Books
Be Prepared
God expects us to be prepared at all times. Prepared for what? Several things. First, we are to be prepared to by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. That is step one.
Next, we are to study our Bibles daily and know the word of God. This prepares us to battle the temptations and trials that come against us. We are to pair this with constant prayer. These tools will prepare us for spiritual battles.
We are also to be prepared by knowing what we believe and why we believe it so that if someone asks we have answers. As Christians, we should always be able to tell exactly what we believe. Do not say, “I believe what my church believes.” That is not an answer. If that is what you usually answer, think about what exactly does your church believe.
Questions to Ask Yourself and Answer
- Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?
- Do you believe that Jesus was born of the flesh to a virgin (she had not had sex with any man)?
- Do you believe that God, through the Holy Spirit, impregnated the virgin, Mary?
- Do you believe that Jesus Christ took on the sins of everyone and those were nailed to the cross?
- Do you believe that Jesus Christ is our gift from God so that we can be saved?
- Do you believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven – He is the only way to cross the gulf of sin that separates us from God?
- Do you believe that you cannot do enough good works to make it to heaven?
- Do you believe that baptism does not save you?
- Do you believe that no matter what you do, you cannot be good enough to make it to heaven on your own merits?
- Do you believe that you have to confess your sins to God and accept (receive) Jesus Christ as your Savior in order to be saved?
If you could answer yes to everyone of those questions, you are close to being prepared. I say “close” because I do not know if you do daily Bible study and prayer. Those are important tools that feed our spiritual bodies and we must have a daily diet of each one.
Be prepared, stay prepared. Grab that Bible, carry it with you. Read it during the day. Read it in the morning with your breakfast. Read it in the afternoon with your lunch. Read it in the evening with your evening meal. Read it at bedtime. With each reading, pray. Pray for God to give you understanding and knowledge of what you read.
Every Remembrance of You
Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
These were Paul’s words to the Christians of Philippi. He was accompanied by Timothy (Philippians 1:1). I could not have expressed my feelings for my readers any better than these verses. As you read, think of this as me speaking directly to you, dear reader. I pray that these words will bring you comfort through times of trouble.
I like to especially remember verse 6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ is able to keep you. God gave you to him and he took that gift seriously. He protects us with his very life. After all, he gave his life for us on the cross.
Until next time,
Linda Sedrick Pearson
Holy Spirit Makes Intercession for Us
Romans 8:26-27
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Did you ever find yourself in a situation where you did not know how or what to pray? I have many times. I felt ashamed and disappointed in myself because I figured God thought that the least I could do is know what to pray for every time. That is not the truth.
As you see, in these verses, God knew there would be times when I would not know what to pray for. And before I needed help, God provided it and made it available for these times. That help is the Holy Spirit.
God tells us in these verses that would be times when we would not know what we should pray for. But, the Holy Spirit will take over for us during those times and will make intercession for us. He will stand in the gap for us.
So, don’t be discouraged or dismayed. When you feel yourself overwhelmed and do not know how to pray – just tell God you don’t know how to pray or what to pray for. The Holy Spirit will take over for you. He knows exactly how to state your case to God because the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. He knows what you are going through, how you feel, how you react, and every little detail about you and your life. Let the Holy Spirit carry you during those overwhelming times.
Until next time,
Linda Sedrick Pearson
Please Pray for New Job
Please pray for Lamemunell. He has a background that makes it hard for him to obtain gainful employment. He is my ex-fiance’. He left me I did not leave him, but I still love him and only want to best for him. I pray that God will show the employer to have favor upon him, unemployment will end soon.
In Jesus name AMEN!!!
Just Checking In
James 2:1-5 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Just Checking In
Author Unknown
A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray. Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle. The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn’t shaved in a while.
His shirt was kinda shabby and his coat was worn and frayed. The man knelt, he bowed his head. Then rose and walked away. In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap. Each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap. Well, the minister’s suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear. He decided to stop the man and ask him, ‘What are you doing here?’
The old man said, he worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour..lunchtime was his prayer time for finding strength and power.
‘I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away; as I kneel here talking to the Lord, this is kinda what I say:
‘I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I’VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON’T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY. SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY.’ Continue reading
Bible Study for Sep 8 2009
Revelations 22:12-13
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Jesus is everything. He is the beginning and he is the end. He is all things. We are to be ready for when he comes back to receive us into His Kingdom. Each person will receive his or her own reward and Jesus is bringing his reward with him. For me, it is enough that I receive Jesus and make it to that meeting! He is my reward. What about you?
Prayer: God, lead and guide us through this day. Protect us from evil that will try to make us trip and fall. Bless the works of our hands as we go about the daily business we have today. Thank you for all the blessings you give us and for providing us everyday. I praise your Holy Name! – Amen
Linda Sedrick Pearson
