Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer to Know God’s Will for Your Life By Rachel-Claire Cockrell

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

2/13/2020

02/13/2020

A Prayer to Know God’s Will for Your Life
By Rachel-Claire Cockrell
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Whenever I want something so badly that I can’t trust my own heart, I ask God for a Brick Wall. We tend to seek God’s will in a way that implies we need to take action, but what if it’s inaction that puts us on the path God asks of us? Not all decisions are black or white, good or bad. Sometimes something that appears good can be placed in front of us, but not all good things are part of God’s plan for our lives.
Let me be clear, there is no “magic prayer” that can keep us from making the wrong decision. I would also like to clarify that this is something that helps me when I am faced with a decision and my own desires are preventing me from thinking clearly or even caring if what I want is in God’s plan for me.
God knows what he's doing. Sometimes I forget, but he has a plan. I struggle with figuring out what that plan is most of the time, but one step I will never leave out is the Brick Wall Prayer. God knows my heart. He knows what I desire. He wouldn't withhold something out of spite. He has plans to "prosper [me] and not to harm [me], to give [me] a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). I challenge you to take this prayer, mold it to fit your own life, and see how it changes your perspective.
The Brick Wall Prayer (A Prayer to Know God’s Will)
God, you know me better than I know myself. You know my fears and my desires. You know how much I want this. You know how much I will be devastated if this doesn't happen. I know you love me. I know you have a plan for me. Please, Lord, don't let my desires blind me to your will. If this is not within your plan for me, throw up a Brick Wall. Give me an obstacle I cannot get past. Help me follow your will, Father. Give me peace about whatever is to come. If this falls through, I will know it is your hand.
Thank you for loving me,
Amen.

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

Faith in Difficult Times 

Streams in the Desert 

The hill country shall be thine (Joshua 17:18, RV).

There is always room higher up. When the valleys are full of Canaanites, whose iron chariots withstand your progress, get up into the hills, occupy the upper spaces. If you can no longer work for God, pray for those who can. If you cannot move earth by your speech, you may move Heaven. If the development of life on the lower slopes is impossible, through limitations of service, the necessity of maintaining others, and such-like restrictions, let it break out toward the unseen, the eternal, the Divine.

Faith can fell forests. Even if the tribes had realized what treasures lay above them, they would hardly have dared to suppose it possible to rid the hills of their dense forest-growth. But as God indicated their task, He reminded them that they had power enough. The visions of things that seem impossible are presented to us, like these forest-covered steeps, not to mock us, but to incite us to spiritual exploits which would be impossible unless God had stored within us the great strength of His own indwelling.

Difficulty is sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys? Get away to the hills, live there; get honey out of the rock, and wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest.
--Daily Devotional Commentary

Got any rivers they say are uncrossable,
Got any mountains they say "can't tunnel through"?
We specialize in the wholly impossible,
Doing the things they say you can't do.
--Song of the Panama builders

Our Inseparable Relationship.........Dr. Charles Stanley

Our Inseparable Relationship

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 8:31-39

Far too many relationships in today's world are uncertain. Disunity is found in marriages, churches, and international alliances. Yet there's one relationship that is sure and permanent.

The Lord designed people for intimate fellowship with Him. His love toward each of us is evident throughout the Bible. In fact, there is nothing tangible, intangible, past, present, or future that can separate believers from the Father's love. John 10:14 draws a comparison between Jesus and a good shepherd—a man whose ultimate task is providing for and protecting the flock. Christ's character is one of passionate care for His people. First John 4:16 clearly states, "God is love." If we believe the Bible, then we cannot deny this fact about His nature.

We also see evidence of divine love through the Lord's gifts and actions. For example, He created us in His image (Gen. 1:26). He sent His only Son to die in our place, and He forgives us of our sin debt (1 Cor. 15:3). John 15:15 tells us that Christ calls us His friends—and what's more, when we trust in Jesus, God adopts us and considers us His children (Rom. 8:15). He even blesses us with an Intercessor and Helper—the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). The Word is clear: God loves us passionately.

The affection we experience in our families is only a glimpse of the great compassion and care that God has for you. Think about the people you treasure most. Imagine what you would be willing to do if they experienced a need. How much more will our heavenly Father be devoted to you!

Sweet Talk

Sweet Talk
ARLENE PELLICANE

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

My husband James and I would talk for hours when we were dating. But it wasn’t just any kind of talk; it was sweet talk. The most common words in our conversation included terms of endearment like Sweetheart, Sweetie, Love and Cutie. We were growing in love, constantly curious and considerate toward each other.

Now we’ve been married more than 21 years. I’ll be honest, we’re not as curious and considerate as we were in the dating days. Perhaps as someone becomes familiar over the years, it’s easy to think we know everything about them. 

We can stop trying to learn new things about each other.

We can stop talking sweetly.

And if we’re not careful, the sweet can turn sour.

Our key verse says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).

When the Apostle Paul cautions against unwholesome words, he uses a Greek term that describes an animal’s decaying body. Conversations that tear down and hurt are deadly and should be avoided by God’s people. These are gross words!

We can filter our words through today’s key verse. I’ve grown to realize I must ask myself, Do the words I speak build up or tear down?

As Proverbs 14:1 says, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down” (NIV). This doesn’t mean I talk about rainbows and sunshine all the time. But it does mean if I have something critical to share, it is constructive criticism — sharing words meant to heal, not hurt.

I want to choose words that encourage, exhort and impart grace — “according to their needs.” This entails being aware not only of my own needs, but others’ needs, too. It’s easy to say, “What have you done for me lately?” instead of, “What have I done for you lately?”

The first question is marked by selfishness. The second question is marked by service. I am working toward intentionally asking myself the second question.

Is your conversation with those closest to you marked by kindness or “snideness”? We can yell before thinking, overreact or simmer in silence. The trick is to make ugly words the exception, not the rule. Our words matter to God and to the people we have committed to love.

Do you see a bit of yourself in any of these descriptions? (I do!)

The Complaining Woman — “Janet’s husband always takes her out to nice places. I don’t have anyone to do that for me.”

The Nagging Woman — “I asked you to help me last week, and you haven’t even done anything.”

The Angry Woman — “Why do we always do what you want to do? You never listen to what I want!”

I know I need attitude and word choice adjustments on a regular basis. Following Ephesians 4:29 requires effort — it doesn’t just happen automatically for any of us. It means we’re on guard. It takes thought and energy, but the benefits of close and healthy relationships are totally worth it.

Let’s make plans for some sweet talk with our loved ones today.

Heavenly Father, I don’t want to grieve the Holy Spirit by speaking harshly to others. Forgive me for the things I have said which should have remained unsaid. Help me set a guard over my mouth and for the law of kindness to prevail. Bring a new closeness to my relationships. Thank You for the people You have brought into my life, including my family, husband and friends. Show me how to speak life, building up those around me today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Matthew 12:33-34, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (NIV)

Colossians 4:6, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (NIV)

A Prayer to Stand Firm in Spiritual Battle

A Prayer to Stand Firm in Spiritual Battle
By Debbie McDaniel

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:10-12

We face an enemy here in this life. It's more than what we can see before us. It's more than another person who we think has wronged us. It's more than our own struggles and weaknesses we deal with or the negative self-talk we sometimes battle.

This enemy is real and fierce, and will stop at nothing to try to bring you defeat and destruction. Maybe you've noticed too. Because if you're a believer who is living like salt and light in a dark world, you won't go for long without encountering obstacles and attacks he'll hurl your direction.  God's words are true, this battle is real, and intense.

If you're facing this today, please know you're not alone, neither are you left to fight alone. Many of us are in the battle with you, and God is the One who fights on behalf of His own, constantly shielding, protecting, strengthening, even when we're unaware. We never fight alone. He's with us. Always.

He's given us His words that are true and powerful, so that we'll have the wisdom to stand against the enemy. The reality of this powerful chapter is that Paul wrote these words while in chains, in prison. Yet the truth is - the enemy, no matter how vicious his schemes, can never chain our spirits that have been set free by Christ. Paul was not silenced by the cruel attacks from dark forces. Neither should we be.

We do not have to walk in fear. For when we belong to Christ, the enemy never has the final word.  We are secure in God's hands and He tells us to "stand firm." Whether in life, or in death, we may always be found standing firm for the cause of Christ.

Focusing here today, staying alert, and praying, that God will equip believers everywhere to "stand strong."

Press on – courageous and free – never held back by fear or defeat. 

For God has the final victory over our lives...

Dear God,

We thank you that you hold the victory over sin and death in this world. We thank you for your redemptive work you’ve done in our lives.  We thank you for freedom and the hope you bring.

Your word says to “stand our ground,” and that’s what we will do, in the power of your Name. The enemy has no control over us, and we bring your word of Truth as weapon against his schemes. We know that we do not fight alone, for you are constantly at work on behalf of your children, shielding, protecting, strengthening, exposing deeds of darkness, bringing to light what needs to be known, covering us from the cruel attacks we face even when we’re unaware.

 We ask that you would give us wisdom and discernment to recognize the schemes of the enemy in our lives and to stand strong against his work.

We ask that you would remind us to pray, constantly, for all believers.

We ask that you would help us to stay alert in a dark world that tries hard to make things look “not so bad.”

We ask that you would equip us to be salt and light, that we would be loving and gracious, yet unyielding to sin.

We ask that you help us to remember to put on your armor daily, for you give us all that we need to stand firm in this day.

We thank you that though you remind us in your word that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one, you are still far greater and we have overcome, because you have set us free.

We thank you for your truth, “no weapon formed that is formed against you will prosper,” and that you tell us this is our “heritage” in you, our inherited blessing, place of possession, and gift straight from your hand.

We love you Lord. We need you.  We stand together in your great and powerful Name.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Embrace God’s Strength in Parenting

Embrace God’s Strength in Parenting
By: Kristi Woods

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18 WEB)

Have you ever felt like the worst parent in the world? If so, you’re not alone. 

None of us are perfect, only Jesus is. But when we believe our shortcomings and messy situations label us as parenting failures, condemnation, often based on fear, infiltrates our minds. 

Lean in close and listen to the internal chatter. Does fear chime, “not good enough,” “you’ll damage your kids,” “I just can’t do it,” or some other bit of banter? If so, there’s good news. Perfect love casts out all fear. 

Forget being the worst parent in the world. Turn a deaf ear toward fear. God turns mistakes and weaknesses into beautiful stories of His glory with a four-letter word: love. 

We may struggle in our parenting skills, but we have a Father who leads us daily with love. And with Him, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) Our involvement includes simply offering ourselves to Him through prayer, forgiveness, with humility, and a need for wisdom. God hears our cry for help.

Think of Hannah, offering her child for God’s service, Moses’ mom, setting him in a basket, or Mary, mother of a child at whom many cast stones and the spittle of their mouth. All showed evidence of caring, and you do too. 

Circumstances may or may not have helped wave the “good parent flag” over these ladies—at least not at the time. But if we look down history’s road, we see women with hearts turned toward God, mothers walking in faith, and women who appear to have tried their best at parenting. 

And so that’s what we do: we try our best, and our best comes with God. 

Replace the words of condemnation or fear with truth-filled words of love. Gather three or four verses now in preparation for times when condemnation or fear hit. 

Our struggles offer opportunities to lean on God. May parenting be our reminder of our intense need for the love, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus. 

“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10 WEB)

May you and I be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might as we parent today, tomorrow, and beyond. Be encouraged, friend, as you sow seeds of faith in your children that will bear fruit in due time. 

Who Cares about Leviticus?

Who Cares about Leviticus?
by Katherine Britton

“You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” – Leviticus 20:26

Like most evangelicals, I haven’t devoted much time to parsing Leviticus. After all, we live under the new covenant ushered in by Christ’s death and resurrection, and we’re Gentiles to boot. Leviticus was written for a particular people at a particular time, and vast sections of the book have been demoted to historical curiosities at this point. The fledgling kingdom of Israel – really, a collection of tribes that had more in common with their pagan neighbors than today’s Christian enclave – were on the other side of history’s turning point. For this emerging nation the Lord dictated incredibly detailed ceremonial law that has since passed away, as we have a new and perfect high priest.

Still, the apostle Paul insists that “all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching” (2 Timothy 3:15). Remember, this is Paul speaking, the same apostle who vilified the Judaizers for insisting the law must be upheld in its minutae to achieve salvation, and who wrote that “no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law.” The resolution of the paradox might be a bit more apparent through the example of Park Street Church in Boston.

Pastor Daniel Harrell convinced 19 members of his congregation to join him in an experiment in “living Levitically,” despite the drastic changes they had to make in their daily living. The group grew out their beards, kept kosher, cleaned their homes meticulously, observed the Sabbath, and even stopped wearing clothes made from blended materials. One of the few exceptions to the experiment was animal sacrifice, as the group intended not to break any U.S. laws while observing the ceremonial ones.

The group found it absolutely impossible to obey every tenet. But the Park Street Church says that wasn’t the point. Seeing firsthand that they couldn’t perfectly fulfill the law, they realized the need for grace in a whole new way. As Romans 5:20 explains it, “The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

Could it be that, in ignoring Leviticus as a whole, we forget how awesome grace is? True, not every ceremonial law (washing your feet? Wearing blended materials?) is also a moral law. But God still told the Israelites to keep it as his law. Reading about the church’s example reminded me of a couple things:

First, God’s people are supposed to be set apart. The Israelites were supposed to look different, act different, worship different, and spend their time in different ways than the nations around them. It was an integral part of their calling as God’s people. The manifestations aren’t quite the same, but Christians have the same calling today.

Second, we aren’t set apart enough. As Park Street Church rediscovered, the law points out our insufficiencies. Even if the law were just a set of external rules, we still couldn’t keep them perfectly. We just can’t measure up to following the law or Christ’s example.

Third, only in Christ can we find rest from the law and a new identity that really sets us apart. The writer of Hebrews notes that the law is “only a shadow of the good things that are coming.” And yes, the law is a good thing – it makes us realize how much Christ had to atone for on our behalf. Not only that, God has adopted us as sons and daughters through Christ to really set us apart. And then he gives us the grace to live it. Sure, we’ll still fall, and that will remind us to run to grace. But the power of the law is gone through Christ.

Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, take time to read Hebrews 10  Notice how beautifully Christ not only supersedes the law, but fulfills all of its demands. That ought to inspire the worship that God desires more than the Israelites’ burnt offerings.