Add a Comment

Comment by russ allen on February 19, 2009 at 7:28am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Alot of people on my mind today. Do you do that? Wake up thinking about someone or they just pop in your head? Sometimes it's people you haven't seen for years and sometimes it's the people closest to you. Sometimes it's people we just talked to and sometimes it's God prompting you to pray for them. Know what we should do? Lift them up. Pray for them. When the Word says to pray without ceasing, this is one thing it is referring to. Don't ever hesitate, on the spot, to pray for someone. A simple "Lord help them" works as well as formal prayer. Sometimes, like when driving, knee prayers are not practical.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
NIV

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
NIV

Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
NIV

Romans 12:9-13
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
NIV

See a theme here? Be of good cheer even in adversity because we know God hears us and will provide when the time is right. Remember our timing in rarely Gods and as humans we have difficulty accepting that. Make your requests known and listen and be ready to recognise what he gives.
Remember Andy Allan, pneumonia again...Ronnie McCord as he gets better...Ken and Steph that they keep healing and growing...Tony Terhune as she overcomes...

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your grace and love that we can come to you like children come and thank you for providing just the right stuff. Lord we trust you and ask you help us see your will and be accepting of it. Lord we lift those mentioned to you. Heal, fix, comfort any concerns they have. Lord we rest on your sovereignty and believe you will do what is best. Forgive us when we complain when it isn't our choice. We know you know best and know better that the world. Keep us mindful of the needs around us and put your words in our mouths, in Jesus name, amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:50 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 18, 2009 at 7:31am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Ever have that feeling of abandonment? Ever feel like God turned his back on you? Ever feel like your prayers fall on deaf ears? Well take heart my friends, you are not alone. This feeling is of course wrong but nether the less it is real sometimes. God never abandons his own, never turns away from those who seek him, always hears us when we pray. How do we know this when we can't seem to hear him? Stand on the Word of God and remember it through what seems like dry spells. Answers may not be what you expect or from the source you expect but we need to consider council with the Word of God and then we hear. Look at these and think a sec;

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
NIV

James 4:33
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
NIV

David spoke about this also but his focus was on God and not the need. That is where we all miss it sometimes.

Psalms 143:4-8
So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.
I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
NIV

Sound familiar? This type of longing and searching is normal for those who seek God's wisdom. Don't be discouraged when you don't hear quickly because he may just be saying," wait, wait for it! Here it comes!"

Heavenly Father,
Lord we ask you reveal your wisdom and paths for us. We feel like were alone and abandoned. We see in your Word that isn't the case but that feeling persists. Lord help us overcome and really know you are working and we are going to learn from this. Lord help us know your peace. Lord we lift those who are under pressure and feel like they are sinking. Help them know you are right there with them. Lord we lift Mattie to you, heal her wounds.Thank you for your love of us even though we don't deserve it, in Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:48 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 17, 2009 at 7:34am

Good morning! Our profession of faith is an acknowledgement of truth. The truth that we are not good enough nor can we be. Our profession of faith in Jesus admits to others as well as to God that we are relinquishing our hold on our life. How many of you did this and then lived for yourself? I did. It took years before I was finally corralled and had to look in the eyes of Jesus and hand over the reins of my life. How about you? How long did it take? Have you yet? Does this mean we have to pay for mistakes? Well on earth yep, because there are tangible consequences for tangible acts. But the Word teaches that once you accept the gift of salvation, nothing can separate us from God. I don't care what you've done the Word teaches that the only unpardonable sin is rejecting the messiah, Jesus. There's nothing in the Word of God that teaches anything else or any other way or any other method to get to God. This is not a dogmatic discussion or a denominational talk but simple truths that save us and then, and only then, are we free to approach the throne of God without fear of rejection because we are not "good enough". The worlds perception of what we church goers ought to be is scewed. We are redeemed, that's all. We fail and we stumble just like everyone else. We don't get better than someone else, but better than WE were. Our guide and measuring stick is Jesus, not other people. There will be rewards in heaven for the good we do but those do not determine whether we get there or not. Look at this and think.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
NIV

Ephesians 6:7-8
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
NIV

Galatians 6:7-10
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
NIV

Please keep all this in mind and rebuke the enemy so you can stand on these promises and not waver. Search the scriptures for answers. Ask questions and be wise about where your council comes from.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the grace you show us. Lord help us understand that we are yours and we don't have to keep paying for our sins, we are forgiven. Lord help us realize it is your life overcoming death that saves us. Your love that keeps us. Your awesome Word that teaches us. Lord we want to follow you and to be better than we were yesterday. Lord help us see needs and be wise to know what to do. Lord we love and worship your majesty, in your holy name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:48 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 16, 2009 at 7:49am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Long weekend! I'm struggling this morning with alot of thoughts and my brain hurts. There are a bunch of people hurting out there. When we are in trouble, remember:

1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. NIV

2 Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
NIV

Remember Alissa Thorton...Sandy Gruzesky...Ronnie McCord...Janene and Roger...Megan Wade...Kathy Allen

Heavenly Father,
We ask for healing for those mentioned. Touch them so they heal and they know you did it. Lord we lift all those we meet that we may shine for you and really help where they need help. Lord keep us focused on you. Lord we lift up those workers who have put in so much time these last few weeks. Give them strength, in Jesus name, amen
Posted by russ allen at 7:37 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 13, 2009 at 6:57am

Good morning! Read this and meditate. Savor every word.

Ephesians 2:1-10
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
NIV

Heavenly Father,
Lord open our eyes to these verses. Help us get the message and come to you on bended knee asking for your life to enter ours. Lord we seek your way even though we don't understand alot of things we accept that Jesus gave all because he loved us. Protect our minds from heresy and teach us the grace that we are able to enjoy. Lord we lift those who are sick and pray you heal them in such a miraculous way that your grace and power cannot be denied. Lord Kat, me, and all those who read this ask for your touch, in Jesus name, amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:45 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 12, 2009 at 5:56am

Good morning! Sick of being sick but oh well, could be worse! Man the winds were ferocious last night! Alot of thoughts run through our heads when nature's voice is heard. It also makes us think about things that we may not typically think about. Do you remember the scripture about the apostles and Jesus out to sea in a storm? The apostles were shaking with fear and Jesus was asleep! They woke him and;

Mark 4:39-40
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith ?"
NIV

Picture that, toss about in the water, everything wet, screaming wind and this guy speaks and all is cool. The men on the boat were amazed and quite puzzled,this being early in Jesus' ministry, and asked;

Mark 4:41
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
NIV

What kind of faith is this? How can this happen? Faith is being convinced that what you believe has already taken place. Faith is resting with the knowledge that our savior, Jesus, will do what he said he would do. Jesus said we would do greater things by faith. Look at this;

John 14:11-12
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
NIV

Did you see that? Greater things! Man! To have faith like that is hard to accept when we think fleshly but Jesus explained it further;

Luke 17:5-6
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith !"
He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
NIV

Does that mean we all are going to be tossing trees in the lake? No, the point is that faith in our God is so important in our life. The spoken Word, said with faith and in line with God's will is more powerful than we can imagine. Remember;

John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
NI

Psalms 18:30
As for God, his way is perfect;the word of the LORD is flawless.
NIV

The Word is faith. The Word increases our faith. The Word shows faith so we need to be in the Word as much as possible. Meditate on it. Pray for understanding and our faith grows so the maladies of this earth become not as bid a deal, still may suck but our faith shows us we will come out the other side stronger.
Remember Scarlett Perry's Dad...remember each other, be quick to forgive, wise with our tongues and faithful when all seems bleak...

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your Word and how it props us up when we feel low. Lord help us stay clear minded. Lord heal those enemies of the mind. Lord we stand on your Word over our lives. Heal those who need healing. Touch them so they know it is you who is in control. Lord help us stand firm when the enemy attacks, in Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 5:13 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 11, 2009 at 7:29am

Good morning! How are we faithing this fine day? Being aware of the source of temptation helps us overcome such things. For guys it's our eyes that tempt us. As visual beings we get tempted by the visions before us. You think the enemy knows this? Of course he does. We encounter it daily. For the gals, and this is a guys perception, they are enticed by romantic emotions and visions of, for lack of a better analogy, cerebral ecstasy. Guys are enticed by what's in front of them, gals seem to be enticed by how dreamy things should be. Point is that temptation, however or whatever it is haunts us often. How do we stand up to it? Recognising it and keeping God in the front of our minds is the key. No we don't walk around with clasped hands speaking in proverbs all the time, that's not realistic but we sure can train our mind to recognise temptation and be quick to turn away from it and to the Lord. Look at these scriptures;

Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
NIV

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
NIV

Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 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.
NIV

Get in the Word. The training of our minds is how we can resist the temptations of this world. God's wisdom is greater than any mans.
Remember Kathy...remember me...remember the families dealing with all the weather disasters...

Heavenly Father,
Help us to stand firm and not give into temptation. Help us recognise things that seem innocent but will harm us. Lord open up the scriptures that we see the truth of your ways. Lord we lift those up who are hurting for various reasons, touch them and let them know it is you who loves and cares for them, Lord we praise you in Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:47 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 10, 2009 at 7:30am

Great morning to you! Man it is good to be alive and in the Word! Have you ever felt like you were alone in the dark? Like God has turned his back on you? Have you been in his presence but now you can't seem to get back in that place? When we are determined to do things our own way, God sometimes lets us so we learn to rely on him. Like a Dad who lets his kid try something that he knows wont work because the kid has to find it out on his own. We have to be careful not to forget when we are in the dark what we were taught in the light. God will and is still with you. Paul spoke alot about these things and had great wisdom for us to hold onto. Here is some;

Romans 14:13-21
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
NIV

Our behavior is important for us as well as a witness for Christ. If for example, my having a glass of wine with dinner would cause my brother in Christ to stumble due to his problem with alcohol, I'm not going to do it because his faith's welfare is more important than the wine. Is the wine bad? No, in itself it is nothing but as a stumbling block it becomes bad. With this train of thought we can see that things taught by the Word apply to all we do. Being conscience of what God says to us when we study the living Word guides our minds during the dark times and keeps us mindful of lessons we learned so we are able to focus on Jesus instead of the woes that have befallen us. We will endure. We will come out the other side with a new outlook when we seek him first and let all the external stuff fall where it may.

Heavenly Father,
Lord we seek you and want your hand on our lives so we honor you. Lord help us quickly see the lessons your Word teaches and help us when we are in the times that we feel alone. Lord help us know you are always there and help us be quick to learn whatever we need to. Thank you Lord for being a personal God who cares about us individually. Lord we lift those who are laden with things they don't understand. Lift them out of their depression and maladies, in Jesus name Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:55 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 9, 2009 at 7:37am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Something to keep in mind is doing good things. Do we do them for accolades? Nope. Do we do them for received honors? No sir. Do we do good so everyone sees them? No ma'am. We do good things because it's the right thing to do. We do things as if everything is for Jesus because it is. Everything done in secret is seen by God. We didn't get away with anything just because no one knows about it. We also need to stay focused remembering that our lives are reflections of God. Do we spew bad thoughts all around? What purpose does that serve? We need to pray and work on doing right and good things as a course of constant behavior. Having trouble with some things? Take it to God, repent and fight the urge with help from the master. Don't give any reason for any bad reports to surface about you and when a true one does comes up, repent and don't repeat it. Remember this;

1 Peter 3:13-16
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. NIV

Remember Turley's friend Michelle and his business venture...remember Kat...remember me, sore throat...

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your Word that teaches us how to act. Lord help us keep a healthy attitude and outlook on everything. Help us be wise and strong to make choices that edify you. Lord help us not react to slander and junk that flies at us. We want to be holy and need your help and your peace. Lord help us seek you and move forward and not dwell on the past. in Jesus name, amen
Posted by russ allen at 7:08 AM

Comment by russ allen on February 6, 2009 at 7:43am

Good morning! How are we faithing? Alot of thoughts and alot of directions this could go today. I'm reminded when reading and hearing the Word where I have and do fall short. I'd bet you do too. I can see where danger of falling off to the side of the path of God could happen quite easily. Not the ceremonial part but the relationship part. I also realize that the ceremonial part helps us focus and watch for the pitfalls that lead off the path. The ceremonies themselves don't save but them as a tool to keep our eye on God is very useful and lead to the savior. Everyone can have 20-20 hindsight but what we should do is turn around with that sight after we've learned, go forward without forgetting thus we don't repeat it. The law of Moses is full of sins we are not to commit and how to atone for them. As men and women we couldn't follow it to the letter thus we were destined to die for payment. Jesus came to atone FOR US because God loved us and didn't want any to perish. He also gave us a choice, yes or no. Believe or not. The choice is ours.

Romans 3:19-26
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
NIV

This is something to think about because we all fall short and without grace, we are, well, lost.
Remember Marilyn Woodrum...Kat, blood pressure...the cowboy church that it reaches out and ignores the naysayers

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for all your wisdom we find in the Word. Lord help us live the Word, not just speak it. Help us truly seek you and live with courage even when we are criticized. Lord we stand on your promises. Lord we lift those mention to you you and ask a healing. Thank you God for allowing us the privilege of knowing you, in Jesus name, Amen
Posted by russ allen at 6:49 AM

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 98
• 99
• 100
• 101
• 102
• …
• 109
• Next ›
• Page