Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer for When You Don’t Measure Up By Renee Swope

A Prayer for When You Don’t Measure Up
By Renee Swope

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

1/17/2020

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

A Warrior's Prayer: How to Pray When Satan Attacks

• Dr. David Jeremiah
• The armor of God is what we use to defend ourselves when Satan attacks. It is the warrior’s uniform given to every Christian. It is composed of supernatural tools He has given us to contend with the rulers of this dark and imperfect world.
  Ephesians 6 lists them as the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, and the shoes of peace. Without these pieces we are sitting ducks—easy targets for the enemy’s attacks. A Christian sidelined by fear, distraction, temptations, unrepented sin, debilitating emotional pain, or frustration is a Christian who has forgotten to utilize his armor. So, what are we to do when spiritual warfare comes to us? The answer is found not only in Ephesians 6, along with the individual pieces of armor, but throughout the entire book of Ephesians as we learn the one component that powers our armor: prayer.

The Armor of the Believer

Before we go any further, let’s stop here and think about what the armor does for us. They are weapons, but what kind of weapons? The kind that will protect us on all sides? Truly physical weapons that will make the enemy materialize so we can defeat him? No, they are metaphorical and passive weapons, only meant to protect us defensively. Our armor does not protect us from behind; therefore, we are not meant to retreat. We are meant to stand. The armor is metaphorical, spiritual, because the battle being waged for our souls is happening in the spiritual realms beyond our physical eyes—

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:12-13). 

The Power of Jesus' Prayers on Our Behalf

It is the prayers of Jesus on our behalf that connect us to the battle-ready strength God offers us—our armor. In Romans 8, Paul tells us that Christ is risen from the dead and sitting at the right hand of God, making “intercession for us” (verse 34). It is by His prayers on our behalf that we come to surrender our lives to Him. And His prayers go even further in Ephesians 1 as Paul addresses the sanctification process, the process by which we are constantly growing and being transformed through prayer. Specifically, Paul is speaking of how we draw closer to Christ better by praying that He will reveal Himself to us—

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Ephesians 17-19).

But be warned: knowing God more will make you a target on the enemy’s radar. As I talk about in my new book, Overcomer, the only way to defend yourself is to put on your spiritual armor. 

Set Up for Battle

So, if our individual pieces of armor are passive and spiritual, how are we supposed to “put on” these weapons of spiritual warfare? How are we meant to defend ourselves and our faith?

The answer: prayer.

Prayer is our one offensive weapon. It is the tool we have that helps us know God better and grow closer to Him. Prayer also helps us get to know ourselves better, including our biggest struggles. These struggles are personalized, the very weapons the enemy uses as he attempts to defeat each of us forever. He wants to render us useless in the fight being waged beyond what our eyes can see. But God desires for us to use our defensive tool—prayer—to put on our armor and stand against the devil himself—not fight, only stand—while we allow God to fight at the front of the battle.

So, we know Christ is always praying for us and God is always protecting us as we come to know Him better. We also know others are praying for us just as Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians. What else is left? We have to pray for ourselves. We put on our armor by praying it on every day, and constantly returning to our safe place in His arms throughout our day. Occasionally it is brought to my attention that prayer is difficult; I agree, it has its difficult moments. But that is why I like to recite the Warrior’s Prayer, and I have written it below. I pray you read it, perhaps even memorize it, using it as a means of communication with our Savior, asking Him to put your armor on and stand against the wiles of the evil one.

The Warrior's Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
Your warrior prepares for battle.
Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on
the whole armor of God!

I put on the Girdle of Truth!
May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word so
I will not be a victim of Satan’s lies.

I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness!
May it guard my heart from evil so I will
remain pure and holy, protected under
the blood of Jesus Christ.

I put on the Shoes of Peace!
May I stand firm in the Good News of the
Gospel so Your peace will shine through me
and be a light to all I encounter.

I take the Shield of Faith!
May I be reader for Satan’s fiery darts of
doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not be
vulnerable to spiritual defeat.

I put on the Helmet of Salvation!
May I keep my mind focused on You so Satan
will not have a stronghold on my thoughts.

I take the Sword of the Spirit!
May the two-edged sword of Your Word
be ready in my hands so I can expose
the tempting words of Satan.

By faith your warrior has
put on the whole armor of God!
I am prepared to live this day in
spiritual victory! Amen.

The Transgender Debate

The Transgender Debate

Andrew T. Walker

The transgender debate is becoming all-encompassing. Issues such as education, law, government, entertainment all fall in the crosshairs of the transgender debate, and our culture moves with such speed that working out how to respond seems overwhelming, if not impossible.

So here are five essential things for Christians to keep in mind as we think about and speak about transgenderism.

1. Disagreeing with transgenderism does not mean denying the pain of gender dysphoria.

There’s an enormous difference between the political aspects of the culture war surrounding transgenderism and the reality that there are precious persons who have genuine struggles with gender dysphoria — a condition where a person senses that their gender identity (how they feel about being male or female) may not align with their biological sex and experiences emotional distress as a result.

While we resist the attempt being made at a cultural and legal level to view gender as a matter of choice, we must also recognize that caught up in all this are deeply hurting people. Those who experience gender dysphoria are not necessarily trying to win a culture war. They need to know that (even while we may not agree with them) Christians love them, are there for them, are ready to listen to them and seek to understand the pain they are facing, and deeply desire what is best for them. Compassion and dignity for dysphoric individuals is not in tension with disagreeing with transgenderism as a social movement.

2. A man cannot become a woman and a woman cannot become a man.

The biggest claim of the transgender movement is that a man who thinks he’s a woman can really be a woman, and vice versa. You see this in many ways — from preferred pronouns, sex reassignment surgeries, and demands to use the restroom of perceived rather than given gender.

The problem is that this is a philosophical claim that is not true, and can never be true, in any way or form. A man’s chromosomes cannot be engineered into female chromosomes. Altering one’s appearance cosmetically or surgically cannot change the underlying reality of a person’s biological make-up. The psychology of the mind cannot override the facts of a person’s biological markers. The transgender revolution demands that we believe falsehoods about human nature. And truth and falsehood have never been a matter of majority vote, because we know that there is a Creator who has the authority to decide and state what is right and wrong.

3. The Bible supplies the framework for understanding the transgender revolution.

A Christian worldview informed by the Bible can fully explain why people experience feelings of gender dysphoria. The Christian worldview is one that acknowledges that creation has been disrupted and is not the way it once was, nor how it will eventually be in the New Creation (Genesis 3; Romans 8; Revelation 21). No part of our existence in the universe has been left undisturbed by sin’s effects. This means that the brokenness of creation reaches into every corner of our lives — even our minds and hearts. To the same degree, every human is made in God’s image. To differing degrees and in differing ways, every human struggles with the brokenness of our own bodies, desires, and thoughts. And to the same degree, every human can find their true identity by recognizing that the God who made them has also saved for them and will one day restore them.

So in this created-but-broken world, we understand that not all identities or feelings are to be accepted or fostered, because we are all guided by a mixture of good and broken desires. The great Bible story of Creation, Fall, and Redemption tells us that we should not be shocked that people experience desires that will not in fact bring about the wholeness they are seeking; and equally that we can never be self-righteous about how others struggle or sin.

4. The transgender debate questions whether men and women, moms and dads are really real.

If being a man or woman is determined by someone’s mind or will, it means that there’s no such thing as true maleness or femaleness. Both become just a construct based on cultural stereotypes. We would be unable to tell a young boy that he’s really a boy. We would be unable to tell a young girl that her father’s unique responses to her as a father is anything objective or real.

Erasing the biological significance of our maleness and femaleness destroys the script that God knit into human existence for how the sexes interact with one

5. Christians need both conviction AND compassion in the transgender debate.

The transgender debate is ripe with controversy. Holding a biblical conviction in this debate means that individuals will find themselves in disagreements with friends, families, and co-workers—and that, however we express ourselves, we will be accused of being haters, bigots, and worse.

At a time like this, Christians need the courage to defend a true vision for human flourishing based on the biblical understanding of being made in His image. We must avoid trite explanations or knee-jerk reactions, but we must continue to say that, since God made us, he gets the ultimate say in who we are.  We must put steel in our spines.

But all the conviction in the world won’t matter if we act or speak without compassion. Jesus did not aim to win debates. He sought to love people. So must we as his followers. As we ground our convictions in God’s unchanging, perfect, Word, we must speak with compassion in our hearts.

The Living God

The Living God

O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee? (Daniel 6:20).

How many times we find this expression in the Scriptures, and yet it is just this very thing that we are so prone to lose sight of. We know it is written "the living God"; but in our daily life there is scarcely anything we practically so much lose sight of as the fact that God is the living God; that He is now whatever He was three or four thousand years since; that He has the same sovereign power, the same saving love towards those who love and serve Him as ever He had and that He will do for them now what He did for others two, three, four thousand years ago, simply because He is the living God, the unchanging One. Oh, how therefore we should confide in Him, and in our darkest moments never lose sight of the fact that He is still and ever will be the living God!

Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you. An older brother who has known the Lord for forty-four years, who writes this, says to you for your encouragement that He has never failed him. In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me; but because I was enabled by His grace to trust Him He has always appeared for my help. I delight in speaking well of His name.
--George Mueller

Developing a Vibrant Faith

Developing a Vibrant Faith

Dr. Charles Stanley

Acts 9:1-16

The apostle Paul had a strong commitment to know and serve Jesus Christ. His passion and love for the Lord was obvious—Jesus was always central in his thinking, whether he was working as a tent maker, preaching to the crowd, or even sitting in chains at prison. What fueled his love for the Lord?

Paul's conversion experience on the Damascus Road was a motivating force in his life. Grateful for the gift of grace he had received at salvation, the apostle told many people about his encounter with the resurrected Christ and its impact on him. We, too, have a story to tell of God's mercy in saving us and of the new life we have in Him.

Paul's zeal also came from his firm conviction that the gospel message was true and available to everyone (John 3:16). On the cross, Jesus took all our sins—past, present, and future—upon Himself (1 Pet. 2:24). He suffered our punishment so that we might receive forgiveness and be brought into a right relationship with God. Through faith in Christ, we've been born again, and the indwelling Holy Spirit helps us every day (John 14:26). The more we understand what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, the greater will be our passion to share the gospel.

Developing a vibrant faith requires time and energy plus a commitment to obey God. Regularly studying the Bible will strengthen your beliefs and give you courage to speak. Caring about the spiritual welfare of others will move you into action. Do you have a passion to serve Jesus wherever He leads?

Knowing Where We Belong

Knowing Where We Belong
JASMINE WILLIAMS

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” 1 John 3:1 (NASB)

“I’m the blue one!”

“I’m the red one.”

“No, I’m the red one!”

This is the kind of conversation I overhear anytime my children are watching one of their favorite cartoons, and it certainly brings back memories. My brother, cousins and I used to do the same thing, often getting into heated arguments about who was which character. Oh, the joys of childhood.

Interestingly though, this longing for identification and wanting to see ourselves in someone else doesn’t stop at being a kid. I remember days in high school, and even college, when I wondered which crowd best fit me, which label most applied. Was I a cool kid? A nerd? One of the athletes? Maybe an odd mixture of all three?

In adulthood, it looks a little different, but it’s still the same. We find groups on social media that think like we do. We join organizations or clubs that validate our hobbies and give us a sense of belonging.

So when I hear my children quarreling about which cartoon character represents them, I’m reminded of how deeply our desire for identification is planted. Just as I do, they will one day ask who they are and where they belong. In our church circles and around Christian friends, identification comes naturally for some, but in other places, that’s not always the case.

Perhaps at work, amongst extended family, or at a neighbor’s party, we feel that awkward pressure of wanting to fit in. We spend more time wondering rather than remembering who God already says we are. Our key verse, 1 John 3:1, says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”

Scripture explains so much! God already gave us an identity. He calls us His children, and anyone who doesn’t know Him won’t really understand His people. No wonder I often feel misunderstood, as if I’m on the outside looking into a room full of people who just don’t get me.

I suppose that’s how Jesus felt many days, doing the will of His Father while being misunderstood by almost everyone around Him. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (NASB).

Jesus can relate. He gets it. He gets us! We don’t have to search for ourselves in anyone else but Him. We don’t have to question whether or not we fit in because we’re part of the most amazing family that ever existed! God calls us His children. He has given us promises with immeasurable worth, and our heavenly Dad doesn’t lie. He will do all He’s said He will do.

In every endeavor, big or small, we can trust His heart for us. We never have to worry about belonging when we know where we belong. Our home, identity and purpose are in Him. Grabbing a hold of this sooner would’ve saved me a lot of worries in high school and college.

So, the next time I hear my children going back and forth about which TV character they are, I’ll gently remind them they are children of God, planting seeds to reassure their future adult selves they already have an identity. God calls them His own, just like He does you and me.

Dear God, I’m so grateful You’ve claimed me as Your child. Thank You for always pursuing me, even when I forget where I belong. Please help me to remember I am Yours, my identity is in You, and I will receive all You have in store for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Ephesians 1:4-6, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (NIV)

Genesis 1:27, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (NASB)

Jesus Is the Only Way to God

Jesus Is the Only Way to God
By Lynette Kittle

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” – John 14:6

Are you being tolerant of other’s beliefs to the point of saying nothing? Not even sharing your testimony because you don’t want to offend anyone? Is the message of “tolerance” keeping you quiet?

If so, you may want to consider who is influencing your decision to remain silent.

A well-known biblical teacher recently quoted the phrase, “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.”

But Scripture states the importance of using words, as Romans 10:17 explains, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Words are essential to use in leading individuals to Salvation. 1 Peter 1:23 emphasizes it stating, “For you have been born again, not of perishable see, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Shutting up is the last thing Christians should be doing because if there are no words, there is no faith that comes from hearing, and consequently leads to no salvations.

Romans 10:14, explains the importance of speaking out, “How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

However, cultural pressure is pushing Christians to keep silent on the most important life-and-death issue to ever face mankind. As Acts 4:12 stresses, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

If you’re waiting until you “feel” like it, take into consideration 1 Timothy 4:2’s urging to “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”

Instead of keeping quite, contemplate the eternal consequences of keeping tight lips when it comes to sharing the Gospel because Scripture assures, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

If you need motivation, think of how God is able to save completely those who come to Him through Jesus (Hebrews 7:25).

Like the blind man healed by Jesus asked, “Who is He sir? Tell me so that I may believe” (John 9:36), ask God to help you tell the Gospel to those around you, so they may believe, too.

A NEW YOU FOR THE NEW YEAR

A NEW YOU FOR THE NEW YEAR

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

When I was a kid, one of my favorite TV shows was The Six Million Dollar Man. Do you remember that show?  It was about an astronaut who nearly died in a terrible accident.  The government stepped in and replaced his crushed body with bionic parts. The show's opening said, "We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was.  Better … stronger … faster."

A NEW YOU!

Wouldn't it be cool if you could be better than you were last year? If you could be a better Christian … a better husband or wife … a better mom or dad or child … a better boss or employee? If you could be more loving, more joyful, more at peace, more considerate, more disciplined, and more effective at making a difference?

Is it really possible to experience a new you in the new year? YES! That is exactly what God wants for you this New Year.  God is in the life-transformation business.  He has a plan and program to change your life and make you more like Him in the way you act and react.

WHAT'S THE PLAN?

Although Paul was arguably the strongest Christian who ever lived, he had a great desire in his heart to be "better, stronger, and faster." He wanted to grow in His relationship with Christ. He wanted to be changed "from glory to glory." In Philippians 3, Paul shared an important action plan that made a difference for him and will for you also. The action plan has two key steps.

1. Forget what lies behind.

A. Have you been hurt in the past? Have people said bad things about you and done bad things to you?  Join the club.  We all have had bad things happen to us in the past. The difference between winners and losers is this: winners let the pain from the past go. They forget it.  Losers hold on to it. God says LET IT GO. Give those hurts to me so you can move on down the road.

B. Have you blown it in the past? Do you have major sins and failures in your past history that keep you feeling like a second-class citizen in the Kingdom of God? I don't care if you are guilty of mass murder; your sins, no matter how heinous, are no match for the blood of Jesus Christ!  Confess all those sins to God.  Get them out from the shadows of your heart and under the cleansing power of the blood of His cross. And once you confess that sin to God and turn from that sin, accept His complete and total forgiveness. "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy" (Acts 10:15).

2. Reach forward to what lies ahead.

God does not want us to live looking in the rear view mirror. He wants us to press on in Jesus' name.  He wants us to put our eyes on Jesus and seek Him with all our hearts. He wants us to keep going, even when the way is hard.

Have you been tempted to throw in the towel? Have you gotten knocked down and have yet to get up? The time is now to dust off the difficulties of the past and get back in the race. Press on toward the goal, toward the prize of pleasing the Lord and hearing Him say one day as you cross the finish line, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

It's a new year. God wants there to be a new you. It is within reach. It is His will and desire for you. Will you let go of the past? Will you get up from your fall? Will you go for the prize with all your heart?

Love, 

Pastor Jeff Schreve,