Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 27 – Hope, Now
by TJ Bates "How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues." -Psalm 31:19-20 I can remember, when things weren't going as they should, my mother would start singing: "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passin'
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 26 – The Little Things
by TJ Bates Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God, Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. -Luke 12:6-7 When you think about these verses, that the very hairs (even though there may not be as many as there used to be) are numbered, doesn't it make you realize just how much God cares about us and every "little
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 25 – The Highest Appeal
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all thing were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. -Colossians 1:15-17 I'm often amazed and confused by some of the judgments that come down from the Supreme Court. It is encouraging to
Depression and the Holidays
by Dr. Ryan Noel Fraser, author of Overcoming the Blues: Finding Christ-Centered Hope and Joy through Serving Others It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving week. Henry, a caring minister, had just closed out the morning service and was standing at the church door greeting and shaking worshipers’ hands as they left. Standing in line was a 44-year-old, divorced mother of two teenagers. She was attempting to smile, but her sad eyes told a different story. “Hi, Jeanette, how have you been getting
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 24 – Who’s Behind It?
"For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men." -Lamentations 3:31-33 The question of the day: Why does God allow bad things happen to good people? "So there's a huge gulf separating God from Satan, good from evil, but God can still bring us grief and affliction whenever it contributes in some way to
Thanksgiving—A Time of Gratitude and Joy
As we enter the holiday season, beginning with Harvest and Thanksgiving, we all know of someone (it could even be ourselves) who is facing a situation that suggests anything but gratitude and joy. For some, this will be the first time they spend it without their spouses or other loved ones. We want holidays to be merry, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic cited some of the below as factors that tend to make the holidays
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 23 – How to Save a Life
"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.'" -Mark 8:34-35 “Here's one of life's best-kept secrets: If we try to fulfill ourselves by ourselves, or to realize our dreams on our own steam and our
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 22 – See for Yourself
In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. -Psalm 22:4-5 This Psalm is a continuation of the Psalm (Psalm 22:1) we read on Day 18 where David was expressing his sense of total abandonment from God. In this part of the Psalm he seems to be saying that if his ancestors trusted God and found him faithful, he will also see
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 21 – First Things First
by TJ Bates Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. -Matthew 7:7-8 So does that mean I can ask for a new Jaguar and get it? Hardly. In fact, if my house is straightened up, I wouldn't even ask for it. "Let's put it this way: When the Spirit
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 20 – Here for a Reason
I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. -Psalm 57:2 So does that mean that I have a purpose for being here? It isn't just an accident that I'm here? Is God going to help me find and fulfill that purpose? "Not only do we have a purpose in being here, but God himself will fulfill it in and through us. It's not as if we're given a purpose at birth and then told that
