Devotion: Make Prayer A Habit

Prayer is what we use to communicate with God.  Prayer is not a monologue, where we are the only ones speaking and God is doing all the listening.  No, this is not all there is to prayer.  There is a lot more to this form of communication than that.  Prayer is actually a conversation that we have between our heart and God.  It is not just a one-way conversation where we do all the talking.  Prayer with God should be like having a conversation with your mother, with your father, with your brother, with your sister, or even with your best friend.  We should be able to communicate with God in a similar way.

Recently, we mentioned that there was a “right way” and a “wrong way” to pray.  In that commentary, we also mentioned that for us to enjoy the benefits of prayer, we needed to learn how to pray.  Besides learning how to communicate with God, we need to learn to allow God to speak to us.  We also need to learn to listen to God as we allow him to minister to us.  Bottom line, we need to learn how to pray.

Learning to pray is a lot like learning to ride a bicycle, learning to drive a car, learning to use a computer or any other thing that we have learned to do in our lifetime.  Through practice and routinely performing the task, we have learned to become proficient at those tasks.  It is the same with prayer; we have to develop our prayer life so that we can become proficient in it.  We have to learn so that it, prayer, becomes a habit for us.

“Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:17-18).

We are told to pray without ceasing.  Keep in mind that prayer is just a conversation between God and us, so basically God is telling us to “communicate with him without ceasing.”  God is telling us that we should not cease to be in constant contact with him, constantly having a conversation with him.

We should never face the day until we have faced God in prayer.  In the same token, we should never end the day until we have done the same, faced God in prayer.  Throughout the day we should do the same thing, face God in prayer.  Before we attempt to do anything, we should pray or communicate with God.  Can you see the theme here?  We should be in constant contact with God, having a conversation with God, constantly facing God in prayer.  Scripture tells us to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12 NIV).  Prayer should always be our first response to everything and never used as our last resort because we have become desperate and run out of options.  We should devote ourselves to prayer and to being in constant communication with God.  And do not forget to talk to God with a sense or an attitude of thanksgiving, because in everything we are to give thanks.  We should never underestimate the power of prayer, especially when we do it the way God wants us to do it.  Cease not to pray.  Cease not to constantly communicate with God.  Pray without ceasing.  Make prayer a habit

As always, we pray that our inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Temporary!

“Temporary” is defined as “lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.”  That is exactly what this life is, temporary, lasting for only a limited period of time.  That is exactly what this world is, temporary.  That is exactly what the things of this world are, temporary.  That is exactly what the offerings of the world are, temporary.  Those of you who love this life, who love this world, who love the things of this world, and who love what this world offers fail to understand that all of these things are but for a limited time period.  They are all temporary, not permanent.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (I John 2:15-17).

We are not supposed to love this world neither are we to love the things of this world, but for many, the world and the things of this world are exactly what they love the most.  They love those things that gives them a sense of pleasure as they try desperately to appease their fleshly desires, but the problem is that “the lust of the flesh” is temporary.  They love those things that gives them a sense of pleasure through what they see, that desire to have all that they see, but again, the problem is that “the lust of the eye” is also temporary.  They love those things that gives them a sense of pride, making them think they are special because of what they look like, what they have, and/or who they are, and the problem that “the pride of life” is temporary as well.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mark 8:36-37)?

So many try to gain the world and the things of this world, but at what price?  What will it profit a man when he has gained the world but lost his soul in the process?  Temporary happiness isn't worth the long-term pain to come (Revelation 20:10-15).  Nothing that is gained through this world last forever, all things are for only a limited period of time.  Nothing here is permanent, it is all temporary.

“These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long.  Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever” (II Corinthians 4:17 TLB)!

Though it seems like some things go on forever, all things are temporary.  It is the same with the struggles we have with poverty, sickness, depression, fear, discouragement, low self-esteem, worry, anxiety, confusion, doubt and the like, they are all temporary.  Though they seem to last forever and many endure such things their entire lifetime, these are but light afflictions and are all temporary, lasting for only a limited period of time.  It is the same with death itself; it too is a temporary thing.

“So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen.  The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” (II Corinthians 4:18 TLB).

Temporary means exactly that, “lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent” and that is what this life is, what we are, and what this world is, temporary.  Temporary is what all the things that we see are, “lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.”  Let us look not at the things we see right now, the troubles that we see in the world, the things that we see in the news, social media, and the like, for all things are but temporary.  Let us focus our attention on the things that are not seen, the joys of heaven, for those things, which are not seen, are the things that are eternal and the things that will last forever.

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.  And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Philippians 3:20 NLT).

We thank God for this inspirational message that he also provided and the avenue that he has given us to share his word.  We continually pray that God’s grace will be upon you and that these devotionals will be a blessing to you.  If you are blessed by them, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: Jesus Is Lord

Jesus is Lord.  Yes, that is right; we said that Jesus is Lord.  Scripture tells us that there is power in the name of Jesus.

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things (those) in heaven, and things in (those on) earth, and things (those) under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

We see that when God raised Jesus up to the heights of heaven, he highly exalted him and gave him a name that is above every other name.  God gave him a name that at his name that every knee, the knee of those in heaven, the knee of those on the earth, and the knee of those under the earth would bow.  God gave him a name that every tongue would confess, acknowledging that Jesus the Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.  Basically, God bestowed a name to him that at the mere mention of the name Jesus, every knee, no matter where that knee may be, would bow and every tongue would confess that Jesus is Lord, all to the glory of God the Father.

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 NIV).

For those who want to be saved, they must confess, “Jesus is Lord,” while believing in their heart, that God raise him from the dead.  Isn’t it interesting that your salvation is connected to your acknowledgement that “Jesus is Lord.”

“I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him.  It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven, far, far above any other king or ruler or dictator or leader.  Yes, his honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else either in this world or in the world to come.  And God has put all things under his feet and made him the supreme Head of the Church—which is his body, filled with himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere” (Ephesians 1:19-23 TLB).

God has placed Jesus in a position of the highest honor, at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far over all rule, authority, and power as well as above every name that can be named, not only in the present world, but also in the world to come.  God has placed all things under his feet and has made him the head of the Church, which is his body.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18).

All power in heaven and in the earth has been given to Jesus, because “Jesus is Lord.”  Yes, that is right, we said it once and we are saying it again, “Jesus is Lord.”

Once again, we are so appreciative and give thanks to God for all he has done for us and all that he is doing with this ministry.  We are truly grateful for all he has provided us and we give praise, honor, and glory to God for each of you.  We pray that this message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: When To Rejoice

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High (Psalm 92:1).  I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works.  I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High (Psalm 9:1-2).  Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.  Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.  Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (Psalm 3:1-3).  It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.

I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.  My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.  My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt (Psalm 71:22-24).  Praise ye the Lord.  Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.  Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant (Psalm 132:1-3).  Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (Psalm 147:1).  It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise (Psalm 98:4).  It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods.  Every morning tell him, “Thank you for your kindness,” and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness.  Sing his praises, accompanied by music from the harp and lute and lyre.  You have done so much for me, O Lord.  No wonder I am glad!  I sing for joy (Psalm 92 1-15 TLB)!  Hallelujah!  Yes, praise the Lord!  Praise him in his Temple and in the heavens he made with mighty power.  Praise him for his mighty works.  Praise his unequaled greatness.  Praise him with the trumpet and with lute and harp.  Praise him with the drums and dancing.  Praise him with stringed instruments and horns.  Praise him with the cymbals, yes, loud clanging cymbals.  Let everything alive give praises to the Lord!  You praise him!  Hallelujah (Psalm 150:1-6 TLB)!  It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.  Let your moderation be known unto all men.  The Lord is at hand.  Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).  It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.  Amen and Amen.

We again give thanks to God for this avenue that he has given us to share his word through this inspirational message.  We continually pray that God’s grace will be upon you and that these devotionals will be a blessing to you.  If you are blessed by them, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Blessings.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Jesus’ Invitation

Our Bible tells us that salvation is in Christ alone.  To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission (forgiveness) of sins (Acts 10:43).  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.  This is the stone which was set at nought of (rejected by) you builders, which is become the head of the corner (chief cornerstone).  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:10-12).  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things (those) in heaven, and things (those) in earth, and things (those) under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:8-11).

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed (put to shame).  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:9-13).  In Christ alone is salvation found.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know (John 14:1-4).  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20 NIV).  Will you accept the invitation?

As always, we give thanks and glory to God for his wisdom and understanding.  We are so blessed to be able to share with you, those things that God has placed in our hearts.  We continue to pray that our commentary and inspirational message will be a blessing to each of you and that you will be the better for having read it.  If you are blessed by what has been provided, please feel free to share so that others may be blessed as well; for as freely as our Father has given this to us, we freely give so that others may share in the love and be blessed.  Thank you all so much for being a part of this ministry.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Faith Pleases God

Our God is a “faith God.”  Everything pertaining to God involves “faith” on our part.  There are many definitions for faith, but the one we are drawn to most for the purpose of this commentary says, “faith is trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof.”  For the believer, faith is trusting in, believing in and/or depending upon God and accepting that he exists when there is no physical proof of its existence or of its reality.

Now, before any of you get upon that righteous horse and start responding with all of the things that you have found that proves God’s existence, know this, it is “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).  Though we can see this physical world, it is only through faith that we believe that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

This is what God wants from us.  God wants us to have faith that he is because without this kind of faith, it is impossible for us to please God.  But here is the most important part of this passage for “those who come to God and believe that he is,” God is “a rewarder of them who diligently seek him.”

Gloria Copland is credited with saying, “Faith is the confidence to think, to speak, to act on the words God has already spoken.  Faith always looks forward.  It doesn’t dwell on the past.  It faces the future full of expectancy with faith in God.  You are born again to live a life of bold, fearless and unwavering faith.”

Voltaire, a French writer, philosopher, playwright, said “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”

Kenneth Copeland describes faith this way, “Faith is not a movement.  Faith is not how God operates and lives...it’s how he wants you to live.”

“Faith in God” is having the courage to let God have control.  “Faith in God” is having the courage to put everything in his hands and then trusting that he will do what he has said he would do.  “Faith in God” means that through the hard times, the bad times, or the rough times, you still have faith in him.  “Faith in God” is believing he is working things out for you, even when you don’t feel it.  “Faith in God” changes everything.  God wants you to live by it.  God wants us to believe that he is.  God wants us to depend on him.  God wants us to have faith in him, because without this kind of faith, it is impossible to please God.  We are to “live by it, by faith and not by sight” (II Corinthians 5:7).

So you have to have faith, which is required in order to have a relationship with God.  Faith is necessary for anyone who wants to know God.  Therefore, trust in the Lord with all your heart and in all of your ways submit to God and he will direct you, making your path straight and crowning your efforts with success.  Faith is a choice.  Believing is a choice.  You can choose to believe or you can choose not to believe; that choice is yours.  As for us, we choose to believe and we choose to place our faith in God, “for with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).  Faith pleases God.  Amen.

We always give thanks to God for the ability to share our inspirational message with you.  We constantly pray that you will be blessed as well as informed by them and that you will be the better for having read them.  If you are blessed by them, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: The Benefit Of Prayer

Prayer is always an interesting subject because of the many aspects of it.  In its most basic form, prayer is nothing more than how we communicate with God and is one of the greatest privileges on earth for the believer.  It is also one of the most misused and most abused things in a believer’s life.  We have become a “microwave society,” where we want what we want immediately.  We do not want to wait for anything or anyone, especially God.  We try to package him up like “a cheap TV dinner” that we can microwave into an instant relationship once the timer goes off.  We are seeking the easy way out of our situations and quick fixes to all our problems.  We continually try to receive these quick fixes, expecting God to hit us with some magical wand, and instantly fix whatever problems we have.  We think that God is “a cosmic bellhop” who will do whatever we want, whenever we want, but that is not how the system works.  Most people believe that just as long as they can somehow pray, everything will be fine.  What they don’t realize is that there is a “right way” to pray and there is a “wrong way” to pray.

“Prayer” is defined as “the act or practice of praying, as to God; an earnest request; entreaty; supplication; a humble and sincere request to God or a god; an utterance to God in praise, thanksgiving, confession, etc.; any set formula for praying, as to God; in some religions, a devotional service consisting chiefly of prayers; any spiritual communion with God; something prayed for or requested, as in petition.”

People pray all the time, for many different reasons, for many different things, using many different methods.  Most of these people are not aware of the different types of prayer that God has made available and that each of these prayers are governed by their own set of spiritual laws or rules.  So, whenever we pray, there are some things that we need to know about prayer.  First of all, in order to enjoy the benefits of prayer, we need to know how to pray.  Then when we pray, we should expect to have our prayers answered.  Contrary to popular beliefs and some teachings, if God did not want to answer all of our prayers, he would not have told us to pray and more importantly, he would not have told us how to pray.  In the above definition, it mentions as part of the definition for prayer, “a set formula for praying.”  To some, this “set formula for praying” notion may sound foreign, but it was one of the disciples, who requested that Christ “teach them to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1).  Jesus would go on to teach the disciples to pray using a prayer now referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.”  While many believers frequently recite the words to this prayer, believing this to be the actual prayer Jesus intended us to use, the truth of the matter is that this was a sample prayer, giving to the disciples as an example of a suitable prayer model and in no way embodied, all of Christ’s teaching about prayer.  Christ did not intend for this particular prayer to be merely recited with empty meaninglessness or vain repetition but instead revealed it as the model by which all of our prayers should be modeled after.  Remember, the disciple asked Christ to teach them to pray as John taught his disciples to pray.  Do you think John taught his disciples this exact prayer?

In order to have your prayers answered, you must be aware of the different types of prayer; you must know the right type of prayer to use for your situation, and you must know the procedure for using that prayer.  Because all of the prayers require the same tools, many times the spiritual laws that govern each of them are misused, misconstrued, and misapplied resulting in little to no results.  Because we lack the needed knowledge about prayer and its purpose, more prayers go unanswered than are answered.  Imagine playing a game of football while mixing in the rules for basketball.  Would the final result of the football game be similar to what you would expect had the game been played by its own rules?  Although they are both games, each game has to be played by its own set of rules and not a combination of the two.  Prayers work the same way; we cannot mix the spiritual laws or rules that govern prayer.

If you are not getting the results that you desire, then you need to check on the tools you are using.  Either what you believe is wrong or the method you are using is wrong.  It could be a combination of the two.  Unanswered prayers can discourage you, cause you to lose hope, and to give up on God because it seems that he doesn’t care about or never heard your prayers.  The problem does not lie with God but with you.  As the righteousness of God, you have the right to have your prayers answered.  As a child of God, you have the right to the inheritance of the new covenant, a better covenant, built with better promises.  As the righteousness of God and as a child of God, you have the right to come boldly to the throne of God, stand there bravely in the presence of the Almighty and find grace to help you in your times of need (Hebrews 4:16).  There are benefits to prayer, but to fully enjoy them, you need to learn to pray God’s way, by his rules.

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (I John 5:14-15).

We pray that our inspirational message abundantly blesses you as well greatly informs you.  We also pray that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by today’s message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW