Judging Others

We often judge others on how they look, who they married, what they did, etc.

What did Jesus do?

John 8:7 tells about a woman who committed adultery and was about to be stoned to death. Jesus could have looked on her and judged her, but He didn't. He says, "one who has never sinned throw the first stone!"

This is significant because Jesus did not judge her, in fact, He did the opposite. Jesus had forgiveness and compassion for the woman.

When you catch others in sin, are you quick to judge? Or are you quick to forgive? God's role is to judge, ours is to show compassion and forgiveness.

Do You Desire to Know God

There's something tragically wrong with a believer who doesn't desire to know God.

In fact, you may not even be saved at all...

Being a Christian and accepting Jesus into your life is not just a verbal statement you say. In fact, that is only the beginning. That is when a relationship with Jesus begins!

When you're in a relationship, you want to learn as much as you can about the other person. This is the same with your relationship with Jesus! Therefore, if you do not desire to know Jesus, you may not be in a relationship with Him...

Do You Feel Worthless?

Do you ever feel like your worthless? Like no one cares?

The fact is, our TRUE value is God's estimate of our worth, not our family or peers.

God values you so much He gave His own Son for you so that you don't have to go to Hell! THAT is how valuable you are in the eyes of the Creator of the Universe!

If You Commit Suicide, Do You Go to Hell?

The Bible can be very confusing at times and many people get frustrated trying to understand this topic. All we can do look at examples of scripture.

Both Samson and King Saul committed suicide, but we believe both of them will be in heaven.

1 Samuel 31:4-5 "...But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him."

We expect to see Saul in heaven from the following verse:

1 Samuel 10:10  "...the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying."

The fact is, ALL sins are serious enough to send us to HELL. God commanded us not to murder, but His only son, Jesus Christ, died for our sins (past, present, and future sins) so that we can inherit eternal life in Heaven.  Committing suicide is essentially murdering yourself, which is a sin just like lying, stealing, fornicating, etc.  All of which, Christ's death paid for.

Without a Father?

There are so many of us without fathers, it almost feels like there is a missing piece of our lives...

Here is what the Bible teaches:

Psalm 68:5-6 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, He leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."

All we must do is trust in God, and He will be our Father; He will guide and direct us.

Don't Worry About Tomorrow

The more important something is to you, the more you will worry about it. This may be relationships, jobs, money, cars, etc. Now, ask yourself the question, will this matter in five years? Probably not.

What does the Bible say about worrying and anxiety?

Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  NIV

Luke 12:25 "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"

Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved."

1 Peter 5:7 "...casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."

Hebrews 13:6 "So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."


WORRY CHALLENGE


For the next 7 days, every time you worry or have anxiety, PRAY. Talk to God continuously and "cast all your anxieties on Him".

Why worry when you can pray?

The Biblical KEY to Get Rich: Generosity

Is it a sin to be wealthy? No. 

David was a wealthy King, and was called "a man after God's own heart". His son, Solomon, asked for wisdom from God. He became the wealthiest man to ever live. Would you read a book by the wealthiest man in the world and how they were successful? Most agree that Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs.

How did they do it? 

1.  They trusted God. They knew that He would take care of them in every circumstance.



Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."

Proverbs 11:24-25 "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." -ESV

Proverbs 15:16
"Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil."

Proverbs 21:5
"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty."

Proverbs 13:11
"Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time."

Proverbs 22:2
"The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both."


2.  They were generous.


Proverbs 3:27
"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them.

Proverbs 11:24
"Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything."

Proverbs 11:25
"The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."

Proverbs 19:17
"If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord - and He will repay you!"




Jesus also speaks of giving in Luke:

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." -ESV


The Corinthians also mention generosity:

2 Corinthians 9:6
"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." - ESV


Generosity is not only a blessing for the receiver, but also the giver.

Does God Answer Prayers of the Unsaved?

Let's define "unsaved"

Unsaved - "In danger of the eternal punishment of Hell"  (thefreedictionary.com)
Someone who is unsaved, has not asked God for forgiveness of their sins and believed Jesus died for them.

Does God answer prayers of the unsaved?


John 9:31 "Now we know that God hears not sinners: but if any man be a worshiper of God, and does His will, him He hears." (King James)


Proverbs 1:27-29 "When calamity overtakes you like storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord," (NIV '84)


Our job as believers is to pray on behalf of the unbelievers (unsaved). 


Do you want to be saved?

You can go to www.theprayerpeople.org and learn how, OR you can pray this:

Jesus, I know that I have sinned against You and this separates me from You. I am sorry and I want to turn away from my sinful ways and turn to You. Please forgive me. I believe that You died for me and my sins, that You rose from the dead, and are alive and hear my prayers. I'm asking You to become my Savior and the Lord of my life from this day forward. Amen.


Let us know if you became a Christ-follower today! CLICK HERE!

Gifts From God

Are you viewing your possessions in the right prospective?

They are all gifts from God! You must realize, they aren't the source of your joy, but they are a reason to rejoice! Every good thing comes from God!

Have you ever heard of "focusing more on the giver than the gift? Well God is the Giver! We can be content when we realize that with Him, we are well cared for and have what we need.

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 "And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life - this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past."

Do You Need Healing?

Are you sick? Is a family member ill? 

We (as Christians) have a lot of power at our fingertips, but we don't know how to use it!

Matthew 17:20 "...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Healing is directly associated with faith. 

Matthew 15:28 "'Dear woman,' Jesus said to her, 'your faith is great. Your request is granted' And her daughter was instantly healed."

Matthew 8:5 "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 'Lord,' he said, 'my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.'  

Jesus said to him, 'I will go and heal him.'    

The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go," and he goes; and that one, "Come," and he comes. I say to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.'

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, 'I tell you the trust, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that very hour.'

Do You Believe In Prayer?

Mark 11:22-25  "In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!' 
'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered. 'I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.'"  (NIV)


God has given us a remarkable amount of power. The only thing we have to do is truly believe it will happen! That is easier said than done, but as we continue our walk with Christ and allow Him to prove himself over and over, our faith will grow and we will then realize that through prayer and believing, WE CAN DO ANYTHING.

Can God Make My Wrongs Right?

Short answer: YES

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." (NIV)

Time Is In God's Hands

Are you worried about a relationship and longing for someone to contact you?
Have you been looking for a job for months and are still unemployed?
Is the business you are starting taking a long time to get established?
Did your spouse in the military just get reassigned for another 6 months?

This list could go on and on...

The fact is, time is in God's hands. For things we desire, our human nature is impatient. We say, "Why God? Why hasn't he called me? Why can't I find a job? What's wrong with my business? Why did my spouse just get reassigned?"

As a Chist-follower, we can know that God is in control. And He is our heavenly "FATHER" who wants the BEST for us. We think we know what is best for us, but we don't know the whole picture! God sees our life from beginning to the end! He helps lead us to our full potential!

Rather than worrying, PRAY! And stay passionate about your life! Jesus died so you can live! LIVE TO THE FULLEST!

God, Our Father?

God is our heavenly father.

Ever feel like no one is on our side? Just remember, if He is our heavenly father, than we are his son or daughter!

It feels good to know that through Jesus, we can  be saved! And if we really think about the phrase, "I am God's son or daughter", it gives us confidence that God will take care of us just as a parent cares for their children.

Prayers for the New Year 2012

What are your resolutions for the new year? Are they God-centered?

This year, try giving God a portion of your day in prayer. Whether it be two minutes or two hours, prayer changes lives!

We all have our own specific needs for ourselves and loved ones, but lets not forget about everyone else who is also going through difficult times!

Here are some examples of situations people are facing AS YOU READ THIS:
-Marital problems
-Infidelity
-Cancer
-Broken heart
-Health
-Legal battles
-Finances
-Jobs
-Temptation
-Chronic pain
-Addictions
-etc.

Please remember to pray daily for all those facing these struggles.

How Should We Pray?

Are our prayers filled with requests from God to help and rescue us?

In the Bible, David not only prayed for rescue, but he also prayed for achievement and victory!

We should recognize God is not going to grant our every wish. He is GOD, and we should worship Him, love Him, and love His people. When we look at praying as a way of communication (2-way), it helps us ask questions rather than make requests.

"How can God give me victory over this situation?"

Psalm 108:13  - "With God's help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes."

Why Be Generous?

Ever heard of the phrase, "more money, more problems"?

Being generous helps cure these problems. It not only keeps your attitude in check, but also helps other people!

Keep this in mind as you begin the new year! And remember to always keep God first in every aspect of your life, including finances! 

Greed

Luke 12:15 - "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."  (NIV)

We need to be careful when it comes to greed, the Bible clearly tells us the results:

1 Timothy 6:9 - "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction."

It seems like a lot of times, we make excuses for our greed and ultimately deny it. Greed is a sin just like any other, and at some point, we all struggle with it. In fact, we might say, "I'm not greedy, I tithe my 10% and support a missionary!" We sometimes make these excuses of what the underlying issue might be. We all have some sort of greed in us, it's our sin nature.

The Solution:

Well the only solution to sin is Jesus Christ, but even after He becomes our Lord and Savior, we will still sin. The best way to help with your struggles in greed is to read about what the Bible says about it! There are many more verses that talk about money and possessions; after reading some of these verses, you will be able to quickly point out greed so you can take steps to avoid it!

Why do bad things happen?

Why do bad things happen?

This question was asked over and over after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 in the United States.  The reality is that bad things happen to everyone.  This is the result of a world that is very corrupt and far from God. Our society almost considers "bad things" to be in different levels. As an example, it starts out small with a lie or cheating on a test.  Then, you might have theft or vandalism. Then there may be something really serious like rape. After that, it could escalate to something like murder. 

We are so quick to blame God, and say "How could You let this happen???", but it's really not God's fault, its the result of a sinful world. However, in Romans 8:28 He says, "All things work together for good to them that love God".  Oftentimes, we don't understand the situation and we question why we must deal with these problems, but one day we will understand that it all worked out according to His plan for our lives.

Our ways are different than God's ways. We will never completely understand why God allows certain things to happen, but we do need to trust that He will guide us through it! In our own lives, it may be to build our character and help others through our testimony? Or maybe someone saw what you were going through and became a Christian? Remember, God created you, and He wants the best for you!

Relationships

It seems like relationships have the power to make us the most happy people in the world, or the most depressed. They have an overwhelming power over us and our attitude, that is why we must be careful how much we let relationships affect us.  When we go through these hard times, we tend to tell God, "I need him because he makes me happy" or "God, i need this girl!".  We act as if we know more than God does, and we know who would be best for us. The reality is, our "best" may just be average for God's "best". If we truly commit to following Jesus and allow Him to work in our lives, we will find ourselves in a relationship that is better than any of us could even imagine! 

God designed us to have relationships, not only with our spouse and friends, but with Him. Sometimes I think, "Whenever i'm longing for that person to call or show interest in me, I bet God feels the same way... but only wanting ME to show interest in HIM." God loves us A LOT. Some of you are dealing with a spouse or bf/gf cheating on you. That is such a hard thing to go through, there are so many emotions involved and the feeling that they don't love you. It kind of makes me wonder, what if... every time we deliberately disobeyed God or put other things before Him, He felt like we were cheating on Him??? We do that all the time... And He still loves us. If you read the Home page of www.theprayerpeople.org it talks a little bit more about His love - specifically when Peter denied Jesus. 

Someone once told me, "the grass isn't greener on the other side, it's greener where you water it" As you all live your daily lives, remember, God is always with us. He hears YOUR prayers and knows exactly what your going through. Just as steel needs to go through fire to get purified, we need to go through our own "fires" for God to purify us!