You probably know the story of Cain and Able, the first children of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer and Able was a shepherd. Able’s offerings were looked on with favor by God, but Cain’s were not. Cain was angry and ended up killing Able.

An interesting part of the story written in the bible before Cain kills Able is in Genesis 4:6,7. “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” NIV

The lesson for us is that we need to strive to do what is right. When we do not, we are making ourselves more vulnerable to sin and temptation, which is “crouching at our door.” We are told to “rule over it” which we can do with God’s help.

Dear Lord, Help us stay on the right path, and strive to do what is right, so we can “rule over” the temptations to sin. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Ever wonder why we end our prayers with “in Jesus’ name we pray”?

In John 14:13 Jesus is talking to his disciples telling them that if they believe in him, they will do greater things than he has done. He then says “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” NLT

Think about it this way. Say you were waiting in line to pickup the latest electronic gadget (iphone, gaming console, video game) and realized you forgot your pre-purchase coupon that allowed you to pick up the gadget that day. You remember it was on the counter in your apartment. Someone standing with you in line offers to go to your apartment and get it for you. If this stranger showed up at your apartment and told your roommate to let him in to look for a coupon, your roommate would probably call the police. However, if the stranger said that you had sent him, and you sent him to look precisely in a certain place on the counter for the coupon, your roommate would have a different understanding, and probably help. So the stranger is asking “in your name.”

So we ask our prayers to be answered in Jesus’ name, knowing that Jesus told us to do this and he will give us what we ask “so that the Son can bring glory to the Father”

Dear Lord help us to ask you for those things we need to help us be better Christians and bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Occasionally we all have a problem that we have no idea how it can work out for the best; a situation that looks impossible to solve.

It is easy for us, Christians, to believe in our minds and in an academic way that God is all powerful, capable of doing anything. However, when things are difficult for us, especially when we have created our own problems, it is not so easy to believe in real and practical terms that God can and will resolve it for us.

At those times a great verse to remember is Psalms 46:10. He [God] says, “Be still, and know that I am God….”

Solving our problems is easy for God. We don’t always know how he will do it, but we need to ask, and know, without doubt that he can.

Dear Lord, remind us of your power and help us live our lives truly knowing that you are almighty. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

We never know, at the time, the good that will come from the struggles and tragedies in our lives, but as Christians we do know that God uses “all things” for our good.

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:28 “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” And says in verse 31 ” So if God is for us, who can be against us?” NIV

We can proceed in our lives with this power, knowing that if we love God…keeping His will as our priority, we have His almighty power coordinating “all things” for our good.

Dear Lord, we thank you that we know you are there for us; that our struggles and tragedies are not a surprise to you and you are using them for our good. Help us trust your will and be at peace in this knowledge. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

You have likely heard of “pass interference” in American football, when one player physically interferes with an opposing player’s ability to catch a pass.

A close reading of the parable of the spreading of the seed in Luke 8:4-15 tells us that the devil tries to interfere with people’s acceptance off God’s word. You may recall the parable, the farmer spreads seed, some falls on the hard footpath, some on rocky ground, some in the thorns, and some on good soil.

In verse 12 Jesus begins to explain the parable and he says ” Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.” NIV

The devil is out there trying to interfere with our hearing and accepting God’s word. We need to realize this, and defend ourselves with the tools God has given us; The Shield of Faith, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and fight back with the Sword of the Spirit that is the word of God, as described in Ephesians 6.

Dear Lord, as we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from evil,” Help us rely on you to defend against the devil’s schemes. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen