Prayers of My Heart

When you were little, did you go on a treasure hunt? Today, do you put your treasured valuables in a safety deposit box? The Bible tells us that believers have a treasure within them. What is the treasure? Second Corinthians 4:6-7 explains that the treasure is God’s Holy Spirit. The treasure is the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in our hearts.

“God… is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. For we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).

The treasure we carry about in our earthly bodies is God’s surpassing greatness of power. With humble reverence and boundless gratefulness, we bow and worship God for the great gift of His presence in us.

Jesus came to earth as a baby so He might grow into a man, but not just any man. He came from heaven as our Messiah.

Andrew heard John the Baptist announce that Jesus was the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world. Andrew followed Jesus and after spending time with Him, he told his brother, Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah,” John 1:41.

Andrew was intentional about his search for the Messiah and after finding Him, he was intentional about telling others. In what ways can we be more intentional about sharing Christ with others? We can begin by praying for the unsaved to turn to Christ. I label the last column in the Week at a Glance section of Prayers of My Heart: “Unsaved.” What can we pray for those who do not know Christ as Messiah? Here are 8 suggestions.

Jesus Christ, MESSIAH, You are love, forgiveness, hope, peace, and joy! Help us be as Andrew – intentional about following You and telling others about You.

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Heavenly Father, thank You for the MERCY You show us every day. Fill us with Your Spirit of mercy toward others.

Would you like an organized way to record you prayers and praises? Grab a copy of the Prayers of My Heart prayer journal.

Do you ever read verses in the Bible and get a holy jolt, your eyes opened to holy words that are to be taken to heart, not skimmed over? In 1 Timothy 6:15, Paul describes the Lord saying, “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the KING OF KINGS and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

His glorious description of Jesus as King of Kings who dwells in unapproachable light is in the fuller context of verses 7-19 in which he tells us we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it; that those who want to get rich fall into temptation; the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil; we are to flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” He tells us to “fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which we were called, keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; that if you are rich not to be conceited or to fix you hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies all things to enjoy. He says to do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share.

Which of his words in relation to the King of Kings who dwells in unapproachable light give you a holy jolt and wake up call?

KING OF KINGS, who dwells in unapproachable light, give us a holy jolt to obey You rather than gloss over how we are to live in this present age. 

Would you like an organized way to record what God is speaking to you? Grab a copy of Prayers of My Heart prayer journal to write down what God places on your heart.

Do you ever feel like things in life aren’t fair?

Have you wondered why some people get away with things with no apparent consequences?

Often, those questions are warranted. As thinking people, we can’t help but wonder about fairness. But when we question why certain people get away with doing wrong, we must quickly remember that in the end, no one gets away with anything. God sees everything.

Yes, God sees everything including what is in our heart. He knows our thoughts and even intentions and motives.

Most importantly, God is just, as Psalm 89:14 states, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne…”

If you’ve been upset and concerned because life isn’t fair, because wrong too often prevails over what is right, because our world’s justice system doesn’t always rule fairly, remember that God is just.

Also, remember that there is a day when every person will stand before the judgement seat of God. Hebrews 9:27

God weighs hearts and motives. He forgives repentant sinners. He renders judgment on unrepentant ones.

Set aside any vengeance you have toward another person knowing God will rule justly because that is His nature – just.

Lord, thank You that we can trust You for You are JUST.

TIP:  Write God’s attribute that I highlight in every 365 Days of Praise devotional in Prayers of My Heart. Writing it on paper writes it on your brain. When you’re troubled, flip through the pages of your journal and thank God for who He is as you reflect on His nature. It will build your confidence, decrease your stress, and help you live a more joy-filled life. Click HERE  to order.

Are you careful to read the words of the Bible in the context of the verse and chapter? Why is that important? If we take words out of context, the message can come across completely different than intended.

An example is in 1 Corinthians 11:1 where the apostle Paul tells believers to imitate him. If we stop short of the rest of the verse, Paul might come across as arrogant. However, Paul goes on to say, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am imitating Christ.”

Why should we imitate Christ? Paul answers that question in verse 3, explaining, “I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man,….”

Speaking metaphorically, Paul says Christ is our “head.” As a body without a head is dead, so we are dead apart from Christ. He is our life.

Another important emphasis of Christ being our head is that just as a head sits at the top of our body, over our body, Christ as our head is over us; supreme, master, Lord.

If we want to be a faithful imitator of Christ, our Head, we must learn and submit to Him and His ways. We must pray and follow His lead.

Can we say as Paul, that we are imitators of Christ, our Head? If not, let’s begin today.

Lord Jesus, HEAD OF EVERY MAN, convict us where we need to submit to Your headship. Fill us with Your Spirit so we bring glory to You.

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True or False: God is interested in our lives, relationships, families. True or False: God assigns individuals to particular tasks? True or False: God has set times in history.  If you said true to all three you are absolutely correct. Do you have Scriptures to back up your answers? If not, meditate on the following in terms of your life. Let the reality of God’s hand in individual lives, relationships, times, places encourage you.

“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the APPOINTED time of which God had spoken to him,” Genesis 21:2.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have APPOINTED you a prophet to the nations,” Jeremiah 1:5.

“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.” Ezekiel 3:17

“And the LORD APPOINTED a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights,” Jonah 1:17.

“So the LORD God APPOINTED a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant,” Jonah 4:6.

“He (Jesus) APPOINTED twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,” Mark 3:14.

“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the APPOINTED time will come,” Mark 13:33.

“And inasmuch as it is APPOINTED for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.

Yes, God appoints times, people, places, events, and more. What has He appointed you to do?

LORD GOD, You APPOINT people, places, times, and events. How exciting! I want to be a part!  Appoint me.