Video Bible Lesson - Do You Have to Pray Just Right for God to Listen? By Betsy de Cruz

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

02/25/2020

Do You Have to Pray Just Right for God to Listen?
By Betsy de Cruz

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:12)
Do you ever feel like you have to pray just right, or it won’t work? Have you felt like your prayer wasn’t answered because you didn’t have enough faith or pray long enough? I’ve felt that way too. Maybe that’s because we make prayer too hard. So often, we make it all about us finding the perfect words and approach. We think we have to pray just right for God to hear and respond.
Yet Jesus reassured his disciples with these words: “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8).
Prayer isn’t a formula you have to get right.
God’s hearing our prayers doesn’t depend on our praying long enough or hitting upon the right phrases. Prayer is an invitation to come before our Heavenly Father who knows our needs and longs to hear our voices. God hears and responds to us because He is faithful and has compassion on His children.
My prayer life grows deeper when I take a few focused minutes to pray each morning like Jesus did (Mark 1:35). This gets me in the right frame of mind to keep praying later in the day. I’m learning that prayer can be simple and natural as breathing.
Prayer isn’t a ritual that depends on closing our eyes and putting on holy faces. We don’t have to kneel or sit. We can pray while walking, driving, or working. God responds to a two word cry for help in the middle of a busy afternoon, just like He does to a focused prayer time after reading Scripture in the morning. Praying doesn’t have to be complicated. God delights in any simple words we offer Him.
Prayer gives us the opportunity to relate to God.
As believers in Christ, we have an amazing privilege; our Heavenly Father invites us to talk to Him! We can read God’s Word and talk to Him in the morning to align our hearts with His at the start of the day, and we can also talk to Him as we go about our daily routines.
We may think we have to pray with fancy words, but prayer is just talking to God. Throughout the day, God longs to hear our simple prayers:
Thank you for this breakfast, Lord.
Help me stay calm in this traffic jam.
Lord, help me love this person right now.
God, will you show me what to do?
Lord, I love you. Be with me.
Goodnight, Lord.
So whatever your need today, friend, look to God. Don’t wait for the perfect time to sit down and pray. Don’t wait until you have the perfect words. Let’s lift our voices to God in the morning quiet, on the way to work, and while we walk the dog, make dinner, or go shopping. All it takes is a few words. Let’s turn our hearts towards God in prayer today. He longs to hear us.

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

The Call to Serve...........Dr. Charles Stanley

The Call to Serve

Dr. Charles Stanley

Philippians 2:7-9

When it comes to serving in the church, people rarely request positions where they will go unnoticed. They usually ask to be involved in a place of leadership.

Now, there is nothing wrong with heading a committee. But God calls us to have a servant's heart: He desires that our motive be to glorify Him, not ourselves.

Over the years, I've had many conversations with young men studying at seminary. Countless times, they share the desire to lead a sizable church. And those who are called to a small congregation frequently struggle with feelings of insignificance.

My encouragement to them is this: In His great love, God places us where He wants us to serve, and every task we undertake should be given our all, whether there's one person listening or a multitude. We ultimately serve Jesus, and He is not concerned with the recognition we receive. He desires our obedience and our best effort. This is true not just for pastors but for all believers.

There are many reasons the Lord calls us to serve. First, He rids us of pride and selfishness, allowing our focus to be on Him. Second, we proclaim our love for Christ through our care for one another. Third, God tests and purifies our hearts through service.

How do you define success? A common response is "achieving predetermined goals." Scripture's definition, however, is different. The Lord desires that we discover His plan, obey, and become all that He intended. In other words, for success in the biblical sense, God sets the goals.

The Key to Fighting Fear

The Key to Fighting Fear
KRISTEN WETHERELL

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3 (ESV)

I’ll never forget the sight of our first ultrasound images. Tears pooled in my eyes as I considered the delicacy of our baby’s sweet frame, and the precision of how our Creator had knit her together in my womb. My husband felt the same sense of awe.

Yet in the next breath: fear.

I would consider myself to be fearful by personality. A Type A perfectionist, I struggle when I’m not in control, when people disappoint and critique me, and when I fail. Then, there are those struggles with fear that come from pain and suffering in this broken world. But nothing — nothing — has come close to the fears that arose when I found out I was pregnant and after I caught sight of the precious life in my womb.

What would the future hold? Would our baby be born healthy and strong? Would I be safe in the process? What if we lost the baby? What if …?

Friends, the list of our “what ifs” is never-ending. So are the number of our fears. Perhaps you, like me, are terrified of what could unexpectedly happen to your kids, your husband or your loved ones. Maybe you’re afraid of what the doctor will report about your test results, or maybe you just lost your job and wonder how you’ll make ends meet. Maybe death haunts you — when it will come, how it will come, what it will mean for your eternity.

When it comes to fear, I’ve been immensely helped by Scripture, God’s very breathed-out Word that reveals who He is. In Psalm 56:3, King David writes, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Not if, but when, David says. He knows that fear is a stubborn, persistent enemy of the human heart; and he also knows that the only realistic and effective way to fight fear is to continually put his trust in God.

Now, “trusting God” sounds like a good and right thing to do — but if we’re honest, it can feel like an empty platitude. I just found out I have cancer. What do you mean trust God? We wonder in these cases if God is truly trustworthy, and if He is, then how are we supposed to trust Him when our fears loom and our faith fails?

What David says in Psalm 56:3 helps us because fighting our fears isn’t a one-and-done act, but a continual practice. Trusting God is the same: It doesn’t necessarily mean our fears vanish. It means we know where — and to whom — to go with them. Again and again.

We fight fear with an even greater fear: the fear of the Lord. Because God is good and in control, He is worthy of our reverence and awe. Not only this, but He has demonstrated His trustworthy character by sending His Son to rescue us from our greatest and most fearful plight: deserved punishment for our sin. And since Jesus rose from the dead — since He defeated the thing we should most fear — we can trust Him. When we are afraid, we can go to Him. We can ask Him for hope and help continually.

As we keep coming back to Jesus with our fears, He will increase as they decrease. And that’s the key to fighting fear: to know Jesus, trust Him, worship Him —fear Him.

Heavenly Father, You are worthy to be feared. Thank You for giving us Your Son. We are fearful women, and we want to put our trust in You. Help us to fear You and to keep coming back to You with our fears. Give us the power and perspective to fight fear by revealing Your trustworthy character to us and by growing us in our worship of You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 130:3-4, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O LORD, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” (ESV) 

Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (ESV)

A Prayer for Moms Who Struggle with Their Temper

A Prayer for Moms Who Struggle with Their Temper
By: Malinda Fuller

“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:8-9)

To the mom who just put herself in “time out” before 9 o’clock in the morning, and is sitting in a locked bathroom with her phone, you’re not alone.

To the mom who cried herself to sleep last night, and the night before, and the night before that with promises of “I'll do better tomorrow” and pains of regret, you’re not the only one.

To the mom who grew up with an abusive mom or a negligent mom and vowed that you would “do it better,” but feels like you’re on the same hamster wheel, know that all hope is not lost.

You’re not the only one who has snapped a sharp remark and before you noticed the tears in your daughter's eyes, you knew it that is was rude and hurtful.

Your struggle with anger, taming your tongue, and controlling your temper are not new battles for moms.

Unfortunately, shame has a tendency of moving in the day the newborn comes home. It stalks with whispers that lazy reactions equal a lousy mom, or that poor choices are the result of a pathetic mother. If these thoughts have gone from whispers to shouts of blame and torment, please take a breath, close your eyes and whisper this one name: Jesus.

For He came that you would never be alone. Not even in your darkest moments when the questions, anxiety and rage threaten to consume you. Even when it feels like nothing can penetrate the cycle of guilt and shame—He can.

He can reach into that moment, that day, and that situation, and bring peace and clarity. He can overwhelm your heart with love, kindness, and creative ideas for the struggles that you’re facing. He can speak life to the circumstances where there seems to be only death, and His grace can be enough to hold you through whatever trial you are enduring right now.

And here’s the best part: not only can He. He will. It is His promise to you today and your hope for tomorrow.

He is there to catch every tear that falls, hear every prayer you whisper, and hold every question that leaves you tossing in the night. He promises to cover you, shield you, protect you—to supply you with strength, love, and peace.

Jesus says He will never leave. No matter what you do. No matter how many times you mess up, cry out for help, and need His forgiveness. He gives it generously. He is not stingy. His grace is like His love: endlessly abundant.

So, the next time you are hiding upstairs in your room with toddlers screaming in the next room—or a defiant child locked in theirs—take a breath, speak His name, and remember that He is with you.

Please pray with me:

Father, give me eyes to see you and ears to hear you in the midst of my day. When challenges arise, give me the ability to step out of my emotions to deal with the situation in the best way. And when I make mistakes, give me the courage to ask others for forgiveness, and even more, to forgive myself. Remind me of your promises, of the fact that when you look at my beautiful and unique child, made in your image, it's the same way you look at me—with a Father's love. Amen.

Equipping Children with God’s Word

Equipping Children with God’s Word
By: Rhonda Stoppe

Jesus said, “The student will become like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

Notice Jesus didn’t say the student will be like the teacher teaches him to be, but rather he will emulate the characteristics and values he observes in his teacher. As a parent, you my friend are that teacher.

So, how can you equip your child for a future that brings glory to God? One way is to teach them to think biblically. What does this mean? Simply stated, it means to filter all of life’s experiences through God’s Word.

To instill a scriptural foundation in your child, you’ll need to know the Bible well enough to season with sound doctrine the conversations you have with them.

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, you’ll find a simple outline for developing a biblical worldview in your child’s mind:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Let’s break this down:

Verse 4-5: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Your wholehearted commitment to God and His Word will demonstrate to your child how much you love God and value Scripture.

Verse 6: Think about, meditate on, and memorize Scripture, so your obedience to God will be a response based upon biblical precepts. When you transform your thinking with Scripture you will be prepared to teach your kids how to speak and act in God-honoring ways, without hypocrisy.

Verse 7-9: Relate your child’s everyday experiences to the Bible. This practice will make talking about spiritual matters a normal part of your conversations.

When you arm your children with godly knowledge, they will learn to recognize when others are attempting to deceive them.

Jesus Wept..🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Jesus Wept
by Ryan Duncan

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. – Matthew 4:1-2

I once heard a story of a woman who lost her only daughter in a tragic accident. After the funeral, she fell into deep despair, and many of her friends began to worry about her safety. In desperation, one of them asked their local priest if he would go to her house and speak with her, but the moment the woman saw him she flew into a rage.

“Get out!” She screamed, “I already know what you’re going to say. You’re going to tell me that everything happens for a reason, that this is God’s will, and I don’t want to hear that.” The priest did not move. Eventually, the woman began to calm down and started to sob. It was at that the priest spoke, quietly and gently.

“Listen,” he told her, “I don’t know why your daughter died, and I do not know why God allowed it to happen, but I do know that God understands what it is to lose a child, and that he is standing next to you, and that he cannot stop your suffering but that he loves you and he loves your daughter, and if you let him into your heart you will see her again.”

What really struck me the first time I heard this story was that God really did understand the pain of losing someone. I realized that for a long time I’d had a false view of Jesus. I’d always pictured him as this tall, soft-spoken man who was completely serene no matter what the world threw at him. I didn’t understand that when God became a man he embraced all human sensation, even the ones that hurt.

Jesus got hungry, just like us (Mark 11:12). He got frustrated, just like us (Mark 11:14). He got sad (John 11:35), and angry (John 2:16-17), and scared (Luke 22:44). Jesus probably laughed with his friends, and grew stern with the Pharisees. The Bible says that Jesus lived a sinless life, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t human.    

Some of you may be having a fairly nice day while reading this and some of you may be having a pretty miserable one. Regardless of what is happening to you, know that God understands how you feel, and that he will always love you.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Follow Christ through his years of ministry. Take note of the times when Christ displays his emotions.

Further Reading 

Matthew 4:1-11