“Keep on praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

Corrie ten Boom asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”

My husband Bill was a man driven to pray frequently.

One morning he was awakened around 2am.  One of our staff associates faced a personal crisis.  That morning, God impressed upon Bill to pray for the man and to ask for God’s wisdom in how to respond to the needs of our friend.

God prepared Bill for a crucial meeting with that same man the next day.

Oh, but my husband would pray about everything!  (SMILE).  He would even pray about what clothes to wear.  He felt that the way he dressed, as well as his words and actions, should bring glory to God.

As Bill said, “The more frequently you share your thoughts and desires with your Lord, the closer you come to Him.”

Friend, make prayer your steering wheel.

“Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.” – E.M. Bounds

By Vonette Bright
used by permission

FURTHER READING’

Prayer: Continuous Partial Attention

Imbalanced Prayer

Foundational Core Truths about Prayer

The post Spare Prayer? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].” Psalm 147:3 AMP

“THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified Me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound.” Isaiah 61:1 AMP

“The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalm 34:17-18 NLT

by Roy Lessin
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Crushed in Spirit

Healing Prayer for Hurting People

Worrying

The post God, the Healer of Broken Hearts! appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Never underestimate the power of prayer!

Five high school students began to sense their responsibility to God.  They wanted to help fulfill the Great Commission on their campus. Each made a list of three friends whom they wanted to claim for Christ.

The first week they met daily to pray that these friends would sense their need for Jesus. The second week they prayed to be instruments of God. The third week they prayed for opportunities to speak to their friends about Christ. That same week 15 students for whom they had prayed invited Jesus into their lives through prayer!

Dear friend, the more frequently you share your thoughts and desires with Christ, the closer you come to Him.

Prayer is powerful and pleases God.  That’s why He says, “Keep on praying.”  And I say, “Amen!”

By Vonette Bright
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Hold On a Little While Longer

How To Be Sure God Listens To Your Prayers

Praying with Confidence

The post Amazing Prayer appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Someone recently commented to me, and it is the same comment I have heard from others, that what I write makes them want to have a deeper walk with God. What I write makes them realize it is possible.

They thought it was complicated but it isn’t. It is as simple as opening your heart to it…constantly and consistently. It is not a big secret for just a select few. It is for everyone who calls Him LORD.
 
An open heart is a heart that welcomes Him in.

An open heart is a heart that makes time for Him.

A lady once told me in one sentence that she doesn’t have time for a quiet time in her schedule and in the next sentence she admitted that she gets up at 5:00 multiple mornings a week to run and train for marathons.

What are we making time for in our schedule?

It is easy to look at our schedules and find them jam packed and then we wonder why we  don’t feel close to God.

I am not saying we shouldn’t get up at 5:00 in the morning and run.

I am saying that if we make time for running, then use that same kind of effort and dedication to also make time for God in a close and intimate way.

One of my favorite hymns, which I sadly haven’t heard in church in many years, but remains a favorite of mine is the beautiful song In the Garden.

This writer gets it. His words tell me he had a wide open heart and God filled it up with joy.

The heart that opens to the Lord is a heart He delights to fill.

Chorus from In the Garden, (C. Austin Miles 1912 

And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Open My Heart

Tender Words to the Tired Heart

A Grumbly Heart

Our Heart and our Treasure

The post Open Heart appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will declare his name before my Father and before his angels.”   Revelation 3:5b (NET)

Do you know why they put erasers on pencils? Because humans use them.

In other words, none of us are perfect. We make mistakes. In fact, we often learn more from our mistakes than we do our successes. Why? Because we have already corrected our errors and moved on when we succeed. The lesson has been learned.

A friend gave me the ultimate “human pencil.” It has two erasers so when one is used up, I can flip it and start to use the other one. I hope she wasn’t trying to tell me something.

But after I laughed, I saw great meaning in it. This is the type of eraser Christ uses in our lives when we confess our wrongdoings. One that will never run out no matter how many times we have sins to confess. His three hours on the cross has already eradicated them.

Not to say there are no consequences for our actions. After all, we must learn from our mistakes, and sometimes the lesson is harsh. But it is part of the process to erase sin from our lives. Over and over. We all need erasers in this life. But here is the good news. There is no need for erasers in Heaven. We will be perfected and purified in Christ to stand before the throne of God as it says in Revelation 3:5. 

Hallelujah!

Lord, thank you for being patient with me and always ready to erase my sins. In your gentle sternness, teach me the lessons I need to sin less in my life, relying on your Holy Spirit to guide my decisions and actions. Thank you that one day I will stand blameless before you in Heaven because of your amazing grace. Amen.

Each time you become aware of having sinned, bring it immediately to Jesus, thanking him for his perfect forgiveness of all your sins including that one. Then invite him to transform that area of your life through his Spirit.

By Julie Cosgrove
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

Keeping Yourself in God’s Love – even during painful times in your life

He Put a Song in My Heart

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

The post Erasable appeared first on Thoughts About God.

For over 5 years, I corresponded regularly with an inmate, Stephen D, in a maximum security penitentiary in Indiana.  Stephen was released April 13th.

The past years have been an education for me.  Stephen writes in a tight, neat script and uses all the margins on both sides of foolscap.  His letters run 8-12 pages.  He has provided me with the inside view of prison life, and an inside glimpse into one prisoner’s heart, like nothing I could have got short of doing prison time myself.

(Stephen has told me that any part of his story that would help others I’m free to share).

Mostly, his letters have been for me a graduate level course on the reality and power of God’s grace.

Stephen is in the company of sex offenders, murderers, gangsters, drug peddlers, career criminals.  His own crime is grievous.  Yet over and over I have been moved to tears as he describes how Jesus is transforming him, and the men around him, from being “the worst of sinners” to being “examples of God’s mercy and unlimited patience”

“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge(1 Corinthians 1:4-5).

A sample from his last letter (again, with his full permission) as he describes a worship service among prisoners:

The Lord is truly working miracles!  As I look around, the magnitude of what Jesus is doing is nothing short of revealing who He is “all for our good”.  The signs of his mercy surround us.  His costly grace is being evidenced through the hearts of many who, with a life surrendered to His will, have abandoned the short-lived trappings of this world.  The sounds of rejoicing rain down from the redeemed of the Lord.  What a mighty God we have chosen to serve!

Almost makes you want to go to prison!

Why am I telling you this?

The prison chaplain shared with the pastors of the city.  One thing he said is that prisoners’ who turn their life over to Jesus in prison, and make significant progress there, often never find a church after their release where they feel welcome.

He also warned about some of the pitfalls of churches who are naïve, who entrust too much too soon to men and women who are just beginning to sort out life this side of freedom.

He’s not recommending such naivety.  But many churches choose the opposite approach: open suspicion, even hostility.  Ex-prisoners sniff that out quickly, get the message, and stay away.

It got me thinking: if Stephen came to our church, would he feel welcome? 

I think the answer is yes.  All the same, it’s worth pushing the question a little further by making it, for each of us, personal: would I welcome him?

May God’s grace abound in all our lives.

By Mark Buchanan
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Extending Grace to Others
• Harsh Judgments Can Kill One’s Spirit

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

Follow Us On:

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL: FOLLOW THIS LINK

The post Where Grace Abounds? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“And since, when we were his enemies, we were brought back to God by the death of His Son, what a blessing He must have for us now that we are His friends, and He is living within us!”
Romans 5:10

Marilyn had a very poor self-image. She hated the way she looked and felt that her personality was so bad that she could never expect to have true friends. She was concerned especially about marriage. How could she ever find a man to love her since she was so unattractive (in her thinking).

I was able to help her see how much God loved her, and how great was His blessing for her as a child of God. The supernatural life-style was available to her, and she was the one to determine whether or not she would measure up, as an act of the will by faith, to what God had called and enabled her to be. Her part was simply to trust and obey Him.

With God’s help, she determined to be that kind of person, the kind of person God created her to be.

We who are Christians can see ourselves as God sees us and through the enabling of the Holy Spirit become what we are in His sight. With the eyes of love, He sees us covered with the blood of Christ, which was shed on the cross for our sins, and, as expressed in Hebrews 10, He sees us as holy, righteous and totally forgiven. He holds nothing against us. The penalty for our sins has been paid – once and for all. There is nothing which we can add.

Now we have the privilege of becoming in our experience what we are already in God’s sight.

Bible Reading: Romans 5:11-15

Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will begin to see myself as God sees me: loved, forgiven, holy, righteous, spiritually mature, aggressive and fruitful for the glory of God. Today I will live by faith the supernatural life which is my heritage in Christ.

By Dr. Bill Bright
Used by Permission

Learn more about how to be filled with the Holy Spirit

The post We are His Friends appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23

Giving thanks to God can be a hard thing to do,

….especially when things happen that make us more likely to say, “Why, God?” instead.

Thank offerings come easy some days. The sun shines and we feel the blessing of the Lord. Thanksgiving is our natural response.

On other days, thanksgiving is truly a sacrifice. In the middle of writing this devotional, our home was broken into. Thanksgiving was not my first response. Yet here in this verse, God tells us an amazing truth. He says that when we offer thanks and praise to Him, even when it’s a sacrifice to do so, we honor Him. This prepares the way for Him to work on our behalf. Thanksgiving is actually a door.

I pondered how to thank God in the midst of this violation. I was not thankful for the loss, but I discovered I could be thankful in it. As I intentionally shifted my gaze to God and not to the mess around me, I became aware of being thankful for several things: our personal safety, that certain items were not taken, the immediate help and care from family and friends, and the reminder that God is our Warrior, working, even fighting on our behalf. As a result, God’s peace settled over our hearts and minds and over our home.

Thank You, Lord God, that thanksgiving is so much more than a trite “attitude of gratitude.” Thank You for the truth of Your word that when we do give You our thanks, even when it’s hard to, we honor You and it opens a door for You to work and to bring Your peace and wisdom. Thank You that we can always offer thanksgiving for who You are and all You are to us — even in the midst of challenges. We praise You and ask this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.

By Gail Rodgers
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Thanksgiving Day Sample Prayers

Thanksgiving Quotes

Let Thanksgiving be the Habit of your Life

The post Thank Offerings appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“When you offer animals that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor?” says the Lord of hosts.”  Malachi 1:8

It seemed perfectly reasonable. He needed the good lambs for his flock, but this lamb was already sick. It had a broken leg. Much better – he thought – for the lamb to die as a sacrifice to the Lord than in the jaws of a wolf. The Lord would understand. Yes?

No!

Would you take a gift like that to the governor? You wouldn’t? Well, then what makes you think you can bring it to God? “I have no pleasure in you,” the Lord says, “for I am a great king, and my name will be feared among the nations” (Malachi 1:14). Over the centuries customs have changed, but there has always been and always will be an unchanging and very simple supreme test for worshiping God in truth.

Worship with anything less than our best is not worship at all.

True worship requires our best. Our best intention. Our best devotion. Our best offerings. And it’s not just a Sunday thing but an everyday thing. Our best everything, every day.

“What is this best that we must bring?” you ask. Remember the Little Drummer Boy?

“I am a poor boy too. / I have no gift to bring / That’s fit to give our King. / Shall I play for you? / I played my drum for Him. / I played my best for Him.”

Offer your best to the Lord. Never come with less. Then you will worship him truly, and He will be pleased with you.

Lord, you are not only my great king but my great Savior. I promise to serve you always with the best of all I have and am. Amen.

Thought — Discover the joy of giving to God the very best. Think and pray about what the best is that you have to offer. The Holy Spirit will help you understand what that means.

By Dr. Guy Safford
Used by permission

Other related reads:

How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is like oxygen to the Christian

The Power of Forgiveness 

The post Fit for the King appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Fear of failure was once a stronghold in my life. It would come to affect my decision making, how I took criticism, and how I would deal with circumstances. I admit, I still deal with fear, just not with the stronghold of it anymore. Our God is bigger than our problems and mightier than our circumstances. With our faith in Him, fear is no longer a stronghold.

The story of David and Goliath is a story that almost everyone has heard. The reason it is so often told, is because it shows us how to overcome our fears. David had fears in his life, but he understood how his faith in God would always lead to a victory over those fears.

David was aware of his own abilities and strengths, knowing they came from God. Others however, did not see those abilities. They only saw his small size, what they thought they knew of him, and their own fears. David didn’t listen to their fears, take stock in their opinions, or allow himself to be affected by their harsh words. Instead he relied on God, refusing to let anyone else decide his fate.

Every day we will encounter giants in our lives. On some of those days the giants will act and look like Goliath. It is imperative to remember that it is not within “us” that we find the strength to face these giants. Only God can provide the peace, courage, and boldness that will lead us to victory.

A Call to Action:

What fears are you dealing with right now, and do they have a stronghold on your life? Read the full story of David and Goliath (1Samuel 17:1-51), as well as the story of Saul turning on David (1Samuel 17-22). Place all fears at the feet of our living God, and trust in Him.

By Daniel Forster
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

What To Do With Fear

When Fear Disappears

Nothing to Fear

Crossing the River of Fear

The post Overcoming the Stronghold of Fear appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Spirit, listen to the heart of your Father speaking to your heart in His Word in 1 John 3:1.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

You bear the imprint of your Creator’s fingerprints on your entire being. You are a special evidence of His continuing handiwork and creativity in the earth today. He chose generational treasures for you and your soul and body. He made you His child on whom He lavishes His love. Be blessed to feel with almost aching sharpness and clarity the truth that you are greatly loved. He calls you beloved. He likes you. In fact, He adores you. You are the apple of His eye. You are His special treasure. You are legitimate and worthy because He loves you, not because of anything you have done. Be blessed with a deep and abiding joy as a favored child of Most High God.

God gave you your competence, your talents, and your personality. Beyond that is your identity of belonging and worth and your legitimacy in Him as a covenant son/daughter. Be blessed with a healthy sense of being from a solid core of identity and legitimacy in Him. Be blessed with physical, emotional, relational, mental, and spiritual sense of being in Christ Jesus. Be blessed to realize that you stand in His favor based on relationship, not performance. Be blessed with His approval and pleasure. Be blessed with awareness of all your spiritual blessings He has deposited in you. Be blessed with knowing you are set in a large place in the spirit realm, a place of authority in Him.

Be blessed to know that you are loved, wanted, and needed in the world. Your Father placed you right where you are. Be blessed with relaxing in His perfect care in every detail, knowing He is lovingly watching over you. Be blessed with freedom from fear. You are immovable and unstoppable as you remain in that place of abiding in Him and Jesus in you. Be blessed as God encourages and empowers you in His truth and purposes for your life.

Be blessed in the name of your Father who loves you as He loves his own Son

(John 17:23).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

From: You Are Blessed In The Names of God
To learn more about Sylvia Gunter: www.thefathersbusiness.com

FURTHER READING

Your Identity in Christ: You Are Defined by God

Blessing of Identity

Who Am I? What Am I Here For?

The post Sense of Being appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.’

Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.’” (1 Samuel 15:22-24, ESV)

God is always speaking to us, whether we hear Him speak directly to us or in visions and dreams. God uses other people to speak to us through prophetic words, and God uses His living word to speak to us. God is always speaking to us, so why is it so hard for us to hear Him all the time? Personally, I get what I call Saul-itis. Never heard of it? Read 1 Samuel 15:22-24.

It is all too easy for us to sin, and then run to God and say we are sorry. It is all too easy for us to sin and directly disobey God out of fear of others. This is what happened to Saul. God gave him direct orders on what to do and how to do it, yet Saul kept disobeying God. He did what he felt was best or what the people thought was best. Remember Isaiah 55:9?

It is hard to be obedient to God, for our sin always wants to get in the way. Praise God we have Jesus to forgive us for this sin. What happens, though, when we start to become like Saul, and our “I’m sorrys” lose the repenting part – you know, the part where we are to turn from our sin. This is Saul-itis, where we directly disobey God, we don’t want to turn from our sin, and we put our own words and the words of people above the word of God.

So what do you do?

Repent. This is the first key step: repent. In all ways let yourself be convicted of the disobedience whether it makes sense to you or not. Truly want to turn from it, even if it means suffering or rejection from the world. Being obedient to God’s word, no matter how you hear Him, is pleasing to the Lord.

Father, I pray today that I see the parts of my life where I am not being obedient to your word. Lord let me repent of this today, truly want to turn from these sins, and seek only your face, and your presence. Father I surrender myself in all ways to you. I can’t do this alone Lord I need you. Forgive me Lord for my sins. Let me draw strength from you to stand on your solid rock, and to stand firm against the world. Lord we ask this today in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen

Question: Is there a part of your life where you are not following His word?

by Rev. Daniel Forster

FURTHER READING

Bitterness in the Garden of Our Hearts

Become a Brave-Heart Disciple

Are You Afraid to Fully Surrender to God?

The post Let Me Hear Your Word and Obey appeared first on Thoughts About God.