connection with Him that I/we are not alone and that, if I/we truly trust, all will be taken care of not only in this life, but also when the Lord returns. Only need to accept this and believe it will come to pass. Sometimes I struggle with this, but I have never abandoned the knowledge of the Lord coming back again and He will reward us. Daily in prayer I ask for help with a bunch of stuff. Sometimes I just turn to our Heavenly Father to thank Him for what I do have. That’s the perspective I need to keep and have so my heart will stay full and gratitude will be on my lips.
Prayer
Father God, thank you that we can come to you in all situations - both difficult and when things are going well. May our hope never be shaken, my our lives be lived out to honor and glorify you, and help us to reach others that they may, too, know the true riches in Christ Jesus, now and when we return back to you. In your son’s mighty and glorious name, amen!
Shame
Genesis 2:25 - Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame
Genesis 3:10-11 - 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
1 Corinthians 15:34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
Philippians 3:19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
Redemption
Romans 10:9-11 - 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”*
*Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 55“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:20-21 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Titus 2:11-15 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Selfishness, pride, greed, etc - listening to what others have to say vs. knowing what God tells me who I am through the Bible. More than not, my own desires took hold over what I knew was right. How is it that time and time again, I chose to do what I shouldn’t in order to gain satisfaction for a little time.
Knowing the difference between good and evil; of all the things that God had provided for me, given to me, of all the choices He allowed me to make, I lost focus - taking my eyes off of what I know what was right for the temporary satisfaction of what wasn’t.
Fast forward to where I am today, I don’t have to hang my head down in disappointment that I am not loved, I am not worthy, I am not going to amount to much, I cannot be used by God because of my past. When you do no the redemptive love and mercy (forgiveness) how can you ever want anything else. Why would you settle for anything less than what God wants for your life.
Trust Through The Trials
Ryan Meadows - @TrustChristBro
August 5, 2020
Romans 8:18 (NIV) I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Genesis 22:9-13 (NIV) 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
When we revisit James 1:2-4, we see that the first thing the passage teaches us is to consider the trials joy. Why? Simply put, we must go through trials to grow. It only makes sense that to become mature and complete in our faith, we must go through moments that check our faith, right? If nothing tested our faith, how would we strengthen it? The simple reality is this – God wants to work through each person reading this. He has incredible plans for YOU. Your trials are part of the path that leads to God’s promises. And to be used by God in incredible ways, He must know that you are committed - even on the bad days. For example, Abraham was called to sacrifice his own son (I would imagine that’s a trial to say the least), but after his display of commitment and obedience to God, a ram was provided to be sacrificed instead (Genesis 22). And please don’t confuse commitment with perfection. God uses imperfect people every day. I’m not at all saying you must be perfect. But how much more could we be used for the Kingdom of God if we were simply committed?
Here’s the thing about trials - not every trial sends me to rock bottom, but every time I’m at rock bottom it’s because of a trial. But sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom in order for Jesus to show you He is the rock at the bottom. He is the cornerstone. He is the foundation. And when you build your life on Him then nothing can be shaken.
Challenge Today: Consider your trials joy. Think about what God is trying to teach you. Think about what He is preparing you for. Think about the prayers you have been praying. If you have dreams for expanding God’s Kingdom, then you must realize the road will be bumpy, but it will also be blessed. Every person that was used by God in the Bible had many trials to overcome, even Jesus Himself.
Prayer Today: God, help me to consider the trials in my life as nothing but joy. Help me to use them as an opportunity to draw even closer to you. Help me to understand what You are trying to teach me through these trials, and help me to realize that they are necessary if I want to become mature and complete in my faith. God, I want to be used for your glory, I know that means trials are inevitable, so help me to walk through each one faithfully committed to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.