The Secret of God’s A.S.K. Principal

If any of you lacks wisdom he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Do you know and understand the secret of God’s A.S.K. principal?
Wisdom is that illusive quality we respect in others, especially in our leaders, and yet find so difficult to develop in our own lives. Solomon asked for it with a pure heart and God gave him great wisdom and also much, much more. God promises wisdom to those who truly, from their heart ask for it. But remember the secret of God’s A.S.K. principal;
Asking, seeking, and knocking. Or better yet, check out Proverbs 2:1-11. Wisdom is ours only if we seek it with all our heart and above all other possessions and if we value it above all other diversions. God longs to impart it, but there is something about wisdom that demands we value it before we can receive it.

MY PRAYER…
Heavenly Father, one who gives all good gifts, please continue to bless me with increased wisdom today and tomorrow and from this day forward. Let me reflect Your will and live for Your glory in all my decisions. Let Your Spirit guide my heart as I make my choices and have Your Holy Spirit lead me in all Your ways. I confess, Father, that I cannot guide my own steps without Your help. So grant me wisdom this day Lord to be able to know Your will for my life and follow Your will in all I do. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen

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Having the peace that passes all understanding

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Peace – wouldn’t it be wonderful to always have total peace in everything you did or said? Through Jesus, we can have true peace (shalom) – wellness in body, soul, and spirit. His relationships with others, His victory over sin, death and the grave ensures that we can have that peace, too! That is, if He is your Lord & Savior! So as we receive the Spirit of Christ into our hearts, we can live with our brothers and sisters, no matter how flawed we may be, in a state of peace and love. Peace that passes all understanding, peace that comes only from having a daily relationship with Jesus. Besides, as Paul changes metaphors on us in the last part of the verse, we are the Body of Christ and of course a body does not want to be at war with itself. So live in peace and love with others, and do so with thanksgiving in your hearts, getting our strength and peace from our relationship with God through Jesus our Lord! Because we know Christ Jesus is, “The Truth, The Way, and The Life.” There is no other way!

MY PRAYER…
Blessed Father of all believers, please help me to change my heart so that I can love Your people as You do. I know that as the character of Jesus permeates my life, I will appreciate the preciousness of each of Your children more and will come to see those difficult family members as the grit out of which You will fashion my pearl. I pray that You will continue to give me grace and peace until my heart matches my commitment to love all of Your children just as You love each of them. Through the Blood of Jesus I pray.
Amen

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Do you wait for or wait on the Lord?

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Many people read this and believe that it means they are to wait for the Lord to do something for them. They don’t discern the difference between ‘wait on’ and ‘wait for’. To wait on means that you are serving and taking care of, while wait for means that you are waiting for something to happen. See the difference there? Those that are waiting on the Lord are serving Him and in turn He will renew their strength. If you are waiting for Him, you will be waiting a long time because He is waiting until you to ‘wait on’ (serve with your whole heart and soul) Him. Wait on is a the accurate translation of the Hebrew and more clearly describes what the Lord is requiring here of His people. To those waiting ‘for’ the Lord enjoy the wait, it’ll be a long long wait.

MY PRAYER…
Father, I pray that the eyes of our understanding would opened and that the knowledge of your wisdom would be made clear to us. That your Word would come alive in our hearts and that we would know and understand your will for our lives. That we might be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Amen

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Let God do major surgery on your heart

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
How often do you let God do major surgery on your heart (your inner man, your spirit) as His Spirit uses the Word to encourage, judge, motivate, convict, instruct, and inspire? With such a great tool so readily at hand for most of us, let’s not let a day go by that we don’t let God use His word on hearts. We may not always like what He has to say through His Word, or through the ‘man of God’, or a friend, but did you always like what your natural father had to say? What He does, He does because He loves us. Is it time to let God show you that you must make amends to those you have offended or treated badly? Is it time for you to forgive, forget, and move on? Yes forget, for if you do not forget you have NOT forgiven.

MY PRAYER…
Almighty God, Your will is my heart’s desire. But I realize that I need to be fed more consistently by Your Word. You revealed Your Word in Scripture. You sent Your Word in the flesh, Your Word paid the price for me on Calvary. I realize that I need to read, to meditate, to speak , and to do Your Word more and more every day. Give me strength and consistency in my walk with You through Your Word. Through Your Holy Spirit, inspire me to change what needs to be changed and to be blessed and encouraged in the areas that I need it most. I turn to You and rely on and trust in Your Word to point me in the direction You have for my life. Through Jesus I pray.
Amen

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Who’s Side Are You On?

Seek (inquire for and require) good and not evil that you may live, and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate the evil and love the good and establish justice in the [court of the city’s] gate. It may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [the northern kingdom].
Amos 5:14-15 Amplified Bible

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Who’s Side Are You On? It’s not, is God on your side, but rather are you on God’s side? A whole bunch of folks claim that God is on their side, and He truly wants to be. In reality, what’s more important, is whether we are on God’s side, since God doesn’t take sides! He is No respecter of persons. Whether or not we are on God’s side is determined more by what we seek and do rather than what we say we believe. For the proof is in the doing not the saying! For what you seek and do truly reveals what you really believe, not what you are saying you believe. “For by their fruit shall you know them.” God longs to be with us, but He will not sacrifice His character to extend us cheap grace, a grace that does not call us to be like Him. He’s looking for believers who put their character, their actions and their lifestyle where their mouth is through what they do, not just what they say they believe. It’s easy to say you love God and are a Christian, but does your walk prove it? OR do you just go to church once in a while and pretend to be a Christian (Christ-like). He’s looking for people who will believe what He says in His Word and live the lifestyle everyday that He has described for us, not what we want, not what the world says we should do. Not with ungodly, immoral and unethical lifestyles, and not by condoning such behavior in others under the pretense of loving everyone, but with Godly character and lifestyle will you honor God. Do you live and walk the talk or just talk the talk? Talk is cheap!

MY PRAYER…
Most Holy God. Your righteousness and Holiness are beyond me and my ability to attain. Yet I long, Father, to be more like You in every way possible. Jesus told Philip, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father”. Let me see the presence of Jesus, and know that Your presence is with me as I seek You and Your character in my life. Through Jesus, my Righteousness, I pray.
Amen

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Following God Through His Son Jesus

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
Deuteronomy 13:4 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
Make sure that the voice you are following is God’s. There are many other voices sounding off in our minds and all around us in the world today. Do you know and heed God’s small still voice when you hear it? God has not called His people to be homosexual or lesbian, in fact He has said it is an abomination to Him! Even if you don’t do it but you condone it in others then you are an abomination to God also! Many are people wanting us to follow their lead and obey their voice (doctrines of men and the devil). Most of the time it’s the evil one himself trying to distract and deceive you from the ‘Plan of God’ for your life. But God has proved himself faithful and loving through the ages. Learn His voice and learn to follow it in all things [(John 10:27 KJV) My sheep hear
my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:]. We are to obey and keep his commandments, and we are to serve him and depend upon him in our daily lives, not the things of the world. Follow His example and treat everyone with love! Let His light shine forth through you.

MY PRAYER…
Holy and Righteous Father, help me to learn Your voice and to know Your voice from ALL others. Help me Father to take my praise and worship for You outside the church building and into my day to day life. That I may display in my everyday life the feelings I have for you, that others may know from my actions and feelings that You are foremost in my life. Help me Lord to let the love I have for You spill over on all who are around me, even those who try to be my enemies. Lord help me to love them also. In Jesus name I pray and ask this.
Amen

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Being humble, patient and gentle

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
“You mean I have to put up with that?” “You expect me to do what?” “Why, I could never do that!”
There are many folks in life who speak these things every day. No, the truth is “You get to!” You don’t have to. You get to make the choice to do these or not. Just as a grain of sand in an oyster works to form a beautiful pearl, a gem of great value, these traits are the grit out of which we get to allow God to fashion us as His pearl of life. These traits are the example that we as Christians want to pay attention to and be sure and we are doing. Our great and glorious example in this challenge is Jesus. Think of what he had to put up with in his 12 disciples, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, the Romans, and even Pontus. Remember how his patience and gentleness was tried and tested so often. And yet He always maintained His patience and His love for all. Can we dare to be or do less? Shouldn’t we ask our selves in every situation, “What Would Jesus Do?”

MY PRAYER…
Father, increase my strength and patience, that I may be as loving, gentle, and patient with others as You have been with me. Let Your Holy Spirit come and fill me fresh each day with the power and the grace and the love that I need for others.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

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Being Holy

Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15-16 New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…

“Holy” is one of those words we generally associate with the religious people (Pharisees & Sadducees) — a word only “religious church folks” (those who live under the Law – the Ten Commandments & Jewish Law) use. That may be true for them, but it’s not God’s definition of Holy. God’s definition of Holy is to be consecrated unto Him and to be made pure through Him. Holy is still a great concept though. Every kid knows that you don’t eat hot dogs and potato chips on Mom’s best china. Mom’s china is reserved for “special company” or “special occasions.” Or is it? Should it be? When God is calling us to be holy, He’s calling us to be like fine china — something special just for Him, and as Peter emphasizes, just like Him (JESUS). The Greek word translated here as holy could also have been translated: sacred, pure, blameless or better yet just consecrated unto God. God wants us to be set apart from the world – but also consecrated unto Him. God wants us to stand out as not being like the world around us, but different. Different in that we are like Him Holy and Righteous in the eyes of God regardless of what is going on around us. Different in that the light and love of God shines forth from us to those around us that we meet. That is what being Holy is about.

MY PRAYER…

Holy Lord, Almighty God , I come before You knowing how great the distance is between Your holiness and my commonness. But, I thank You for making me holy and righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus and by sending Your Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Please receive my life today as a holy offering to You. Empower me to become and live the righteousness of You. Through Jesus, the pioneer and perfector, the author and the finisher of my faith I pray.
Amen

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God’s Golden Rule

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this sums up the Law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12 New King James Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
The world calls this the “Golden Rule” – golden because it’s genuine, lasting, viable, valuable, and it’s from God! But it is really God’s rule given through His Holy Son Jesus and it is a spiritual law. A spiritual law is a law from God that will always be true no matter what! Imagine how different our world would be if we practiced this principle all the time – not just in our “church life”, not only on Sundays, but in our daily life with our family, with our coworkers and employer, with the people we manage, with the folks on the freeway and in the neighborhoods where we drive and the grocery & other stores where we shop. Toward the waiters and waitresses who serve us in the restaurants. Toward the countries of the world that we as a nation deal with everyday. What a wonderfully different world it would be if the “Golden Rule” were to be practiced always in all ways and at all times. I think I’ll start changing my world with it today! Why don’t you. Remember, What you sow is what you will reap! Also one of God’s spiritual laws.

MY PRAYER…
Generous Father, You have blessed me with so many rich and wonderful gifts. You have always given me love, even before I loved you. I understand why now, You wanted love in return. You gave love expecting to get love in return. One thing I still want You to know, Daddy, is that I especially appreciate the love You have bestowed upon me even though I didn’t deserve it, You gave it anyway. Father, help me to do the same with the people my life touches from this moment forward. Lord help me to share with them the love You have bestowed upon me. Work from within me Lord so that, that which I can not of my own-self do, I will do because You are at work in me.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

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Who Are You With?

In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Psalm 118:5-6 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE…
The past few years have been a trying time for many people of the world. Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, mass shootings, recent firestorms in California, Arizona, Washington, and other states. Until 2016 elections here in America an illegal president and a congress who blatantly ignored our Constitution and thought they are above the law, the threat of Socialism/Communism (liberal democrats!) in America, forced health care, the loss of jobs and income and all kinds of other happenings. Maybe it’s been that way for you or those you love. My prayer for you, and for them, is that they may know the comfort of God’s presence, His peace that passes all understanding. Whether it’s the popular little poem “Footprints” or the old familiar “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me,” the presence of the Lord and our trust in Him is absolutely vital to be able to stand up against our anguish! Remember the words from Psalm 91, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” The Lord longs to be with us, especially at those moments when we feel most alone. He told us that by experiencing it himself at the cross. He can only be with us IF we allow Him to be. Isn’t it time we bring God and His presence back into America? The way we experience His presence is for us to draw near to Him, through reading and meditating His Word, through prayer, and fasting, and through praise and Worship of Him. If you’ll take one step toward Him and trust in Him in everything, He’ll take two steps toward you! When you feel the world pressing in, then press in to God, step in to the shadow of the All Mighty and feel secure under His wings!

MY PRAYER…
I am thankful, Father God, that You refuse to be my God from a safe distance. Because You came and felt what it was like to be abandoned, forsaken, and alone, I know I can trust that I will never be forsaken by You. Please give me a clearer sense of Your presence with me in my life today. Lord as I draw near to You I know that You will draw near to me, You have promised me so in Your Word. Father, I ask that for everyone who reads this and makes a new effort to draw nearer to You that You will not only draw near to them, but that You will make Your presence known to them in a very special way for each one. This I pray in the mighty name of Jesus, my special friend.
Amen

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