Often times, we wait until we have tried everything else to deal with a problem or difficult situation before we pray about it. Unfortunately, it is the last resort for many people even after they have given up hope of a successful outcome.

God wants us to interact with him all the time, like he is a part of our lives every moment. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Never stop praying.” When we have that mindset, we start our problem solving with prayer; Asking God, who has the power to make anything right, and solve any problem we might have, first.

James 5:16 writes, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Prayer is not a long shot, “it can’t hurt,” last resort. It is a powerful demonstration of our faith in and relationship with God. We need to believe that it will produce results, and it will.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the ability to come to you with our cares and concerns. Help us to keep you in our thoughts throughout our day and bring our needs to you, believing that you will give us what we ask or something better. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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…and God Controls the Future

We all have fear at times. It can be created by a number of things, but fear always boils down to concern and uncertainty about something in the future.

If our thoughts are controlled to focus only on the present, the people and blessings around us, though we may have be experiencing pain or suffering, we don’t feel fear. Somewhat like being up high on a ladder, if we don’t look down, we are just standing there on a step.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34, Living Bible Translation “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.”

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us also, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

We can do this by putting our trust in God. Proverbs 3:5 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding” In other words, God can find a way even when we don’t see a way.

And as God told Joshua as he was leading the Israelites into the “Promised Land,” but a land reported to have Giants. In Joshua 1:9, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

So when we fear, remember this process:

1. Focus on the present, share it with those we love.
2. Let God take care of the future.
3. Trust Him.
4. Be strong and courageous, because He is with you.

Dear Lord, We have fear. Though we may know in our minds that you have power over all things, we worry you may not use your power to resolve our fear. Help us trust you, and feel Your love and comfort, and have the peace of knowing You control the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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In the Lutheran catechism’s description of “lead us not into temptation” from the Lord’s Prayer, Luther describes how we are fighting spiritually against three forces, the Devil, the World, and our Sinful Nature.

There is a conflict in each Christians life. His or her human nature is in conflict with God’s will. Paul writes in Romans 8:7, “For the sinful nature is hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will.” This effect is so obvious to each of us in our own ways. Each of us have wrong desires that we must fight.

Paul continues in verse 9 however, “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.”

When we become Christian, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in us, which is what makes us want to do God’s will, even though Jesus tells us in Matthew 26:41, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

But Jesus is strong when we are weak, and he wants us to rely on him to help us overcome our sinful nature and do the right thing. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul says, “But he [Christ] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Dear Lord, as we pray in the Lord’s prayer, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Strengthen us to choose to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance rather that our sinful nature. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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When we read some of the stories in the Old Testament, it sometimes sounds like our modern day reality shows, and soap operas. There are stories of good people who are tempted and fell away, people who do terrible things but then repent and are blessed, people who have tragedies but stay firm in their faith in God, and many other examples that have similarities to some of our modern day situations.

Paul brings this up to the people in the church at Corinth, and in 1 Corinthians 10:6 he writes, “These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, and not be idolaters, as some of them were.”

The many stories in the Old Testament are opportunities for us to learn how to follow God. There are many examples of how God blessed his people when they followed his will, and disciplined them when they went astray.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

Dear Lord, You provide us a clear path in the Bible, help us prioritize time to read your word, and put it into practice in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Have you ever had someone question whether you “really believe that stuff?,” referring to Christianity, or has someone presented the opportunity for you to share your faith when they were sincerely searching for hope during a difficult time?

Jesus told His disciples in Luke 21:13-15, that there will be times when they would be questioned, challenged, made fun of and even tortured and killed for their faith. He told them however, “but make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict”

Hopefully none of us will have to face physical danger for our faith, but most of us, at some point, will be put in a position to affirm our faith to someone. Remember not to worry, God will give us the words and wisdom we need.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the assurance you provide us, knowing we are not on our own, you are there to give us the words and wisdom we need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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