Monday, June 28, 2021

06/28/21 MY TESTIMONY #1: The CHILDREN’S BEDTIME PRAYER — “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.”

Years ago in a seminary theology class I was required to come up with a few of my own “catechisms.” The prayer above came to mind. Every time I think of it I’m reminded of a special fall week way back when I was eight and a half years old.

My parents were charter members of a church mission plant; my mother was the church secretary. I guess I had literally been at church “every time the doors were open” (and often when they were not) since nine months before I was born. I had won nearly every prize in sight for perfect Sunday School attendance, Bible verse memorization and so on. But one Sunday, after an otherwise perfectly normal Sunday morning worship service, I felt absolutely terrified. Suddenly it occurred to me that all those memory verses applied to me. And all those “impressive” achievements would not deliver me one inch or one second out of hell.

For the next four nights I tried my very best not to go to sleep. As the little prayer said, I knew exactly where the Lord would take my soul if I died before I awakened. STAY TUNED…

Friday, June 25, 2021

06/25/21 CHILDREN’S BLESSING — “God is great; God is good. And we thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen.”

Years ago our pastor came to dinner at our home. One of our elementary-aged sons had just been baptized. I asked him to say the blessing before we ate. I was surprised when he prayed the familiar children’s blessing above. At the time I was even a little embarrassed—I had thought he was a little more mature than that.

Fast forward a few years. In a seminary theology class I was required to come up with a few of my own “catechisms.” I immediately thought of that blessing. Each of its segments has abundant support in God’s Word:

Psalm 70:4 (ESV) May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”

Psalm 119:68 (ESV) You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.

Psalm 81:10 (ESV) I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Luke 11:3 (ESV) Give us each day our daily bread… (also Matthew 6:11)

PRAISE THE LORD for this familiar blessing, so simple young children can recite and understand it!

Monday, June 21, 2021

06/21/21 FAMINE OF HEARING GOD’S WORD — In Amos 8:11-12 (CSB) the prophet says “Look, the days are coming— this is the declaration of the Lord God— when I will send a famine through the land: not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east seeking the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.”

Tune in to the daily news on your favorite TV channel, Facebook account, or whatever. OR randomly choose a religious broadcast on a religious network. Odds are you will hear a bunch of nonsense that absolutely contradicts everything the Bible says about that subject. There is definitely a “famine… of hearing the words of the Lord” in our culture right now. But are people still desperately “seeking the word of the Lord” I WISH they were, but I’m NOT so sure! 

Friday, June 18, 2021

06/18/21 SIGNS OF THE TIMES #1: NO OUTLET — OK, I admit it. Years ago when I saw that sign I thought, “How’s that different from ‘DEAD END’?” Maybe it means something like this: No matter how far you follow this road, the ONLY HOPE you have to get off it is to TURN AROUND and choose a different path! Luke 13:3 (ESV) No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (same as v.5). And Acts 3:19 (ESV) Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out

If you’re living WITHOUT Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please note the “NO OUTLET” sign. Your ONLY HOPE is to REPENT—TURN AROUND… REPENT!

Monday, June 14, 2021

06/14/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #7 — Essential #7—GIVE GOD THE PRAISE

Matthew 6:13b (NASB) For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” [NOT in ALL early manuscripts]

PRIVATE PRAISE will prepare you for PUBLIC LIVING. ALWAYS end your prayer with praise (Psa.28:6-7; 52:9; 103:1-2)!

Friday, June 11, 2021

06/11/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #6 — Essential #6—DELIVERANCE FROM SATAN’S INFLUENCE

Matthew 6:13a (ESV) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

1. “lead us not into temptation” — We should be praying that we can escape situations and circumstances that would tempt us to sin.

“deliver us from evil” (or the Evil One) — We need to pray for VICTORY over the Devil (Mat.13:19; 1Jo.2:13-14; Luk.22:31-32). 

Monday, June 7, 2021

06/07/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #5 — Essential #5 — CONFESSION OF OUR SIN

Matthew 6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Our offense against God no doubt is to considered a debt that is owed, but we have no way to pay. We are totally dependent on the forgiveness of God.

1. There must be daily confession of our sin to God—NAME THEM. Agree with God about your sin (1Jo.1:8).

2. There must be faith to believe that the Lord is willing to instantly forgive our sin when we are READY to confess and forsake our offenses.

3. Our own forgiveness is dependent on our willingness to forgive others who offend us (Mat.6:14-15).

Friday, June 4, 2021

06/04/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #4 — Essential #4 — PETITIONING GOD FOR OUR NEEDS

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread,

Asking God honors God. Looking to God as the Source for all our needs is exactly what He wants from us.

1. “Give” — Teaches us the ownership of God. Everything we receive comes by His Almighty hand (Php.4:6; 1Ti.2:1; Mat.6:34).

2. “us” — Our petitions are to unselfish. Prayer is not just for me; prayer is for “us” — my family, my church, my friends, my nation. ALL the pronouns in this passage (our, we, us) are PLURAL; we’re a TEAM.

3. “this day” — Prayer is a daily task, a habitual labor of love that every believer sees to daily (Mat.6:34).

4. “our daily bread” — Bring our every need before God, great or small.