Pray before Answering

For [of course] I will not venture (presume) to speak thus of any work except what Christ has actually done through me [as an instrument in His hands] to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed. 

—Romans 15:18

The Father has sent to us a Counselor— the Spirit of Truth—who teaches us all things (See John 14:16,17,26). As we stay sensitive to God’s leading, He will direct us. If we pray before speaking, the Lord will keep us from overcommitting our time, and from misleading people.

Jesus took time to listen to the Father before speaking. God will also give us “a word in due season” for somebody (See Proverbs 15:23), if we listen for His input before we give what we may think is a right answer. God will give us the right words to say, if we expectantly listen for His direction before we speak.

How to get your prayer answered (3)

“Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.”

Ephesians 5:2

Do you show a loving attitude? The Bible says, “Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us.” Your mouth is such a major part of your love walk. We fail to realize how much we can do for people by building them up with our words. And we need to be even more careful not to say things that tear them down. The Bible says “the heart is deceitful above all [else]” (See Jeremiah 17:9). What vibes are you giving off? What are you “putting out there”? When we’re too busy to show love—we’re too busy, and it’s time to examine our heart motives and attitudes. How do we do that? By examining our tongue, and what’s coming out of our mouth. Do you remember the last time you went to the doctor and he asked you to open your mouth and say, “Aaah”? The reason they ask you to do that is so they can examine your tongue. Just like your tongue tells a physician a lot about your physical health, it can tell you a lot about your spiritual health. To get answers to your prayers you must search your heart in three areas: 

(1) Learning to abide in Christ. This will bring you to a higher level of spiritual maturity and help you discover the authority you have in prayer. 

(2) Speaking in line with God’s Word. This can move “mountains” in your life (See Mark 11:23). 

(3) Growing in your love walk. This opens up powerful opportunities for you to show others who God really is.

How to get your prayers answered 2

“Treat them fairly…Then, when you call, the Lord will answer.”

Isaiah 58:6, 9 TLB

Are you self-sabotaging your prayers? God told the Israelites the reason they weren’t getting answers to their prayers was because they were engaged in finger-pointing and criticism (See vs. 9-10 NIV). Have you been guilty of that? It’s just as important to glorify God through the words you speak when you’re not praying, as when you are. The Bible says there’s a direct link between having a critical, careless tongue, and not getting your prayers answered. How you treat others will determine how God treats you (See Ephesians 6:7-8). God lays it squarely on the line: “Stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly…share your food with the hungry and…those who are helpless, poor and destitute…If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, and goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lo protect you from behind. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer…All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak, and to stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too” (Isaiah 58:6-11 TLB). That means the answer to your prayers is contingent upon two things: your attitudes andactions toward others

How to get your prayers answered!

“If you abide in me…it shall be done for you.”

John 15:7 NKJV

Have you spent weeks, months, or even years praying about something specific? Are you saying, “Lord, I know what Your Word says, so why isn’t it working for me?” In order to get the result you’re praying for, Satisfy these three things: 

1-  Are you praying for God’s will? Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (v. 7 NKJV). The word “abide” speaks of intimacy and close connection. It paints a picture of “home,” the place where you experience provision and nurture. When you have that kind of relationship with God, you’ll know His heart and His desires so well that your will is going to line up with His will. And as a result you’ll get what you ask for. Don’t just assume that what you are praying for is in line with God’s will. Instead test your prayer by applying the “abiding principle.” Abiding brings spiritual maturity. And when you’re spiritually mature you begin to pray differently. 

2- Your prayers aren’t self-centered and self-seeking. The time you spend in the presence of the One you love most becomes more important to you than the end result you hope for. 

3- You don’t mind waiting, because you realize God’s timing is always perfect. And when He chooses to say no to your request, you rejoice and say, “Then you’ve something better in mind for me, and I trust You.” Have you reached that point yet in your walk with Him?

UPHOLD THE WEAK

1Thessalonians 5:14 NKJV

Every school has boys and girls who are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Some of them are physically unattractive, some are slow learners, and some are simply unable to make friends and find a comfortable place in the school environment. The key question is: What should teachers do when they see one of these children being ridiculed and taunted by their peers? Some would say, “Kids will be kids. Stay out of the conflict and let the children work out their differences for themselves.” But the Bible says we are to “uphold the weak.” When a strong, loving teacher comes to the aid of the least respected child in class, something dramatic occurs in the emotional climate of the room. Every child seems to utter an audible sigh of relief. The same thought bounces around in many little heads: “If that kid is safe from ridicule, then I must be safe, too.” By defending the least popular child in the classroom, the teacher is demonstrating that he or she respects everyone and will fight for anyone who is being treated unfairly. One of the values children cherish most is justice. (Adults do too!) They are, conversely, very uneasy in a world of injustice and abuse. Therefore, when we teach children kindness and respect for others by insisting on civility in our classrooms, we are laying a foundation for human kindness in the world of adulthood to come. So wherever you are today, endeavor to “comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.”

Get Your Joy Back

Have the difficulties and pressures of life taken your joy away? Today is the day to get it back! It’s time to get excited about your future and learn to enjoy each and every moment.

If you don’t make the conscious effort to keep your joy, as time goes by, you’ll get more and more solemn. Not only will the enemy rob you of the joy that belongs to you, he’ll rob your family and friends of the gift that you are to them. When you have joy, you can use that joy to influence the people around you for good. Joy is strength, and when you have joy, you can offer strength to the people God has placed in your life.

Today, draw the line in the sand and say, “That’s it. I’m not going to live another day negative, discouraged, sour and grumpy. I’m going to put a smile on my face. I’m going to live my life happy.” Choose to let your faith in Him fill you with inexpressible and glorious joy so that you can be a blessing everywhere you go!

A Prayer for Today

“Father, thank You for Your love. Thank You for choosing me and molding me into Your image. Today, I invite You to fill me with Your inexpressible and glorious joy so that I can be a blessing to the people You have placed in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Refuse to Worry

Are you worrying about something? To worry means to allow something to revolve in your mind over and over again. God doesn’t want you to live worried or anxious about anything. He knows that worry steals your peace and joy. It affects every area of your life. Have you heard the saying, “Don’t worry yourself sick?” That’s because worrying affects your physical body. It affects your sleep. You won’t ever gain anything by worrying; in fact, you’ll lose precious moments that you can never get back again. The good news is that God has promised that you can have victory over worry. It starts by making the choice to trust in Him. When you cast your cares on Him, He will give you His peace.

Today, put an end to worry in your life. Choose to feed your faith and fill your mind with God’s promises. As you focus on God’s Word, you’ll drive out worry and fill your heart with faith and expectancy to overcome in every area of life!

A Prayer for Today

“Father, today I put an end to worry in my life. I choose to feed my faith by studying Your promises and declaring Your Word over me. Help me to totally trust in You today and every day in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Don’t Be Moved

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

(Acts 20:24, NKJV

     

I think it’s interesting that the apostle Paul never prayed for every challenge to go away. He prayed that God would give him the strength to go through them with a good attitude. He sought emotional maturity.

Our level of emotional maturity can be seen by how much it takes to get us upset. You’ve heard the saying, “A small pot boils the quickest.” That means if we don’t keep our emotions in check, we’ll always be stressed out and make mountains out of molehills. If we lose our cool because our child forgot his or her homework, or we’re aggravated because somebody didn’t do something we wanted them to do, then we’re not passing the test. We’ve got to grow and mature to the point where we can say what the apostle Paul said, “None of these things move me.” He said in effect, “It’s no big deal. I’m not worried about it. I trust God. I have a destiny to fulfill.”

Today, choose to see things from God’s perspective. Keep your emotions in check. Don’t be moved by your circumstances; instead, trust God because He is faithful. He’s working behind the scenes, and He will fulfill His promises to you!

Prayer 

“Father, thank You for doing a work in my life. Thank You for molding me and shaping me into Your image. I ask for Your supernatural joy and strength to stand strong no matter what I face in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

BE STABLE MINDED

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

(James 1:6, NIV)

If there’s one thing that can lead you away from your potential and seeing the awesome plan God has for your life, it’s your emotions. Emotions are God-given, but too often, people allow their circumstances to dictate their emotions and thoughts instead of the Word of God.

When we allow our circumstances to dictate our emotions, when we are moved by what we see and experience, it opens the door for doubt and fear to come in. When we allow doubt and fear in, we become unstable. We are tossed back and forth.

Understand this key: the way you feel today has little to do with what God is actually doing in your life. He’s working behind the scenes whether you realize it or not! Don’t allow yourself to be tossed around by your emotions any longer. Instead, choose to be stable minded by focusing your thoughts on the Word of God. Stand strong in Him so you can confidently embrace the the good plan He has for you!

A Prayer for Today“Father, thank You for Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I choose to meditate on Your Truth which is my source of strength and faith. Help me to be stable minded, as I set my focus on You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

WHO ARE THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES IN REVELATION?

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The four living creatures are found in Revelation 4:6–9; 5:6–14; 6:1–8; 14:3; 15:7; and 19:4. The texts that describe these creatures do not indicate that they are figurative—they are real, actual beings. The four living creatures (literally “beings”) are a special, exalted order of angelic being or cherubim. This is clear by their close proximity to the throne of God. Ezekiel 1:12–20 suggests that they are in constant motion around the throne.

Revelation 5:6–14 describes the duties or purposes of the four living creatures. They fall down and worship the Lamb, Jesus Christ, offering the same reverence to Him that they did to the Father (Revelation 4:6–9), proof positive of the deity of Jesus Christ. 

Along with the twenty-four elders, they have “harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8). Harps are frequently associated with worship in the Old Testament, as well as with prophecy (2 Kings 3:15; 1 Chronicles 25:1). Incense represents the prayers of the saints. Therefore, taken together, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders hold in their hands all that prophets ever prophesied and believers ever prayed for—all about to come to pass.

The purpose of the four living creatures also has to do with declaring the holiness of God and leading in worship and adoration of God, and they are involved in some way with God’s justice, for when He opens the first four seals and sends out the four horsemen to destroy, their powerful voices, like thunder, command “come” (Revelation 6:1–8). The horsemen respond to the summons of the four powerful creatures, indicating the power the creatures possess. That power is seen again in Revelation 15:7 when one of the four unleashes the last seven plagues of God’s wrath on mankind.

The four living creatures are very similar, if not the same, beings as those in Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10 and Isaiah 6:1–3. They are four in number, full of eyes, have faces like the beings in Ezekiel 1:10, have six wings (Isaiah 6:2), and offer worship as the beings in Isaiah 6:3, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.” They may not be the exact same beings, but they definitely are comparable and probably of the same order.

In summary, these beings are an exalted order of angels whose purpose is primarily that of worship (Revelation 19:4). They are very similar to the beings in Ezekiel 1 and 10 and Isaiah 6:1-3, and they are in some ways involved in God’s divine justice. 

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