Daily Prayer_August 9, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 21:3 (NLT)
³ The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 31:16-18 (NLT)
¹⁶ Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.
¹⁷ Don't let me be disgraced, O LORD, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave.
¹⁸ Silence their lying lips— those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.

The Word of God for encouragement:

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (ESV)
² Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?
³ Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

1 Corinthians 6:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh."

1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV)
¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

My observation:

There are so many who are like the people that Paul admonished in his letter to this first century church. It got my attention how many times he said to them, "Do you not know".

Are there areas in your life where you need to know more about what God's word says? There are some basic things about the Christian life that every believer should know and do. Let's get into God's word, and be blessed.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful for the word of God, and for the power that it has to inform and transform our lives. Father God, help us, by thy grace, to be strengthen with knowledge and power to know the word of God, and to obey the word of God. In Jesus name, Amen.

James 1:22 (NKJV)
²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (HCSB)
² To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—⌊both⌋ their Lord and ours.
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer_August 8, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 21:2 (NLT)
² People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 31:7 (NLT)
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.

The Word of God for encouragement:

Ezra 9:1-4 (HCSB)
¹ After these things had been done, the leaders approached me and said: "The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the surrounding peoples whose detestable practices are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
² Indeed, the Israelite men have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed has become mixed with the surrounding peoples. The leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!"
³ When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and robe, pulled out some of the hair from my head and beard, and sat down devastated.
⁴ Everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me, because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat devastated until the evening offering.

1 Corinthians 5:1-7 (HCSB)
¹ It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even [tolerated] among the Gentiles—a man is living with his father's wife.
² And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief so that he who has committed this act might be removed from your [congregation].
³ For though I am absent in body but present in spirit, I have already decided about the one who has done this thing as though I were present.
⁴ When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus with my spirit and with the power of our Lord Jesus,
⁵ turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.
⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough?
⁷ Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

My observation:

It was striking to me that the Old and the New Testament passages from my daily reading dealt with the issue of sin in the camp.

We must learn to take sin as seriously as God takes it. If we fail to, we do so at our own peril. Ezra took sin seriously, and so did the Apostle Paul. I pray that in our churches and in our personal lives, we will not be like the Corinthians; that we will not boast about sin, but that we would weep about our sins against God.

1 Corinthians 5:2 (AMP)
² And you are proud and arrogant! And you ought rather to mourn (bow in sorrow and in shame) until the person who has done this [shameful] thing is removed from your fellowship and your midst!

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that your people would humble themselves, and pray like Ezra. Father, I pray that your people would treat sin as seriously as the Apostle Paul. Father God, I thank you that your grace abounds more than our sins when we are willing to turn from them in genuine repentance, and turn to God for deliverance. In Jesus name, Amen.

Ezra 9:6 (NLT)
⁶ I prayed, "O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (HCSB)
² To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—⌊both⌋ their Lord and ours.
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer_August 7, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 20:29 (NLT)
²⁹ The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 30:4-5 (NLT)
⁴ Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

The Word of God for encouragement:

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (HCSB)
¹ A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God's mysteries.
² In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one [of them] be found faithful.
³ It is of little importance to me that I should be evaluated by you or by [any] human court. In fact, I don't even evaluate myself.
⁴ For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord.
⁵ Therefore don't judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.

My observation:

I have heard it said that in the church everything revolves around leadership. How do you recognize a good leader?

In this portion of the letter to the Corinthians Paul gives the church some guidance about leadership and follow ship.

In the church, the leader of God's people should be a follower of Christ. Paul identified himself as a servant of Christ. He did not claim ownership of anything. Rather, he acknowledged that God owns everything, and that he was a manager appointed by God.

Often we look for the wrong qualities in our leaders. We value those who are famous and who are flashy. However, God looks at people differently. He looks at the heart, and he values faithfulness.

The famous and the flashy often burnout or flameout when put into the fire. However, the faithful are consecrated and committed to hold on to see what the end will be like. When adversity comes, and it will, they don't back down, give in, or give up.

We need leaders today who have the character of Daniel and Paul. You can depend upon these types of leaders to go the distance. They won't quit when things get tough, and the road gets rough.

Daniel 3:18 (HCSB)
¹⁸ But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."

2 Timothy 4:7 (HCSB)
⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that when the race is finished that you will find me to have been faithful to the end.

Father God, above all else, I want to be faithful to the end, and be found pleasing in your eyes. The sweetest words my ears will ever hear would be these words from my heavenly Father, "Well done, my good and faithful servant". In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (HCSB)
² To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—⌊both⌋ their Lord and ours.
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer_August 6, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 20:27 (NLT)
²⁷ The LORD's light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 29:11 (NLT)
¹¹ The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.

The Word of God for encouragement:

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (ESV)
¹ But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
² I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
³ for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
⁴ For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?

My observation:

There is nothing that will weaken or kill a church more than division from within the Body of Christ. This is the big problem that was causing trouble in the Corinthian church. Paul was not pleased with this development, and he addresses the issue in this portion of the letter.

A church, if it is to remain alive, must be a growing church. Things that are living grow, and things that do not grow die. The members of the living church of God must grow, and the way they grow is by the nourishment provided by the word of God. Show me a Christian that does not read and study the bible, and I will show you a Christian that is not growing. SPOILER ALERT: Churches with too many members like this are in danger of dying.

1 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV)
¹ So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
⁴ But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

You need the milk of the word, but there comes a time in your life that you need to begin to partake of the meat of the word. If you don't have an appetite for the meat of the word, see if you have any of these sins in your life, and put them away. If we are full of these things, we have no room for God's word.

1 Peter 2:1 (ESV)
¹ So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that I will not be satisfied with anything but the word of God; Father, I want the entire word of God, and not just infant milk. Father, feed me, and fill me with thy holy word.

Father, what I pray for myself, I also pray for those who are weak, I pray that they will become meek. Father, I pray that they will eat a balanced diet of milk and meat from your table of life. In Jesus name, Amen.

John 6:35 (KJV)
³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (HCSB)
² To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—⌊both⌋ their Lord and ours.
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer_August 5, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)
²⁴ A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 28:2 (NLT)
² Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

Psalm 28:6-7 (NLT)
⁶ Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy.
⁷ The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

The Word of God for encouragement:

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (HCSB)
² To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—[both] their Lord and ours.
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

My observation:

Today my daily bible reading plan takes me to 1 Corinthians; a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. This is a church that Paul had planted, but they were having problems.

This letter can be valuable to us if we take note of the reasons they were having problems, and determine in our hearts that we will not repeat their mistakes.

This church and our church will have problems if we allow the world to get into the church. We must never forget whose we are and who we are. Paul reminded the people of the church at Corinth of these important distinctions. He said of them, "to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints".

Here is some good advice and admonition that will keep us on the path of our divine purpose, and give us divine peace in our personal and corporate lives. We must live in the world, but we must keep the world out of God's church. The grace of God will keep us if we trust in God as our source.

2 Corinthians 6:17 (HCSB)
¹⁷ Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you.

Romans 12:2 (HCSB)
² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

My prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that you will enable me by your divine power to have the wisdom and the strength to live victoriously in the world, but not be of the world.

 Father, help your people and churches to move from problems to purpose, peace, and praise.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (HCSB)
² To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—⌊both⌋ their Lord and ours.
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Prayer for Revival in America_Part 4 of 4

Title: What will it take to Have Revival in America?

Text:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Observation:

If we are to have revival in America, we must meet God's conditions for revival. It begins with humility, continues with prayer and seeking the face of God. The final step is to turn from our wicked ways. God loves us to much to leave us the way we are.

 Isaiah 55:7 (HCSB)
7 Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive.

Prayer:

Father God, merciful Father, you have done everything for us. In your mercy and grace, give us the desire to turn from our wicked ways in our hearts, and the power to fulfill that desire. Father, heal our land, and let it begin in me. Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 (HCSB)
² To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—⌊both⌋ their Lord and ours.
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer_August 3, 2012

The Word of God for wisdom:

Proverbs 20:21 (NLT)
²¹ An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end.

The Word of God for inspiration:

Psalm 27:1 (NLT)
¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

The Word of God for encouragement:

Romans 16:25-27 (HCSB)
²⁵ Now to Him who has power to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages
²⁶ but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all nations—
²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to Him be the glory forever! Amen.

My observation:

Paul concludes his letter to the church at Rome giving glory to God. How fitting is that? We were made to give God glory; that is what we will spend eternity doing, so why not get started today?

In these concluding thoughts Paul gives the reason why he, and by revelation truth, we should give glory to God.

Paul points to the word he preached; he called it my gospel. He called it my gospel for this reason.

Galatians 1:12 (HCSB)
¹² For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation from Jesus Christ.

My prayer:

Father God, my dear Father, I praise you and I thank you for the privilege I have to walk with you daily through the word of God.

Father God, I am so grateful for the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding I receive from walking and talking with Jesus day after day in the word of God.

Finally Lord, I am appreciative for the platform that you have given me to tell others what you have told me. Father, I am so blessed to be able to serve my God, and to serve your people. In Jesus name, Amen.

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My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily
http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Psalm 130:3-4 (HCSB)
³ Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered.

Psalm 18:6 (HCSB)
⁶ I called to the LORD in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.