PrayerLife

Nearly three years ago, my dear mom, Shirley Weaver, died from complications brought on by Alzheimer's disease. The reality is that we lost the joy of her presence seven years prior to her death. I'll never forget the day she leaned over to my Dad and whispered, "Who is that nice young man?" I could clearly hear her ... and she was referring to me. Alzheimer's is a wicked disease. In the later sta...

Many are finding themselves in the challenging role of making difficult care decisions on behalf of aging loved ones. Concerns about safety, skilled nursing facilities, medical insurance, and finances all make an already emotionally charged issue that much more complex and painful. Some are in the heartbreaking position of separating an aging couple for the first time in their married lives becaus...

As the Baby Boomers grow older, they are taking on the role of caring for their aging, frail parents. I am included in that group. My Mom died two years ago from the effects of Alzheimer's and now my father, age 93, is in need of increasing supervision and care. As we "honor" our parents in their aging years we need wisdom and compassion to tenderly care for their needs. Join with me as we pray fo...

"You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:32). The Bible makes it clear that we are to show honor and respect to the older generation. Many people are blessed to have grandparents who have lived through and endured remarkable events in our nations history - the depression, a world war, a presidential assassinatio...

Prior to placing our faith in Jesus Christ we were hopeless. Our eternal destiny was to be separated from God for all eternity. But now, by trusting in Jesus, He himself is our living hope. We are full of hope because of the reliability of God's word and God's Son.

In the Old Testament, worshippers marveled at the manifestation of God's presence in the temple. Now, through our faith in Christ, God himself indwells each believer. We are filled with the Holy Spirit of God and called to live a life that reflects his presence within us.

Are you dead or alive? Ephesians 2 tells us that apart from Jesus we are spiritually dead. When we place our faith in Him, the Father spiritually raises us from the dead in Christ! So the question is ... have you been raised from the dead?

Before trusting in Jesus, we were slaves of the domain of darkness but now we are citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom. There is no greater blessing.

The New Testament book of Ephesians tells us that we used to be "sons of disobedience" engaged in "deeds of darkness" but now we are "beloved children" who are called to imitate our heavenly Father. Join with me as we pray about understanding our true identity and living it out in our daily life.

Christians frequently suffer from mistaken identity. We tend to live like who we were rather than who we are ... in Christ. "At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8).

If we fully understood the greatness and glory of God, our lives would be a constant expression of praise. Psalm 150 is a powerful call for every living being to praise God.

We are designed to be zealous over things that really matter. Unfortunately we can easily become passionate over trivial things - sports, entertainment, recreation, and possessions. We are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" (Matt. 22:37). Genuine freedom comes when we align our values with God's priorities and passionately follow Him.

Bitterness can strangle our freedom in Christ. It not only effects us individually but poisons our other relationships as well. Paul writes, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior" (Eph. 4:31). Invite God's Holy Spirit to rise up within you and grant you freedom from bitterness.

Our spiritual vitality depends on our hearts and minds being saturated with the living word of God. "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Col. 3:1-2). Paul also exhorts us to "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2...

"Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us" (Hebrews 12:1). When we tolerate things in our lives that are inappropriate, we can easily become entangled in sin and robbed of freedom. It could be an emotional attachment to a person other than our spouse; the use of alcohol to relax from daily stress, or viewing pornography. All of theses sinful behaviors (and m...

Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32). The opposite of being set free by truth is being held in bondage by deception. Satan is the "Father of Lies" (Jn 8:44). Satan and his demons are actively at work to blind people to the truth of God's word, leading them astray into bondage and ultimately ... destruction. Jesus invites us to walk in the freedom of His t...

One of Satan's most crippling attacks is shame and condemnation. The Apostle Paul declares that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Because we have been given the righteousness of Christ as a gift through faith, we have been liberated from any accusation of the enemy. Celebrate your freedom!

If you are a Christian, you have an awesome privilege and an awesome responsibility. Paul writes, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). We are not only beneficiaries of the gospel, we are ambassadors for the gospel. God wants to invite others to believe in Him ... through you! You are Hi...

How does a sinful man or woman become righteous in the eyes of a holy God? By believing what He has revealed about His provision through His son, Jesus. "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— th...

Jesus' resurrection from the dead is our assurance that Christ's death was accepted by the Father as payment in full for the sin of mankind. If the Father hadn't been satisfied by Jesus' sacrifice ... Jesus would have remained dead in the tomb. The declaration "He is risen" is our assurance that when we place our faith in Jesus ... we're forgiven!

What is God's answer for the sin problem of mankind. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (Johns 3:16). We are sinners in need of a savior. God sent us his beloved son, Jesus, as our rescuer. We can't save ourselves. We are saved by believing, and trusting in what Jesus has done for us.

In order to have a relationship with God, He requires absolute righteousness, complete moral perfection. Every man, woman and child on the face of the planet has violated God's standard. There is nothing we can do to fix our dilemma. God has to do something for us ... He has!

The ugliness of Man's sinfulness is compounded by the intensity of God's holiness. "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). In order for a sinful man to have a relationship with a holy God something extraordinary must bridge the gap between our sinfulness and God's holiness - his name is Jesus!

To appreciate the good news of God's Gospel we need to understand man's need. The apostle Paul writes, "You were (spiritually) dead in your trespasses and sins" (Eph 2:1). He goes on to say, "remember that you were at that time separated from Christ ... having no hope and without God in the world" (v 12). Those are powerful words: dead ... separated ... no hope ... without God. There was nothing w...

After unpacking the wonderful and mysterious truths of the Risen Life in Ephesians chapters 1-3, the Apostle Paul then writes, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (Eph. 4:1). In other words, we are to live out the reality of all that God has accomplished on our behalf. We are to embrace by faith what God has revea...