“Time spent in prayer will yield more than time given to work.. Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in and through us.” ~ Andrew Murray
Go ahead and tweak some of these requests into your own words of faith as you like. The important thing is that we are praying to the Father in Jesus' name over these issues.
Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ..But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble.” Matthew 6:25-34
In this time of pandemic impact, help us to keep our eyes on Jesus...
Bring your peace into all these liberal cities filled with people you care about. Help us in this time of uncertainty and change to set aside any burden slowing us down or sin tripping us up as we strive to run the race marked out for us. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. (Psalm 89:8; Hebrews 12:1-2) Continue with personal prayer...
Help our government leaders and top U.S. leader to rise above politics as they make those decisions affecting millions...
We need You to be our sure foundation, for sometimes we feel we are living on shifting sand. So many decisions, so much confusion, so many changes from day to day. Help our government leaders to set aside politics and turn to You.... (Isaiah 28:16; Mathew 7:26-27) Continue on with personal prayer...
Help the church to be the church in the realms of business, education, schooling, sports, military and financial areas...
Let our new life in Christ help us to be salt and light in the world. Grant favor to Your people in leadership throughout society, so that others will listen to them when they seek Your wisdom. Raise up these kinds of future leaders. (Romans 6:4; Matthew 5:13-14; James 1:5-8) Continue with personal prayer...
Sustain the medical community and first responders with Your strength...
Lord, because You are clothed with majesty and armed with strength, we ask You to extend Your strength to those on the frontlines. Grant salvation to those among them who are lost. May they know You as their fortress, their place of safety. (Psalm 93:1; 29:11; 59:17) Continue with personal prayer...
Extend mercy, for the effect of the virus on individuals and families is devastating...
Because You are full of compassion and mercy, we call to You to heal those struck down by the virus, and hold close those who have lost loved ones. Help tests and vaccines to be developed and financial aid released to breathe life into the economy. (James 5:11) Continue with personal prayer...
Grant patience and self-control to those under stress they cannot handle...
Father, You are our Protector! Extend Your protection to those who are living with people under such stress that they are losing patience and control. Many are lashing out against those they love most. Help them instead to hold back and cry out to You. (Proverbs 2:8) Continue with personal prayer...
Bring biblical revival and an authentic spiritual awakening...
Lord, use this pandemic crisis for Your glory. Renew Your people with revival and a fresh determination to live close to You. Bring spiritual awakening to the lost, for You want all to be saved, and Jesus died once for all. (Isaiah 57:15; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 1 Peter 3:18) Continue with personal prayer... In Jesus’ name, amen.
With God, nothing is impossible -- your giants can fall down on their faces before you. Have you been crushed or hurt lately..stomped on by a big old foot? Do have a broken heart or dream, believer? Perhaps God allowing that to happen is really a blessing in disguise? It's just his way of letting you realize he saved you from the wrong one.. or from the wrong option. Don't get bitter, get better in the Lord.
How can we say that God has been silent when our Bibles have long-remained closed? Too dusty! God is not asking you to figure it all out. He's asking you to trust his Word, to claim his promises -- to trust that Jesus already has it figured out. He has a plan! “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe confidently in God and trust in Him, have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and believe also in Me.” ~ Jesus, John 14:1 amp “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Victory is O SO SWEET -- it's yours, you can taste it if you want. Enemy-giants ain't. Never are -- why go easy on em? Are you now engaged in spiritual warfare? Why not? This corrupt world system, your old fleshly nature tellin' ya what to do, fallen angels, tests, trails, temptations -- conquer em all. No drawing back, no pulling punches. David cut off the head of Goliath! Many times in life, you and I will face giants that seem more than impossible to conquer, but God promises in His Word that we already have the victory in Jesus Christ. To those of the world, “walking with Jesus by faith” doesn't seem to be a good option, but truth be told this is the best one and the only option that will really bring true victory. We all know what it's like to face a big challenge that seems impossible to conquer. Many times in the Bible we see that happen. Remember David who proactively went against Goliath? Remember Gideon who went up against the Midianites? Remember Moses who went up against Pharaoh -- and in each of these situations, the one God of the Bible.. conquered the enemies for those people who put their faith in Him. God does allow giants to show up from time to time. He can bring storms and challenges to us.. not because he doesn’t love us. Not because he wants us Christians to suffer for our sins, but so that we will grow mature. So we will grow in our knowledge, in our wisdom, in our obedience with blessings.. in our character and in our faith in Him. “The days of just the occasional sipping on the fountain of faith no longer suffice. We must stand beneath the waterfall of God's goodness and become baptized with everything God has to give us—through his Scripture; through his saints; through worship; through tools.” ~ Max Lucado “To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace.” ~ Brennan Stanning
Are you angry with God? Tell him. Disgusted with God? Let him know. Weary of telling people you feel fine when you don’t? Tell the truth--He can handle it. What kind of giant are you facing today? Seems like we're all facing our own share of giants these days, and yet we can gain wisdom and courage in the Bible. Go reread the story of David. Don't Give Up -- it’s really too early for that. I don't know how God is going to respond to your prayers, but I do know he is the God of new beginnings. The God of the second chance...even if it’s like your forth, fifth or sixth.. second chance. Sometimes we have to just keep trying and at the right time there will be a breakthrough. Your giant will go down, they'll bite the dust and a new chapter of your life will begin.
First thought of the morning, last worry of the night—if you allow him to, your Goliath so to speak can dominate your day and infiltrates your joy. May we never forget ..on our best day, that we still need God’s Word as desperately as we did on our very worst day!
Let’s win early and later on. The Bible says...
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34
Mr. Lew-Cifer [creepy satan, he’s real but not at all our focus..] vies for the bedside position, hopping to be the first voice you hear. He covets your waking thoughts, those early, pillow-born impressions or emotions. He might awaken you with words of worry, of accusation, of fear, of temptation, of a timing-wasting plan perhaps, or of shame. He likes to stir you with thoughts of stress. If you dread the day before you begin your day, mark it down; your giant has been tryin’ to get in your head.
What does the Bible say that can help you overcome giants? What can we prayerfully memorize?
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 "The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
“Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 Are you needing provision? Ask. “Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
Never lose your living hope! It’s too early to despair. Just when you think it's all over God can easily send you a miracle. Easy. No problem at all.
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” Psalm 39:7
God understands all the cries of our hearts, even when way too deep for words. Not a problem! “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:12-13 (Go look up some more)
I wonder.. did Goliath have four giant brothers who also like to fight? Why were five stones picked up? God knows why.
When others run from the battle, will you run towards it? You indeed have a part to play, but primarily let the Lord fight your battles..let Him help you take down those giants. Let Him guide those stones. Doin' my best, I commit the rest!
God is bigger, stronger, wiser ...and hasn't lost a battle yet. Not one. Not ever.
The struggle is real, the pain is real, the enemy is real, but so is Jesus and His plan.
How can God can show us that He's in control if he doesn’t put us in situations that we can't control?
So many roads. So many detours. So many opposing the real Church. So many choices, but only one way. JESUS. You can turn from sin, can trust, can know Him today. Respond to Him, don’t put it off!
When you feel like you're permanently goin’ down.. drowning in life, no worries, brothers and sisters. Your Lifeguard still walks on water. And he’s reaching out a hand to rescue. When it looks like it’s way too late and too much wrong-doin’ has been done. God says Come to me, let us reason together, I still have a plan. When the giants, when the suffering, when the darkness keeps screaming out that God has ditched, has bailed, has abandoned you.. just listen to the calm, clear yet powerful voice of Jesus saying "I will never leave you!" Never, no never, no not for one second.
Dare ya if I may.. cooperate with the Spirit and consecrate you.. yes, adding to your faith and virtue by wisely applying the Word of God. Holy Lord, make us more like you are. Do give wisdom for overcoming today. We desire to be fruitful, to grow, to be consistently, to daily bless You. We want to see your glorious face. Yes, and live Rapture-ready at all times!
It’s one thing to let the birds fly over-head, and it’s quite another to allow them to nest in your hair. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Gal. 5:19-25
Porn really is an addiction -- it really is evil. Let's simply call evil..evil. Many are into reading it, not just images, even some are into anime porn. You're taking people who are made in the image of God and turning them into mere objects and tomorrow there's a demand for more..that's more hardcore and enslaving. It changes the good relationships you have and love.
Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." Matthew 5:27
In First Corinthians 3:1-3, The Apostle Paul is speaking to people in the local church ..some of whom that are carnal in their minds. Are they Christians or not? If so, how can one walk in the flesh and in the Spirit? How can they sow to the Spirit and to the flesh (mixed sowing).. or just to the old fleshly nature inside?
Paul is clearly addressing Christians in a church here (it’s helpful for us too). He's calling them brothers and sisters. Along with that, later in the passage, he actually says, don't you know that you yourselves are God's Temple and that God's spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's Temple, God will destroy that person for God's Temple is sacred and you together are that temple. So I think it's very clear from the context actually he is speaking to Christians, but the point here is that Paul is admonishing them because they're not behaving like Christians. He's actually calling them out because they're behaving like children.
I think this is sometimes a struggle for us when we're Christians because we sort of immediately want to be whisked away to heaven and perfected. But that's just not the way it works is it? We become Christians because we're saved by grace, but then we continue to go on being saved by grace because we still need that grace each and every day of our lives. I think we're just being dishonest with ourselves if we think that becoming a Christian means that you're not going to struggle with temptation anymore.
You're going to struggle with all sorts of things, even the things you struggled with often before you became a Christian as well.I often think of sanctification as like a tandem bicycle. I don't know if you've ever tried riding one of those. I once rented one with my sister when we were traveling in China and it was very, very disastrous. We were wobbling all over the place and I definitely nearly got her run over by a big truck.
Thankfully we made it, but it had nothing to do with my good driving.But the point was this, I was trying to steer and pedal, but it took us a while to work out that unless she was peddling in tandem with me actually, you don't go anywhere. You just wobble around. It takes both of you for the bicycle to move. So it's really the same when it comes to sanctification, the process by which we become righteous, we become a holy. We become the people God has made for us to be at. The Holy Spirit is the one in the front seat. He is the one steering, he's the one leading the bike, but we also need to be paddling. If we're not also working with him, God isn't just going to do it all for us.
Now, sometimes he's very gracious in that he takes certain temptations away from us when we've gone Christians and we don't struggle with them anymore. But for the majority of us and for the majority of struggles, that isn't the case. God by his Holy Spirit, he gives us the strength to resist. He empowers us, he begins to transform us. But we have to be willing participants in that process. He won't just do it all for us. And that can be very frustrating. But it's also an amazing joy actually because it's through that process that we learn how to lean on him. We learn how to ask God for help, and we learn how good he is when we experience time. And again, the truth of his statement, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect through weakness. Remember this.. No time for a defeatist mentality. God loves you and knows we all have failed. He is more ready to forgive and change you from the inside out (with your cooperation) than you know. There can be an artistic beauty mixed in to it all, but why take the bait when there's a deadly hook? Dare ya if I may.. Fight the fleeting pleasure of perverse sin with the pure pleasure of knowing, following and worshiping God. Let's all be so careful not to get caught in the web. Be careful with what you allow in your eye and ear gates..into your heart. Lay up the truth of the word there.
Online or off-line porn will harm your brain. Don’t get caught and bound on the web. Young or older lady, are you also getting caught in this bondage.. like from reading porn in steamy romance novels or elsewhere?
Guys, watching internet porn on a regular basis will indeed mess with your dopamine reward system. Warning! It also kills good motivation and then it leads to early erectile dysfunction. That's a big prob in our world now.
Porn desensitizes you to the good sex that God thought up, planned for you -- that he has for married people everywhere.
Listen, the more porn you watch, the more it will take to get you aroused and your brain will become numb so to speak.. to even proper sexual images like at home with your spouse.
Yes, the use of porn is killing marriages, families and our society today. It’s wrong and so unhealthy for your mind.
Are there better terms I could use to address this? I want to warn you in the best way that I know how. The signals of arousal from your brain to your penis from viewing porn get weaker and weaker and like any addict ...it will take more stimulants to get/feel the same effect each time until you hit the point of complete erectile dysfunction. Do you really want that?
ED rates have gone up during the last two or three decades, especially among younger guys. According to a study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine, one out of every four new ED patients is under 40 years old. Thankfully, it’s a problem that has a simple solution, but you must repent, trust Christ and I mean fully commit to quitting that porn forever. Repent means to change -- it means to have a change of mind and life. This change and relationship with the Father through Jesus will have a huge beneficial impact on every aspect of your life. All of us need Jesus!
Porn ostracizes you from your loved ones -- yep, it separates you. Do you really want more separation? Our world has so many lonely people right now, yet we’re so connected.. more than ever before.
But porn destroys, it desensitizes you to the blessing of righteous man-woman-sex in a marriage, and to sexual images like when you gaze upon your lovely spouse.
The signals a.k.a. messages from your brain to your penis guys get weaker and weaker cuz of the porn, and now it’s really hard to find men of integrity who don’t regularly run to porn daily. Let this be your wakeup call! The perverse dirtiness is getting worse and worse and harmful in the porn industry, and this has now produced another big industry that we see due to all the ED.
Listen, like any addict, you know it’ll take more and more tomorrow to try and satisfy.. until guess what.. you reach complete ED guys. You don't want that!
You must learn now how harmful it is now, yes, please turn away and trust Christ today before it's too late for you.. I mean if you want a happy future.
Don't just take my word for it, go study this on your own. The ED rates have gone way up in the last couple of decades cuz of the porn that’s getting more intensely, more hard-core, and more unnatural.. especially among younger men the rate has gone up. (One out of four new patients with ED is under 40 years old according to a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine). The porn you saw today corrupts. It probably means it will take more and more extreme porn tomorrow to get you off alone masterbating and then really down. Do you want to live your whole life down and depressed? Guys, say NO forever to PMO. There's no time for fornication or adultery! God wants you blessed and happy. He wants to use you to help others.
Say no to it ladies and NO to masturbating as well. You know more and more women are getting addicted on porn today.. cuz where are the real men who will take you out? Stop it guys and girls, for your own sakes, for the sake of God’s eternal Kingdom. Please!
Identify your personal triggers that get you started. Avoid them. Ask.. What are you doing, how do you feel before you run to this medication of self-comfort? Are you home alone and feeling bored? Where are you before you hop on to that dangerous site? Drive far around, away from. Pray.. God help my brain work right and my feet to run as well.
Once you identify your triggers, seek out a good alternative activity to do. Go SUP-boarding, surfing, dirt-biking, running. Call or go visit a friend, swim some laps for say 45 minutes, go work out at the gym. Reprogram your mind to focus on truth and what's virtuous -- prayerfully memorize the word. Don't trust in your flesh or willpower. Rewire your mind with the Word of God. Make porn as inaccessible as possible. No even more than that. Unfollow impure people, yes, block all the pervs. Live 100% for Christ, no turning back. Though none go with me, still I will follow. Help us Lord to follow You.
Bring what's of the darkness out into the light. Come to Christ as you are..but give God your heart and tell Him you're willing to be changed. Seek Him first, then seek and find help with your addiction.
I like how science in some areas is now catching up to what the church has taught for ages. All true science agrees with the Bible, always has.
Remember when we first learned about cigarettes from the Surgeon General and asked.. WAT!? It’s doing what to my lungs? And then there were the photos of tar and build up. Remember when people learn about contraceptives too? They didn't have to have 15 children watching some of them die. More and more people today are learning that porn harms brains and marriages and other relationships.
From our own culture we heard Kanye West come out against porn. Remember that. He said he was caught up in porn at age 5. He explained how it’s not harmless, it ill affected him and his life. Said it messed him up. Remember seein' that anti porn documentary by Metallica's James Ed Phil called "Chasing the Cardboard Butterfly? The message: Shame from it keeps people down, and shame should not win!
58% of divorces have one partner that cites porn-use as the cause. Porn addiction and sex addiction are not to be a normal part of life -- these addictions make no relationship or person normal. And choking, spanking, slapping, and harming a person has never been a normal part of sex. That's not love! Porn is not some benign thing.
Porn falsely says that the only thing that is of value with people is youth and outward beauty.. and neither lasts really with anyone.. though each person's soul will literally last in one of two places. Heaven or hell.
"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor Terry Crews opened up about his addiction to pornography. His wife ditched him saying she didn't know him any more. Terry said it "really, really messed up my life." (CNN)
Chris Rock got divorced and also said that porn led to his break up.
Pamala Anderson said, “Those who use porn are losers.” She shared at the Cannes Film Festival how she was molested. She was gang-raped as a young girl by her babysitter. And the same thing happened with Jenna Jameson (who was an American model, and former pornographic film actress).
Russell Brand openly revealed why he no longer watched porn. He explained that it's just not good for people and biases them in a very negative way.
There are things people say they'd never wish upon their worst enemy and guess what.. porn is it.
Actress Donna Rice Hughes says,"If pornographers can hook adolescents when their hormones are raging, they know they'll have an ongoing consumer base for life."
"Because pornography is a tool of Satan that exploits and distorts our God-given sexuality, women -- especially Christian women -- need to understand the increasing threat of online pornography." ~ Donna Rice Hughes
She went on to say.. "In my case, I learned that although God loves us, he doesn't grant us immunity from the consequences of our choices.. I stared at the television in shock, watching as my private life was revealed to the world."
I say this.. Porn seems like it might satisfy people’s deepest longings and appetites, but it really only steals their satisfaction. God thought up sex and doesn't want that!
CHOOSE NOT TO FOLLOW JUST ANY HEDONISTIC PERSON -- YOU REALLY DON'T NEED TO FOLLOW SO MANY UNVETTED PEOPLE, OR HAVE MASSES OF FOLLOWERS TO VALIDATE YOUR WORTH. YOU HAVE GREAT VALUE WITHOUT THEM.
A LOT OF CULTURE WARS SURE AREN’T POPULAR THESE DAYS, BUT “HOW DO WE EXPECT MEN TO RESPECT WOMEN WHEN WE DEGRADE WOMEN AS SEX OBJECTS?”~ LIZ WHEELER
Exodus 20:17You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Leviticus 18:20You must not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and thus defile yourself with her. Deuteronomy 22:22If a man is found lying with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. 2 Samuel 11:2One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing--a very beautiful woman. Job 31:1I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin? Proverbs 6:25Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. Ezekiel 23:16At the sight of them she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. Matthew 15:19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. James 1:14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. James 1:15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Why just live for yourself, or for something else? That's so overrated. Know well and live for Jesus Christ today -- go tactfully make Him well known. Facebook.com/shareJesus
Dead and burred are the days when hetero-married couples (especially if white, but the color really doesn't matter) are in commercials. And even gay folk are passé with this corrupt world system, but now it’s vogue to push the trannies even at our small school children like in Drag-shows. It’s sin and will be judged. Last days perversions demands more and more — it grows out of control like a creepy algae. Next it’ll be with animals, but Christ will stop all the craziness.
Proverbs 27:20 Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Proverbs 11:6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
Ezekiel 23:11 Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.
Matthew 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
1 John 2:16 ..For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
1 John 2:17 ..and the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.(Read more…)
