PrayerLife

"To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 For. 12:7). Every person who has trusted Jesus as their Savior has been "graced" with a unique way that the Spirit of God wants to express Himself through them. This is commonly referred to as a spiritual gift. Many spiritual gifts are identified in the Bible but the lists are not exhaustive. Part of walking in relations...

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). The power of love transforms lives. The Bible tells us that God is love, that He loves us unconditionally, and that He indwells those who have placed their faith in Christ. The ultimate expression of our love for God is that we obey Him. Obedience is an act of love, yielding my will to the one I love. Love is transformational. When we l...

" Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col. 3:15-16). The heart of spiritual transformation is becoming more like Jesus. We fan the flam...

As you gather with other Christians on this day of worship, allow me to encourage you to have your "spiritual radar" on. Who can you pray for? Who needs encouragement? Who needs a listening ear? Ask God to use you in a special way to bless someone in prayer today.

The New Testament book of James has a powerful message for each of us who desire to experience God's transforming power. "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forg...

"grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Spiritual Transformation requires that we grow in our capacity to rely on and receive Christ's gracious empowerment in our lives. It also necessitates that we grow in our knowledge of Jesus, allowing His truth and His presence to saturate our lives more and more each day. Join with me today as we ask God to help...

The most life giving, spiritually transforming thing that you and I could ever do is ... love God. When asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus responded, “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 foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these...

Sometimes the guilt we feel over our sin can keep us from drawing near to God. After committing adultery and conspiring to commit murder, King David confessed his sin and earnestly sought God for forgiveness. Through David's experience we are reminded that when we come to God in repentance, He washes us and make us "whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7). Transformation begins with the cleansing and forgi...

The immaterial part of who we are, our unseen self, is referred to in the Bible as our "Heart". Proverbs 4:23 exhorts us to "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life." The Heart of man is the center of our thoughts, our actions, our emotions and our affections. Behavior flows from what the heart values. Transformation is rooted in heart change. God is "the hea...

Each of us knows in our heart that we have violated God's holy law ... we are sinners. Sin robs us of physical and spiritual vitality, in fact it always results in death. Sin's "death" results in separation from God, emotional distress, relational isolation, and ultimately loss of physical life. 1 John tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cl...

In Psalm 139 we read, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way" (Ps 139:23-24). The Psalmist is inviting God to search his inner being and reveal the things that are causing him difficulty and pain. Since we are secure in God's love for us, we can invite Him to examine the hidden person...

Welcome. Today we begin a 31 day spiritual journey. Throughout October, we are intentionally inviting God to move in our lives in a fresh and new way. I invite you to use PrayerLife as a tool to draw near to God in prayer, inviting His movement and blessing in your life.

Can we pray for the salvation of a lost person? Absolutely! The Apostle Paul models a passionate prayer life for the salvation of the lost. In Romans 10 Paul writes, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them (Jewish kinsmen) is that they may be saved" (Romans 10:1). Take time today to intercede on behalf of the people in your life that you long to see place their faith in Christ.

What can you tell a God in prayer who already knows everything? The answer is ... anything! When we come to God in prayer, He already knows our weaknesses, our sins, and our failures. He knows our hidden secrets, our inconsistencies, our wants and our needs. He knows everything ... and He still loves us! The fact that God knows everything doesn't diminish the value of prayer, it heightens it. We c...

31 Days of Spiritual Transformation - Join me each day of October for 90 seconds as we invite God's transforming work in our lives.

Do you need wisdom to discern a next step? As a parent do you need wisdom in your parenting? Is there a challenging situation in your workplace that requires sound wisdom to navigate the best course? James writes, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5). Join with me today as we ask God for the wisdom we need...

Are you feeling overwhelmed with life's concerns today? One of the most hope-filled passages of scripture in all the bible is Phillipians 4:6-7. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

When we meditate on something, we ponder it. To meditate on God's Word is to think deeply about it, to mull on it in our minds, and bring it to our awareness throughout the day. As all the events of the Christmas story unfolded we are told "Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Today, I encourage you to take the time to think deeply about God's truth. Allow...

God is omnipotent (all powerful). He can accomplish and fulfill all His Holy will. Imagine if a righteous, loving and just God could not accomplish all that He wanted to do. God can do everything He has revealed, everything He has declared, and everything He has promised. We can celebrate the omnipotence of God!

God intensely hates all sin. Because He is holy and just and loves all that is right and good, it should not surprise that He hates everything that is opposed to His moral purity. All of mankind has violated God's holiness. Only those who accept, by faith, His provision for forgiveness of sin through Jesus will escape God's holy wrath.

When we think of jealousy, we think of someone being selfishly jealous for their own benefit. God's jealousy is an expression of love because He knows that exclusive devotion and dependance upon Him is in our best interest. He alone deserves all honor and glory.

Our lives can be filled with confusion and disorder. We can experience unsettled turbulence in our marriage, our family and at work. Society is increasingly being torn apart by hostility and anger. What is needed in our hearts, homes and cities is peace. The source of the peace we need is God himself. "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace" (1 For. 14:33). "For the kingdom of God is not a...

God is righteous and just. God always acts in accordance with what is right. He is, himself, the final standard for all the is right and just and true. Moses writes, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he" (Deuteronomy 32:4).

God's holiness makes him completely distinct and unique. Holiness is not only moral purity, it is a word used to describe all of the perfections of God that make Him uniquely who He is - the Lord God of heaven and earth. Th prophet Isaiah had a vision in which he saw angelic being surrounding the throne of God. They were declaring to one another, "“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole...

God's goodness is expressed in His mercy, grace and patience. He relieves our distress (mercy), He provides what we don't deserve (grace), and He is lovingly endures with us in our weakness (patience). Psalm 103:8 declares, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." Join with me as we thank God for His goodness.