Category Archives: Challenges

February 28th 2017 – Is God Speaking To You

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 “then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men),” (2 Chronicles 6:30)

Trials, hardships, frustrations–whatever they’re called, we all deal with them at one time or another. The good news is that God desires to speak to us during those times. It could be that you are surrounded by circumstances that are difficult, or you may have made bad choices which have led to a bad situation. In those times friend, remember the words of Jesus Himself…

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28)

Many times in life, we can’t hear the Lord, even when He is shouting to get our attention. It’s often in those times of struggle that He whispers and we hear His voice loud and clear. If today you find yourself in the midst of hardships, seek the Lord. Use this time to seek forgiveness and cling to the grace of God. Cry out to God and He will hear from heaven and pour out His love upon you in abundance. When we do this, God makes the most of our pain and can bring something good from something bad.

“Whenever something in life goes wrong, use the moment to ask forgiveness and draw closer to the Lord.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the life You have given me. Lord, I pray that when this life gets difficult that I turn to You. Help me draw closer to You whether I am enjoying blessings or walking through trials. Father, may each day and circumstance be used to make me more like Jesus. Forgive me of my sins and fill me with Your Spirit so that I can be used to build Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scriptutalseeds.org

February 22nd 2017 -Beware!

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“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” (Philippians 3:2)

Around 60AD, the church at Philippi began to preach a different message than what Jesus had taught. Jesus’ message was that if we believe in Him, we will not perish but have everlasting life.

(John 11:25-26) “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

To be forgiven of our sins, we just need to believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is the only way to be forgiven. That’s it. The church at Philippi began to say that people had to first become a Jew, be circumcised, and then they could become a follower of Jesus. That’s not at all what Jesus said. Humanity often wants us to ‘do something’ before we can be made right with God. It’s like putting our two cents in so to speak. The truth is, that’s what got us into trouble in the first place. Jesus has done everything needed so we can be forgiven of our sins. Beware of anyone who adds or takes away from the message of Jesus. It can be very harmful. There is nothing we can ‘do’ to make ourselves right with God. He is waiting with open arms for all who will call on Him.

“Anything beyond coming to Jesus in faith is works-based mentality.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Son and doing everything necessary for me to have a relationship with You. Please give me opportunities to tell others that they can come to You just as they are. Thank You for caring for all of my needs and loving me so much. I do not ever want to put up obstacles for others to come to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you have not asked Jesus into your life. Please Click Here to know more.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scriptutalseeds.org

February 18th 2017 – Stability in Marriage

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“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

Stabile Marriage… Everyone desires to have one.. After all, who wants a mariage in chaos? Unfortunately, life doesn’t always give us a choice. Each morning when we open our eyes we await things that will catch us off guard. Good or bad, these elements in life are part of living in a broken world. The good news is that we are not alone, and there is a source outside the chaos that we can lean on in times of instability and dougt in our marriages.

(Psalm 94:22) “But the LORD has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge.”

Throughout Scripture, God is referred to as a rock. This is not to say that he is made of granite, but it is a reference to his steadfastness. Like a mighty mountain, God is immovable and secure in all His ways. Because of this, He is our source for security and strength. When life brings surprises, we can stand on our God. When people change, our God will not. When situations arise, our God is our refuge. As you wake up this morning, spend time in God’s Word and get to know Him more. Read His promises with great anticipation. Grasp His love and mercy and allow that to strengthen you today. The more you know about God, Jesus and His might and power; the more you will be equipped to stand strong during the storms of life. Life may bring instability in our marriage but with God we can remain stable.

“The more mature you grow in the Lord, the more stable you become in our relationships and in all of lifes matters.”

Are you loving your spouse unconditionally as Jesus loves us?

The Mariage Test

Prayer:

Dear God, Thank You for Your great love for me and for Your steadfastness. Your Word tells me that You will never change and that Your mercy endures forever. Lord, help me to find stability on You, my Rock. Bring to mind Scriptures in my times of doubt and encouragements in my times of need. Fill me with Your Spirit so that I will remain brave, strong and steadfast in the faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scriptutalseeds.org

February 15th 2017 – Feeling Helpless or Hopeless?

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“Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.” (Ezra 10:4)

God may be the director of the universe, but He has given us power to make decisions. You have a decision to confess your sins to Him and to ask for His forgiveness. You have a decision whether to serve the Lord, give to the Lord or share the Gospel with others. No matter who you are, you have an opportunity to change the world through your decisions.

(Joshua 24:15) “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

As you read this devotional, there is a world filled with people who desire peace. They desire love. They desire hope in something greater than the economy, the president or their own ability. As a follower of Christ, we can make the decision to share with them how to change their life and those things by sharing the Gospel. We can serve them. We can offer them our time, resources and compassion. God will empower us to do mighty things, but we must decide to do it. Choose this day who you will serve, and do it!

“You are not helpless or hopeless. Your destiny is in your hands and in the hands of a God that loves you and wants to bless and protect you.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I desire to choose You above everything else. I decide this day to serve You and to serve others. Give me a heart of compassion and a willingness to think of others before myself. God, use me to change the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scriptutalseeds.org

February 13th 2017 – Choose to Love

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“Let all that you do be done with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)

 

In 1 Corinthians 16:14, we find such a simple command. Simply put, we are to do everything with love. While this may appear simple in direction, it’s not simple in action. Because we are broken vessels in an evil world, it can be difficult to do everything with love. After all, our first reaction is to preserve ourselves. Our emotions, our lives, our stuff; these are the things we strive to maintain at all cost… and love demands we lose them for the sake of others.

(Galatians 2:20) “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

As Christians, we are no longer slaves to ourselves. We have been freed to love others just as Christ loved us. He is our great example as well as our strength. We cannot love rightly on our own. We must depend on Jesus. So next time someone in traffic causes you to see red, look to the cross of Christ and the blood that He shed for you. He died for us when we didn’t deserve it so now we can forgive others even when they don’t deserve it.

“You’re not living until you give your life away and start to love.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for Your love and grace. Because You loved me, I am able to love others in every circumstance. Give me strength to walk in obedient love and to look for opportunities to care for others around me. As Your love increases in me, may my selfishness decrease. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scriptutalseeds.org

February 12th 2017 – Red Flags

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“For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him.” (2 Chronicles 29:6)

Have you ever felt far from God? We’ve all had those moments where we know our relationship with our Savior needs adjusting. One of the red flags that go up during these times is our relationships with other people. When we are short tempered towards others or have no compassion for those in need, there is a deeper issue. When we hate our brother or sister and hold unforgiveness towards them, we need to take notice and come back to the Lord.

(1 John 4:20) “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen'”

This is a sobering thought, but it’s a great warning sign from the Lord. If we cannot love those around us then how can we truly love God? The bitterness towards others is not the sckness, it is the symptom. The main issue is our relationship with the Lord. Is He truly our Savior? If so, are we spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer? Not in a religious way but because we desire to know Him more. These are questions we should ask ourselves when we find ourselves struggling with others. As we humble ourselves before the Lord, we will find His loving kindness propelling us to love others.

“Our attitudes toward others can serve as warning markers in our relationship to God.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the warnings in Your Word. Give me eyes to see the warning signs when I begin straying from You. Speak to me through Your Word and give me the strength to love others like You love me. May my life be used as a means to draw people to Yourself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

February 2nd 2017 – It’s Not You, It’s Me

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“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)

 

Have you ever hear the classic break-up line”It’s not you, it’s me.” Maybe you’ve used or been handed that line before, but you know what? There’s some truth behind it. Deep inside, you know it’s the sin inside you. Relationships are complicated. They are complicated even more by the sin in your life. Are there rocky relationships in your life? Own the problem; look at yourself.

Whether at work, home or church, relationships are everywhere, and you are to be stewards of them. Relationships can promote your walk with Jesus or they can derail you – if you allow it. You are called to love the unlovable, but there are times when you will have to decide which relationships are healthy and which relationships are not. A relationship that is prompting you to sin and wander from your walk with Christ is not a good relationship.

There are some who think that if they get away from other people they will get away from the sin that’s in the world. Convents, monasteries and the like have all been built with this mindset. That’s not a solution. This only walls them in with their own sin while denying the world the “salt” in their lives. Jesus told you to be the salt of the world. You know what salt does? It makes people thirsty. You are to make this world thirst for a relationship with Jesus. If you withdraw from the world, this doesn’t happen.

You are a steward of the life God has blessed you with. Whether you participate in wrong activities or not, the decision is yours to make. God has called you, Christian, to be active in other’s lives and a part of that is confronting sin, with a heart of love. When this fails to happen, everyone gets hurt; feelings get bent, anger festers, and relationships become broken and shattered. Confrontation is uncomfortable. It’s not fun. But love requires us to step beyond the bounds of comfort because we love others. Thi is the calling of all Christians… to be leaders in the world.

“The main problem in our lives is the sin inside us. Often its just easier to blame the people around us.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for the forgiveness of my sins. Even though I have done wrong things, You ask me to come to You. It is through Your payment for my sins that I can come to you in repentance. Lord, I am sorry. I ask that You help me to own up to the things I try to hide from You. Empower and equip me with the knowledge of Your will for my life. Lord, give me the power to live for You, and help me to walk in the newness of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

January 28th 2017 – Faith Under Attack

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“Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.” (Ezra 5:1)

In the book of Ezra, the people of Israel find themselves rebuilding the temple of God. What started out as a joyous occasion soon turned bad as other people groups began causing trouble. When all was said and done, the Israelites had to stop the work, and God’s temple remained unfinished.

There is so much we can learn from this. Whether you are building a temple or helping serve at your church, we all are called to serve the Lord. When we step out and serve like Israel, we will come under attack from our enemy. He will discourage us, cause us to doubt and may even use friends, family and other church members to keep us from doing what God has called us to do. How do we overcome these battles? Well, God’s Word shows us in the life of Israel.

In chapter 5 of Ezra, God sends His prophets, the men of God, to speak the Word of God to the people of God. And as God stirs the heart of His people through His message, they get to work doing what God commanded them to do. Sound familiar? This is what church is about. Men of God teaching the people of God so that they can be equipped, strengthened and encouraged to do Kingdom work. If you find yourself in the battle today, look to God’s Word and maybe listen to some solid bible teaching. When you do, you will be encouraged to win the battle and change the world.

“Spiritual attacks are meant to not only stop our personal spiritual growth, but to also stop the outpouring of ministry.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I know that there are times in life I am under attack. Help me to realize the attacks and to dive into Your Word even more. Give me wisdom and strength to fight rather than run so that I can continue to grow in You and be used to reach others with the Gospel. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

January 20th 2017 – The Freedom of Choice

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“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

God loves us so much that he gives us the freedom to make choices. Some are of little consequence, but others are life-changing. This freedom of choice dates back to Adam and Eve. They made a bad choice, and sin entered the realm of mankind.

The freedom to make choices brings responsibility. We have all made poor choices at times and have suffered the consequences of those bad choices. The good news is that no matter what poor choices we may have made in the past, there is always hope for a better future. God knew that we would make some bad choices, but he loves us so much that he sent Jesus to pay the price for our sin and to provide a way for our relationship to him to be restored.

Some people go through life carrying the load of some wrong choices they have made in the past. They believe they have messed up so badly that nothing good can ever come of their lives. Do you ever feel this way?

The Good news is,  If you want to be set free from the past, Jesus is the answer. He has already paid the price for your sin … for every wrong choice you have ever made. Talk to him. Ask him to forgive you and to help you make better choices from now on. He is ready, and he is more than able.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Remember, you are very special to God. He loves you no matter what you have done. He is there for you. He wants you to put the past behind so that you can become all that he has designed you to be. Ask God’s forgiveness … learn from your mistakes … and look forward to a future filled with hope.

“With God, there is always hope for a better future.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiving my sins. I have made so many wrong choices in my life. Help me now to put them behind and to look forward to the future you have planned for me … one filled with Hope, one filled with Faith, one filled with Love. Today is a new day, with a new way! In Jesus’ precious name Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

 

December 29th 2016 – Speaking Life to Others

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Then his wife said to him (job), “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9)

In the Book of Job. (pronounced “Jobe”) It begins with an introduction to Job’s character, he is described as a blessed man who lived righteously in the Land of Uz. The Lord’s praise of Job prompted Satan to challenge Job’s integrity, suggesting that Job served God simply because God protected him.  Satan caused much pain and greif for him, tormenting Job to try to break his faith.

We often think, well, Satan left Job’s wife alive because she was carnal. Could be. It’s interesting we are not told where she is in her faith before this statement. Maybe she was walking with the Lord before losing her wealth, her house and grounds, her children and is now watching her husband in pain. And maybe in just giving in, she said curse God and die, I give up Job.

This can happen to any of us. We all go through hard times, and it’s easy to speak poorly during those times. Be watchful of anyone speaking contrary to the Word, or speaking negatively in hard times. Be the person who speaks life, who speaks the truth, and speaks love. Allow God to use you to bring healing to others who are hurting, and to empower you to be a witness for His glory even while you are going through hard times.

“The beauty and strength of a marriage, business partnership or friendship is that often when one is weak, the other is strong.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for empowering us through Your Spirit to speak life and blessing even during hard times. Help us to be loving when it’s someone else hurting, and help us to speak wisely when we are hurting. We lift up to You all those in our life going through difficult situations, and ask You to use us to be a blessing in all of our relationships. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click Here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org