Jabez ‘Called’ and God granted. The word call carries the idea of a heartfelt, passionate prayer. This kind moves us beyond the laid back, lackadaisical prayers we are often guilty of. Scripture says, “He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” May He grant you clarity of vision this next season.
“Tears are words that need to be written.” — Paulo Coelho And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. Genesis 16:11 KJV) This is one of the strangest verses I have ever seen in the Bible. On a human level, we cannot hear affliction. We can feel it and other times see it. To hear affliction is unthinkable, at least in my finite mind. We usually hear about how God saw the afflictions or heard the cries of his people in their afflictions. But we almost never read about him hearing our afflictions. This must be a thing that God alone can do. Could it be that all our afflictions are wordless prayers that God hears? Could it be that our afflictions are supposed to be louder than our voices lifted up in prayer during times of affliction? I want to believe that an affliction is a reflection of a need. …
Every time the Christmas season comes around, and when you read stories like that of Elizabeth’s, it invokes a sense of expectation. Like, this could be my time to bring forth what I’ve been praying for. Nine decades had pass. Old age had set in. The possibility of conceiving a child; the shot at giving birth to one or the hope that one day this could happen was no longer on her mind. Her best friends, some of whom she still prays for, as part of a priestly family, were now enjoying the laughter of grand babies, great grand babies but she was still without child. Anyone of us, even the strongest among us will begin to think that God has forgotten us. But God makes “everything beautiful in His time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 “Your times are in His hands.” Psalm 31:15 “God is not a man, that He should lie, neither, the son of man, that He should feel repentance. Has he said and shall he not do? Or has he spoken and shall he …
When I was 5 years old my dad made a promise to me. A promise he was going to fulfill in 24 hours. I was very passionate about soccer. I found myself skipping classes, at that early age, to go play soccer out in the fields. I guess, it was that rubber ball that we kicked around everyday that prompted ,my dad to get me a brand new and real soccer ball. I’ll never forget that morning when he whispered in my ear. That at the end of the day, I would have my own soccer ball. I was gripped with expectation. I couldn’t wait for him to come back home from work. I had it on my mind for the entire day. I always wanted one, but the likelihood of getting it that day, made my desire for it even more compelling. I waited for the car to turn into the drive way. And before he could get out of the car I was right there with arms outstretched. He didn’t fail me either. …
So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Hebrews 6:18 How certain are the promises of God? The writer of the book of Hebrews claims that the certainty of God’s promises are guaranteed by God’s own perfectly trustworthy character. To illustrate this and prove the certainty of God’s promises, the writer uses Abraham as an example of one who through faith and much patience inherited the promises of God. As if that illustration was not enough, the writer makes a bold statement about two unchangeable things about God. What are they? And how important are they? The two unchangeable things are: God’s promise/purpose God’s Oath one deals with the fact that all the promises of God are yes! and the other is more like an assurance that he will certainly deliver on what he promised. Hebrews 6:13 says, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had …
A few weeks ago, I felt compelled to meet with a brother from our congregation. I didn’t want to scold him, nor rebuke him, I simply wanted to talk to him about standing me up several times. He is one of those guys who’s very quick to volunteer for a project. You know, guys with very good intentions, willing to help, but really do not realize that they are over committing. I didn’t want to break out in a brand new teaching series on how to make and keep your vows; neither did I want to discourage his enthusiasm. But I had to tell him that he didn’t have to approach me every week to commit to something and not actually do the thing. I wanted him to actually think and plan about how he wanted to serve, than pursue it passionately. However, I did share the following scripture and thought with him: the faithful followers of the Lord, keep their promises even when it hurts. Psalm 154 NLT What I do not mean by keeping …
http://youtu.be/bnXkDgM1B18 I’ll never leave you never forsake you No matter what you’re going through I’ve got good news for you I’ll be with you always In stormy weather, it is my pleasure I want to take care of all your needs Trust me and you’ll see I’ll be with you always And when trouble comes And there’s no other place to run Just look to me and I’ll be there Just a whisper of a prayer I’ll be with you always
The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. (Psalm 12:6, 7 ESV) Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5 ESV) Everyday we go about life looking for something we can rely on. Something that is constant, trustworthy, immovable. We want relationships that are reliable. We want people we can count on. Friends who will deliver on their promises. Husbands we can trust. Wives we know will be there, when the going gets tough. A career or a job that will be there even in tough economic times. I think this is a fundamental human need. Well, I’ve come to find security and reliability in God through Jesus Christ and his word. You can too! When the scripture says that God’s words are pure, refined, and purified 7 times, it insists that they have no lies, flattery, insincerity or …
