Holding On To The Promise - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) April 19, 2024

Is there a promise from the Lord that you've been waiting on? How long has the wait been? A year? Three? Five? Ten years?

God works in mysterious ways; one such mystery is that He makes His people wait for things. Abraham waited for the birth of his son Isaac. David waited - while fleeing from his murderous predecessor - to become king. Hannah waited - and was taunted as barren - before giving birth to Samuel. Even Jesus had to wait 30 years to mature physically before He started his earthly ministry.

Many will testify that the waiting period can be very emotional. One moment a person is filled with faith and committed to be patient for the long haul. The next, they are overcome with disappointment and sadness. Alas, both are arguably two sides of the same waiting-on-God coin.

When disappointment and sadness are the prevalent emotions, however, it is easy to give up and erroneously choose to walk away from the promise. In that moment a person might believe that since it has taken so long, the promise will never come to pass.

There is another flawed choice a person can make. It might even seem pious at first but it is a dangerous way of thinking that stems from the very pit of hell. A person could be inclined to think, "I've waited a long time and had my heart hurt. Maybe I should just focus on serving God and not think about the things he said he wants to give me."

This attitude appears sensible. We think if we just focus on God we won't feel the sting of disappointment that comes each season or year that passes without the promise in hand.

​However, that's not the attitude God wants us to have. He tells us His plans and promises so we keep our attention on Him. Knowing God's plans empowers us to hold onto our faith and war for what is to come (1 Timothy 1:18-19). When a person opts to ignore or forget the promises, they are at risk of losing their fervor and zeal for the Lord. They can become a person who goes through the motions but doesn't, at the very heart of things, believe in or belong to God anymore. They are also at risk of missing the day of prosperity when it arrives (Jeremiah 17:6). All because such a person is easy prey for the devil's lie that the promise will never come.

And so as the years go by, that promise will seem further and further away. The person will then stop pursuing the issue in prayer. and no longer pine for it. And as satan convinces them one promise isn't forthcoming, they will become convinced that others will never be fulfilled. They will stop looking to God to make things happen in their life. They will start relying more on human beings, themselves included, to achieve their self-motivated desires and dreams. The result is a curse per Jeremiah 17:5 - This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

None of us should fall for the lie that God's promise won't happen or that if it were to happen, it would have already. We need to pray and praise the Lord for what He has coming for us. It could be a personal promise that He's given or a blessing contained in the Bible. Whatever it is and however we lay our hands on it, we must not let go. We are told in 2 Peter 1:19 - We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. We each have to keep holding on to the promise, remembering that He who committed is able. We serve the God of Covenant (Deuteronomy 7:9). He will keep His word because He is faithful and cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). All we need to do is meet His conditions, obey His instructions, and wait. His promise will surely come at the right time.

Come on back at Noon EST to worship and intercede with prayer for others. God bless you!

If you are waiting on the promises of the Lord, please read the following and be encouraged:

1. Wait on God​

2. But, can you wait?​

3. What are you waiting for?​

4. Waiting on the Lord's Solution​

5. Frustration & Impatience​

6. Patience: A Fruit of The Spirit​

7. Patience​

8. Topic Covenants & Promises​

Beware of the Birds - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) April 16, 2024

Arguably, almost everyone on the planet has seen a bird at one time or another. Many of us are fortunate to hear birds tweet as we wake in the morning. Some even have birds as pets. Like every other creature or thing made by the Lord, they exist for His pleasure. Birds are also mentioned several times in the Bible. There is the dove that returned to Noah's ark with an olive leaf in Genesis 8. That was an indicator that the global flood was truly over and there was dry land somewhere. Then there are the ravens that fed Elijah in the wilderness (1 Kings 17). God used them to ensure His servant did not go hungry. And of course, there is the dove - the embodiment of the Holy Spirit - that descended on Christ during His water baptism in the Jordan River (Matthew 3).

These examples show birds as having a positive connotation in the Bible. However, some birds are negatively portrayed in the Word of God. And we need to pay attention to the lessons they contain for believers.

Consider the birds that attempted to eat Abraham's sacrifice in Genesis 15. God had promised to give the very land Abraham was traveling through - a foreign land - to his descendants. Stunned, Abraham questioned how such would be possible and we are told in Genesis 15:9 - So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abraham obeyed, preparing the animals for sacrifice. However, some birds tried to destroy what he had done for the Lord. Genesis 15:11 - Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

​Another example of birds doing something negative in the Bible involves the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. Jesus taught His disciples that there would be different types of people they would meet as they evangelized. One such group is described in Luke 8:5 - A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Here, the birds signified tools used by the devil to prevent God's word from taking root in people. A person is thereby left empty instead of experiencing a deepening in their relationship with the Almighty.

As we can see, some 'birds' are used by satan to prevent a person's progress with the Lord. In the case of Abraham, they arrived to steal what he had presented to God. The animals he'd sacrificed were his part of an agreement that would ultimately bless his generations. Had he neglected to chase the birds away, he would have failed to produce what God had asked him for. And billions would have suffered the consequence, including Christians who according to Romans 11 have been grafted onto the vine of Abraham's family through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

And as for the birds from the Parable of the Sower, they were also sent for an evil purpose. Unlike in the case of Abraham, they succeeded in stealing the seed - salvation - before it could send out shoots and benefit the person who was to be blessed. And this can adversely impact countless others because Christians are called to share the good news. Therefore when the seeds of salvation are stolen, the person they were stolen from might never have the impact they were to have on others.

As noted above, birds, like everything else, were created for His pleasure. However, we now understand that certain birds are sent to steal, kill, and destroy by the enemy of God. Mark 4:18-19 gives some insight into what these dangerous birds look like in a person's life,. They are "the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." The 'birds' can therefore be the troubles of life, an ungodly attitude toward riches, as well as other desires such as the intense need for fame.

Nevertheless, we Christians need not fear the evil 'birds' seeking to derail us. As long as we obey God's instructions and study His Word, we will be empowered through His Holy Spirit and the name of His Son to keep them at bay. They will have no way to peck at our sacrifices of good works, intercession, praise, meditation, service, and worship to the Lord. And they will be unable to take God's blessing and His word from us.

Empty Words - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) April 12, 2024

Have you ever met a person who said a whole lot...of nothing? They might seem to speak very eloquently and string many nice-sounding words together, but once you take the time to process what was said, you realize that they didn't say anything of value. It will become clear that everything they said was meaningless.

We all should watch out for such people because the reality is that they exist in large numbers. Some of them are this way because they love to hear their voice. Others just overspeak because they are anxious. And then some fill the space around them with lots of words in an attempt to manipulate people. Their words are meant to sway Christians, in particular, away from the truth of God's word and all that Christ died to achieve. Christians are warned to be wary of these types in Ephesians 5:6 - Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

Empty words. Words that are devoid of true meaning. Yet, they will sound deep and intelligent to those who do not know their God. The Word warns in Daniel 11:32, that people who do not live according to God's instructions will be deceived with flattering words. These deceivers will say exactly what certain people want to hear, feeding their ego, and satisfying their ungodly curiosity. Unfortunately, it is what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3).

​God has given the antidote to such deceivers who wield empty words as their weapons of choice - the content in the Bible. The more God's children study His Word, the more they not only become familiar with what He has said but they also recognize the very cadence of His voice. That way, when satan speaks, they can easily dismiss the voice of the stranger because it sounds nothing like that of their Shepherd (John 10:27).

Merely reading the Bible the way people read other tomes will not do. The Bible is a spiritual book and requires a spiritual lens. That lens only comes as we receive the Spirit of God and submit to His direction. And to receive the Holy Spirit, each person must believe in Jesus and acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior. By becoming born again, people gain access to the deep spiritual knowledge that is needed to live a life of victory over the devil and its plans to steal, kill, and destroy per John 10:10.

We can't afford to think we can take the need to know God's word lightly. Jesus Himself stated in Mark 12:24 - ...Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? By God's grace, we shall not be in error. And as we study the Bible, the Lord will open our minds so we can understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). Every part of our body will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord which will counter the empty words of the deceivers satan is using to lead even the well-intentioned away from God and His purpose for their lives.

Let us be ever mindful of Micah 2:11 - If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ that would be just the prophet for this people! That shall never be our portion in Jesus' mighty Name, Amen.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship.