Tag: #godspower

Do You Believe God Works?

Text:

Luke 9:37-42 (ESV)

37  On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.

38  And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.

39  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.

40  And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”

41  Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”

42  While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

Observation:

In our focal passage for today we are presented with two truths that grip my heart.

The first is that we can’t but God can. We don’t know who the disciples were that could not help the son of the man who made his appeal to Jesus after the disciples of Jesus could not help the child.

But, the second thing that we see from this passage is that nothing is impossible when we put it in the hands of the Lord.

There is something that encourages my heart as I read, and reflect upon this passage. Jesus has provided the way for those of us who are His disciples to be His extended heart and hand in the healing and helping ministry.

There is something that we can do with every problem we face in this world. We can take it to the Lord in prayer. The key is to have faith in God.

Luke 9:41 (ESV)

41  Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, Oh how sweet it is to live in Your presence; to know You, and to know Your power.

Father, we pray that You will never have an occasion to look at us, and say, “O faithless and twisted generation”. Father, I pray that You would grant us the grace gift of sufficient faith in You so that we would be faithful to You all of the days of our life.

Father, make us mighty men and women of faith who have a pray first attitude; a people who are devoted to prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Read all the Daily Devotionals by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Seeing Beyond Our Weaknesses#

Text:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (KJV)

7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Observation:

When trouble, trials, difficulties, and disappointments come in our life we should cry out to God. However, we should not lose hope when God does not give us everything we ask.

We should allow what happened in Paul’s life to inform our lives when we pray for deliverance from our thorn in the flesh. Could it be that what we are going through is for God’s glory, and for our good?

2 Corinthians 11:27-28 (NLT)

27  I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

28  Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

There is something about thorns in the flesh that bends us toward humility. Additionally, the recognition of the weaknesses in our humanity bends us toward bowing the knee, looking up, and recognizing the greatness of God.

The recognition of the sovereignty and greatness of God, and the goodness and grace of God gives us peace, and contentment in knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for all of our needs.

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, it is such a blessing to know that our weaknesses, even when they are painful, are working to bring about a higher goal, and that Your amazing grace is sufficient for all of our needs.

Psalm 46:1 (HCSB)

1  God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.

Father, we love You, and can’t get enough of You. Father, thank You for always being present, and on time. Father, I am so glad that the things that matter are things that are eternal. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)

13  Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

How to Overcome Difficult Times?

 

Text:

2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (HCSB)

8  We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair;

9  we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

10  We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

11  For we who live are always given over to death because of Jesus, so that Jesus’ life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.

12  So death works in us, but life in you.

Observation:

I was in a meeting of seasoned adults yesterday, and our speaker at the end of the meeting asked four people to lead in prayer in these four areas.

  • Nation
  • Community
  • Families
  • Individuals

As I read and meditate on our text for today I note the human frailty that the Apostle Paul writes about to the church at Corinth. He mentions these areas. Are these relevant to us today?

  • Pressured
  • Perplexed
  • Persecuted
  • Struck Down

The hope and the promise is that for each of these four frailties of humanity there is evidence of God’s power to overcome the frailty. The God of yesterday is the same God today. What He did for the Corinthians, He will do for us.

  • Pressured but not crushed.
  • Perplexed but not in despair.
  • Persecuted but not abandoned.
  • Struck down but not destroyed.

God is the Sovereign God, and He is an on-time God. His promise is that He would never leave or forsake His people. Jeremiah was called to do a tough job, but He served a great God who provided for him and protected him. He’ll do the same for You. Do like Jeremiah, call upon Your God.

Jeremiah 32:17 (HCSB)

17  Oh, Lord GOD! You Yourself made the heavens and earth by Your great power and with Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!

Prayer: 

Father God, Sovereign Lord, my dear Father, I am so grateful that no matter what difficulties and dangers we may face in our journey through this world that we have the promise of Your presence, power, and provisions.

Father, I thank You for being a good and gracious Father, and for providing so abundantly for Your children. Father, help us to never forget or forsake the need to pray; its what Jesus did. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Mark 1:35 (HCSB)

35  Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

Have You Tried This Novel Way of Handling Your Weaknesses?

Text:

Psalm 84:4-5 (ESV)

4  Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah

5  Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

Observation:

Where is your heart? If we want to know where our hearts are we need to look at the contents of our heart. What are we feeding our heart by what is on our mind, and our thought life? O, how we need to guard our hearts.

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

23  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

What is the source that you rely upon for knowing and doing the will of God? Are there times in your life that you feel you are incapable of doing the things you know to do, but you just don’t have the strength to do them? Have you thought about abandoning the notion of doing God’s will in your strength, and relying upon God’s strength?

Notice what this portion of our focal passage says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you”.

The way to have the strength of the Lord, which is the only way we can overcome our weaknesses, is to draw near to God.

James 4:8-9 (ESV)

8  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

Its past the time to get serious about our sins; it’s no laughing matter. Its time to turn our laughter to mourning, and our joy in the things of the world to gloom.

Some people say they can’t believe in a God they cannot see. Well, listen to the testimony of this child of God that was blind from her childhood. It’s not the eyes in your head, but the eyes of your heart, and by faith that you are able to see God. Be blessed by the lyrics of Draw Me Nearer by Fanny Crosby.

“I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith,

And be closer drawn to Thee.

 

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou hast died;

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To Thy precious, bleeding side.”

Prayer:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Father, I cry out to You to stir our hearts until we are willing to draw near to Your precious side, and receive Your almighty power to enable us to fulfill our purpose for being alive. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry