Video Bible Lesson - A Prayer for God’s Blessing By Debbie McDaniel

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

8/4/2020

A Prayer for God’s Blessing

By Debbie McDaniel

Joseph says in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”God paved the way of freedom for Joseph. Though it wasn't right away, slavery and imprisonment could not keep him contained. For our Lord, in His purposes, had more still in store.God will not allow any circumstance, or any person, to hold us back from His blessing, favor, and purpose for our lives. We don't have to worry. Because we belong to Him. And we can trust Him with our days. God is Able, He is more than Able, to turn the toughest, darkest times, around for good. He will not waste our pain, but will use the difficulty of what we walk through for greater good, to bring blessing and freedom to others.His Presence is with us and we can be assured in whatever we face, His plans for us are good.Dear God,Thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for sometimes forgetting that you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and you cover us as with a shield. We ask that we would walk in your blessing and goodness today. That your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do in these days. We pray that you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and make us strong by your huge favor and grace.In Jesus' Name,Amen.We are children of the King. He is Sovereign and He reigns Supreme, giving favor, guidance, and blessings to all those who seek after Him.Resting there today, hope you are too.

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

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me (John 11:41).

This is a very strange and unusual order. Lazarus is still in the grave, and the thanksgiving precedes the miracle of resurrection. I thought that the thanksgiving would have risen when the great deed had been wrought, and Lazarus was restored to life again. But Jesus gives thanks for what He is about to receive. The gratitude breaks forth before the bounty has arrived, in the assurance that it is certainly on the way. The song of victory is sung before the battle has been fought. It is the sower who is singing the song of the harvest home. It is thanksgiving before the miracle!

Who thinks of announcing a victory-psalm when the crusaders are just starting out for the field? Where can we hear the grateful song for the answer which has not yet been received?

And after all, there is nothing strange or forced, or unreasonable in the Master's order. Praise is really the most vital preparatory ministry to the working of the miracles. Miracles are wrought by spiritual power. Spiritual power is always proportioned to our faith.
--Dr. Jowett

PRAISE CHANGES THINGS

Nothing so pleases God in connection with our prayer as our praise, and nothing so blesses the man who prays as the praise which he offers. I got a great blessing once in China in this connection. I had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed, but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Just then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: "Try Thanksgiving." I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return. Yes, the Psalmist was right, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord."
--Rev. Henry W. Frost

The Results of Insecurity.....Dr. Charles Stanley

The Results of Insecurity

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 143:8

We've already seen some of the areas where insecurity shows up. Now we need to turn our attention to its effects.

To start, insecure people have difficulty establishing good, lasting relationships. They simply cannot see how they could add value to anyone else's life. This is a tragic loss, because every single one of us needs deep and meaningful friendships to help us grow.

Also, men and women with insecurity are often seen as prideful or snobbish. Lack of confidence can cause them to withdraw from others, which can easily be mistaken for an act of arrogance. They can thereby give the impression that they simply don't want to be around others.

What's more, insecurity frequently leads to indecisiveness and fear. People can be so consumed with self-doubt that they can't make any decision at all. They wonder, What if I make a mistake? Well, so what if they do? Making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn how to do something correctly. Don't be afraid to try. Even if you don't succeed, you can at least rest in the fact that you did your best.

After a while, insecure people typically get angry. When they go so long feeling so poorly about themselves, they start to resent the success and happiness of others.

Can you see how something as subtle as a lack of confidence can have a debilitating effect on one's life? Don't allow such devastation to affect your relationships. Pray for the ability to recognize areas of self-doubt. And then start to take control today by asking the Lord to heal your insecurities.

The God Who Sees Me...... MELISSA SPOELSTRA

The God Who Sees Me
MELISSA SPOELSTRA

“‘You are the God who sees me.’ She also said, ‘Have I truly seen the One who sees me?’” Genesis 16:13b (NLT)

I received the long text and read it slowly. Then I read it again. She accused me of saying things I never said. She assumed words I’d written on social media were about her when they weren’t.

I sat stunned.

She didn’t want to meet or talk it out. She was ending our friendship completely and asking me to never contact her again.

A cry of injustice rose inside of me. I felt misunderstood. While I wanted to call a friend to “vent,” I knew I needed to allow some time to pass before doing something that would likely fall into the gossip category.

“Do you see this, God?” I muttered aloud as I sat in my van in the school parking lot waiting for my daughter. I knew the answer. His name is El Roi, the God who sees me.

The Lord revealed this name to a woman named Hagar in the Bible. She was an Egyptian servant who worked for a barren woman named Sarah. Sarah decided to have a child by asking her husband to sleep with Hagar. Sarah then mistreated pregnant Hagar to the point that she ran away to the desert.

I understand Hagar’s urge to run away. I have felt it many times. But through the name El Roi, we discover that in our lowest moments, someone sees us. God sees our pain. He hears our cries.

After the Lord sent an angel to encourage Hagar, we find these words: “Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’ She also said, ‘Have I truly seen the One who sees me?’” (Genesis 16:13).

We’re never alone because we serve a God who sees us. We can rest knowing God is never unaware of what we are going through. El Roi saw Hagar, but He didn’t promise a quick fix to all her problems. He sees us, but He also sees the larger picture outside of the constraints of time.

Sometimes God calls us to have a boundary and walk away from abuse or mistreatment. At times, others set the boundaries, and a relationship we want to keep is over. In other situations, God calls us to stay the course. He asks us to persevere in a difficult marriage, work situation or church conflict with a new perspective, holding onto His promises.*

When I’ve been in a season of betrayal or difficulty, such as the day I received that very long text, I have wanted God to just fix it. Have you ever felt that way? While El Roi sees our mistreatment, we have to trust His instructions since He sees the bigger picture.

God knows when we cry buckets of tears and aren’t even sure why we are sad. He celebrates victory with us when we master a new skill or forgive a difficult person. He sees us on those blah days when all we feel is numbness. He might not instantly fix every predicament we encounter, but we never have to doubt His presence. We are never alone because El Roi is the God who sees.

El Roi, thank You for seeing me. You know what this day has been like. You know the people who are heavy on my heart. It encourages me to realize that with a huge world of people out there, You know me individually. Bring growth in my life as I behold and believe You more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (NLT)

Proverbs 15:3, “The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.” (NLT)

What Are You Drunk On?..... By Shawn McEvoy

What Are You Drunk On?
By Shawn McEvoy

And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others were mocking and saying, "They are full of sweet wine." - Acts 2:12-13

"These men are not drunk, as you suppose," Peter told the bewildered crowd at Pentecost. "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and I've always found it fascinating that its effects could be mistaken for the pouring out of, shall we say, less holier spirits.

To be sure, the Bible instructs Christ-followers to be "sober-minded" (Titus 2:6, 1 Corinthians 15:34). And there's honor and maturity in a steadfast, stoic reaction to life's trials. But then there's this fantastic scene in Acts that just fills me with tiny bubbles of delight. There's so much joy and power and overflowing involved with the Holy Spirit that, sometimes, well, we Christians just seem a little bit crazy. Flipped-out. Punch-drunk. Downright giddy.

And who wouldn't like to see more of that side of us these days?

Reflecting on this kind of Spirit-trusting, God-leaning fun reminds me of my three summers as a Christian youth camp counselor. The labor was hard but not in vain. The purpose was evident. The craziness was everywhere. "Go nutso-Picasso," our Director would say, and show these kids that being a Christian isn't some droll, fun-killing existence, but something real, life-giving, sustaining, and joyous.

And indeed it was, and is. My closest friends and I had an odd high school experience, in that we had a hard time understanding why our peers found it so fun and/or necessary to involve alcohol - illegally - in their weekend plans. We were having more laughs and fun than we could imagine without any drugs. What were we filled with? Why didn't we need anything else?

Later, when I worked at camp, one of the things we would do is create a video of each week for the students to take home with them. One of the features on each week's video was a "blurb" from one of the counselors, an off-the-cuff, from-the-heart snippet of encouragement. I recently found the videotape from the week I was interviewed, and my response reminded me so much of what today's verse means to me, what real life under the guidance and excitement of the Holy Spirit is about. Here's what I said:

I think so many times in our youth groups back home we get tired of hearing the same things: don't drink, don't do drugs, don't have sex. And that's good advice to be sure, but why? So many kids here at camp and the ones I knew growing up weren't doing these things anyway; don't we have any more to offer them? Do we have any explanation for what is filling them, and what they can do with it? It just seems to me that those I've come across who are involved in these so-called "greater sins" are often engaging in them just to fill a void caused by, maybe, disobedience to parents, rebellion, lying, or a poor self-image. So what I like to do is show them that Jesus has given them everything they need to be content, secure, high on real living. And it takes a lot of energy to do that, but I find that the energy is there when I need it, and anyway, if it means leading a young person to the Lord or just reconciling someone to their parents, hey, that's worth it.

That's healing through a Holy infectiousness. Won't you take a sip and pass it on?

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Are you in a prolonged stupor, or are you tipsy on the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life? What's holding this back? Is there a dam keeping the river from flowing forth out of you, keeping it fresh and alive? Take the first step to remove it by looking back to a time when you were first saved or relying entirely on God to do work in His Kingdom.

Further Reading
1 Corinthians 14:23
Acts 7:51

Does God Promise Safety?..... By Jennifer Waddle

Does God Promise Safety?
By Jennifer Waddle

Of all the beautiful promises in the Bible, a guarantee of our physical safety isn’t one of them. As Christians, we’d like to believe that no harm will ever come to us or our loved ones. But from the moment sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, sickness, pain, and death has been a reality for all of mankind.

Paul testified openly about the severe trials he went through in 2 Corinthians 11. Beyond what most of us could ever imagine, the apostle endured intense hardship and peril. Yet, his attitude was one of perseverance and fortitude. As he neared the end of his life, he was able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

Paul was willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. This is not to say that he never prayed for safety. (See Romans 15:30-31) However, he knew that through his affliction, Christ’s power would be made known.

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

So, if God doesn’t promise safety, what does He promise? Here are 3 verses that assure us of the Lord’s provision over our lives.

1. God promises to guard us from the evil one.

The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

This is, perhaps, the most crucial promise, as we face constant spiritual battles from the evil one. Satan wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy. But God is faithful, establishing us in Christ, and guarding us from the arrows of the evil one.

2. God promises to uphold us.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

There will be times when we have absolutely no strength left. We may even feel unable to go on. At those times, we can fully count on God to be our help and our strength. The Lord’s righteous, right hand upholds us. What a beautiful reminder of Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father—our righteous Defender.

3. God promises to supply our needs.

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Even though we are not promised physical safety, we are promised that our physical needs will be met. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the multitudes not to worry about what they would eat, what they would drink, or what they would wear. Instead, He encouraged them to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:25-33) Then, all the things they needed would be added as well.

We may not fully understand why the Lord allows bad things to happen to His people, but we can still declare that He is God and He is good. Just as Paul was able to see beyond his painful trials to the promise of heaven, we too can be assured that eternity with the Lord is well worth every hardship here on earth.

Prayer for the Filling of God’s Power and Love..... By Debbie McDaniel

Prayer for the Filling of God’s Power and Love
By Debbie McDaniel

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

God is powerful and loving. And He desires to fill our lives, our days, with that same power and love through His Holy Spirit. Paul prayed this prayer over the Ephesians. He had spent over 3 years with this people, working with the church of Ephesus, he loved them and longed to see them walking closely with God. His desire was that they would be continually strengthened with God’s power, and living out their faith with the example of the love of Christ.

We can know this in our heads, yet find it difficult at times to walk it out in daily life. We’re busy. We’re tired. We feel alone or broken. We’re distracted. We get offended. We harbor bitterness or resentment.

But no matter what we might be facing or feeling, when we’re willing to stand together as the body of Christ, dependent on God for the Spirit’s fresh filling of power and love, all other things lose their hold on us.

For God’s love encompasses all. It reaches to every dark crevice and fills every need or longing. It gives power to forgive and to let go of the past. It releases sin’s hold and gives peace to the hurting. It is powerful and surpasses our own knowledge and understanding.

It is “wide.” It stretches to a greater expanse and extent than we can ever imagine.

It is “long.” It encompasses the length of our days, before and all beyond.

It is “high.” It reaches to the highest heavens.

It is “deep.” It extends to the deepest pit.

His love never fails.

Dear God,

We thank you that you indeed are powerful and loving, that out of your glorious riches you strengthen us through your Spirit in our inner being. We ask you for the fresh filling of your Holy Spirit, we ask for your power and love to fill us. We thank you that as believers we know that Christ dwells richly within our hearts through faith. We pray that you would strengthen our roots and establish our lives firmly in your love.

When the world shouts hate, help us to love. When the past won’t let go, help us to love. When the enemy taunts with lies and surrounds with darkness, help us to love. When a relationship feels broken or we’re betrayed or rejected, help us to love.

Help us to love, and to keep on loving. By the power of your Spirit.

Even when it seems impossible.

Even when it doesn’t make sense.

May our lives be filled with your goodness and power, today and every day, as we walk in your Spirit of love.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.