Category: Prayer

Friday’s Findings

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Family, Joy, Marriage, Parenting, Prayer

The goal of each Friday on my blog is to share a potpourri of links I’ve found to feed your soul, encourage your heart, bring a smile to your face, and cause you to rejoice.

What Will Your Kids Remember About You?  Parents, especially Moms, will need this one as you come to the end of your week.  A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17:12). A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

Be Yourself In Prayer  This is an extremely practical, well-written help for all believers as we engage in the best work.  Remember, prayer is only beneficial and accepted before God the Father when you go through the only advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous One (1 John 2:1). Our goal is not pray perfect prayers, but to simply talk to our Heavenly Father through the Perfect One, Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).  Share your heart, your burden, your praise, and let the Perfect One handled your prayers perfectly (Psalm 18:30). His ears are open to our cry (Psalm 34:15).

Marriage Takes More Than Love – A quick read with three practical helps for marriage.

Fall Foliage in the Blue Ridge Mountains  This is one of the most spectacular times of the year as God paints His creation with colors from His perfect paintbrush along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Enjoy the pics!

The Zipper Story – Enjoy!

Eat All You Want Church

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, God's Word, Pastoring, Prayer

While driving through a nearby town, I read the following on a Bojangles Restaurant board, “Sunday Buffet, 11-2, Eat All You Want.”  This got me to thinking about what happens in churches across the country every Sunday from around 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or so. Every Sunday when you attend Sunday School and the morning and evening services, the following ought to be true:

1.  The teaching in SS and the preaching in the services should be a buffet that is well-prepared, presented and prayed over.

Therefore, the pastor needs to spend time alone with the Lord early in the mornings each day to know the heart of God and His Word.  He must pray through the passages that he’ll be preaching from in the coming days.  He needs to study the text, dig for the meaning, seek the Spirit of God to reveal the Truth, and come to the “table” ready to deliver the goods!

If Bojangles invites you to eat their food until you are full, they had better have the food prepared.  So should the pastor and teachers.

2.  The attenders should want nothing more than to leave having eaten all they could hold.

Now, since losing my weight, I do not have the capacity to eat like I used to.  There were years that buffet and happiness were synonymous in my book.   Sad to say, too many Christians have a greater capacity to eat temporal food than they do eternal manna.  Hence, it’s like the old hair gel commercial’s tag line, “A little dab will do you.”  We eat hardy at the world’s tables, but are satisfied with a light snack of God’s Word.  The reason I return to a restaurant is due to the good food.  When I heard a restaurant I love was opening in my town, I was excited!  We should be in the Word so much outside of church that when we attend, we eat until we are full and are looking forward to the next time!

Think on these truths:

Psalm 19:7-11

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

 

Psalm 119:97, 103

Oh, how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

How sweet are Your words to my taste,

Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

 

Jeremiah 15:16

Your words were found, and I ate them,

And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;

 

So, are you faithful member of the Eat All You Want Church?  I’ll pray, prepare, and present; you eat all you want!

An Abounding Advancement

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Prayer

Boones Creek Bible Church

My earnest desire and prayer for the congregation of Boones Creek Bible Church this week:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

A God-Ordained Cancer Journey

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Death, Faith, Hope, Prayer

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To hear the diagnosis of cancer is like trying to hold on in the midst of an 8.0 earthquake.  The sounds of that word sends rippling emotional effects through your mind and body as well on upon all those around you.  Imagine what effect it would have on a congregation when they find out that their relatively young pastor has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Such is the case of Oak Ridge Baptist Church, Oak Ridge, TN.  Pastor Tom Craig is weakening physically day-by-day, yet in the midst of it all, ORBC, along with the Craig family are being strengthened moment-by-moment by the awesome grace of God.

One the members of ORBC, Brad Zockoll, has been giving us a very transparent glimpse into this church’s journey with their dear, beloved pastor.  Today, I share with you the link, august-week-5-the-hollowness-of-cancer.  Please take the time to read Brad’s comments from Week 5 as well as the prior posts.

Intercede for Tom & Kim and the congregation of ORBC.  Learn from them as you read these posts.  Praise God for them and with them.

Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life (Psalm 119:49-50).

Oh, Those Precious, Pious Statements

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Prayer

Satan is a great deceiver.  Man is often so gullible. The devil loves to get us believing statements that sound so good, but are so deceitful and untrue.  They may partial truth, but are not completely true.  For instance, have you heard anyone say or have you said:

“Just follow your heart.”

“God works in mysterious ways.”

“Money is the root of all evil.”

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

“To thine ownself be true.”

“Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

“God helps those who help themselves.”

“God needed another angel in heaven, so He called him/her home.”

“The Lord won’t put on you more than you can bear.”

There are many others, but these are not to be found in Scripture.  The one I want to dwell on for a moment today is often said at the point of frustration, exasperation, and hopelessness, “Well, I guess all we can do now is pray!”  Have you really given thought to that statement?  What are you really saying?

This statement is a declaration of the following:

1.  “I’ve tried everything else, and it didn’t work, so I guess we can pray now.” This is making prayer a last resort.

What does Scripture say about this?

Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2.  “I have looked everywhere except the Lord and His Word for the answer, for the great need I have, but finally after much searching, I recognize I better come to God.”

What does Scripture say about this?

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

James 1:5-8  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

3.  “Well, I don’t have any other options. Guess I’d better pray.”

What does Scripture say about this?

Psalm 18:6, 16-19  In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.  He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

Often, the Lord does bring us to a place where all option are removed so we will depend upon Him, and Him alone!

Here’s the correct response to all of life, to all unanswered questions, to all needs, to all difficult situations, to all prayer burdens and to every situation:

Psalm 16:8-9 I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.

Psalm 18:1-3 I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

Matthew 6:33   But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning, God . . . .

Today, drop the pithy, pious statements of the Christianese language, and speak the truth to yourself.  Run to Christ in prayer all day long; not as a last resort!!

16.8 Christians

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, God's Word, Prayer, Renewal

Here are some common numbers often thought about in reference to time each week:

  • 7
  • 24
  • 8-5
  • 168

168?  What does that number represent?  This is the total number of hours in a seven day week.  We know that all 168 hours are a gift from the Lord. Since every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:18), we are to be good stewards of those hours.  When we think of stewardship, we most likely think of money which is a gift from the Lord as well.  Since we are exhorted to tithe, what about our time?  If you were to give a tithe to the Lord for His gift of time, how much should be given each week?  That would be 16.8 hours-a-week.

Now let’s consider that 16.8 hours in your week.  It comes out to be 2.4 hours-a-day.  In your week, how much time do you give to the Lord in absolute concentrated devotion of study, prayer, communication, meditation, singing, memorization, and listening?  If you really gave Him your undivided attention in Sunday School and the church services as well as on Wednesday night, that would leave you approximately 12.3 hours.  Divide that by six and you have 2.05 hours-a-day.  Now, I’m not suggesting that we literally clock our time with the Lord, but shouldn’t we give the Lord each week an offering of our very best time?  Mary got it right as recorded in Luke 10:38-42.  She chose what was necessary, the best part (10:42).

We tithe on God’s money; shouldn’t we tithe on God’s time? Since God is sovereign over all, we can trust Him with our finances and our future.  He rescued you from hell to enjoy fellowship with you.  He knows what your day holds; He made it.  Give Him the gift of your best time in fellowship and see how throughout the day He orchestrates your life.  You might find that you will be singing in 16/8 time. 🙂  How about joining forces, and let’s be 16.8 Believers?

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce (Prov. 3:9).

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord (Psalm 4:5).

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:6-7).

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Malachi 3:10).

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:31-33).

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.  Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name (Psalm 63:1-4).

Thanks to Missionary Milo Tomas (Philippines) for his example and leadership to be a 16.8 Christian!  He is definitely a man who treasures “Christ in the midst” of his life (John 20:19-22).

Have Ya Got the Time?

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, God's Word, Prayer, Renewal

There are many reasons why I love living in East Tennessee.   One of which is the down-home common sense bred in the hearts and character of many raised in these mountains.  Today, I have such a one who has agreed to let me share what the Lord gave him last week while studying the Word.  Wayne and his dear wife, Vickie, are dear members of our church and have gone through the furnace of affliction for the past six years.  These words are born out of a life that has been touched by the Master and continues to walk by faith and not by sight.  It is totally unedited just as he penned it.  Thanks, Wayne, for sharing your heart and letting me share with the readers today.

“Have ya got the time?”….I’ll bet its been a spell since you’ve heard that question. This day and time lots of folks have wrist watches, and most of the people have cell phones, so knowing the time is no problem.

Speaking of time, puts me in mind of the time Uncle Roby ordered him a pocket-watch from Sears and Roebuck. It finally come in the mail to Lansing NC post office. It had a fancy fob on one end and about 8-10 inches of gold colored chain with a genuine Elgin Pocket Watch, big as biscuit, on the other end.

Word gets around in Lansing pretty quick, so the next time Uncle Roby was in Walter Osbornes’ store, everyone was quizzing him about his new watch. Ole Doc Keyes up and says, “well Roby, what time is it”

Uncle Roby proudly pulls out his watch, flips up the lid and says, “there she be,” ..Ole Doc says, “well danged if it ain’t”…..neither one could tell time..such as it was in bygone days.

Now let me ask you, “have you got the time?”

We’ve got the time to get up on Monday morn and get to work at the correct time. We’ve got the time to stop and fill up the gas tank when the hand is close to the E. We’ve got the time to set down at the dinner table when suppers on. But, do we have the time to hear what God is saying…?

And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: Gen 19:27.……Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. Ps.55:17.….To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Ps.92:2.……I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Prov.8:17.…..

It seems like early and in the morning is a common time to hear from God. Some of my best times with God has been early in the morn. Its quite, its peaceful, the business of the day has not started. My Bible in my lap, the Spirit of God in my heart. He reveals to me my short-comings and then His wonderful forgiveness. He reveals to me His will, and then that my will should be lined up with His will. Most of all, I guess, is He revels His love for me. So, try it one morn, get up a little early and seek Him…ponder on that a bit and remember…O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; Ps 63:1.

Victory For Prayer

by Dale, posted in Faith, Prayer

Last week, my wife and I had the joy of attending the Spiritual Leadership Conference 2014, Lancaster, CA.  Every service and every workshop was a gift from the Lord to worship and be trained.  Tuesday evening’s service was a tribute to the power of prayer and courage as the mayor and city council of Lancaster, CA, were recognized as well as the freedom legal counsel for their part in a recent Supreme Court Ruling.

In 2009, the City of Lancaster was sued for opening city council meetings in prayer.  Rather than bowing to the pressure of this liberal organization, as many other cities have done, Mayor Rex Parris (pictured above) and the city council took a stand for prayer.  The lawsuit spanned for more than two years and was argued in two courtrooms.

On July 12, 2011, the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ruled in favor of the City of Lancaster.  On November 8, 2012, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled in favor of the City of Lancaster, upholding the right of religious leaders to invoke the name of Jesus when opening meetings in prayer.

In a 5-4 ruling announced May 5, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States held that opening prayers in open government meetings was not in violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.  This applies, according to the court, even if the prayers are overwhelming Christian.  Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court, “The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce non-believers.”

When determining whether or not prayers must be generic or so general that no one would be offended, Justice Kennedy said, “The First Amendment is not a majority rule, and government many not seek to define permissible categories of religious speech.  Once it invites prayer into the public sphere, government must permit a prayer-giver to address his or her own God or gods as conscious dictates.”

May I encourage you to pray much for your governmental leaders?  Do not have a “well let’s just fold up the tents and go bury ourselves in the sand” attitude!!  As long as we are on earth, we can pray and spread the gospel because of our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, seated at God’s right hand! Let’s be courageous on our knees and on our feet!

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1 Timothy 2:1-5).

Information Source:  Spiritual Leadership Conference 2014 Material; Baptist Bible Tribune, June 2014

Who Sat Near You Last Night?

by Dale, posted in Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Prayer

When you came to Wednesday Evening Prayer Meeting, who was seated around you?  Was it a visitor from out of the country steeped in Orthodox religion that had never been in a Baptist church before?  Was it one of the missionaries that your church supports?  Was it a new family looking for a home church?  Was it a family that was worshipping with you for the final time before they move out of town? Was it a heavy-burdened individual with extreme home issues?   Was it a man who is continuing to move forward in spite of a recent divorce? Was it a dear one who is being challenged at their workplace for their faith?  Was it a mother who had a rough day parenting?

How did you minister to that person?  I know it is so easy, after a hard day, to want to just come in and be ministered to.  May I encourage you to look to the One Who came to minister, not to be ministered unto (Mark 10:45), to enable you to really see the folks around you?  Christ will help you be able to have discernment, courage and strength to come alongside them and pray with them, minister to their needs, and bear the image of the gospel in their lives.  Christ will help you show them that He is the Anchor of Hope they really need (Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:18-20).  What a privilege; what a delight!!

Upon entering into the ministry of someone else’s need, you soon forget how tired you were.  You will leave church refreshed and grateful. So, who sat near you last night?