Posted by vicki on Jul 29, 2011 in
Scripture stuff
God puts a lot of stock in words.
Of course, the words He values most highly are His own words.
When He set out to create the world, you know what he used? His Words!
Look at this:
Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light…
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him (the Word-Jesus); and without him (the Word-Jesus) was not anything made that was made. (Theologically complicated, but true. God’s Word that created stuff, is Jesus Himself.)
How about this one? Peter talks about folks who are willingly ignorant that God created the world with his Word:
II Peter 3:5
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.
What if we truly understood the power of God’s Word? What if we prayed and read our Bibles with the understanding of God’s powerful and creative Word?
I would challenge you to take a few days, reading your Bible and praying at the same time for God to reveal to you the creative power of the Words He has given you.
The Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy, about how to mature as a Christian and how to be a leader. His guidance for Timothy can be found in I Timothy and II Timothy.
Paul felt it important to teach Timothy about prayer.
He told Timothy who to pray for and the types of prayer they needed.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.- I Timothy 2:1,2
Paul wanted Timothy to pray for:
1. Kings
2. All that are in authority
Who are the kings we pray for today?
1. Our president
2. Leaders of other countries as God brings them to mind (our country’s friends AND our country’s enemies)
How do we pray for them?
1. Supplication- ask God specifically for something you or others need from them (for instance, wisdom on ruling the country well, good decisions about the war or education policy)
2. Intercession- ask God specifically for things these leaders need (for instance, to walk with God, to know Christ, to live righteously, good health)
3. Give thanks for them and what they do- (whether or not you like a leader, we are to give thanks for them)
4. That they may lead our country and world in a way that we could live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty.
How can you incorporate Paul’s prayer list into your life?
Posted by vicki on Jul 2, 2011 in
Asking God for Stuff,
Scripture stuff We all come up against times in our lives when we don’t know what to do.
The tough thing about Scripture is that it doesn’t have Vicki 1:1 for me to turn so that I can find out exactly what God is saying to me. I would love to have some direct written guidance: “Thus saith the Lord: Vicki, thou shalt take the car in for major repairs and not just trade it in for a newer car.”
Oh well.
However, God does actually make His will very clear. Here it is:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NIV biblegateway.com.
Here it is again:
It is God’s will for me to:
1) Rejoice always
2) Pray continually
3) Give thanks in all circumstances
I can at least work on fulfilling His will for me as stated here. Sooner or later, as I do that, perhaps the car repair question will clear up…
How do you seek God’s will?