Category: Victorious Life

God is still God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, God Reigns, God’s Word, Heaven, Listen to the Word of God, Righteousness, Things Eternal, Victorious Life, Worry no moreLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE Studied: Genesis 12

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants. ” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev. 10 At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. Gen 12:7-10 (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

At the beginning of this chapter it is so amazing to see God at work in Abram’s life, and also Abram being so obedient to leave his hometown and all the people that he knew, to move to a foreign land far away. In these verses, it is also interesting to note that during Abram’s journey everything was not rosy, no, everything did not go without a hitch and/or challenges. In fact, while passing through Canaan there was a great famine that hit the area. Now in a perfect world, most of us would say that if this was a journey destined by God, led and directed by Him, then why would there be obstacles. Friends this is the same way it is today. Just because we surrender our hearts to the Lord, we are not exempted from all the trials and tribulations of this world – at least as long as we live in this world! Often challenges will come our way – the question, or challenge for us is to determine is, which way will we go? A life totally surrendered to God will always do like Abram did, we will wait for further instructions, while during the interim challenge, looking to God for direction and depending on Him for strength to overcome. I believe that often our faith is determined by how we handle trials, not just on how well we do during the times of blessings and riches. God is still God during the highs, and during the lows of our lives. We must insure that our faith holds strong daily, because we don’t know what may be in store for us each day. Let’s think in terms of a partnership, we don’t jump ship on our partner on a day when things are rough, nor do we when our partnership celebrates its highs. A true partnership stays in tact during both good and bad times. So should our relationship with God. What are you facing today? Trust only in God and never lean on your own understanding, for only He knows what lies ahead for us. I love the words of that gospel song “God of the Mountain”, listen to it and be blessed as you reflect on the words of this Bible passage.

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Like in the case of Abram, You bless me beyond measure each day oh God, and this morning I want to say thank You with all of my heart. Please forgive me when I worry about the challenges I see in life from the small perspective of my personal abilities. Please help me to stay so focused on You that I will always look through Your eyes and therefore face life’s challenges with the benefit of Your unlimited power and Your everlasting love for me. I believe that as I place my faith totally in You, I will always receive Your protection and You will bring me through life’s challenges in ways that will bring You glory. I know that this may not always come in the way that I may personally desire, but Lord I pray that You will help me to hide behind the cross and allow Your glory to shine through in all that I do or say. Self is insignificant in the whole scheme of things, for only those things that are done for Christ will last. May Your love shine through in all that is done in Your name this Christmas time! Thank You for sending Your Son as a babe, so that we may ultimately be re-born into life with You, and accepted into Your kingdom!

Speak in Boldness, But with a Humble Spirit

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Evangelism, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, God Reigns, God’s Word, Humility, Obedience, Reflecting Christ, Repentance, Righteousness, Share God’s Word, Truthful, Victorious Life1 Comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Matthew 3

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Matt 3:8 (NLT)

13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” Matt 3:13-14 (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Two things in particular caught my attention in this passage this morning:

  1. The boldness of John the Baptist – He was on mission for God and seems like he said what he felt led of God to say to the people that he preached to, without fear of repercussion from the government of that day, or the leaders (Pharisees and Sadducees). It seems like today we have become so politically correct in our churches in order to not hurt anyone’s feelings (and I don’t believe for a minute that we can only speak the truth if we know that someone’s feelings got hurt), but it just seems like we are afraid to say it like it is. An old saying that I always remember is that ‘if the shoe fits, wear it’, in other words if something that was said speaks to issues in your life, then obviously God is dealing with you through His spoken Word. As a people we have become so ‘thin-skinned’ that we retaliate when our feelings are hurt by holding back on our tithes, or not attending church, or gossiping about the preacher, etc, etc. Assuming that we have all prayed earnestly for the man of God, that he may discern God’s will and Word for us when he stands in the pulpit before us, are we then not challenging God Himself when we retaliate against the preaching or even God’s written Word? How dare us?
  2. The humbleness of John the Baptist – A man known for his boldness in speaking out, yet when Jesus comes to be baptized, John the Baptist said that in no way is he worthy to baptize the Savior of the world. How true this is. No matter how close we feel like we have become to God, we are but dirty rags compared to the only pure and Holy One of God. I believe that this is well worth keeping foremost in our minds so that we don’t let self pride come in the way. We are nothing without Christ, and we personally can do nothing miraculous, such as winning a lost soul or healing a sick person, but only through prayer and humble submission to the power and will of God. We should always pass any praise or glory straight on up to God for anything accomplished through us. It is encouraging for us to see lives touched by God because of something He may have said through us, but may our Words and actions be so filled with His love and His power that He may accomplish great things for the kingdom in spite of our human shortcomings.

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

I believe that much could be accomplished through us and our churches today if we used the boldness displayed by John the Baptist, yet the humble spirit that he displayed in the presence of the Holy Son of God. Lord Jesus, it is You that I serve and You that deserves all the praise for anything accomplished in Your name here on this earth. Please may I find boldness in serving You, but be ready to step aside and let the glory all go up straight to You. Please have Your will and way in my life today, and may  there be opportunities for Your glory to shine through in something that I may say or do today so that Your kingdom may be fulfilled. Opportunities will come and go, and so will my words, but I believe that as You use me as Your humble servant today, Your words spoken through me will touch the hearts of Your people with lasting power and effectiveness. To God be the Glory for all that will be accomplished in Your name today!

A Promise To The Righteous

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Heaven, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Peace, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Surrender, Things that make God angry, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE Studied: Genesis 5 – 7 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives.19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive.21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.” Gen 6:17-21 (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Although I have heard and read the story of Noah many times before, I was touched by this again today. God made man in His own image and in these chapters studied I found where men were still having sons well over 100 years of age, plus living in excess of 900 years. However God became very upset over the increasing evil that He saw in man and vowed to maximize his life to 120. Still, evil continued to the extent that it angered God into wiping out all living things made by Him on this earth. However, He was able to find one righteous man, Noah. The covenant He made with Noah is similar to the one that he makes with those of us that accept Him as Lord and then strive to live righteous lives. Throughout all the destruction of all living things – water on this earth of more than 22 feet above the highest mountain, yet He kept Noah and his family plus a limited number of animals, safe. Later in God’s Word He provides another covenant for those of us that accepts His Son as Lord of our lives, and this covenant is that we may live eternally with Him in glory! I don’t know about you, but to have the love of the Father – our creator, poured out on me as a child of His here on this earth, plus to also be assured of eternity with Him in glory is enough to make this life tolerable and  worth every moment of every day facing the everyday challenges of this temporary world. Noah was saved, together with his family, because He followed the will of God and lived a righteous life in the eyes of God. We can do the same today if only we will follow the plan outlined by God. Do you know this Savior of whom I speak of here? The invitation is open to ALL who believe and accept Jesus as Lord of your life. Read John 3:16 to understand the full depth of God’s promise. Won’t you covenant with God today friend? Read though this help page for directions, or contact me by responding to this post. Jesus loves you, and so do I!

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because of what He said here today?)

Father, You have shown in Your Word how important it is for Your creations to dedicate themselves to their creator. Thank You for the awesome job You did in wonderfully making me and then providing a means for me to have life eternally with You. I pray that everyone that reads this post today will be convinced of Your love, and that their hearts will be troubled enough to not let the sun set today before making a commitment to accept You as their Lord and Savior and to live a righteous life in Your sight, during the time they have left here on this earth. May You rule and reign in every aspect of our lives today!

What do you want me to do for you?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Healing, Power of Prayer, Thank You Jesus, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Mark 10 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Mark 10:49-52 ~ When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

We attend church and expect to see God answer prayer and/or move in our midst because of all that we read in His Word and have heard about Him. In this scripture, Bartimeus was the same way, only I get the impression that he would not have been considered a very religious person that perhaps many of us may consider ourselves, for he was a beggar along the roadside, and because of the reaction of the crowd, he may have made a pest of himself. However, like in the story of the children coming to Jesus, Bartimeus was calling out to Jesus for specific help/healing and in sincere faith. Too often we come to Jesus in such general terms and in such a way that we give the impression that yes it would be nice if Jesus would do this or that, but if not – well, we understand, and we will try again later on. This blind man had a very specific need that he didn’t have to think very hard about when asked by Jesus what He could do for him. In other words, I believe that Bartimeus was there at that time for the specific reason of having Jesus restore his sight, not because he thought that his begging to such a large crowd passing, may be financially beneficial to him. Jesus knows our most intimate thoughts and desires, so we could cut the chase and verbalize to Him specifically what it is that we desire in our hearts. It’s ok to share this with a friend so that they could join us in prayer and share our burden, but it is much more important that we stop, acknowledge Jesus for who He is, share our deepest thoughts with Him and ask Him for help and/or healing in specific terms, and in faith expecting His hand to be outreached to respond in a way that He knows is best for us. Let’s remember, we are His children, and He desires His very best for His kids. We just need to have the faith and ask for it!

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Wow, what a lesson this is today! A time when it seems like more and more of us attend church out of tradition and because of habit. A time when we come to Jesus in prayer asking in such general terms about our group, our family or our friends. This scripture has reminded me that when I come to pray, I need to come prepared with the very thing that bears on my mind, ask specifically for that need, and ask with such assurance knowing that I am asking the Master of this universe, the Healer of the blind, the restorer of life, the King of all kings, the only one that has the power to respond to my requests. With that kind of faith and assurance, I can come boldly to the cross expecting God to respond in bold and marvelous ways. Thank you Jesus for being my healer, defender, provider and my salvation!

I Pledge Allegiance…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Obedience, Reaching the Lost, Righteousness, Thank You Jesus, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 1

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Acts 1:6-8 ~ While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?” Jesus said to them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Back when the apostles first received this command, we are to understand that this was a future statement intended not just for the apostles but for all on whom the Spirit of God falls. Later in Scripture we are taught that the Spirit comes upon all who seek forgiveness of sin and call upon the name of Jesus as Lord (Christians). The church as we know it today is made up of Christians, therefore the command that was given to the apostles and to all on whom the Spirit falls, is to tell everyone about Jesus. Are we successful in following that command today? I’m sure that we can easily look upon ourselves and quickly respond that we could be doing a whole lot more. However, it seems to me like Luke is telling us that to those on who the Holy Spirit falls, they will be given power, and they will then tell everyone about Jesus. So I believe that the question this morning is not how well are we doing at spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but more along the lines of, how is our relationship with the Father? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? If you have – are you maturing a relationship with Him and giving Him full reign of Your life so that His Holy Spirit might use you to tell everyone about His love and saving grace? To be a citizen of this country, one must swear allegiance to the country and could therefore become eligible to represent this country in battle. Have you sworn allegiance to the Maker of the Universe, the King of all kings, your Creator, so that through His Holy Spirit He might find you eligible to represent Him before a lost and dying world, a battle against the foes of this world?

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

In Your Word you have told us that You sometime use the ‘foolishness of preaching’ to reach the lost. In this passage You have shared through Luke that You will give us the power of Your Holy Spirit and use us (Christians) to share the love of Christ with a lost world. Father, I feel so unworthy of such an honor, but I dare not question You. Thank You for giving me the liberty of representing You to the lost. May I never be a stumbling block to the work of Your Holy Spirit. May I represent You well so that those that I speak to or have dealings with will witness the love of the Father, and have an uncontrollable desire to want to know You as Lord and Savior. Thank You for convicting me of my sin and finding me worthy to use as Your instrument in this wicked world.

Being a ‘Disciple’ of Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Repentance, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke 14 

OBSERVATION

Luke 14:25-27 ~ Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said: You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and come with me.

APPLICATION

We quite often use the word ‘disciple’, so this morning I did some research to understand fully what it means. The dictionary defines it as a follower of Christ. A theologian goes into more detail and describes the term by giving us 7 qualities of a mature, reproducing disciple of Jesus Christ:

Reflects Christ
What am I doing to be more like Christ?
Eph. 4:15, 2 Cor. 3:18, Gal. 5:22–23, Matt. 22:37–39

Fellowships with Believers
How can I develop relationships with God’s family?
Heb. 10:24–25, Eph. 2:19

Lives Biblically

What am I doing to know and put into practice
the teachings of the Bible?
2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3–8

Gives Sacrificially

How am I handling the resources God has
entrusted to me?
2 Cor. 9:6–9, Prov. 11:24–25

Serves Others

How can I further develop/discover my SHAPE
for ministry?
Eph. 4:11–13, Rom. 12:3–8, 1 Cor. 12

Worships Daily

How can I surrender my whole heart/life as worship?
Rom. 12:1–2, Psalm 27:6, 95:6–7

Shares Faith

What am I doing to actively fulfill my life mission
of sharing Christ?
Acts 20:24, 1:8, Matt. 18:18–20

As I reflected on this passage I thought how important it was when I got married for my wife to leave her family and give me her full devotion. Similarly I believe that Jesus is teaching that if we are to truly be His disciple, that we must dedicate ourselves fully to the task. When we give something our full undivided attention and dedication, we will succeed at it. When we decide to follow Jesus, it should not be because this is the only means into Heaven, although that is true. It should not be due to the fact that our mom or dad have always wanted that for their child, although that may be true also, but we should be willing to follow Jesus and be excited about what He has in store for us as individual children of the King. I think it is exciting to believe that Jesus has a personal desire for each of us individually, not because of anything that mom or dad may have done but because He loves me so much, and yes He loves you so much as well. Won’t you accept Him today and get to know Him personally, mature in Him daily through the qualities described to the left, then look for the blessings that He will give to you each and every day. He is an awesome Savior! He loves us so much and wants to show His love to us personally in ways that we will recognize and appreciate. He’s my King. Make Him yours today! Don’t know how?

The Source of our Strength

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Power, Power of Prayer, Praise, Thank You Jesus, Victorious Life, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Zechariah 12

OBSERVATION

Zechariah 12:3-5 ~ …. When all nations on earth surround Jerusalem, I will make every horse panic and every rider confused. But at the same time, I will watch over Judah. Then every clan in Judah will realize that I, the LORD All-Powerful, am their God, and that I am the source of their strength.

APPLICATION

God had protected Judah in so many ways, yet they kept on sinning and committing such evil deeds. Yet He (God) did another miracle in this particular battle realizing that His power would have to be recognized and then He would be given credit as the source of that miracle. Wow, what an awesome God! However I believe that I can very aptly reword that passage into something like this today: God had protected America in so many ways, yet they kept on sinning and committing such evil deeds. For God has blessed us so much as a nation, but yet we see Christians lackadaisical about reaching those that denounce the power, or even the existence, of God. Let’s consider this even in our local churches, where we see miracles wrought by God – yes, things that can only be explained as answer to prayer where we have seen God intervene and heal in a person’s life, or a total change of a situation that may have been affecting the church, yet we sit back and doubt the power of God or doubt the effectiveness of prayer? These are reasons to recognize God for the awesome power that He has displayed and for His compassion to work in our midst, then as His blessed servants, to celebrate in praise to the Almighty. In fact, this gives us reassurance and reason to be even bolder in our approach to the throne of God for even greater needs. Let us be quick to recognize God for His wonderful mercy and His great miracles that He works in our midst. There is nothing that our God can’t handle, for He is the source of our strength!

PRAYER

Father God, I have seen Your hand at work on more than one occasion and I have heard praise reports of even more cases where You have intervened through healing, protection, or just facilitating a situation that seemed impossible to myself or a fellow Christian. I recognize that You are the source of my strength, and our strength as a church, or a body of believers. May I always look for the work that You do, and use that to not only build on my dependence of You, but to especially use that to praise and glorify Your holy name. You are an awesome and all powerful God, may I be quick to not only ask for help, but to recognize Your hand at work and to celebrate that in praise to You. Thank You for loving me enough to be the source of my strength!

Are you representing the ‘Old’ or the ‘New’?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Repentance, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:33-39 ~ Some people said to Jesus, “John’s followers often pray and go without eating, and so do the followers of the Pharisees. But your disciples never go without eating or drinking.” Jesus told them, “The friends of a bridegroom don’t go without eating while he is still with them. But the time will come when he will be taken from them. Then they will go without eating.” Jesus then told them these sayings: No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch old clothes. The patch would shrink and make the hole even bigger. No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put only into new wineskins. No one wants new wine after drinking old wine. They say, “The old wine is better.”

APPLICATION

This passage was a challenge for me, but I felt God tugging at my heart to do the research and understand its meaning. I was truly amazed! Those that were observing Jesus and His disciples had the opportunity to ask Him about why He was so different than anything they had known in the past. Jesus basically told them here that regardless of what John the Baptist did, or the Pharisees did, they were now observing ‘the real thing’! Jesus came so that all the old myths and practices might be clarified, corrected or at least understood (if they led to Him). I see two challenges here in thinking about how this applies to us today:

  1. From the standpoint of the non-Christian – they will look at church activities and the ways that we represent Christ and they may wonder why we are so different. This is a challenge for them, because they are convinced that what they are doing is perfectly OK, so they will question why would Jesus do certain things or why would we do certain things that seem so opposite to what they believe;
  2. From the standpoint of the church/Christian – If we never change our ways and become more like Jesus, we are mismatching a ‘New’ way with our ‘Old’ ways and trying to make both ways work together. It doesn’t happen that way friend. We must separate ourselves from our ‘Old’ ways, because Jesus would have us follow Him, and I guarantee you that none of us were following Him and His example before we accepted Him as Lord of our lives. Furthermore, if we are to be the hands, lips and actions of Christ extended to a lost world, they will not be affected or touched by someone acting, doing and saying the same things that they do and say. If we claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and if we have accepted Jesus as Lord of our life the Bible says that His Holy Spirit comes and dwells within us, then we are to act, do and speak like Jesus would, and this would definitely be different to the everyday actions that are evident in our world. This is one reason why the church must be careful in trying to do things like the world is used to seeing them done, for if they see no difference they will see no reason to change. Yes, Jesus was different. Yes, we must be different if we are representing Jesus. He’s our mentor, our model and our example. Let’s truly follow Jesus so that our world may be impacted for Christ!

PRAYER

Father, thank You for speaking through Your Word, even when passages sometime seem hard to understand. May I be a true example of You today so that You may receive glory, and so that others may want to know the Savior that I love and adore. It is so easy to fall back into our old ways, but Father as we seek You daily I pray that You will create a clean heart within us and a renewed will to follow Your example and to show the world that there is a better way, and that they too can be a member of Your family and live the glorious life that is ours in knowing that You take care of our every concern and that this life only leads to a happier and more satisfying life to come – with You in Heaven.

Let’s Just Praise the Lord!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Power of Prayer, Praise, Thank You Jesus, Victorious Life, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:24-26 ~ … Jesus then said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk home.” At once the man stood up in front of everyone. He picked up his mat and went home, giving thanks to God. Everyone was amazed and praised God. What they saw surprised them, and they said, “We have seen a great miracle today!”

APPLICATION

The man that was once lame, after being healed, took up his bed and walked home giving thanks to God! Everyone was amazed at what they had seen and they praised God! My God is alive today and miracles are still happening. What has happened to God’s people for us to seem so unmoved by the miracles of God today? I believe that several reason have attributed to this, although none of them should really stop us from giving God praise for the mighty works that He does every day:

  • We often give doctors credit for things wrought by God. Thank God for the great doctors we have today and for the way that medical science has developed, but my family once asked a doctor if a family member would live to overcome a serious illness and the doctor correctly and honestly responded “I don’t know that, I’m not God”. There are times that doctors are amazed by the progress someone has made, or how they have overcome a certain medical condition. They know that there is nothing medically that they have done to help that person and, if that doctor knows God personally, they will quickly say where that healing must have originated. There is so much to praise God for each time we see a brother or a sister overcome illness. Let’s not forget to go back to the throne where we petitioned God to touch that person, and offer up thanksgiving and praise for answered prayer.
  • False prophets – there is so much being done today for the sake of television, publicity, or for self edification, that children of God discern, and then doubt, when they hear about what some consider ‘healing’ from an individual, rather than from God. This has been so widespread that we tend to question everything (in our own minds) anymore. This is unfortunate, but should be a discerning factor and therefore not interfere with our praising God for His amazing work in the lives of those that we pray for.

Bottom line is that we need to remember each time that we pray from someone and see answers to prayer, we need to rejoice personally, and we need to share that with our church family so that they could praise God with us, and so they could be encouraged to also pray for loved ones they know who may need a touch from God. God is still in the miracle working business. Join me in looking for those miracles and then let us praise the Almighty for the great work that He does in our midst. ‘

Determined to Follow Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Power, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:4-6 ~ When Jesus had finished speaking, he told Simon, “Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets down to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart.

APPLICATION

I’ve heard that saying so many times, ‘if you continue to do things the same old way, expect the same old results’. I believe that so often we get like Peter and wonder if we should do the same thing again, after all we just did it that way last Sunday. However, this passage teaches me that the same results might be achieved when we repeat our efforts, in and of our own strength, BUT when we are ordered to do something by God we had better follow His command, because no telling what may result then! This is why it is so important that we stay closely in tuned with God so that we may follow His will, so that we may hear His voice and obey, for anything done without Christ is futile and will amount to routine things capable of man’s power, and they will be temporary, for we learn from God’s Word that only those things done by Christ will last. God is in control; let us follow His command and help:

  • Win the world for Christ;
  • Heal the broken hearted;
  • Meet the needs of the those who are hurting;
  • Encourage those who have lost all hope;
  • Be a living witness to those that have never been introduced to our Master.

PRAYER

Father God, I pray that today there will be more ‘Fishers of Men’ that might make themselves available to Your work. I pray that the scales will be pealed from our eyes so that we may be reminded that there is little we can do in and of ourselves, therefore I pray that beginning with myself, I will place total faith and trust in You and have a determination to do Your will each and every day, and that I will seek Your face and Your lead for those things that You would have me do that would reap Godly benefits for the kingdom. Our wicked world is in need of a Godly influence and a Godly touch. Lord may You find Your servant worthy of using to help accomplish Your work!