DECLARATION: I HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST AND I THINK GOD'S THOUGHTS OF LOVE, PEACE, BLESSINGS, PROSPERITY, ABUNDANCE AND OVERFLOW......I AM ANOINTED.... I AM EQUIPPED WITH GLORY..... I AM EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.... I AM HIGHLY FAVOURED ..... GOD'S WORD IS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY IN MY LIFE. NO OBSTACLE CAN DEFEAT ME BECAUSE I AM PROGRAMED FOR VICTORY!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Have a VICTORIOUS DAY in FATHERS' ABUNDANCE.......
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Edward Pell said, "In the light of Jesus, man cannot truly pray to God if his thoughts centre on himself, he can only pray to God when he is more concerned about God's kingdom and his will than his own." This is a huge mental shift in thinking about prayer. In the first place, prayer is not about what God has done or will do for us. The Bible teaches us that our prayers should be God-centred. People will tell you quickly that their prayers are centred on God, but in reality, many sometimes struggle with this. Even with the best intentions, we often still put our own needs first. Prayer is primarily to bring glory to God for who he is! We always need to put God's holiness, his absoluteness, his kingdom, his will, his love and his power first and central. As our text puts it: "Seek first the kingdom of God." Your prayer life illustrates how you live every day before the Lord. This is why we like to use the expression: "Your whole lifestyle is a prayer to God." If your lifestyle is to put God's kingdom and his will first, this will emerge in your prayer life. This is the basic lesson that Jesus teaches us about prayer. Prayer is about God. Once we realise this, God’s promises in Matthew 6:33 will be true for us. We must seek first the kingdom of God! God teaches us to pray in the model prayer the "Our Father". There is a parallel between the Ten Commandments and the "Our Father". In the Lord's Prayer, the first three requests are about God, followed by three requests for the person themselves and the needs of their loved ones. In all circumstances, we must first seek God's glory and his will in our prayers! Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray that you will help me to always seek God's glory and his will first. Teach me to always put your kingdom first. Habakkuk 3:19 says we need to allow our difficulties to help us develop hinds feet. When we develop hinds feet we will not stand in terror in the face of our troubles, instead we will make progress through our trouble , suffering, responsibility or whatever is holding us back.
It is easy to quit in hard times but it takes faith to go through those hard times. God wants us to make spiritual progress He wants to strengthen us and encourage us to keep on keeping on. God moves on our behalf when we focus on Him instead of our fears. The feeling of fear is Satan’s way to distract us from the will of God. We would do well to follow the Israelite s example in Ezra 3:3 when they were focused on God, worshiping Him and giving burnt offerings (the requirement of the old covenant). Today we offer everything we have and are as a living sacrifice ( holy well pleasing and devoted) for His use and Glory See Rom 12:1
So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge… Proverbs 2:2
Wise Thoughts
God's Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
Satan has no power except that which God gives him. To the first-century church in Smyrna, Christ said, "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer for ten days. But be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10). Analyze Jesus' words for a minute. Christ informs the church of the persecution, the duration of the persecution (ten days), the reason for the persecution (to test you), and the outcome of the persecution (a crown of life). In other words, Jesus uses Satan to fortify his church… Even when [Satan] appears to win, he loses. The Great House of God (Max Lucado) Howard Hendricks, author and professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, suggests that every person should seek to have three individuals in their life: a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy.
A Paul is an older person who is willing to mentor you, to build into your life. Not someone who's smarter or more gifted than you, but somebody who's been down the road. Somebody willing to share their strengths and weaknesses – everything they have learned in the laboratory of life. Somebody whose faith you'll want to imitate. A Barnabas is a soul brother, somebody who loves you but is not impressed by you. Somebody to whom you can be accountable. Somebody who's willing to keep you honest, who's willing to say, "Hey, man, you're neglecting your wife, and don't give me any guff!" A Timothy is a younger person into whose life you are building. For a model, read 1 and 2 Timothy. Here was Paul, the quintessential mentor, building into the life of his protégée - affirming, encouraging, teaching, correcting, directing, praying. Do you have these three guys in your life? "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up!" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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