Devotions About

Christians Keeping Positive Attitudes

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:15:55 +0000

This devotional was provided by the Christian Prayer Center .

They say that your attitude about life is just as important as what happens to you in life. You can view good events with anxiety or a lack of satisfaction, or conversely you can look up sad events with understanding, patience and wisdom.

As Christians, it is important that we keep a positive attitude, forgive our enemies, and be gracious for what we are given. Here is a lovely bible verse that reinforces this concept:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Phillipians 4:8

If you are looking for further prayer support, the Christian Prayer Center is an online community of prayer partners that will welcome you with open arms.

Praying to God Continually

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:21:26 +0000

From the time when I awake until I go to sleep, I am continually praying to God. This is not something that I do on my knees though. Occasionally, I will bow before the Lord, but for the most part I just keep in constant contact with God in my mind and with my spirit.

I like to call this communing with God. This is something that comes naturally when we have made a decision to “totally” surrender our lives to God’s care.

He has said that he will never leave us. If a friend was with you all of the time wouldn’t you talk to them most of the day and night?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The key phrase of this scripture which I would like to emphasize is “pray continually”. Praying continually is not something that we are naturally motivated to do, but we must strive to do it. Jesus often withdrew from others to pray.

There were times when He would pray all night; He also declared that His father’s house is to be a house of prayer. Consider making a commitment to pray for 10 minutes every day.

Decide what you will be praying about and stay focused. For example, you may want to pray for your family for 10 minutes or your youth group, be specific and stay focused. Check the time before you start and go!

Prayer: God help me to keep a conscious and sub-conscious connection with you. I really want to spend time praying for others instead of always focusing on me.

Final Thoughts: Here’s what always happens when I purpose to set time aside for prayer, I end up praying for many people. It’s like the moment takes on a life of its own through the Holy Spirits help. Suddenly the ten minutes that i dedicated to God for prayer turns into a half hour. Then when I finish, my spirit inside of me feels refreshed and renewed. There is a new joy in my heart and a beautiful presence of the Holy Spirit.

Then as I go about the rest of my day I stay continually connected with God in an effortless manner because of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Healing the Sick

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:34:50 +0000

While the Lord was on the earth, the book of Acts declares that Jesus went about doing good to all who were oppressed by the devil. Sickness and disease caused many to get discouraged, oppressed and depressed.

In many accounts of the gospels we see Jesus physically healed people. As a result of the physical healing the oppressed, depressed and hopeless were supernaturally cured in more ways than just in their bodies.

Mathew 21:14
And the blind and the lame came to Him (Jesus) in the porches and courts of the temple, and He cured them.

Hebrews 13
Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages)

The book of Mathew is full of stories of Jesus healing the sick. As the scripture says, He is the same now as He was then. There are many skeptics in the world who would say Jesus can’t heal today but there are millions more who can testify that He does. Here is a web site with testimonies of healing and much more on this biblical truth. BennyHinn.com

No matter what you or a friend may be going through, prayer to the healer is the answer.

Take some time today to specifically pray for someone who needs a touch from Jesus in their body.

He is still healing people today just as he did two thousand years ago.

Jesus Reveals Himself to Followers

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:27:45 +0000

We see throughout the New Testament that Jesus reveals himself to the true believers and followers. As we read through the accounts of Jesus appearing to the disciples after his death, we better understand that He wants to reveal to us that he is still alive.

Acts 1:3
After his suffering, he (Jesus) showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

It has been my experience with the Lord that once I began to follow after him with all my heart; he began to give me convincing proof that he is alive. Ask the Lord to reveal himself to you; I assure you that you will experience things that only God and God alone could have caused to happen. He wants you to know without any doubt, that he is present with you. Maybe he will appear to you as in this story or perhaps you will encounter an angel. Signs and wonders will follow those who believe. Anything is possible with the Lord.

I truly believe that God wants us to experience the reality of His existence in many ways. Yes, we are to have faith in him weather we have seen an angle or not, but God wants us to be great witnesses for him.

Doesn’t it make since that we would testify to his existence more often if we have literally experienced the supernatural in the natural realm.

This is what happened to the disciples. After Jesus left there were angle encounters, dreams, visions and visitations from Jesus that ensured them of the truth of the son of God.

Prayer: God I want to experience all that you have for me in the supernatural “spirit” realm in order to be an even greater witness for your kingdom.

Spending Time With God

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:58:08 +0000

I learned a simple truth from a great evangelist. He always says; “you can’t expect God to anoint you if you don’t spend time with him.” The word is clear about seeking the Lord with all of our hearts and that he is supposed to come first in our lives.

One of the most important things we need to be careful about is getting too busy for God. Oftentimes, people will be doing a lot of great things for the kingdom of God and neglect spending time with Jesus.

When we have been with Jesus it is recognizable. The Holy Spirit within us brings a comforting presence to those around us. Our smile is seen as not just an ordinary smile but one that releases joy. Compassion flows through us and people can tell that we have been with Jesus. Take time to be with Jesus, make time to pray and read God’s word today

Acts 4:13
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Prayer: Lord help me to recognize the importance of spending time with you more than what I already do. I don’t ever want to get so busy just doing good things that I break having daily fellowship with you. I really want people to know that I have been spending time with Jesus.

Getting Our Hearts Desires

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:19:11 +0000

What happens if you tell an unbeliever that God will give them the desires of their hearts? People will have different perceptions of what God will give to them if they really do not know him. One person might say he desires to have a sports car like a Corvette or Porsche. Another will say a huge mansion over looking the Hawaiian surf.

Ps: 37:4-5
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

What do you think it means to delight yourself in the Lord? It appears that an action gets a reaction from God in this instance. If I was to delight myself in someone, I would enjoy their company and be thinking of them every moment of the day. It would be very much like falling in love with someone and being infatuated with them all of the time.

It is important to understand that the key to God giving us the desires of our heart is in committing our lives to Him. As we truly surrender our life to God, his desires begin to become our desires. His desire is to save the lost and heal the broken hearted. God has a plan and purpose for our lives. If we are committed to following his plan, then he will only give to us what he has planned for us.

It seems that when we loose “ourselves” in having a relationship with the Lord that’s when he blesses us with the desires of our hearts.

Prayer: Lord my desires today are to draw closer to you and to get to know you better. I want to delight myself in you God.

How to Avoid Sinning

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:46:01 +0000

The way to avoid getting entrapped in the sinning is by listening to the still small voice on the inside of us and obeying the Holy Spirit’s direction. It takes a conscious decision to do the things that we know are not right in God’s eyes. Although our nature is sinful and God is forgiving, we should still strive to become more obedient on a daily basis.

God always offers a way out when sin is knocking at the door. We must turn from sin and choose the way out from under it that God provides.

1Cor 10:12
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

The Holy Spirit always whispers clearly “don’t do that” we have to choose to listen to His instructions. Turn your back on sin and choose to walk away from it today.

The battle always begins in our mind. We first have a thought and then we have a choice to ignore it or to entertain it. The longer we flirt with the darkness the greater hold it gets on us.

God tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. That’s one of the major keys of conquering the battle we face on a daily basis. In the very moment of having a thought that wants to sever us from God, we resist.

Prayer: Lord help me today to resist sin. I want to avoid anything that separates me from your presence.

Many Call Themselves Christians are You Really Saved

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:21:25 +0000

Through my experiences on the streets witnessing to people, I learned that many will proclaim to be Christians. Here’s the truth though, very few of the people who claim to be born again are living a lifestyle that resembles Christ.

1John5:18
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin.
2Cor5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2Cor13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

Many call themselves Christians; examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Jesus said that we would know them (Christians) by their fruit. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

That’s the very best of the good fruit.

Sexual immorality, drunkenness, greed, hatred, and unforgiveness, just to name a few, are considered to be bad fruit. What type of fruit is your life producing? Calling yourself a Christian and bearing the fruit of a Christian are very different. Many will say to the Lord when they die, I did this and that in your name and he will say depart from me, I never knew you.

Please don’t examine others actions and how they live their lives but look into your own today! Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For God wants your life to resemble a healthy fruit tree.

Good Questions for Discussion:

How do you know you are saved?

Do you interact with God daily?

Who do you know that proclaims to be a Christian, but their life does not reflect the attributes of God. Comment without using names.

Prayer: God help me to examine my relationship with you in a truthful and transparent way.

Freedom Through the Power of the Holy Spirit

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:50:58 +0000

There’s great freedom to be found through experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the anointed Christians that help to set the captives free from bondage. Jesus proclaimed that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.

The Holy Spirit is the same as He was then and is still delivering the captives from bondage.

Luke 4:14
Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about.

What is your life like today, full or empty? Is the power of the Holy Spirit evident in your life? Later on in this chapter Jesus explains why the spirit of the Lord is on him, in verse 18 he says the following: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” God’s power working within us, is powerful, and is given to us for a purpose. So are you full or empty?

Prayer: Lord fill me with your love and the awesome power of your Holy Spirit. I want to see the captives set free today. Use me to bring glory to your kingdom.

Ideas for study

1) What is the anointing?
2) What does it mean to be anointed?
3) How do Christians get anointed?

Walking with Jesus

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:28:52 +0000

The disciples must have seen many miracles while walking with the Lord? When we have a relationship with Jesus we will begin to experience the supernatural realm in ways that we have never know. It is when we see him answering our prayers tat we realize being a Christian is the right connection.

When we experience the reality of the Holy Spirit there’s a comfort that surrounds us like none other.

The depths of the love of God that touch us go so deep that we have no doubt at all that He exists.

Matthew 11:54
And Jesus replied to them, Go and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (by healing) and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have good news (the Gospel) preached to them.

As I read this passage, I wonder if I have really seen Jesus? As I am wondering, there is a great hunger to find this man described in our scripture. I don’t just want to know about him, I want to walk with him and see the evidence of his presence revealed.

While walking with Jesus, the disciples saw so many more miracles occur than we have recorded in the scriptures. In the Bible there’s a passage that says if all the supernatural thing that Jesus did had been recorded during his time on the earth there would not be enough room in all the libraries in the world to contain them all.

Prayer:Today Lord, I want to see you in more real ways than I have in the past. Help me to spend more time reading your word, walking in the Spirit and worshiping you.