The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.
I trust in You, Lord, at all times; I pour out my heart before You; God, You are a refuge for me. David strengthened himself in You, his God. You will surely visit me, and bring me . . . to the land of which You swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You had certainly seen the oppression of Your people in Egypt; You heard their groaning and came down to deliver them. You brought them out, after You had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. Not a word failed of any good thing which You, Lord God, had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. You who promised are faithful. Have You said, and will You not do it? Or have You spoken, and will You not make it good? Heaven and earth will pass away, but Your words will by no means pass away. The grass withers, the flower fades, but Your word, my God, stands forever. You are Promise Maker and Promise Keeper. Great is Your faithfulness, my God! GENESIS 21:1; PSALM 62:8; 1 SAMUEL 30:6; GENESIS 50:24; ACTS 7:34, 36; JOSHUA 21:45; HEBREWS 10:23; NUMBERS 23:19; MATTHEW 24:35; ISAIAH 40:8
Dr. David Jeremiah Life-changing Moments with God
In this prayer of and using Scripture do the first lines apply to you?
Can you confess and confidently say that it is true of you?
What I am beginning to like about this book is turning Scripture to prayer.
My life has been full of my thoughts and intentions in my prayers, it's becoming a welcome happiness to pray Scripture back to the Author and Perfecter of my faith.
The Church at large is not preaching and teaching the need for Salvation. They are looking to make sin look like a rose garden. They want people not to offend or be offensive to others in what they say they believe. Realize well THAT is what Jesus meant in Luke when He asked "Will the Son of Man find the faith when He returns?"
If your faith is seated in your feelings and emotions then it isn't faith. You own both and both are tainted by your sin nature.
Faith is looking to what isn't seen but is hoped for. Trusting in what Jesus did to make it happen. Living not for your good pleasure or your good fortune but for Him.
Are you more about success in this life than you are in living right in heart, soul, and mind before a Holy God?
The world indeed is a busy place. Satan is intentional about that. If ever you want proof, strive to simplify your life. You will be facing an uphill battle. It's identical to getting rid of a bad habit. You can't just not do that thing anymore, you must replace it with something that God wants of you and in you. An idle mind is the Devil's playground. You can strip your house and life to the bare walls in an outspoken declaration of getting right with God, but if you do not take the steps to fill that space with what God wants to be there, you will fail and you will return to old sinful familiar ways.
My life has my Wife, and I in it. In even that circle, Satan tries to get in. In my own so-called circle of daily responsibilities, I struggle with keeping God as a priority because work demands so much of my mind and body. Even persistent low level stress is going to disrupt peace.
The times when I am the most honest with Jesus are the times when it seems the most challenging things become simple. When I am the most honest with Jesus, He does things in me. When I admit to Him what I cannot do, when I ask Him to go where I cannot, and trust Him to do that, things happen. That's faith.
My prayer life is in a constant continuous improvement process. I will never arrive at the perfect prayer. But I can let go of more of me and let more of Him rule in my life.
If you cannot find a Church that isn't preaching the whole Bible, keep looking. Don't settle for warm feelings and well wishes. Don't settle for a good feeling which amounts to entertainment not worship. If Jesus, and He did, say that many will claim to have said and done a great many things in His name...He tells them to depart from Him for He never knew them....how careful should you be? Many isn't referring to a few. Remember He will be parsing out ALL mankind. Separating countless trillions and trillions of people, like the sands of the seashore. To His left and right. To those heading for the lake of fire and those heading for Heaven.
Be careful that your walk with Jesus is not something that amounts to a recreational attraction or attachment. You cannot be a fan of Christ. You must be a follower. You can't hold admiration for God but not obedience. The Jewish leaders all were fans of God. All who did not truly turn to Jesus for Salvation ended up in Hell. That's the Pharisees and Sadducees. Many hundreds of thousands or even millions of 'Priests' are in torment in Hell.
Many millions of so-called Church leaders, proclaimed Bishops, Deacons, Elders, Deaconess's, are in Hell ad well. Because they weren't truly saved. Just because you fit a job description doesn't mean that's what you are. In the 1990's there was a show called The Pretender. A science fiction show of a man who appeared to be just about anyone to satisfy the plot of the show. Please be sure of the Salvation you claim in Christ. Is there real fruit to be seen in you that says "Jesus is here"?
Jesus isn't an ideology.
Jesus isn't a person defined by mankind.
Jesus isn't to be ignored.
Jesus is the Savior of the world.
He's wanting to save you if you haven't already been. You must ask Him to.
You must also be ready for Him to come in and change your life for the better. To trust Him, to believe in Him. That He knows what's best for you and your impact on His Plan for others to be saved.
I highly recommend this book. It's becoming one of my favorites to read.
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