Category Archives: Grace and Mercy

May 17th 2017 – Forgiveness and Grace

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“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10?)

In Ephesians 5:22-6:9 God’s word gives us instruction on marriage, family, and work relationships. Every relationship that you have in your life, good or bad, involves imperfect people. Each time God tells us to to submit to another He asks us to trust Him even though they are not perfect. Jesus asks for us to continue in His forgiveness.

(Matthew 18:21-22)
“Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

You see, it’s when we are in the heat of the battle in these relationships that God offers us, by faith, to believe and trust in His glorious promises of forgiveness and grace to heal us and our relationships. Faith sees the possibilities, along with a fresh vision, that gives us hope and courage. If we look at those points of contention with contempt or unforgiveness, focusing on the temporary, worry and fear set in. It’s important to remember, as we put our trust in the Lord in dealing with our relationships, that our focus should always be based on the promises of God with an eternal perspective in a temporary world.

“Relationships that are broken, can be healed.”

“As God offers us Forgiveness and Grace we Should Also”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, please help me apply your Word through your Spirit in all the relationships I’m in. Help me not get caught up in the temporary perspective but focus on the eternal instead. 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

May 16th 2017 – Dry and Desolate Places

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And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” (Ezekiel 37:3)

Where are you spiritually right now? Be honest, are you frustrated? Are you tired? Devastated? Do you feel like your world is caving in and you just can’t handle it? Are you dry… weary from crying? Do you feel spiritually dead?

(Lamentations 3:21-24) “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I hope in Him!”

To a stale and hopless soul, hope sounds impossible... I know it does. I personally have been there, I searched for hope in dry and desolate places before. I remember what it’s like.

In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

What you surround yourself with is a good indication of where you seek. Take a minute to look at what surrounds you. Is it television, music, gadgets, computers… or maybe drugs and alcohol? There is no hope in these things. Real Hope is only in Jesus. God’s promise lasts forever. You can live – I mean really live, but it’s in Jesus and not in the world.

“You can live for real, Jesus is the answer!”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the hope You give to me in Jesus. Lord, help me to stay determined and not lose hope even when I find myself in a valley of dry bones. When all else is gone, I come to You. Remind me to feed upon Your Word and that You will rescue me when I call out to You. I give you all praise and glory for the promises You set before me. In Jesus’ name, Amen

If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

 Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 15th 2017 – Lost in the Wilderness

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“Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.” (Hosea 6:1)

Have you ever been lost? Maybe it was during camping trip where you went on a hike with friends, or you went for a drive and became lost in different city. With any scenario, being lost causes us to become fearful. Yet, imagine if you were lost but you didn’t care. After hours of hiking around and without notice, you find that you are surrounded by an unknown wilderness with no provisions. To most people, we would see that as foolishness, and yet there are many people all over the world who are lost but do not realize it.

In Hosea 6, God gives us a glimpse of the people of Israel after they realize that they have wandered away from God. In their statement they say, “Let us return.” These three words indicate that they have realized the reality of their situation that they were lost and needed to return home. This is always the first step in our relationship with God. We must first realize we are lost and in need of a Savior. When we are honest with God, admit our sin and trust in Jesus’ payment for our sin, we go from lost to found. Once we are born again, we are no longer wondering aimlessly in the darkness, but we are guided by the very hand of God if we choose to listen to Him.

While we may enjoy an adventure in the wilderness, there is nothing like the rest, peace and joy we find at home. Come home. God is waiting.

“Repentance starts when we realize how lost we really are.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I believe You died for me so that I could be forgiven. I believe You were raised from the dead so that I can have new life. I’ve done wrong things and I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Give me Your power to follow You. Give me the power to turn from sin and change my ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

 Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 14th 2017 – Mother’s Day

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“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do” (Ephesians 6:1)

Today, many of us will gather again in worship and celebrate Mother’s Day. We will cook our mothers dinner or take them out to eat. We will seek to spoil them in the same way that they have spoiled us. We will express our thanks for all that our mothers have done for us. We will thank God for how our mothers have shown to us a glimpse of what God’s grace and love are all about.

But Mother’s Day is not always a happy time for everyone. For some, it will remind them of the loss of their mother. For some, it will be a reminder of how they have not been able to be a parent. For some, it will remind them that their relationship with their mother has not been healthy and has hurt them in some deep way.

My hope and prayer for those who will struggle today is that they will experience the love of God who longs to hold them and comfort them in their grief. My prayer is that they will experience the love of God in a way that they perhaps never experienced with their own mothers. I pray that they will experience the love of Jesus who speaks of how he longs “to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” (Matthew 23:37)

 So, for those of you celebrating Mother’s Day with your mothers, thank God for the gift of love and grace shown to you through them. Let your mothers know how special they are.

For those of you being celebrated todaas mothers, rejoicing in your children, thank God for the gifts and blessings God gave you and know how much we appreciate all that you have done.

For those of you who have been like a mother to others – even without ever having children of your own – may this day bring recognition of your caring and love that you have shown.

And for those of you who grieve this weekend, reminded of a mother who is no longer with you, may God surround you with comfort and love. For those of you who grieve this weekend because you have lost a child, whether through miscarriage or stillbirth or premature death, may God hold you even closer and may you know that God holds your child even now in everlasting arms.

 For those who struggle today, because you are not a mother, whether by your own choice or by infertility, I pray for God’s strength and encouragement. May you know what a gift you are, just for who you are.

And for those of you who have complicated relationships with your mother, who did not feel the love of a mother growing up, who may not have ever known their mother, we pray that you may know God’s love in a special way, in a way that goes beyond the imperfections and hurt that we as human beings often show to one another.

As for me, this will be the first Mothers Day without my mom. I take with me an image of a mother that spent the last 4 years of her life extremely ill, and a season of my life that for most would have seemed completely overwhelming. Circumstances providing for her care that required everything that I had and then some. I never will regret this time, It allowed me to show my mom how much I loved her and that she was not alone. That her struggles were also mine. It also brought me into a closer relationship with Jesus, leaning on Him for strengh when I had no more of my own to draw from. Thank you Lord.

That is love, the best of love that we as human beings show to one another, a love that lets us see only a glimpse what God’s love is all about.

I miss you Mom..

 Happy Mother’s Day, everyone

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank you for our Mothers and the precious life that You Lord gave to us through them. I lift those that are hurting to You today, comfort them and hold them close. Remind them of the safety and security as a child being in their mom’s arms. Show them that they can experience this type of love everytime they seek You. I lift up those who are in difficult relationships, that today You will heal them. For everyone else that will be with their mothers today, remind them to cherish these times, and set aside any type of indifference. That they would have an abundance of blessing, healing and joy on this mothers day. In Your precious name, Amen.

If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

 Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 11th 2017 – Antichrist = In place of Christ

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“Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It had devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, trampling their remains beneath its feet.” (Daniel 7:19)

Man has had this fascination about who the antichrist will be from the time that Jesus ascended into heaven. Christians have speculated over many political leaders from Roman emperors to popes and even presidents. There’s no doubt he’ll be a smooth talker and will blasphemy against God every chance he can. He will be able to sway political leaders to follow him to the point he’ll change the times and seasons. (Daniel 7:25) He’ll also require everyone to receive a mark on their hand or forehead to be able to buy, sell, or trade. (Revelation 13:18)

This is interesting in light of a few other scriptures John gives us concerning the antichrist.

(1 John 2:18) “Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.”

(1 John 4:1-4) “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”

The question we have to ask now is not so much who is the big Antichrist, but we need to be asking who or what are the little antichrists we allow into our lives? Antichrist means in place of Christ. How do we know if we have put something in the place of Christ in our life? We can ask ourselves some simple questions to see what we claim to follow. If we inherited a large sum of money would we still love and serve the Lord wholeheartedly? When we are tempted, confused or in a trial or hardship what or who do we go to?

Who or what we do we claim is our god. The enemy would love to wear us down so that he pushes us away from putting Christ first in everything. He does this without restraint in the end when the church is removed. Even now, when we remove the habit of church from our lives, we give the enemy an edge against us. When the Lord doesn’t have priority in our time, talent, and treasures we endanger our own lives into being subject to his attacks. This is why it is mission critical for us to recognize that the enemy’s tactics don’t change, even when the antichrist comes into one man in the end.

“Who or what do you claim is your god.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, please forgive me when I default to anything in my life other than You. Please give me Your power to allow You to be the priority in all areas of my life. Give me special strength when the enemy seems to be wearing me down to partake of Your precious promises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

 Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 10th 2017 – Would You Like To Get Well?

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When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, He asked him, “Would you like to get well?” (John 5:6)

What an awesome question! The Lord Jesus has such a way with words! No dancing around the issue. He cuts right to the heart of the matter. Would you like to get well? Would you? That is His question to you today. That is His question to your neighbors and to your friends and family who do not know Him. That is His question to those who ridicule Him in the media and the press. That is His question to those who speak out against Him and even persecute those who believe in Him. That is His question to all of humanity.

He is not just talking about physical wellness here. Jesus is talking about our very soul being cleansed, our guilt being purged and our sins forgiven. He is talking about wellness of the mind, soul and the spirit in addition to wellness of body. There is nothing wrong with you that He cannot fix. His death on the cross offers these benefits. The amazing thing is that no matter what you’ve done, how you’ve done it or who you’ve been… the offer stands as firm today as it stood yesterday and the day before. The question… Would you like to get well? Your response….

If you have not accepted Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, please pray the prayer below with me.

Dear Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe You died on the cross for my sins and rose again in three days defeating death. I have sinned. I am a sinner. Please forgive me for my sins. Please give me the power to live for You all the days of my life. Thank You for forgiving me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“There is nothing wrong with us that Jesus cannot fix.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your love, grace and mercy. Thank You for the forgiveness of my sins, an internal and external cleansing of all my failures, mistakes and broken promises. Thank you for all of Your promises, and that you never break them. Thank You for Your healing of my life; all of it. I give it to You. Use my life for Your glory. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 9th 2017 – Undeserved Privilege

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“It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you-unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.”(1 Corinthians 15:2)

I cannot picture a more beautiful thing than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Fallen humanity stands before God covered in filthy garments stained with sins. We desperately try to wipe off each stain but in the process, we only make it worse. All hope seems lost until the God of all creation, in the perfect act of love, comes down among us. He removes our filthy sin stained garments and they are nailed to the cross… along with Himself. We didn’t deserve it. We didn’t do anything to earn it. It was simply the act of a loving God.

(Romans 5:1-2) “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

Now if we believe in what Jesus did and stand in faith, we can be granted forgiveness and everlasting life. This undeserved privilege is given by grace from a God who desires that none should ever perish. Even as we walk this life with Christ, we will stumble and fall, but we can confidently stand back up understanding that His grace covers all our sins. Are you in this place of undeserved privilege? If so, then rejoice in Christ and share Him with others. If not, then come to Him now and find rest for your soul.

“We receive forgiveness only by grace. We stand or continue in our faith only by grace.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned, and I thank You for the forgiveness offered through Jesus. Because of Your grace, I am able to live in a place of undeserved privilege. Thank You for the assurance that my sins are forgiven once I confessed them to you in repentance. Help me understand and recognize when I do sin sin. Draw me close to You for forgiveness and strenght from those areas of my life. Grow my desire to share Your love, Your forgiveness with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have you ever asked Jesus into your life? Would you like to have a personal relationship with Him? That is the ultimate decision you will have to make. Jesus died on the cross for you and me. He loves you and wants to help you. If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior please click here 4 Simple Steps to Jesus Your life will never be the same…

If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 7th 2017 – Honor One Another

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“Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her.But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. (1 Timothy 5:3-4)

Throughout the Bible we are called upon to honor those around us. In Exodus we are called to honor our mother and father. In the book of Leviticus, God calls us to honor the elderly. In the New Testament we are commanded to honor our spiritual leaders as well as widows. To honor someone is to place them in a high place, to see them as important. In short, to honor someone is to place more significance on them than on ourselves.

(Romans 12:10)  “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.;”

What if we all lived lives dedicated to honoring one another? The battles over minor differences would disappear as we seek out the best interest of the other person. Competing for power or recognition would be erased from the church as we rejoice with those around us. This is exactly what Jesus did. In Philippians 2 we see an image of Jesus stepping out of heaven for us. While we are not worthy of anything, He left His throne so that we could be forgiven. If we live as our Savior did, a servant to others, we will honor each other and the world will never be the same.

“To honor someone is to place a value upon them that supersedes the focus on ‘self’.”

Special request. In the comment box, Share who you waill Honor today..

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Today I thank You for the love and grace that You have shown me. Help me to show the same love and grace towards those around me. Fill me with Your Spirit so that I can honor them. Whether it’s through kind words, generous gifts or diligent work; give me the strength to live like Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

If you would like to request a prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

 Scriptural Seeds Ministries 

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 3rd 2017 – From Broken to Beautiful

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“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”(Jeremiah 29:11–13) – my life verse

Have you ever dropped a glass and watched it break and scatter across the floor? There was nothing you could do but sweep it up and throw it away. You might remind yourself not to go barefoot any time soon since splinters of glass sometimes linger.

Can you relate this scenario to a crushed and broken heart? It may have felt like it shattered into a million pieces. You probably felt it would never mend. The hurt was just too deep; too painful.

“Time heals all wounds,” but at the moment of the brokeness and pain, it is impossible to believe. You look for brighter days, but your view is through a soul that sees only gray. You are numb.

Painful events generate broken hearts: the death of a loved one, children gone astray, a relationship gone wrong or  perhaps loved ones turned against you with no reguard for your heart. In any event, you do not feel like you can go another moment, let alone another day. You may ask yourself, “Am I depressed, oppressed, or just one big mess?”

I have had my life, my dreams and my heart broken and crushed quite a few times… when I was in my early twenties, I lost my childhood sweetheart, one of my best friends and my father within a few months of my life. Their loss was very painful, the brokeness and loneliness I was experiencing was more then I could deal with. Within a year I met someone and got married. I built a new life, dreams and a family. I was blessed with starting a very successful business that I operated for many years. After 15 years of a awesome marriage, with no warning, My wife emptied our bank accounts and abandoned not only myself but our children. With all of my dreams broken and the emense pain of loss and betrayal, I experienced a time of feeling suicidal. I had to be strong for my children, however the stress and pain eventually caused me to have another lifechanging event, a stroke that almost took my life. Throughout the process I discovered how codependent I was. I was trying to deal with the pain on my own and instead, generated more distress bitterness and anger.

Five long years I struggled. Knowing that I couldn’t handle any of this pain any longer, dealing with continued thoughts of ending my life. I attended a faith based 12 Step goup. Shortly after, gave my life Jesus, and asked for His help to put my life back together. I had allowed God to place me up on the Potter’s wheel and said, “Lord you have to fix me. I can’t do it myself.”

Only God can mend your brokenness. He is the Potter and His specialty is molding us and shaping us. We need to remain on the Potter’s wheel to be restored, but often we run to others. It is wonderful to get support from a godly friend or prayer with your Pastor, but this should be in addition to, not a substitute for time alone with the Lord.

Don’t delay! if you find yourself shattered, Only Jesus can truly mend your broken heart, broken body or broken life into someting beautiful.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I praise you for taking a shattered and scattered life and like a broken glass, when someone would normally throw it away. You Lord fashioned me back together. I love you Lord. Thank you for the sweet wife that you brought into my life 6 years ago, Thank you for bringing my children to know you and thank you for my friends.. As your word says, You indeed carried me through devastation and restored my life… even thought life continues to be hard at times. I am greatful that You are here for me every step of the way. Accepting You as my Lord and Savior was the greatest decision I ever made. Thank You for Your endless pursuit of me. I love You Lord. In Your precious name, Amen.

God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Click here  to discover how you can find peace with God.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 1st 2017 – Lighting the Candle

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“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

The Christian life is a life of darkness and of light. At one time, our hearts were darkened, but through the grace of God, they were enlightened. In essence, we move from being people of darkness to people of the light. This is not because we are special, but because God so loved us that He made a way for us to be transformed through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Sometimes as lights, we forget that we were once in darkness, and we begin mocking those who are still blind. Too many Christians are just cursing the darkness and standing around talking about what is wrong with the world, with the lost, with believers and with the church. They are unwilling to help change things. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14 that we are “The light of the world.” That’s us, the church. We are the “city on a hill” that is shining out into the darkness. The world is really.messed up because of sin. We are not called to curse the sinners, but we are called to light a candle. Today is the day. Light a candle of God’s love. Show kindness, love and grace to someone today. With one candle at a time, we will change the world.

“Its always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I am sorry if I have spent more times cursing the darkness and less time lighting candles. I believe You are the Light and have called me to shine. Give me the power to serve, give and love like You do. Help me so that I may be filled with more of Your light and less of the darkness. 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