Day: March 6, 2019

March 7, 2019

Psalm 91:1-2 Contemporary English Version

Today is the second day of our 40 Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Remember, Lent is a time of prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration as we draw closer to the heart of God.  Having a Kingdom heart is an attitude of surrender before our All-Powerful God. In our surrender, we seek the Kingdom of eternal life and fellowship with the loving Lord; we should wisely bring our lives under his care because nothing is impossible with God.

Whether we are aware of it or not, we all need a solid foundation for our lives.  Life brings along many unknowns which can threaten our faith, scatter our relationships, and unsettle our confident hope that we will find a place of safety for our hearts and lives again.  Many times our first response is to foolishly scurry and gain control of our unraveling circumstances, rather than seek the solid rock and fortress of the Lord to ask for help.  Nothing is too difficult for God; he is awesome in his love for his children.  From the beginning, humanity was created to live under the Lord’s care and protection; yet, thousands of years later humanity still chooses to exalt self-preservation and fail. 

Our God is All-Powerful (1 Cor 1:24).  There are two things to keep in mind when surrendering to the power of God and pressing in to ask for his will to manifest in our earthly lives.  First, God’s focus for us will be entirely consistent with his perfect character.  He will bring good things to pass and provide a righteous way for us to portray the attitude, wisdom, and heart of Christ, so we can live as Christ’s examples in a fallen world.  Second, as the All-Powerful, everything he desires to do in our lives can be carried out.  He will accomplish everything he sets out to do in our behalf.  As people watch our lives, they should be aware of the presence of the Lord with us.  

During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart.  P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield.  May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.

Read more

March 6, 2019

Joel 2:12-17 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Today is the first day of our 40 Day Lenten Series, “Praying for a Kingdom Heart.”  Lent is a perfect time for prayerful reflection, repentance, and restoration.  Authentic reflection calls for a shift in our perspective; to honestly evaluate how near we are to God. He hasn’t moved away from us, but perhaps we have moved away from him. The Lord must always have first place in our hearts; we are to have no other gods before him. Every day the enemy distracts us with “other gods” seeking to move God out of his rightful place in our lives. As well, we can bring along a stubborn will and flesh filled with lousy priorities, careless choices, and unbiblical lifestyles that try to usurp God’s authority to direct our paths. We must draw near to God in prayer and seek him with all of our hearts. No half-hearted measures will do. God desires to pour himself entirely into a relationship with us; so our response should be to give ourselves entirely to him in return.

Our passage today is from the Old Testament book of Joel; he served as a prophet of the Lord following the Babylonian captivity around 538BC. God’s people had allowed things to enter their lives; things that separated them from God.  The all-knowing God was waiting for his people to return.  Now, to avoid judgment, the people needed to embrace change. Prayer would bring that change. Joel told the people to place their hope for restoration in the Lord. Hope was possible because of God’s steadfast love and generous mercy. Joel called people to repent and encouraged them to ask the Lord for relief.  

As Joel called God’s people to pay attention to their lives; today, I call us to do the same. During Lent, we will be using the acronym P.R.A.Y. as we pray for a Kingdom Heart. P=praise, R=repent, A=ask, and Y=yield. May God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer today.  

Read more