In Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray. Jesus’ reply is what we now call the Lord’s Prayer. It is recorded in both Luke 11 and Matthew 6.

In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus says, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us what we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

We can never go wrong praying the Lord’s prayer. We obviously can pray in other ways, as well.

I learned a memory device that I sometimes use to help me structure my prayers. It is the acronym ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication-“humble request’) which we can use like this;

Dear Lord, we are in awe of your power to create all that we know, and the love you have for us. We are sorry that we cannot meet the standard of perfection that you created for us and we routinely do wrong to ourselves and each other. Thank you for your forgiveness and the peace of knowing that Jesus’ sacrifice has made us perfect. Give us the things we need to live the abundant lives you promise for us and bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Each year, Warren Buffet, thought to be the greatest investor of modern times, auctions off a lunch with himself, giving the proceeds to charity. Last year the winning bid for this lunch was $4.5 million. I imagine the person who paid that much money was alert and listening to every word he heard from Warren Buffet.

Fortunately we don’t have to pay to speak with God, the creator of everything. Prayer is our way of communicating with God. Often times God is responding to us, while we pray, through our thoughts and perceptions. We need to be concentrating and listening for these answers.

Paul writes in Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” NLT. However, The Living Bible translation writes the same verse this way, “Don’t be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for Gods answers, and remember to be thankful when they come.”

We know God is answering our prayers, his way. Let’s be thankful always, and alert for God’s answers.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being just a prayer away. Help us pray regularly, alert and thankful. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

You are probably familiar with the expression, “if you play with fire, eventually you will get burned.” This expression is very applicable to our lives as Christians. We cannot spend our time around activities we know are wrong, and think it will not influence us.

Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-18, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

We need to stop and think about what we are doing, often. We should ask ourselves, if we saw someone else doing what we are considering would we think it wise and thoughtful?

Dear Lord, help us think before we act. Protect us from temptation when we might put ourselves at risk. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Something that often is mentioned by people who become Christians as adults is their thoughts that living a Christian life would mean that the fun in life will be over. They had the misconception that the fun things in life are in conflict with a Christian life, which is a lie the devil wants us to believe.

A truly fun, joyful and fulfilling life is one that is based on love, trust, hope, integrity, discipline, contribution, and faith, not the short sighted and temporary pleasures we are tempted by, that result in long term disappointment and regret.

Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”

Christians have the same challenges that come with being human, but we have the peace of knowing that we have a purpose in following Christ, the power of God defending and protecting us, and most importantly, we have eternal life after this physical life is over.

Dear Lord, Help us share the peace and joy of a life that puts our hope and trust in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Coronavirus, Global Warming, Climate Change, Overpopulation, etc. we hear in the media about all the calamities we should be afraid of. This is not a new phenomenon.

In the Old Testament, Isaiah the prophet was told by God that Assyria was soon going to conquer Israel. He said, however, in Isaiah 8:12-14, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He is the one who will keep you safe” NLT

Without a doubt there are risks and dangers in our lives, but we need to remember who controls all. We should put our “fear” in God’s power not the risks and dangers of the day. We need to put our faith and hope in God who has the power to deliver us from our fears here on earth, and any fear of what happens after we leave our earthly life.

Dear Lord, help us remember that you are in control of everything on earth. When we truly put our faith in you we have nothing to fear. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.