Ask, Seek and Knock

If we want a life of victory in Christ, all we have to do is ask Him. However, the key is to ask consistently with persistence. Luke 11:9-13 says,  “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Something powerful happens when we set our heart on a goal and pursue hard after it. As with any goal, we must consistently take steps towards it. There may be barriers or opposition but if we want a life of power in Christ, we need to position ourselves in that direction. God gave us the gift of choice and every choice comes with positive or negative outcomes. When we choose to persistently seek the Lord, the outcome is only positive. His promises are sure. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, fill my heart with a desire for Your ways. Holy Spirit, empower me to persistently follow Jesus regardless of the opposition.

Consistency

Many of us want to live a life of success. The challenge is that success is rarely gained overnight. Success is t
he result of consistency in productive thoughts and behaviors. There will be times of failure and it may seem like we are taking steps backward. However when we consistently respond with an attitude of openness to learn, we use those failures as launching pads to spring forward. 

Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.” In my years of working in the human services field, one thing has struck me. People notice consistency. Whether we work for a company or have our own business, consistency leads to higher quality. The small actions of consistency make a big impact. Being consistent in our field of expertise or specialty can open doors of opportunity for more personal and professional growth. This, in essence, brings glory to God. God is excellent in all His ways and He flows His excellence through us, as we consistently apply His word to our lives.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I want to glorify You in all that I do. I want to live a life of consistency in Your ways. Holy Spirit teach me how to be consistent in prayer and reading Your Word. Let that consistency in my spiritual life flow in every other area of my life.

Be Fruitful

There is something so devious about social media and modern technology. It has created opportunities for success like never before. There have been many people who have made money through showing content on platforms, such as Tick Tock, Facebook and Instagram. However, the flip side is that there are thousands of people watching that online content for hours every day. To the point where those individuals are losing valuable time that could be used in activities that would prosper themselves. 

Ecclesiastes 10:18 says, “Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks. Our lives are compared to a house. If we don't take care of the house, it starts to fall apart. Our lives prosper when we engage in productive activity. God created us to be fruitful and to flourish. Genesis 1:22 says, “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply.” I’m not against watching social media completely. It just seems like it can be a slippery slope for many of us. When we sit for hours and consume online material, we lose valuable time. We lose opportunities to explore our own creativity and talents. What is God saying to you about this topic?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me a vision for my life. You created me with a purpose to bear good fruit in this life. Holy Spirit lead me in the path that has been ordained for me. Fill me with creativity and passion.

The Fear Of The Lord

What is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is honoring the Lord above all things. It is being mindful of Him in daily life. It is acknowledging His greatness and power. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” 

When we think of the Lord first, we are humbly positioning ourselves and acknowledging that His ways are higher and better than ours. As we seek to draw closer to Him, we see more clearly that the ways of the flesh are death and His ways are life. When we have a holy reverence for God and seek His ways, divine wisdom comes. We start to understand how His Kingdom operates. God rules His Kingdom in righteousness, holiness and truth. As we develop a holy reverence for Him, we start living our lives according to His Kingdom and not this earthly kingdom. The fear of the Lord is actually a place of freedom and safety. We come to the realization that the omnipotent and omniscient Holy One, who created the universe, rules and reigns and we are safe in Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, draw me closer to You. Bring me to the place of holy reverence before You. I want to know You and live for You. I want You to dwell in my heart.

The Conscience

God’s fingerprints are all around us. We see evidence of His glory and greatness when we look at nature. He reveals Who He is through His creation. Even when mankind tries to destroy or alter nature, God’s power is greater. Mankind suffers natural consequences when trying to manipulate God’s divine order of things. 

Even those who don’t know God, have a deep inner knowing that there is The Divine. God created mankind in His image and gives each person a moral conscience, an awareness of what is right and wrong, good and evil. Romans 2:14-15 says “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them”. Simply having a conscience does not equal living a holy life. Sometimes we may be deceived and think something is good when, in fact, it is not good and not of God. It is only through Christ that our conscience can be sanctified and be ruled by the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we not only know what is right and wrong but we have the grace to do what is right in the sight of God.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I submit my mind and conscience to You. Holy Spirit, fill me with Your grace and power to do what is right in the sight of God. Sanctify me by the blood of Jesus, that I would live a life that is holy unto the Lord.

The Mind Of Christ

I often pray over my mind. I pray that God will give me a sound mind and fill me with the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2: 16 says, “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” When I meditate on that scripture, I think of Christ’s wisdom and discernment. I think of His boldness in confronting evil. However, it came to me so clearly, that the mind of Christ is actually  the mind of The Father. 

Jesus said that He obeys the will of The Father Who sent Him. John 5:19 says, “Then Jesus answered and said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.’” So my prayer has changed a bit. I pray for the mind of Christ, that I would obey the will of The Father. That I would do what my Heavenly Father is doing, just as Christ. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the mind of Christ, through His sacrifice on The Cross and through Your Holy Spirit. I ask You, Holy Spirit, to work in my heart, the fruit of faithfulness, to obey the will of my Father in heaven.

Where does my help come from?

When we are in need, our first reaction may be to look around and find the first person who seems to have what we need. It’s obvious that they have the resources and we may think there is no harm in asking. But maybe we need to take a different approach. Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills - From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

God wants us to look to Him first, so He can guide us to the right resources. When we seek out people to be our source, we are often disappointed. They may not come through the way that we desired. We put expectations on them to be our savior and get us out of a difficult situation. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.” It never goes well when we put our hope and faith in another imperfect human being. We must always seek the Lord first and His counsel. When we are disappointed when someone does not come through for us, it is just a signal that we need to go to our true source, Jesus. He paid a heavy price on The Cross to be our Savior. He did not come just to save us from hell, but He came to be our Savior in every difficulty in life. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be my Savior. Holy Spirit, teach me how to trust my Savior more and more in my daily life. Help me to always look up to the One who is my help.