This, then, is how you should pray:  “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus gave us the perfect example of what our prayer life should look like.  Often He went away to a quiet place to pray and He was intentional about spending time with the Father. Because of the Cross we now have full access to the throne of God. …

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. – Matthew 25: 1-4,13 Yesterday I received a text message for an urgent prayer request. The message sounded dire and the needs were unspoken. As I stopped what I was doing to pray, I was instantly reminded of Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore, if you are…

Hope is not a thing, not a location, not a situation, not an experience. Hope is a person, and His name is Jesus. – (Paul David Tripp) Last week our church started a new session of Grief Share which is an incredible opportunity to share the hope that I have in Christ. I see this progam as a Ministry of Hope in which I have the privilege of having front row seats to what God is doing in the lives of others. I see the broken hearts mended, joy returned and hope restored. But when you think about it, all believers are blessed with the opportunity to share in the…

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your…

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2 Today God blessed me with a visual lesson concerning my thoughts. I was preparing to write the blog and as I entered the website address into my computer it auto-populated the full and correct site without having to type it all out. That might not sound like much, but it was a small victory to me. For months when I began to enter the address my computer would not fill in the full details and I would…

Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you. 2 Chronicles 20: 15, 17 If you’re anything like me, when trials and temptations come, I often try to handle them on my own. My mind swirls with thoughts of how I can fix the situation or the persons involved. I strategize plans that I feel will lead to the best possible outcomes if…

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. – Isaiah 26:3 The Bible tells us that real peace is found in resting in the wisdom of the One who holds all of our, “what-ifs” and “if-onlys” in His loving hands. Real, sturdy, lasting peace doesn’t come from understanding everything about our circumstances, trials and troubles. It is found only in trusting the One who is in complete and competent control of what seems and feels like total chaos. God knows, He understands and He is never surprised, He is never confused, He never worries or loses a night’s slep, He never…

“But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  “If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” – Mark 9:22-24 At one point or another we have all faced unbelief. While we know in our hearts that the Lord is good, faithful and all powerful, if we are honest with ourselves we have all wondered if He can or will help in our own personal circumstances. Today’s passage is from a story about a man whose son was possessed and had been since early childhood. It clearly demonstrates the power of…

I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. – Jeremiah 31:13 The past few weeks have been filled with extreme family issues that have caused tears, fears and sadness. At times I felt overwhelmed at the load of responsibility that fell on my shoulders and wondered if it would even be possible to accomplish what needed to be done. My prayer request was for the Lord to help me lean in to Him and hold on tight, while trusting that He would give me the strength and wisdom that would be required. Many times the plans I made did not turn out the way I…