Take God's Word for It
February 28, 2014
1) "Take God's Word for It"
...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
God Desires You to Pray. Talk with Him Today!
"Pray without ceasing..." (I Thessalonians 5:17)
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)
Do you know what? We all need to keep praying for people even when other people might say otherwise. Pray for the "hopeless" to put their hope in Jesus. Pray for the prisoner to be set free in Christ. Pray for the chronically ill to be healed. Pray for the troubled couple to find peace in Christ and with each other. Pray for the old so-and-so who truly could be made new in Christ in an instant! God wants us to pray, pray, pray, and pray again...even when we don't feel like it. We rely on faith in Christ and not our feelings in this life.
That's why I pray. It's because God said I should. "Pray without ceasing..." (See I Thess. 5:17.)
And He listens. No matter what His answer, I trust Him. Why? God is good all of the time. I never deserved all the blessings He has showered upon me through Jesus, who died and rose for me.
Yes, I live with chronic pain and health issues that I was born with. But I am born again and set free from the power of sin and death because of Christ in me, the hope of glory. "To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory." (Colossians 1:27, AMP)
So, today, I wipe off the sweat of my brow from the battle and say Romans 8:18 with confidence, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
Pray. Without. Ceasing.
Prayer Tip:
Wear something that reminds you to pray. What do I mean? Well, if you have a cross lapel pin, wear it. Wear your watch on the other wrist that you don't usually wear it on. Wear a cross necklace or tie tac. Whatever it is, use it as a reminder to pray. If you don't feel like doing that, just put a post-it on your steering wheel or your refrigerator with a Scripture verse. The point is to just do something that will remind you to pray. That's part of forming a habit of talking with and listening to your Heavenly Father.
2) Let's Pray for All Praying Pals' Requests!
"Lord God, thank You for hearing us when we pray. Today, we lift up all requests submitted to PrayingPals.org and ask for Your best for each request. Please heal and be with the sick. Help the persecuted. Draw unsaved loved ones to Yourself. Help the widowed and grieving. And be with those who desire Godly spouses or are in challenging marriages. Please provide jobs for the jobless and hope for the hopeless. We also pray for U.S. military members, who protect the innocent and yet are in harm's way, and for their families. We pray for another great awakening in America and beyond. We ask You to draw us all closer to You and ask You to use us as we share about Jesus. We love You and surrender our will to Yours. We love You. We praise You! You are good all of the time! In Jesus' Name, Amen."
February 21, 2014
1) "Take God's Word for It"
...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
God Loves You, and He Never Lies!
"I have loved thee with an everlasting love . . ." -God, as quoted in Jeremiah 31:3
"God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?" -Numbers 23:19 (AMP)
God loves you. He loves you as you are, and He desires to draw you close to Himself and away from sin. When people treat you poorly because you know Jesus, remember that it's a reflection of their problems and not yours.
Once you have Jesus in your heart, certain people won't like that because they are resisting Him. Just remember that He loves you so much that He offers to grow you into the image of His Son, which is the ultimate privilege! Think about that.
So, whatever you're enduring, trust God completely. He will help you! He is molding you to be like His perfect Son. What an amazing reminder: "For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29, AMP).
Prayer Tip:
In prayer and in deed, tell God you love Him, too.
2) Let's Pray for All Praying Pals' Requests!
"Lord God, thank You for hearing us when we pray. Today, we lift up all requests submitted to PrayingPals.org and ask for Your best for each request. Please heal and be with the sick. Help the persecuted. Draw unsaved loved ones to Yourself. Help the widowed and grieving. And be with those who desire Godly spouses or are in challenging marriages. Please provide jobs for the jobless and hope for the hopeless. We also pray for U.S. military members, who protect the innocent and yet are in harm's way, and for their families. We pray for another great awakening in America and beyond. We ask You to draw us all closer to You and ask You to use us as we share about Jesus. We love You and surrender our will to Yours. We love You. We praise You! You are good all of the time! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
February 14, 2014
1) "Take God's Word for It"
...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
I have loved thee with an everlasting love . . .
-Jeremiah 31:3
Valentine's Day. What is it like for you? For singles, it can be a time of mixed emotions. For married people, it can also be a time of mixed emotions. Unfortunately, Valentine's Day promotes an idea that, in order to feel loved, one must have a Valentine. But the truth of the matter is that Jesus' love exceeds all of our hearts' needs.
He Himself says, "Be Mine." Have you let down your guard with Jesus Christ? Let Him come into your heart afresh and focus on His love for you. Yes, Jesus still loves you. Let us remember that
Malachi 3:17 applies to each Christian:
"And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him."
Prayer Tip: Do not focus on how your heart feels. Instead, focus on and thank God for His heart of love for you! Then share His love with someone else!
2) Let's Pray for All Praying Pals' Requests!
"Lord God, thank You for hearing us when we pray. Today, we lift up all requests submitted to PrayingPals.org and ask for Your best for each request. Please heal and be with the sick. Help the persecuted. Draw unsaved loved ones to Yourself. Help the widowed and grieving. And be with those who desire Godly spouses or are in challenging marriages. Please provide jobs for the jobless and hope for the hopeless. We also pray for U.S. military members, who protect the innocent and yet are in harm's way, and for their families. We pray for another great awakening in America and beyond. We ask You to draw us all closer to You and ask You to use us as we share about Jesus. We love You and surrender our will to Yours. We love You. We praise You! You are good all of the time! In Jesus' Name, Amen."
February 7, 2014
1) "Take God's Word for It" ...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
"People don't like to have their sins exposed.
When people meet [Jesus], they either clean
up or detest Him for His purity."
-Rev. Doug Corlew
Persecution 101:
My pastor, Doug Corlew, recently preached an amazingly encouraging sermon. It was about persecution. How could that topic be so encouraging? Well, if you've endured persecution for publicly sharing Christ, you know how much it helps to learn how to handle it. Believe me: I know it from experience.
Pastor Doug emphasized such good, Scriptural truth from John 15:18-16:4 and reminded everyone that Jesus Himself never painted a false picture. Being a Christian includes hard things like persecution. It's to be expected. Here's a quote which includes one reason why persecution happens: "People don't like to have their sins exposed. When people meet [Jesus], they either clean up or detest Him for His purity."
Various levels of persecution exist. And martyrdom (being killed simply for being a Christian) is on the rise. In his sermon, my pastor also pointed out the fact that more Christians have been martyred in the last century than all of the previous centuries combined. Sadly, many of the persecutors and murderers are Islamic.
Today, when people hate Christians, it's because they detest Jesus. It's not to be taken personally. Rather, it's to be considered as attacking our Lord and not us.
As I thought and prayed about it later, it hit me: If people mock Mohammed, there is censorship because of major threats of violence. If people mock our Lord Jesus, there is no censorship but, rather, a request for tolerance. The very fact that Christians do not act in violence reflects the truth that Christ alone offers peace. Come to Jesus."By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us..." (I John 3:16, NKJV)
In fact, we must pray for our persecutors, who are lost souls and are far worse off than we who possess eternal life in Christ! We must pray that they come to Christ. And we must pray for the persecuted, too.
Today, let us pause and pray for the persecuted church worldwide.
"Lord God,
We pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. We ask You to strengthen them, deliver them, and bless their families. We also ask for You to use us to help them and for You to strengthen us to be more like them in the way of boldly sharing our faith in You, Lord Jesus. We also pray for the persecutors to come to know You and receive You as Savior and Lord.
In Jesus' Name, Amen."
In conclusion, let us take I John 4:4 (AMP) to heart: "Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world."
P.S. Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? He's the only Way to Heaven. He said so. Click here to learn how to know God and go to Heaven.
2) Let's Pray for All Praying Pals' Requests!
"Lord God, thank You for hearing us when we pray. Today, we lift up all requests submitted to PrayingPals.org and ask for Your best for each request. Please heal and be with the sick. Help the persecuted. Draw unsaved loved ones to Yourself. Help the widowed and grieving. And be with those who desire Godly spouses or are in challenging marriages. Please provide jobs for the jobless and hope for the hopeless. We also pray for U.S. military members, who protect the innocent and yet are in harm's way, and for their families. We pray for another great awakening in America and beyond. We ask You to draw us all closer to You and ask You to use us as we share about Jesus. We love You and surrender our will to Yours. We love You. We praise You! You are good all of the time! In Jesus' Name, Amen."
January 31, 2014
1) "Take God's Word for It"
...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
Today we'll cover the letter "R" in our F.E.A.R. acronym series:
F: Forget. Forget what lies behind.
E: Embrace. Embrace God's love in the deepest part of your heart.
A: Accept. Accept God's Word as truth and not your feelings.
R: Release. Release all anxiety into the waiting Hands of Christ.
"Life sometimes takes us through hard places. But even in the midst of them, God is with us, and nothing can happen to us that is beyond His ability to help." -Billy Graham
Fellow Christians, if your dreams don't come true, then God's vision for you exceeds your wildest dreams! Earth is short. Heaven is forever! Jesus still loves you. You remain on His mind, in His hands, and on His heart.
Good News for 2014 and Beyond: God's triumph remains secure and His timing never fails. Release your fear-driven worries and latch onto this truth: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1)
Fact: Feelings fail us. Faith in Christ saves us. Do not give your feelings the authority. Submit to God's Word as authority. Instead, choose to release anxiety and receive the Lord's peace. God is greater than our feelings. The next time you feel anxious, stop and thank God that He is greater than what you feel. Cast your anxieties upon Him. He does care for you! Pause, pray, and start "casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you" (I Peter 5:7, NASB).
Now, soak in the comfort found in Isaiah 41:10 (NASB):
"'Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'"
In the Amplified version of Isaiah 41:10, I find the wording particularly touching and clear. I hope you do, too: "Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you..."
Label your feelings as just "feelings". And instead release anxiety to Christ and take His hand and Word instead. Hallelujah! We do not have to rely on our feelings anymore. Instead of fear, change focus. Release feelings to Christ and receive His Word as truth.
Believe Christ. Surrender feelings to Him.
2) Let's Pray!
"Lord, we thank You that You are greater than our feelings. Help us to rely on You and not what we feel. Help us to rely on Your Word to determine what is real. We thank You for the gifts we received, but, Lord, we want You most! We repent of our sins such as excluding You from our daily lives. Please open our eyes and our hearts whenever we open Your Word. Grant us grace to give grace, please. Heal us so that we enjoy You most and bring glory to You. We pray for all members of Praying Pals, too, and ask for Your best for each prayer request sent. We hand over everything to You. Thank You, Jesus, for coming so that we can come close to You for eternity. We love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Prayer Tip: Take God's Hand as you fold your hands. Post Isaiah 41:10 on the bathroom mirror. One easy way to do that is to print off this e-mail and cut out the Scripture to post somewhere. Or take a picture of the Scripture and make it your cell phone and laptop wallpaper.
January 24, 2014
1) "Take God's Word for It" ...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
Today, we take a break from the series "No Fear for the New Year" because something is on my heart. I share this will love and best intentions:
Listen, please. I know some of you will "opt out" of our prayer group when you read this. But I love my fellow human beings too much to be silent. Today, I address the abortion issue head-on. If you disagree, my God-given love for you won't change. And my prayers continue for each member (past and present) of PrayingPals.org.
Contrary to the lies of the culture, every baby is wanted. Whether by birth parents or not, every baby is wanted by someone. And, most of all, God wants the baby to be born. God is 100% pro-life. Agree?
Today, the major civil rights issue is not that of homosexuals. That is a lifestyle on which adults act. The major civil rights issue of our day is that of unborn babies. Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers target African Americans and other minorities. Pro-abortion physicians urge the killing of unborn babies with Down's Syndrome. (90% of babies with Down's Syndrome are killed in utero.) No one has stopped homosexuals from being employed, able to vote, able to live... But +55 million babies have been murdered in the womb in America alone. Millions more have been killed in utero in China and other countries.
Pray for post-abortive mothers who need the love and redemption of Jesus. Pray for pro-choice individuals in the same way. And pray for people practicing homosexuality to know that God loves them and wants them to come to Jesus, too.
Two days ago, hundreds of thousands braved piercingly frigid temperatures in order to stand up and march for life. First aid "warming tents" were available for those feeling overcome by the cold. Yet the people marched on.
Various leaders spoke up for the babies who cannot. U.S. Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), with whom we have met and visited, eloquently and passionately shared. According to Life Site News, here is an account of what she said: "We are here today to remember the millions of lives devastated with abortion and to pledge ourselves anew to upholding the most fundamental right, 'the right to life.'" Noting there are 1.2 million abortion per year in the U.S., she said, "There are more babies who perish each year through abortion than people who live in an entire congressional district." An adoptive mother, Hartzler said, "Every life is valuable and has a God-ordained purpose. All babies are wanted."
Indeed, all babies are wanted. Yet abortion clinics play mind games with the women in need of assistance. About half of American women will have an unintended pregnancy, and nearly 1/3 will have an abortion by the time they reach the age of 45 years. And the post-abortive syndrome affects them all. Suicide rates skyrocket for post-abortive women, and the rates for overall depression, fertility issues, anxiety, etc. also soar.
A young woman named "Patricia" knows this personally. She recently shared about the literal horror that she experienced after having three abortions. She strongly pleads with other young women to stop listening to people saying that it's just a blob of tissue. She saw the hands and feet and heads when removed from the womb. It is NOT tissue. It's not an "it". Rather, the baby is a girl or a boy.
In conclusion, let's listen to Dr. James Dobson's words. While the frigid air numbed his face, he passionately pled, "Let your baby live!"
We join him in that plea.
And we pray earnestly for God's mercy and for every post-abortive parent to come to Christ for redemption. (Learn more about how to do that by personally knowing Jesus at http://prayingpals.org/knowgod.html.) Meanwhile, our hearts' desire is encapsulated in Psalm 86:5 (AMP):
"For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our trespasses, sending them away, letting them go completely and forever]; and You are abundant in mercy and loving-kindness to all those who call upon You."
Let us call upon the Lord and ask Him to help others call upon Him, too! You see, this is not about a woman's body. It is about God's creation of a human being, made in His image, and made for His purpose. I join the psalmist in saying, "...from my mother's womb You have been my God" (Ps. 22:10).
Let babies of every color and every background live! So help us, God! Amen?
2) Let's Pray!
"Lord, we come before you with heavy hearts...hurting hearts because of the culture of death in which we find ourselves. We plead your mercy and ask for Your help as we seek to help expectant mothers choose life and as we seek to help the post-abortive mothers, too. We thank You that You desire all to come to repentance. We repent of our sins such as excluding You from our daily lives. Please open our eyes and our hearts whenever we open Your Word. Grant us grace to give grace, please. Heal us so that we enjoy You most and bring glory to You. We pray for all members of Praying Pals, too, and ask for Your best for each prayer request sent. We hand over everything to You. Thank You, Jesus, for coming so that we can come close to You for eternity. We love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Prayer Tip: Ask the Lord to give you His heart for the unborn, the expectant parents, and the parents who chose abortions. Ask the Lord to help you help them turn to Him.
January 17, 2014
1) "Take God's Word for It" ...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
Today we'll cover the letter "A" in our F.E.A.R. acronym series:
F: Forget. Forget what lies behind.
E: Embrace. Embrace God's love in the deepest part of your heart.
A: Accept. Accept God's Word as truth and not your feelings.
R: Release. Release all anxiety into the waiting Hands of Christ.
The irony of this week's message is that I seriously need the content myself. Our feelings fluctuate. When we feel physically sick or overly tired, our feelings often dip. When we feel well and equipped, our feelings elevate.
It's important to get off of the feelings elevator. You never know when you'll be up and down. Peace is found only in Christ. Get out of the elevator and set your feet on solid ground: Jesus Christ, our firm foundation.
This week, let's all come to Christ and confess our need of His stability and His truth to be our anchor. He is our Anchor. We don't have to worry that He'll let us drift off into the scary sea. He's with us. Holding us. Carrying us. Loving us.
Let's take to heart the truth from Hebrews 6:18-20 (AMP):
"This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us]. [Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it-a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil, Where Jesus has entered in for us [in advance], a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek."
2) Let's Pray!
"Lord, we praise You still even as we face everyday pressures. We thank You for the gifts we received, but, Lord, we want You most! We repent of our sins such as excluding You from our daily lives. Please open our eyes and our hearts whenever we open Your Word. Grant us grace to give grace, please. Heal us so that we enjoy You most and bring glory to You. We pray for all members of Praying Pals, too, and ask for Your best for each prayer request sent. We hand over everything to You. Thank You, Jesus, for coming so that we can come close to You for eternity. We love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Prayer Tip: Pray for Christ to fill the area of your heart where fear has invaded. His love will cast out all fear! And, as we draw near to Christ, He always draws near to us. Praise God for prayer!
January 10, 2014
"Take God's Word for It" ...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
"Happy New Year?"
Hey, that wasn't a typo. That's intentional. Today, a lot of us wrestle with questions for a new year. Let's be real: We need Jesus. We need His love to send fear packing.
After going over how "F" stands for "Forgetting what lies behind," today we'll cover the letter "E" in our F.E.A.R. acronym series:
F: Forget. Forget what lies behind.
E: Embrace. Embrace God's love in the deepest part of your heart.
A: Accept. Accept God's Word as truth and not your feelings.
R: Release. Release all anxiety into the waiting Hands of Christ.
You see, my praying friends, we need to be intentional about accepting and sharing God's love in the deepest sense. Will you ask the Lord to help you accept His love and turn out fear? He will. Internalize this passage of Rock-solid truth:
"There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]." -I John 4:18 (AMP) Shared with His love for you,
Stacie Ruth for
www.PrayingPals.org
January 3, 2014
"Take God's Word for It" ...a weekly devotional by Stacie Ruth of PrayingPals.org.
To borrow the words from a Bing Crosby song, "Let's start the new year right!" Let's turn to Christ and learn from Him how to ban fear and draw near to God and His love. This week, we begin tackling the issue of fear head-on. Everywhere we see people trying to be happy, yet failing miserably. As the new year nears, along come the fears: What will happen in the year ahead? Frankly, a lot of folks deep-down inside feel dread as they remember the past year and desperately desire positive changes in the new year.
F.E.A.R. While a common saying uses the acronym as "false evidence appearing real", we're going to go deeper than that. We're going to attach an answer to fear with each letter of the word:
F: Forget. Forget what lies behind.
E: Embrace. Embrace God's love in the deepest part of your heart.
A: Accept. Accept God's Word as truth and not your feelings.
R: Release. Release all anxiety into the waiting Hands of Christ.
This week, we begin with the "Forget" part. Instead of just saying "Let go and let God" we need to start saying, "Let's go and go and go to God." If we go to God first and keep looking up to Him repeatedly, we won't hold onto the past hurt so long. Of course, when our hands fold, we let go of wringing our hands, too. We're all God's work in progress. Some of us are growing slower than others. But we're all waiting for the day of completion.
Take God's Word for it from Philippians 3:12-14 (AMP): "Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward."
Last week, a famous bride who spent millions on her wedding, announced her filing of divorce...after a mere 72 days of marriage. Recently, a Christian Iowan couple died holding hands...after 72 years of marriage.
Which would you choose? A "love story" like the celebrity or the love story of the elderly Christians? Whether one marries or not, the key to true life remains available to all: Jesus.
Never known God on a personal level? Good News: God invites you to come to Him. But you must come to Him on His terms: True life resides in Jesus, and He alone grants us salvation from sin, death, and hell. Come to Jesus today and receive His gift of eternal life...life incomparably abundant! Click here: http://prayingpals.org/knowgod.html.
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