Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer for Choosing Life By Pastor Jack Graham

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

5/26/2020

A Prayer for Choosing Life

By Pastor Jack Graham

“You have been my guide since I was first formed... from my mother’s womb you are my God” (Psalm 22:10-11).Several years ago, I read an article about a very well-known couple in our city who were expecting a baby. The problem, however, was that around the time of finding out she was pregnant, the wife also was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on her liver.Strong chemotherapy was needed, which the baby wouldn’t survive. So the couple had a decision to make. They could either abort the baby and begin treating the cancer. Or, the mom could carry the baby to term without chemo, but risk the cancer spreading.A strong faith guided them through these stormy waters. And the two decided not to abort the baby. The wife was quoted as saying, “This baby was a gift to me. It wasn’t my right to deny this gift.” And praise the Lord, she was also treated for cancer after delivery and made a full recovery!Across our nation and our world today, there are tough choices women and their families are facing. But in all circumstances, the greater choice is the sanctity of life. That’s because to deny a living baby the right to be born is not anyone’s call but God’s.Choose life, even in the toughest circumstances, and trust God to bring healing and grace to even the toughest situation.Dear Lord, help us to promote the sanctity of life. May our words and deeds show everyone in our community that they are loved. Teach us to value every human life. When we look at a person, give us your eyes so we may see your son or daughter. Amen.

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

The River of Blessing beneath the Desert

Streams in the Desert

Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well, sing to it! (Num 21:17)

This was a strange song and a strange well. They had been traveling over the desert’s barren sands, no water was in sight and they were famishing with thirst. Then God spake to Moses and said:

“Gather the people together, and I will give them water,” and this is how it came.

They gathered in circles on the sands. They took their staves and dug deep down into the burning earth and as they dug, they sang,

“Spring up, O well, sing ye unto it,” and lo, there came a gurgling sound, a rush of water and a flowing stream which filled the well and ran along the ground.

When they dug this well in the desert, they touched the stream that was running beneath, and reached the flowing tides that had long been out of sight.

How beautiful the picture given, telling us of the river of blessing that flows all through our lives, and we have only to reach by faith and praise to find our wants supplied in the most barren desert.

How did they reach the waters of this well? It was by praise. They sang upon the sand their song of faith, while with their staff of promise they dug the well.

Our praise will still open fountains in the desert, when murmuring will only bring us judgment, and even prayer may fail to reach the fountains of blessing.

There is nothing that pleases the Lord so much as praise. There is no test of faith so true as the grace of thanksgiving. Are you praising God enough? Are you thanking Him for your actual blessings that are more than can be numbered, and are you daring to praise Him even for those trials which are but blessings in disguise? Have you learned to praise Him in advance for the things that have not yet come?
—Selected

“Thou waitest for deliverance!
O soul, thou waitest long!
Believe that now deliverance
Doth wait for thee in song!

“Sigh not until deliverance
Thy fettered feet doth free:
With songs of glad deliverance
God now doth compass thee.”

 

God Is Always in Control.....Dr. Charles Stanley.....🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

God Is Always in Control

Dr. Charles Stanley

Isaiah 45:5-7

I admit that I often don’t understand why bad things happen. Even so, I believe that God has a purpose for everything He does or permits. My faith is rooted in the biblical principle that says the Lord is sovereign (Ps. 22:28). He is in absolute control of this universe, the natural and political climate of this earth, and my life and yours.

When we are in the midst of a trial, it is hard to resist crying out, “God, Why is this happening?” Sometimes we get the answer and sometimes we don’t. What we can be sure of is that nothing happens by accident or coincidence. He has a purpose for even our most painful experiences. Moreover, we have His promise to “cause all things to work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28).

Seeing in advance how the Lord will work evil or hurt for our benefit is very difficult, if not impossible. My limited human perspective doesn’t allow me to grasp His greater plan. However, I can confirm the truth of this biblical promise because the Father’s good handiwork appears all through my pain, hardship, and loss. I have experienced Him turn mourning into gladness and have seen Him reap bountiful blessings and benefits from my darkest hours.

As believers, we must accept that God won’t always make sense to us. Isaiah teaches that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own (Isa. 55:9). He sees the beautifully completed big picture. We can rely on the fact that God is in control, no matter how wildly off-kilter our world seems to spin.

The Prayer Chair.....🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

The Prayer Chair
KELLY BARBREY

Lee en español

“In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35 (NRSV)

I remember an old wingback chair from my childhood home. It belonged to somebody else in my family even before it made its way to my parents’ home, and it’s been re-upholstered so many times that it’s worn everything from a thick yellow brocade in the 1950s to a pink flame stitch in the 1980s.

It currently sits in my living room, living its best new life in freshly upholstered sky blue faux leather. When you’re sitting in it, you’re almost enveloped in blue.

It’s my prayer chair. And making my way toward it each morning was the first step to finding a rhythm in my lacking prayer life.

Mark 1:35 says of Jesus, “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” This verse resonates with me because although I place importance on my family and my work, those things certainly don’t hold a candle to the miracle-working, sick-healing, masses-rallying wonder of Jesus. And even He needed to take quiet moments alone to pray.

Do you ever get distracted when you pray?

For me, the moment I sit down, I think of a reason I need to be up. The clothes need to be transferred from the washer to the dryer. A child wakes up early and wanders in. A social media alert dings and foolishly beckons my attention away. Not to mention that I feel guilty taking time to be by myself.

It’s different for everyone, but here are a few things I’ve found that help me keep a consistent prayer life:

1. Designate a Prayer Chair: For me, it’s the blue chair, but for you, it could be the left side of your cozy sofa, your kitchen table or your back-porch swing. Having a consistent place to “report for battle” takes some of the guesswork out of the process. Hint: It might not be the first place you try. You may have to test out a few spots before finding one that feels right to you.
2. Find a Dedicated Time: Early mornings work for me because they’re the only time I’m ever alone. For you, it might be your lunch break, right before bed or after the kids leave for school in the mornings.
3. Start with Gratitude: It could be something simple, such as giving thanks for the warm blanket around you or the hot cup of coffee in your hands, but I’ve found that if I start there, the gratitude begins to flow to every area of my life.
4. Candidly Confess: Lift the burdens weighing you down by confessing when you have fallen short, in big ways or small. Perhaps you inadvertently spoke harshly to a loved one or have let your selfish wants overpower the desire to help others.
5. Humbly Ask: Although God knows all and sees all, ask Him humbly for what is important to you, whether to heal your sick friend, watch over a child, or guide important decisions in your life. Even though God knows the desires of our hearts, it pleases Him when we pray.
6. Accept God’s Will Over Your Own: This might be the hardest part, especially if you’re a control freak. Leaving our humble requests at the feet of our Lord allows us to relinquish control and let God’s plan unfold. Our heavenly Father wants good gifts for us, as illustrated in Luke 11:11, “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish?” (NRSV) As challenging as it can be, let’s trust that God wants what is best for us.
7. Let Go and Live Free: I feel so free after my prayer time. I can face the day knowing I’ve placed my cares and struggles at God’s feet, mindful He is with me throughout the day and guiding my thoughts and decisions.

Do I have perfect attendance every day in my prayer chair? No, but it’s hard to walk by it in the morning without the beckoning call to sit a spell in the presence of God. Some mornings, my visit with God is short, and other days it’s lengthier, but I’m always glad I came.

Dear heavenly Father, please stir a desire in me to visit with You each day. Help me stay focused in my prayer time and avoid the daily distractions during my visits with You. Help me find the words to talk with You as a friend, and at the same time, see the awe and majesty of being able to sit in Your presence in prayer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Matthew 6:6, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (NRSV)

Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (NRSV)

God Is Right Next to You (Psalm 16:8).....🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

God Is Right Next to You (Psalm 16:8)
By: Anne Peterson

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. - Psalm 16:8

I woke up and started reading in the Word. We’re encouraged to do this as Christ-followers. It prepares us for the day. To me, it’s like nourishment. My daily bread. Little did I know one particular day how much I would really need it.

Just a short time later, I received a phone call. Our nephew’s son was on his way to the ER. There would be surgery. Something needed to be done about an infection that was invading the body of the sweet three-year-old.

I immediately went to God’s throne room, as all the verses I had read that morning bombarded my mind. The verses assuring me that God had this under control. His control. God knew beforehand I would need his assurance. Yes, I knew he would never leave me. And he’s always made good on that promise. Psalm 16 reminds us that God is always before us, in all things. And he is also right in the thick of it with us. Because of that, we will not be shaken.

God hears us. In Psalm 16, David reminds us why he prayed to God. David tells us that he prays because he knows God will answer. God bends down to listen as we pray.

David, who is called a man after God’s own heart, tells the Lord to bend down and listen. And I know I can do the same. And the good news is, all of us can. In Matthew 10:29, God tells us that he knows when even a sparrow falls. And he uses those tiny little birds to make a point. He assures us we are worth much more than sparrows.

God cares about what we care about. We know this is true when we read about how God gave us his most precious Son. Nothing can ever compare with that, so how can we think our requests will not be acknowledged?

And yet, we sometimes hear the whispers of the enemy of our soul, who tries telling us that God is finished, tired of listening to our prayers. This is a lie. A bald-faced lie. A desperate measure Satan will use to try and get us to stop talking to God. Satan knows the power that is available when any child of God is on his or her knees.

We are living in a crazy world. People are scared, not knowing what will happen to their families and friends. But God is still sovereign. While he is up above, he is forever watching us here on earth. As Psalm 16 tells us – he is also at our right hand. He is with us and also before us in all things.

God loves his children. So much that he provided a way for us to someday live with him forever. God will never tire of hearing our prayers. He tells us we can come boldly to his throne of grace and obtain mercy when we need it.

Here is a poem a wrote about taking God’s hand. I pray it blesses you today.

Take His Hand

I do not understand my life,
it’s difficult for me.

Some questions have no answers,
at least, that I can see.

And yet, with every year I’ve grown,
there is a truth that God makes known.

I do not have to understand,
but simply take my Father’s hand. - Anne Peterson

A Prayer for Forgiving Others.....🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

A Prayer for Forgiving Others
By Rick Warren

“We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us.” -Romans 6:6a, NCV

Romans 6:6 says, “We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us” (NCV). What does “our sinful selves would have no power over us” mean? It means our natural inclination is to do the wrong thing.

My natural inclination when you hurt me is to hurt you back. My natural inclination when you say something bad against me is say something bad against you and hold on to it and never forgive you. All of the things that I’m naturally inclined to do actually make it worse.

But we can break that bondage to bitterness, that bondage to guilt, that bondage to resentment, that bondage to worry. We can keep from becoming slaves to the past and hurtful memories. We can choose to forgive.

The cross has the power to free you from grudges and grief and resentment. There is no other way to let go of these emotions that are weighing you down than the cross. Jesus on the cross broke the power of sin and death and bondage in your life.

I want you to think of the person you need to forgive, the person whose offense planted a seed of bitterness in you, and I want you to pray this prayer right now:

Father, only you understand how much I’ve been hurt by this person. I don’t want to carry the pain for another second. I don’t want to be a bitter person. But I need your grace and the power of the cross to release my hurt and to forgive those who’ve hurt me. This is the turning point. First, I need to experience your forgiveness. You know all the ways I’ve hurt others, and I’m so sorry for my sins. Jesus, thank you for dying for me. I accept your grace and forgiveness, and I need it daily. Today I’m turning to you, and I’m choosing to forgive the way you have forgiven me. Every time the memory comes back, I’ll forgive that person again until the pain is gone. Heal my heart with your grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.