PrayerLife

Psalm 136 is a beautiful Old Testament song of Thanksgiving. It lists a variety of reasons why our hearts should be filled with gratitude. It begins by declaring, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Psal...

Jesus healed nine men who were afflicted with leprosy. Only one of the men returned to Jesus to say "thank you." In our busy lives, we can frequently fail to express gratitude and appreciation to God and to the people he uses in our lives to bless us. Today is Election Day in the United States of America. As American citizens, we have the opportunity to have a voice in the selection of our politic...

As the return of Jesus draws near, one of the defining characteristics of our age will be ungratefulness. Look at how the Apostle Paul describes society in the end times, "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unapp...

Every day we are blessed by the packages and letters that are delivered to our homes and places of business. We depend on the reliability of their service to accomplish a wide variety of tasks - from delivering expressions of love to filing our tax returns. Let's take a moment today to express our gratitude to these dear servants who make our life easier.

I live in Southern California. Recently the Santa Clarita fire threatened the home of my son-in-law's parents. They were forced to leave their home for several days not knowing if they would ever return. The brave service of the fire department along with the protection of the police department saved their home and many others. First responders like police and firemen place themselves at risk ever...

God has created us to thrive in the context of community. By His design, the Body of Christ is to serve as that nurturing network of relationships that helps us grow in our faith, encourages us to fulfill our life responsibilities, and comforts us in times of crisis. Today, express to God and others your gratitude for your church family.

Each of us have had special people in our life that have molded and shaped us. It may have been a parent, a mentor, a pastor, or a dear friend. Take a few moments today to express your gratitude for them to God. If possible, contact one of these special people and express your gratitude to them.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). Christians, of all people on the face of the earth, have reason to rejoice and celebrate. We are to celebrate the goodness of God and rejoice over all that He has accomplished on our behalf through His Son, Jesus.

One of the defining characteristics of God's people is to be Thankfulness. Understanding the totality of our need and all that God has done to provide us with eternal and immeasurable blessings should move us to unceasing gratitude. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in you...

Sin frequently hinders our personal spiritual transformation. The Apostle Peter invites those who are longing for personal transformation to "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19-20). Regardless of your past choices and behaviors, God is inviting you, today, to confess your sin and invite His...

A young man, Evan Roberts, was used as a powerful tool in God's hands as a catalyst to usher in the great Welsh Revival (1904-1905). The Awakening swept across Britain, Scandinavia, parts of Europe, North America, the mission fields of India and the Orient, Africa and Latin America. Evan Roberts, yearning for personal spiritual transformation prayed, "O Lord, bend me." He was inviting God to have...

Love is the ultimate expression of a transformed life. We LOVE because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). As God transforms our lives we will be better lovers of Him and those around us. And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your ne...

Faith is the response of a heart that has heard God's voice, has believed God's message, and is acting on what God has revealed. Our faith is strengthened as we allow God's truth to influence us more and more while we obediently respond to the Holy Spirit's promptings - resulting in transformation.

A core value of Jesus' on behalf of His followers is that they walk in unity together. In John 17, Jesus passionately asks the Father that those who would believe in Him would be perfected in unity. Join with me as we pray for the unity of God's people. “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father,...

God has not left our Life Purpose a mystery. The Apostle Paul writes, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." God's glory is our ultimate goal and the details and activities of our life, every facet, are the tools to accomplish our purpose. Live today realizing that you can bring glory to God - fulfill your life purpose - through each thing you do today. T...

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. God desires that we be mastered by His presence and not by urges or desires. Spiritual Transformation will mean that we are submitting every area of our life to His control. Our appetites - eating habits, financial spending, thought life - will increasingly be mastered by God's Spirit and His values.

Spiritual transformation takes place as we live in alignment with God's Kingdom Values. We need to allow the Word of our King to redefine our understanding of what is right and true. We need to embrace and walk in Kingdom values.

Citizenship has its privileges. Citizens of a country can enjoy the services, rights, and protections that country provides. Every believer in Jesus Christ has experienced a revolutionary transformation in citizenship. We were in the domain of darkness but have now been transferred to the kingdom of God's beloved Son (see Colossians 1:13). We need to embrace the reality of our Kingdom citizenship...

Peter seeing him (John) said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” (John 21:21-22). Each of us has wrestled with comparing God's plan for our life with His plan for someone else. Why me? Why this? What about him? The Apostle Peter struggled with the same feelings and expressed them to Jesus. Jesus'...

We discovered yesterday that every believer in Jesus Christ has been spiritually raised from the dead! We are "resurrection people." That means that your testimony ... the story of how you came to know Jesus, is your Resurrection Story. What is your Resurrection Story and who can you share it with today? Join me as we pray about our Resurrection Story.

If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior then you have been spiritually raised from the dead! The Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesian Church, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins ... But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and rai...

One of the most difficult times for us to follow God is when we are facing adversity or heartache. Jesus provides the ultimate model of following God in the midst of traumatic circumstances. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus yields his will to the will of the Father and He entrusts himself to the Father's plan. Join with me as we ask God to increase our faith to trust Him in the midst of adversit...

One of the most vital ministries we can have is to pray for those we are closest to - our family. We experience spiritual transformation when we allow God to use us as instruments of blessing through prayer. Join with me today as we invite God's blessing on our household.

The Apostle Paul reveals the secret for contentment regardless of our circumstances. "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13). Spiritual transfor...

We know we are experiencing spiritual transformation when we can freely forgive others for their offenses against us. Forgiving another person for a wrong suffered is one of the most difficult things we can humanly do. Especially when the offense is significant and there is no expression of remorse or responsibility by the offender. The key to having a heart of forgiveness is realizing how much we...