Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 65 – Are You Listening?
by TJ Bates via Theology Mix I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. –Psalm 17:6 A number of psalmists have recorded their complaints and frustration over the apparent "earlessness" of God. There may have been times when you have felt the same frustration and wondered if God was listening to your prayers. God answers through the psalmist who wrote in Psalm 94:9, "Does he who implanted the ear not hear?" Psalm 94:9
From the Pastor: The Quest for Happiness
On my way to an early morning church meeting, realizing I was 20 minutes early, I pulled off the traffic-jammed El Camino Real, found a place to park on a side street, and turned off the engine. I then sat back to think of the busyness of the day ahead of me. Suddenly, a man about 35 years old burst out of the front door of his small house on the other side of the street, with his two little sons,
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 64 – Suffering and Comfort
by TJ Bates Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. –2 Corinthians 1:3-5 It isn't uncommon to hear cancer patients describe how they were
Restarting for A Happy New Year: What’s My Purpose?
by Mike Page Did you make any New Year resolutions for 2021? I haven’t made any for years—it's too depressing breaking them after a week! So, instead, how about restarting the year with the question: “God, what can I do for you this year?” It’s one of those "Big Questions," isn’t it? In other words, What’s my purpose here? How can I be significant? What do you want from me, Lord? Frequently, these questions are asked by overweight people as they reach 50+
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 63 – Behind the Scenes
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand. –Ephesians 6:12-13 Paul describes God's armor in verses 14-18: "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 62 – Don’t Stop
Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 by TJ Bates As we reach day 62 of our 100 day prayer, it is good to be reminded by Paul to pray continually and joyfully and to give thanks IN all circumstances. What does Paul means b the word "in?" "Notice he didn't say give thanks for all circumstances, as if we're supposed to enjoy or want trouble or
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 61 – Plans That Never Fall Through
by TJ Bates I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. -Job 42:2 How many times have you spent hours, maybe days or months, to make a plan that will help you reach your goals? And just when you are ready to put it into place, something or someone gets in the way and the plan falls through? So you go back to the drawing board to come up with another plan—one that won't be "thwarted." "This
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 60 – Overflow with Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13 "Do you know what it's like to overflow with hope? Have you ever experienced it?" "This hope grows steadily as we grow to trust in a loving God. There's a teeter-totter relationship between trust and hope that's easy to observe. When our trust in God is high, our despair and
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 59 – Lenses
by TJ Bates The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. –Psalm 33:10-11 This is good to know when we consider all the terrorism that we face in this world today. Most of us who have grown up in post World War 11 haven't gone through the terrors of years past so the seeming chaos of today sends waves
Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 58 – Light and Momentary Troubles
by TJ Bates Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. –2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Hallelujah! Encouraging words when I look in the mirror and see
