Category: Scripture

Spirit & Truth

~ A Prayer Life ~ Leave a comment

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

~ John 4:24

Our Heavenly Father eagerly desires His people to come before Him to worship in spirit & truth. So how do we do that? I believe first of all, to worship God in spirit means to come to Him with the right attitude of heart. It refers to the “mind,” the “soul,” the “heart.” When we worship in spirit, we come before the Lord prepared in our heart & mind to meet the living God. We should with reverence, yet joyfully, offer our sacrifice of worship to our Maker.

We’re also to worship in spirit and in truth. This means we come not only with the right heart, but also according to truth – that is – according to the Word of God. Jesus says in John 17:17, “Thy Word is truth”. Likewise Jesus is the Incarnate Word (Jn 1:1). Jesus is the Way, the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father but by Him. The true way of direct access to God is through Jesus Christ. This is to worship Him in spirit and truth.

~ apl

With The Humble

~ A Prayer Life ~ 2 Comments

“When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”

~ Proverbs 11:2

Pride has been the arch nemesis of humanity since the dawn of man. It was pride that made Adam believe he could “be like God“. Sinful willful pride is a hinderance to our prayers and fellowship with God (Job 35:12). And, of course, pride is always the prerequisite for our fall into sin and leads to our ultimate destruction. But the path to true holiness and spiritual life is one of true humility. Godly wisdom is the fruit borne from a life given to God in deference, faith and love. The Lord saves the humble (Ps. 18:27). With pride, man foolishly strives to lift himself. But it is the Lord who lifts the humble. And it is only the humble who find God’s grace.

~ apl

On Our Knees

~ A Prayer Life ~ 3 Comments

“Bring your life into accord with the Sermon on the Mount and such other New Testament Scriptures as are designed to instruct us in the way of righteousness. An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly. I recommend that the self-examination be made on our knees, rising to obey God’s commandments as they are revealed to us from the Word.”

~ A.W. Tozer

Don’t Settle In Egypt!

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“Now the Israelites settled in Egypt…”

~ Genesis 47:27

If Israel is representative of God’s people, certainly Egypt represents bondage, suffering and sin. For 400 years God’s people languished in Egypt under the heavy hand of Pharaoh’s rule. It was there God’s people began to worship evil idols and false gods. And it wasn’t until God sent His deliverer that His people were set free. May Christians today never settle in their sins. May we never grow comfortable in the chains of iniquity. But may we always look in faith to our freedom from sin in Jesus Christ, our hope and Deliverer.

~ apl

A Hereafter

~ A Prayer Life ~ 1 Comment

“For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.”

~ Proverbs 23:18

As sure as the Bible teaches there is a God, a Savior and a need for salvation, the Scriptures teach there is a hereafter. This present world is not all there is. There is another place, another time, which spans all eternity. Each person has an appointment with the hereafter. The Bible describes the hereafter as one of two places: heaven or hell, paradise or perdition, eternal joy or everlasting justice. Where will you be? For those trusting in Jesus Christ, your hope will not be cut off.

~ apl

Are You A Wrestler?

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“But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

~ Genesis 32:26

This verse is found in that unique passage of Scripture where it is said Jacob wrestles with God (Gen. 32:22-28). In this text we learn Jacob gains an advantage in the struggle and as he holds on tightly, he insists on the “man” giving him a blessing before Jacob will let him go. And we learn towards the end that Jacob does in fact receive his blessing because he has “struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed” (vs.28). Sometimes it seems God wants us to wrestle Him for His blessing and favor. It is as if we are telling God “Your goodness toward me is worth fighting for”. Therefore, if you aren’t experiencing God’s favor in your life right now, hold Him tight, and don’t let go till you discover His grace.

~ apl

I Am Unworthy

~ A Prayer Life ~ 6 Comments

“I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant.”

~ Genesis 32:10

This was the sum of Jacob’s prayer when he considered all that the Lord God had done for him. Jacob had been the recipient of his father’s blessing and all the riches and favor of God fell upon him. His prayerful response to this outpouring of God’s benevolence upon his life left him with a keen sense of his own unworthiness of God’s kindness and faithfulness to him. It is when we comprehend with our whole being the true nature of our own unworthiness before God of His kindness and faithfulness to His servants that we come to really understand and truly experience His grace in our humbled life.

~ apl

I Will Be With You

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“Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

~ Genesis 31:3

At this point in Jacob’s life he realized he wasn’t where the Lord wanted him to be. He was living with Laban and Laban’s family instead of with his father, Isaac, and other relatives. So, the Lord tells Jacob to go back to the land of his fathers. And then the Lord promises Jacob, “and I will be with you”.

Being in God’s will for our life fosters His presence with us. When we are where God wants us to be, we will find our closest experiences with Him. For Jacob, God wanted him back with his own family. For us, the place God usually wants us to be is spiritually close to Him. James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to God and He’ll draw near to you”.

May we obey His voice that we too might know His promise, “I will be with you”.

~ apl

The Bible, The Believer’s Ship

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The Bible could be likened to the Believer’s ship:

It’s cover is like the hull which contains the whole.

It’s binder then is like the mast which holds it upright and together.

It’s pages are like the sails which catch the Spirit’s blowing.

It’s words are like our rudder which guide us to peaceful seas.

It’s Author, our Compass who shows us the way.

It’s Christ, our Captain who steers us to glory.

~ apl

Two Ears, One Mouth

~ A Prayer Life ~ 3 Comments

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”

~ Proverbs 10:19

There used to be a popular old adage that said God created us with two ears and one mouth so we should listen twice as much as we speak. In a day and age where through social media and the like everyone feels the need to have a “voice”, let us remember the Scriptural wisdom of guarding our speech and restraining our lips. Because of our sinful hearts, the more the mouth speaks, the more prone it is to speak sinfully. There is godly wisdom in silence. Let us speak only when it will be edifying for others and pleasing to the Lord (Col. 4:6).

~ apl