Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer for Guidance for Life is Challenging By Charles Stanley

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

5/27/2020

A Prayer for Guidance for Life is Challenging
By Charles Stanley

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? - Psalm 27:1
Nehemiah was a man who lived on his knees. Whenever he needed guidance, strength, provision, or protection, his first response was prayer. Because of Nehemiah’s humble dependence, God was able to use him greatly to achieve His purposes.
This principle is still true for believers today. God can use us in the most awesome fashion if we'll seek Him and make ourselves available. He has a calling for each of us and doesn't want us wasting the opportunities He provides.
To follow Nehemiah's example of dependent prayer, we must first recognize God as the sovereign Ruler of the universe (v. 5). Although He's our loving Father and loyal Friend, we must never forget that He is also our high and exalted Creator whose holiness is beyond our comprehension. Never think of the Lord as "the man upstairs" or come into His presence in a frivolous manner.
Because Nehemiah respected the awesome holiness of God, he approached Him with confession, admitting not only his sin, but his father's and Israel's as well (vv. 6-7). We cannot hide, deny, or cherish sin and expect the Lord to hear and answer our prayers. Purity of heart and the power of God are linked. We need the sensitivity to instantly recognize when we've strayed, and the willingness to deal with sin immediately.
The reason Nehemiah stood so tall and strong was not due to his natural abilities, but because he developed a relationship of dependency on the Lord through prayer. The same can be true for you. Don't rush into your day without taking time to enter God's throne room to seek His guidance.
Pray with me:
“Lord, I’m here today with open hands and an open heart, ready to depend on you to help me through the day and all it will bring my way. Help me be like Nehemiah, help me come to you for guidance, strength, provision and protection. As I face tough choices and hard situations, help me remember my belovedness, help me remember that I am Your child and Your representative to the world around me. Help me live today in a way that brings honor to Your holy name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

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

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

“Bring them here to me,” he replied. (Matt 14:18)

Are you encompassed with needs at this very moment, and almost overwhelmed with difficulties, trials, and emergencies? These are all divinely provided vessels for the Holy Spirit to fill, and if you but rightly understood their meaning, they would become opportunities for receiving new blessings and deliverances which you can get in no other way.

Bring these vessels to God. Hold them steadily before Him in faith and prayer. Keep still, and stop your own restless working until He begins to work. Do nothing that He does not Himself command you to do. Give Him a chance to work, and He will surely do so; and the very trials that threatened to overcome you with discouragement and disaster, will become God’s opportunity for the revelation of His grace and glory in your life, as you have never known Him before. “Bring them (all needs) to me.”
—A. B. Simpson

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

What a source—“God!” What a supply—“His riches in glory!” What a channel—“Christ Jesus!” It is your sweet privilege to place all your need over against His riches, and lose sight of the former in the presence of the latter. His exhaustless treasury is thrown open to you, in all the love of His heart; go and draw upon it, in the artless simplicity of faith, and you will never have occasion to look to a creature-stream, or lean on a creature-prop.
—C. H. M.

The Dangers of False Teaching.....Dr. Charles Stanley

The Dangers of False Teaching

Dr. Charles Stanley

Galatians 1:6-9

The Word of God is truth that's living and able to penetrate human souls (Heb. 4:12). Consider how powerful Scripture is: it can change hearts, save lives from eternal condemnation, and give hope to the hopeless.

Is it any wonder, then, that the Bible is a battlefield of Satan? The Devil will do his best to destroy its message and truth. In fact, this has been our Enemy's continuous goal since he chose to turn from God.

Our heavenly Father has graciously let us know in advance the outcome of this ongoing battle: Truth will prevail. But while the Lord has the ultimate victory, Satan can gain ground among individuals. His tactics are dangerous and deceptive to the unsuspecting. For this reason, we should carefully guard against his attacks, which are hard to recognize unless we are prepared.

False teaching is one of Satan's preferred tactics for leading us astray. At first glance, such instruction often seems to align with Scripture, but do not be misled by the deception. Two things are essential for standing firm against these slippery falsehoods: to be well grounded in the truth of God's Word and to listen to His Spirit. Only then can we recognize the error and avoid the pitfalls of Satan's lies.

The Enemy longs to mislead believers so they'll be ineffective for the kingdom. He also wants to keep all unsaved souls far from salvation through Jesus Christ. Friends, prepare for battle. Grow in the knowledge of truth, and lean on God's Spirit to guide you moment by moment.

Fight for Your Son Through Prayer

Fight for Your Son Through Prayer
LISA JACOBSON

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) 

I heard the front door slam, and my heart dropped.

Feeling beyond helpless, I could see our oldest son walking out into the wide acres of open land just beyond our property.

We don’t slam doors in our home, so this action was a big deal. Clearly, he was very upset about something, and I didn’t even know about what, much less what to do about it. When he was little, I could let him cry it out or have him stay in his room until he “got happy.” Or maybe simply hold him until he felt better.

But now? He was 17 years old, and those ideas were no longer options. I desperately wanted to rescue him — stop him somehow — but I also realized I needed to give him space.

Helpless. 

Was there anything I could do other than run to my room, kneel down and pray?

And when I say “pray,” I don’t mean a basic “bless my son” prayer, but a crying-out, “Oh, Lord, please help him” prayer. With tears in my eyes and anguish in my chest. Trusting Him to touch my son in the places I couldn’t reach if I tried.

That kind of prayer.

I don’t think I really understood “wrestling in prayer” until I had a son. Not that this boy gave us too much trouble, but like so many young people in our world today, he faced intense disappointments, hurts, challenges and temptations.

It is no small thing to be a young man in this day we live in.

Many times, his dad and I lay awake at night, calling out to God on his behalf. We prayed for protection, strength and courage for him. And we still do, as Philippians 4:6 urges us: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Maybe the boy in your life is only a little guy. Even so, I hope you’ll start praying for him today.

Then as he grows older, don’t be surprised that he will need your prayers more than ever.

But I also hope you won’t consider prayer as a last-ditch effort in your parenting. You won’t want to wait until a child slams the front door to begin praying for them.

Yes, make prayer your first impulse, not your last, when it comes to loving your son. And remind yourself that, thankfully, it’s not all up to you to keep his heart safe and his body sound. He has a heavenly Father who knows and loves him more than you ever could. You don’t need to be anxious — just prayerful.

So why not go to God and talk to Him about that boy you love? Pour out your concerns, your hopes and your desires for him.

Our oldest son is now in his mid-20s. He is walking tall and waiting for his wife. And he would tell you quite openly how thankful he is to have had a praying mother. He’d say that it’s made a definite difference in his life. I am grateful.

My friend, you can trust God with your son. Lovingly lift him up in prayer, starting today.

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to lift my son up to You. I pray You will protect him and strengthen him. Please give me wisdom, guidance and grace as I raise my child to know and love You. Help me to trust You with his heart and life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.” (ESV)

Change is Stressful

Change is Stressful
by Laura MacCorkle

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
 Matthew 11:28-30, NIV

"Change is stressful."

I remember my very first boss saying that to me when the direct marketing agency we worked for was undergoing massive restructuring within the various divisions.

It felt like the staff had been thrown into a giant grab bag and then dumped back out.  However we landed was where (and with what teams of people) we now worked.

It was ultimately change for the better, but he was right. It was stressful. Figuratively speaking, "dust" that had settled was then being disrupted and wafting about the air causing many of us discomfort as we sneezed and hacked and scratched at our irritated eyes. Why do we have to change? Why do I have to work with this person now? God, I was very comfortable and doing so great with the way things were before. So why are you disrupting my life now?

It didn't take me long to get over this change, however. Really, it was more annoying than anything else - unlike other changes in our lives that we would probably all agree are automatically "good" things: a new job, getting married, having a baby, etc. Yet, even these types of changes can bring about stress as well as our worlds take on new landscapes.

At the other end of the spectrum, other life changes can be extremely painful for us. Death, moving far away, loss of employment, divorce, disease. Lord, how can this possibly be good? It hurts so much. Why would you purpose this for me? What did I do wrong?

In hindsight, I can see how God has caused all types of changes in my life to effect growth and open doors to new opportunities. Sometimes the changes pained me beyond measure and other times they just kept me awake at night with nervous excitement. But through it all, there was beauty that resulted and the Lord helped me to give him the glory and the strength to make it through all circumstances (Phil. 4.11-3).

Wherever you are today or whenever you are reading this, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that you are going through some sort of change in your life right now. I am, too.

You may be very cognizant of it. It may have you feeling over the moon. Or it may hurt like the dickens. Or the change may be so slow-going and so subtle, that you may not even know you are undergoing it. But whatever it may be, what is most important is how you and I respond to what God is doing in our lives.

Resolve to take Jesus' yoke upon yourself. Give the change you're undergoing to him. As we seek him, learn from him and how we can follow him in our daily living, he will be with us. He may not give us the answers we're looking for or resolve our situations right away. But rest assured, he will surely undergird us and give us strength and joy as we go through whatever change he has ordained in our lives.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Weary. Burdened. Is that how you feel today? What is weighing you down? Did you bring it upon yourself? Or does it feel unjustly deserved? And are you trying to carry it all alone? You would probably give anything just to find some rest. Take 10 minutes today to find a quiet place where you can sit alone (home, the office, your car, a nearby park, wherever ...) and ask God to help you trade in your heavy load for his light burden and find rest for your soul.

Further Reading:
Psalms 18:2, NIV
Isaiah 26:3-4, NIV

When We Lose Heart

When We Lose Heart
By Susie Larson

“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” - Luke 7:22-23

When John the Baptist sat in prison, most likely knowing that his execution was imminent, he battled a dark season of discouragement and doubt. According to Jesus, John was one of the greatest men who ever lived, and yet his heart and soul were weary and in need assurance that Jesus was who He said He was. John sent word to Jesus’s disciples, asking if He indeed was the Messiah, or if they should keep looking for someone else. Jesus answered this way:

“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” Luke 7:22-23

When, like John, we are going through a painful season of waiting for God’s provision or deliverance, it’s common for us to be so focused on the angst in our heart and on the unmet desires in our lives that we forget that God has never failed us in the past. And that He has always come through at just the right time.

If you find yourself weary in the wait, step away from your current situation and recount again some of the ways that God has come through for you. Declare right now that, though you can’t see it, God is at work in your midst. He moves when you pray and He absolutely cherishes your faith. Believe it. Embrace it. Because it’s true.

And if you’re tempted to blame God for your current hardship, I encourage you to consider this a dead-end attitude, one that will derail your faith and perspective. Why blame the very One who can do something about your circumstances?

Nobody loves you like God. Nobody keeps promises like God does. And nobody has the wisdom to intervene at just the right time like God does, and God will. Jesus says that we’re blessed when we resist the impulse to blame Him or be offended by what He allows us to endure. As a matter of fact, we should look to Jesus as our example. He suffered torture, persecution, and rejection, yet Jesus never got offended with His Father. How’s that possible?

It’s possible when you believe that the heart of your Father is always good, and that anything He allows you to endure will serve you and glorify Him in the end. Trust your good God’s promises and His process. He knows what He’s doing with your life.

A Prayer for When You Don’t Feel Like Praising God

A Prayer for When You Don’t Feel Like Praising God
By Mary Southerland

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7, NIV

Praise does not depend on an understanding of the circumstance or trial. Praise depends on an understanding of who God really is and wants to be in our life, and on our willingness to put our faith in Him.

As humans, we will never fully understand God – this side of heaven. God is holy and without blemish. God is all-powerful and omniscient. He is Creator of the universe and yet lives in you and me at our invitation. He is the only true, living God!

I learned that I couldn’t depend on my own strength or my fickle emotions. God often asked me to praise Him when there didn’t seem to be a whole lot to praise him for. I didn’t feel like praising Him. I began to understand that praise is not a feeling.

Praise is a choice, a step of obedience taken without the assurance of a changed circumstance or the elimination of a trial.

Praise focuses on God, not the circumstance, and fixes its gaze on God’s truth and God’s character instead of on the trial at hand.

Praise begins and ends with faith in the very nature, personality and integrity of God … and that never changes.

No matter what lies ahead, God is faithful. No matter how hot the fiery trial may be, God is with us and will deliver us in it or from it.

So praise God! Thank Him today for every victory tomorrow holds.

Let's Pray

Father, I praise You today for all that You have done in my life. You are faithful even when I am faithless. Your love pursues me even when I am unlovable. Your forgiveness covers my sin and frees me from its penalty. I praise You for your love and faithfulness to me. Your presence in my life changes everything, empowering me to live each moment of every day, content in knowing You are in control. As I face today, Lord, remind me that no matter what happens, I can praise You!

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.