My life is 100% in God’s hands

May 20, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Satan before the Lord (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My trust is in the Lord, the Creator of all things and my Creator. My heart is at rest for I know that God is faithful. He keeps His promises. Everything about His character is totally dependable and completely reliable. What He has spoken in His Word, He will fulfill. He not only wills to fulfill His Word, but He also has the resources to fulfill it.

In Him, I have found my Champion of all Champions, my Certainty of all certainties, my Security of all securities. God cannot fail, for love never fails, and God is love. He quiets my spirit and assures me that I am in His hands.

Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you
from the Fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings, you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation. ”

Prayer of Trust

Lord, I trust in you. I trust in your mercy because you are merciful. I trust in your grace, for you are gracious. I trust in your goodness for you are good. I trust in your strength for you are almighty. I trust in your council for you are wise. I trust in your compassion for you are love. I trust in the shelter of your wings, in the shield of your protection, in the safety of Your surrounding presence. Lord, I trust in you at all times, in all ways and for all reasons. I trust in you because what happens to me matters to You, and because my needs are your concern. Lord, I trust in You. You are my heavenly Father, and I know you will never do anything unkind or unloving to one of Your children.

Are you steadfast and determined to follow Christ?

May 16, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;however,

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, (Hebrews 3:12-14).

The word “steadfast” is an important part of your spiritual journey. This word helps to define the condition of your heart as you travel God’s pathway.

You cannot be steadfast in your walk if you are uncertain about God and His ways. Being steadfast means that each step you take; however, small or big, will be taken in confidence, dependency, and certainty in who God is and what He has said.

As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, your walk can be steadfast, not because you are steady and consistent, but because the foundation under your feet will always remain solid, firm, sure and unshakable. You can be steadfast in your faith and your obedience because Jesus Christ’s love for you will never waver, and His promises to you will never fail.

A Prayer of the Steadfast

Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness. I thank you for the certainty of Your ways, Your Kingdom, and Your Word. I thank You that I can count on You, lean on you, trust in You, abide in You, and walk with You. I thank You that You are the foundation of my footsteps, the light upon my way, the destination I seek after, and the hope I carry in my heart.

I purpose to follow You in cheerful obedience, in singleness of focus, and in steadfastness of heart. Empower me by Your grace, oh God, to keep on keeping on doing Your will. I thank You, Lord, for the assurance that You will never change, never falter, never waver, and never turn Your love away from me.

Losing Your Salvation (bloodofthelamb.wordpress.com)
True Belief (beingrebekah.com)

Do you struggle with personal weaknesses?

May 14, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Let’s be realistic, everybody struggles with something. Heavenly religious or earthly secular, personal weaknesses are real. Furthermore, you cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ and not struggle with demons. The Apostle Paul calls his, a “thorn in the flesh.” And while Simon Peter never admits this publicly, he hated the Gentile.

Here is how Paul describes his personal weakness: “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. However, he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. . .” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

Jesus knew that personal weaknesses or borne out of self-indulgence and there are no shortcuts around them. Perhaps that’s the reason, He declared: “If anyone come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).

God does not want you to carry anything that He has not asked you to carry. Everything that He has asked you to carry, He will give you the grace to carry.

If you try to carry something that God wants someone else to carry, they will be given the grace to carry it, but you will not. If God has not asked you to carry something, do not pick it up.

Although taking up your cross involves denying yourself, the main focus is about following Christ. The cross you carry has to do with the choices you make with your will, the responses you have in your actions, and the attitude you have in your heart.

God has called you to carry your own cross. His cross for you is something that you can take up daily, because grace will be in your hands to lift the cross, grace will be on your shoulders to carry the cross, and grace will be in your heart to live out the cross in your daily life. It is grace that makes bearing your cross possible.

Your cross means that you are putting to death every decision, every response, and every attitude in your life that is not consistent with the love of Jesus Christ.

Reenactment Of Jesus’ Famous Sermon On The Mount

May 12, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The ten commandments are summed up in Jesus’ famous sermon. (Read Matthew 5-7), or watch the video below.

Which of the Ten Commandments is your favorite?

May 10, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Moses with the tablets of the Ten Commandments, painting by Rembrandt (1659) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written that you may teach them” (Exodus 24:12-13).

So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.

And God spoke all these words, saying,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in

heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:1-17).

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10).

The Ten Commandments: Commandments 3 & 4(slapioneer.wordpress.com)

Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

May 8, 2012
Posted by prhayz

YYRc0JeQuC0Symbolic model of King David's harp (or lyre) displayed in the City of David, Jerusalem, Israel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the Peoples with equity.

How To Use Unfailing Patience To Combat Provocation?

May 6, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

^“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:7-11).

Patience is a necessary characteristic every Christian must have if we wish to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. Sadly; many of us fail to display this characteristic when it matters most. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must bear with unfailing patience the spiteful attacks of malice. We must be patient and kind under provocation.

We must learn to hold our tongue, be quiet, unruffled, and composed when passing through a swarm of unkindness and misrepresentation. We must try to right wrongs not by force but by patient dialogue and by peaceful means. To do otherwise would mean we are not working toward that day when Christ returns for His people.

Though our circumstances may seem bleak at present, there is a better day coming. There is a righteous judge who is keeping watch over His own. He is waiting to answer every plea and avenge every wrong. God hates injustice and will vindicate us in due time.

In the meantime, when wrong afflicts us, we should avoid vindicating ourselves. We may answer injustice as Nehemiah did (Read Nehemiah 6) and calmly state our case. However, we must avoid vengeance and retaliation. .” . .for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord’ (Romans 12:19).

Patience in Suffering (livinghislegacy.wordpress.com)

How Do You Endure Temptation?

May 3, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Life is full of temptation. It pursues you like a predator stork its prey. Young or old, temptation entices you at work or play. It enters into your thoughts, your dreams, and even into your prayers.

In the book of Matthew 18:7-9, Jesus warns that temptation to sin is sure to come: “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

There is absolutely no doubt that God could spare you from such enticement, but He has decided not to do so. Instead, He uses Jesus as an example for you to emulate: “And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

“Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“He will command his angels concerning you,’

And

“On their hands, they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:3-7).

So when temptation comes, do as Jesus did. He uses the Word of God to confront the tempter, because He knew the flesh by itself cannot endure temptation

What are you doing with God’s invitation?

April 29, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Matthew (Photo credit: Missional Volunteer)

It is possible to learn much about God’s invitation and never respond to it personally. Even so, his invitation is clear and nonnegotiable. He says; “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

He gives you all and you give him all. He is very specific in what He asks and equally clear in what he offers. The choice is up to you.

Isn’t it awesome that God leaves the choice to you? Think about it. There are many things in life you cannot choose. You can’t, for example, choose the weather, you can’t control the economy, and you can’t choose whether you are born with a big nose or big ears or a lot of hair. You can’t even choose how people respond to you.

But when it comes to life after death you are given a choice. You can choose where you want to spend eternity—heaven or hell. The big choice, God leaves to you. The crucial decision is yours.

No doubt you’ve made some bad choices in life. Haven’t you? You may have chosen to hang with the wrong crowd, or maybe you have chosen the incorrect career, or even an incompatible spouse. You look back over your life and say, “If only I could turn back the hand of time. If only I had the chance to make up for those bad choices I have made in the past.” Well, you can. One good choice for eternity offset a million bad ones on earth. The choice is yours.

What are you doing with God’s invitation? You can either accept it, or reject it but the choice is yours.

Jesus Is The Bread Of Life

April 26, 2012
Posted by prhayz

Jesus fed a multitude with five loaves and two fishes one day. The next day the multitude went looking for Him, apparently to get more fish and bread. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread of God is He who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.”

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst,” (John 6:25-35).

Jesus makes an astonishing statement when He declares Himself as the Bread of life. When we think of bread, we think of something that accompanies a great meal, not something that is the meal.

When Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life, He is also telling us that we will never hunger again. It means that Jesus is enough! When we come to Him and partake of His life, we will never hunger after another savior to redeem us; we will never hunger after another teacher to instruct us.

Jesus’ peace is enough, His presence is enough, His fellowship is enough; His atonement is enough, His Lordship is enough, His Kingdom is enough, His grace is enough, His mercy is enough, and His love is enough.

1 with Christ

Through faith and prayer