Month: August 2020

When praying, it is not so much about what you say in your prayer but the directing of your heart. The Lord weighs the heart—and there are three attitudes of the heart that God responds to in particular; desperation, repentance, and humility. We will not always get the answer we seek at the moment we seek it, but often when we reflect back we see where God has answered our prayers.

“…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 

JAMES 4:6

Discussion Questions 

Have you ever needed to pray about something but just didn’t know how? How did you overcome this obstacle? 

God knows our thoughts, but praying out loud is still important. How can verbalizing requests when praying help you? 

What are some ways you can make yourself comfortable enough to pray out loud? For example, playing worship music loudly, etc. 

God cares most about our prayer attitude. Think about a time when you came to Him with an attitude of desperation, repentance, or humility. How did God 

respond? 

Prayer Focus 

Ask God to cultivate a heart of humility in you. Ask God to search your heart and show you if there is any hard heart in you.  Repent and confess your need for Him. 

Next Steps 

Determine the best place to worship and pray in your home, and set aside time to pray there every day. During that time, focus on developing a closer relationship with God and committing your day to Him.

 

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Let’s celebrate the Lord together! In Christ alone is where we find our strength, hope, and joy. Yes, the Christian life is one full of denying yourself, picking up your cross and following Jesus (Matt 16:24), but it’s also a life that is full of celebration in knowing what Christ has done for us. That’s why it’s called the GOOD News! There’s a reason to rejoice in it. Though taking the narrow path may be difficult, God has promised us His strength as we endure this life and wait in eager expectation for eternity with Him. Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 21” →

 

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 

This extremely powerful verse has a promise AND a call to action. In this verse, the tense that is being used is extremely important. “His divine power HAS been given.” This means that we have been filled with the Holy Spirit and have the power to act on His behalf to bring lost souls back to Him. God then acts through us and sends us where we are needed. This verse also confirms that we have all the tools we need to work on behalf of Him. How often do you feel conflicted about having tough conversations with people about religion? Have Faith! God has given you all the tools that you will need. Trust in Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. This passage is all about confirmation. Live in that confirmation of Him who has claimed you and you will never fail. Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 20” →

 

Psalm 38:9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.

As living sent, we long for God, for others to know Christ, and for ourselves to grow deeper in Him. Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 19” →

 

Jeremiah 30:19-20 Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small. Their children shall be as they were of old, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all who oppress them.

It was prophesied that this passage of scripture would be the Israelite’s response to God’s promise of restoration over them. The promise was that God would have compassion on His people and restore all that had been lost to them while they lived in captivity. How much more should we rejoice in what Jesus has done for us! His death and resurrection mean a life restored for those who put their trust in Him. Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 18” →

 

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Many of us have heard the phrase at some point… if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. The Bible has its own version. There is much power in our words, whether we intend them or not. In today’s age of technology our words travel much farther than before with less context than before. It is more important than ever to watch our words. Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 17” →

 

1 John 4:9 In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His own son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

Imagine this… You’re standing in a beautiful, verdant garden flourishing with life. Lush green foliage surrounds you, and you can practically see the plants growing before your eyes. A soft sprinkle of rain begins, gently misting the surface of the earth with small droplets of life-giving water. Who makes all of this life possible? Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 16” →

 

Mark 2:3-5 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him, and when they had made an opening they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

In this passage there are multiple people who are answering the call of God. On one hand, we have the paralytic man.  And on the other, we have the four men who brought him. This passage makes us question… who showed the greater leap of faith? The paralytic man who just knew that if Jesus were to see him, he would be gifted with something immeasurable, or the four who carried him on this journey knowing that a blessing would follow. There have been so many instances of God calling and sending someone. The hard part about being sent is answering that call to go. The Call can be completely out of your comfort zone and sometimes not even feasible with your understanding.  But God finds and makes a way. I am not a prophet so I can’t give you the step by step manual on How to Live in God’s Purpose, but I do know that the first step is saying YES! By accepting the duty that God has given you, your life will be enhanced in countless ways.  And I promise that blessings will flow just as the verse says… Son, your sins are forgiven. Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 15” →

 

Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

In many team sports, certainly in most businesses, diversity of skillset is very important to the success of that team or business. If those with diverse skillset do not collaborate well… the diversity has lost some of its value. It is only within the collaboration of diversity where we discover the true value. Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 14” →

 

Matthew 5:43-44 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

It is easy to live sent with those we love – but how do we live sent with people we hate, struggle with, or who irritates us? Continue reading “Living Sent – Day 13” →