Category Archives: Prayer

November 10th 2017 – Stand Up and Fight!

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“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

We as Christians, are in a continual battle against our adversary, the devil. He is not an enemy of flesh and blood but rather a spirit being.

His sole intent is to cause havoc for each one of us in order to get us off track of the plan God has for our lives. He waits until we’re at a vulnerable place before bringing forth his attack. This is why we have to be on our guard every single day.

Scripture tells us.

“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

There are times when we may feel like our backs are against the wall with no way out. The thought of having to fight the giants of life in order to move forward can be intimidating. This is when the enemy comes alongside us to speak words of fear and doubt.

Satan is always trying to discourage us from believing that we will ever walk in triumph. He is a liar and the king of all lies. We can either stand and fight or run and hide, the choice is ours to make. It doesn’t mater what the circumstances look like and what the devil says. The most important thing is what God’s Word says about our particular situation.

“So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word” (Hebrews 10:23).

Second Corinthians 10:4-5 teaches us that our weapons are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds in our mind. Casting down imaginations, thoughts, reasonings, and theories that don’t agree with God’s Word requires us to use our offensive weapon-the Word of God coming out of our mouth. When we speak, it becomes a two-edged sword that defeats the enemy with one edge and opens the blessings of heaven with the other. There are many other weapons that are defensive, but the Word is offensive-it chases the enemy, driving him back.

We should never be the ones who back down from Satan in defeat. No! We must be bold in our faith and continue to push back the powers of darkness by using God’s Word as our weapon. Satan fears those who truly grasp hold of God’s Word and begin using it to their advantage. He knows the power the Word carries, and that he is no match against it.

“Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written…” (Matthew 4:10)

God sent forth His Son, Jesus, to die for us so we could have victory over the evil one. Our victory was bought with the price of Jesus’ blood. We, therefore, are protected by the blood of Christ and because of this protection Satan cannot have dominion over us.

Radical, Violent, Passionate Prayer

There is something about fighting in prayer that is radical, violent, and passionate. It is a fight, not a joke. Read Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

And God wants us to fight the devil and his demons. God does not give us the weapons of warfare (Ephesians 6:10-16) so we can just dress up and look like soldiers—only to run away when the war starts. He has given us those weapons so we can fight and win. He expects us to win.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

(1) Put on the full Armor of God, stand against the devil’s schemes.

(2)  Struggle against principalities and powers

(3)  Weapons of warfare

(4)  Bind and loose

(5)  Take it by force

(6)  Resist the devil

(7)  Tread on

We should not be afraid of fighting this war. We are called and equipped to be soldiers of Christ. God has given us everything we need to win; he has assured us of victory, and those who overcome shall reign with Jesus forever. Therefore arise, fight, and never give up.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I am in the middle of spiritual warfare. I come to You for guidance and strength in this battle against the enemy. He is a theif that is seeking to destroy my life and my family. Today with Your help I wish to destroy spiritual strongholds, Cast down evil imaginations. Casting down every high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. I am claiming Victory in the name of Jesus Christ! I love you Lord and will stand firm in all battles because You are with me. In your 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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 9th 2017 – Trust God, with Everything!

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It’s easy to say, “give your cares to the Lord and trust Him” when everything in life seems to be going well. It’s easy to say, “I trust you Lord with everything I own” when bills are paid on time and when you just got a salary increase at your job.

However, if God striped you of everything you own; If God told you to leave the very job that’s paying your bills, will you trust the Lord enough to do it?  Will you trust God even when you don’t understand; even when life hurts?  If God told you to leave the familiar and enter the unfamiliar, will you trust Him?

For many of us, God has done just that.  He has taken from what’s “oh so familiar” and redirected paths into the unfamiliar.  You don’t understand what’s happening in your life; what to do or where to go. The only thing you know is that the Lord gave you a word (instruction, a promise, vision, etc) and the only thing you have to hold on to is that word.

I understand the feeling; you’re not alone.  There is encouragement for you today.  Here are 4 things to remember whenever you feel as though you don’t understand what God is doing and/or allowing in your life.

1 – Consider the Source

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13).

Who else can say that but God?  No one, only God can say such a thing.  God knows everything: the past, current and future and our knowledge and understanding doesn’t even compare to the knowledge and understanding of God –  even when it applies to our own life.

Also, when we don’t understand what God is doing in our life, consider the source – Who is it that you’re trusting; God or yourself?

Here is something to remember. Man is fallible; we fall short and at times we’re unable to keep our promises.  Man can give you instructions that are misleading and imperfect.  With God, none of these things are possible.  God keeps His promises, God gives you right instructions according to His perfect will and He won’t mislead you.

No matter how much we don’t understand life as it is right now; no matter how uncomfortable it may seem or how hard it gets, don’t give up.  If God is with you – the same God who spoke life into you, the same God who IS and knows the beginning and the end, the same God who knew you before the foundation of this world -is with you, then ask yourself who or WHAT can stand against you.

Consider the source and seek to be obedient to the Lord, even when you don t understand what God is doing in your life; don’t worry about “this or that” because God has provisions for you.

2 – Trust the Lord

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

When you learn to trust the Lord, you will begin to have a sense of rest in the Lord knowing that He has everything under control even when life seems to be out of control.  Trusting God will get you to the point where you make a decision to trust in Him and NOT in your own logic and understanding.

As Christians, we must make a decision to trust Him regardless of how scary the situation may seem. Trusting God doesn’t prevent you from being in uncomfortable situations but it does allow you to be placed in a position where you seek the Lord’s presence, provisions, guidance and promises.

3 – Be Obediant

The bible states that “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22) which should tell you a lot about our God.  God places significance on obedience.  He’ll much rather you be obedient to His instruction than for you to give Him sacrificial praise, money offerings, fasting and etc.

God told Abraham to leave everything he knew; everything he was familiar with and to enter into the unfamiliar.  God told him to go into a land which he will show him which meant Abraham didn’t know where he was going; He only had the instruction of the Lord to depend on.  Abraham could have easily said, “God, where will I go; what will I eat and drink”, but he didn’t.  He chose to trust God and be obedient and as Christians we must learn to do the same.

4 – Have Faith in the Lord

“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

As much as we would like God to give us “what where when and how” upfront all the time (all in one shot), God does not operate like that.  Sometimes, God will place you in a satiation where you have to trust Him and He’ll give you piece by piece as you obey and trust Him.

As a person who’s been in this situation, I will tell you that this only increases your faith as you learn to walk by faith and not by sight.

I don’t know what your story is (your more than welcome to share it below), but I encourage you to trust God even when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life.

You may not understand life and all that’s happening; but God will give you a piece to the puzzle as you learn to step out on faith, trust and obey him.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask that You increase within me your obedient spirit so that I may be obedient to Your instruction.  Help me Lord to walk by faith and not by sight.  I don’t always understand what You’re doing in my life, but I make a decision to trust You God, In this season, I ask that You place within me your spirit of joy, peace and rest.  Give me joy; peace and rest to endure all that comes my way. Right now, I make a decision to trust You Lord because I know that You’re in control of my life even when my life seems to be out of control. Lord, I thank You for clarity, guidance, provision and strength.  I pray and ask for these things 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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 8th 2017 -Depleted, but not Defeated!

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There are sometimes times in our lives when we have been hit by blow after blow, and we feel defeated and depleated. During these occasions, it is easy to lose all hope. God does not want us to live out our daily existence discouraged or hopeless, so He has given us his word as a source of blessing and encouragement.

(Deuteronomy 20:4) “for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

We all have battles that we fight even in today’s modern world. It might not be a physical war against other human beings, but rather our struggles may be against our own thought patterns, bad habits or weaknesses.

Sometimes these situations and circumstances that we face that are out of our control. Whatever the case, this verse in Deuteronomy can fill you with hope and courage. The author reminds us that it is the Lord who goes with us to fight for us against our enemies—whoever or whatever that may be. God not only fights for us, but he also gives us the victory.

(Deuteronomy 28:7) “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”

(Matthew 19:26) “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

(Romans 8:37) “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

One of the most encouraging thoughts for you to know is that even when things seem the worst, that God is in control. He starts from a point of victory in every situation, and he easily overcomes what feels impossible to us. Every time I struggled with feelings of loss and defeat, Like I felt this morning. We have to remind ourselves so our hope can be restored.

(1 Corinthians 15:57) “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(1 John 5:4) “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

God does not want us to ever to be overcome by feelings of defeat and despair in spite of the crushing blows we receive. He has given us His powerful word full of encouragement and hope to strengthen us instead. Ultimately, His will for us is that we live our lives in victory.

“When your lost and can’t seem to find your way, seek God for guidance, encouragement and hope!”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask You to replace sadness my with joy, defeat with victory, and weariness with praise.  Help me when I feel defeated, weary or sad to focus on Your blessings in my life rather than on my circumstances.   Remind me to praise You the Father at all times so I may obtain life and hope.  I ask that You bring all things to my memory that concern You and Your plans in my life.  Holy Spirit, please increase my hope as I focus on Your Word.   Help me to not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of my mind.  Strengthen and renew me in my innermost being.  Destroy the fiery darts of the enemy that attempt to pierce my souls.  May always always hear Your voice and obey Your will.  Father, help me to overcome today fears. Thank You for the ones in my life that Love me. I praise You and Love You Lord in all circumstances. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Here is a list of crisis numbers for 24 hour help line. Click on the link for help —-> Broken Believers

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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 7th 2017 – Someone That Cared

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“Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.” (Acts 13:3-5)

In the book of Acts, the progression of the life of Paul is revealed. Initially, we see Paul fighting against God. Paul is living out his life doing his ‘own thing’ when he meets God in a very real way. Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus began this progression where we see him begin to give his life over to God. The book of Acts allows us to watch first hand as we see this man give his life away. One danger is to look at Paul’s life and think, “Wow, that was great for Paul, but can my life really make a difference?” I used to ask myself the same question, but not anymore.

You see, one of the beautiful truths of God’s Word is that God will work through anybody who is willing. He is not looking for ability, but for availability. Throughout the Bible we see men and women accomplishing great and incredible things. These men and women had some of the same weaknesses and wanderings we do, yet the Lord used them to touch many lives. The most difficult part of this journey is the first step. I encourage you to take the first step. Step out in faith and begin to walk the incredible journey God has planned for you. You will look back in amazement at what the Lord will do. I know I do every day.

“We all should be ministers and make a difference in this world.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, You tell us to pray for workers in the harvest. Lord, I want to pray that You make me a worker in the harvest. Whatever my gifts and abilities are I lay them before You now and ask You to work through me to help change this world. I know I am not saved through these acts of service, but because I am grateful for Your forgiveness, I desire to serve so others may come to know You. I am a Christian because someone cared. Now it is my turn. In Jesus’ precious and glorious 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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 6th 2017 – Your Uniquely Gifted

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“For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

God has uniquely gifted you in special ways because He has special things for you to do. Enjoy the calling God has gifted you with, but be careful where your eyes wander. It can be easy to begin coveting another’s gifts. When we get wrapped up in envy, we can neglect our own calling, pridefully telling God that He gave us the wrong gifts. Ask yourself, on who does pride misplace your reliance? Pride is a dangerous thing, and it has wrecked many a man despite the best intentions.

(Romans 12:3) “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

So, how do you explore your gifts? You won’t unearth much sitting on your couch. Pray and ask God how you can help. Through serving the Lord, you will begin to identify those things God has equipped you to do. As you use your gifts, you will discover and develop skills you didn’t know you had. Gifted musicians spend hours practicing; the more you use your gifts the more gifted you become. Are you faithfully using your gifts?

“We have all been given gifts by God. We should develop our gifts for the glory of God and to bless others.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for uniquely gifting me with talents and resources. Lord, I want to use my gifts for You. I want to experience the joy You have for me. Lord, I know I have been ungrateful for the gifts You have given me. Forgive me. Forgive me for being so distracted by what others are doing and not focusing on what You have blessed me with. I offer You all of my 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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 4th 2017 – The PRAY-ER IN FAITH “

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Todays Devotion Written by Pastor Roy Squyres.

The PRAY-ER IN FAITH ”

Faith define-dictionary:
“To KNOW(BELIEVE) the True GOD (the WORD of GOD).”

FAITH define in the WORD of GOD

(1) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

(2)  “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”(James 5:15-16)

(3) “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”(1 John 5:14-15)

“True FAITH is REAL, TRUE THINGS HOPED for, and Condident Assurance in GOD’S WORD (PURE TRUTH). And the Pray-er of FAITH will save—and THE LORD WILL ANSWER. The Sincere, Effective Pray-er of Righteousness gains much. And this is the Firm, Quiet Assurance we have in JESUS, as we ask for Needed things, The FATHER hears us, and we KNOW we have what we asked for from HIM!”

“A PRAYER UNPRAYED IS A PRAYER UNANNSWERED!!!”

Prayer:

Holy Father, You have entrusted us with Your gift of Praying, of coming into Your Presence in Your Son Jesus, by Your Eternal Spirit, trusting You are True to Yourself, Your Holy Words. Forgive us of our prayerlessness and cleanse us by Jesus’ Holy Blood from our sin of unbelief. Anew Your Holy Spirit of PRAYER in FAITH through Your Son Jesus, our High Holy Priest, who ever lives to make intercession for His own loved ones. We Thank You for this GRACE, and Praise You in Your ANSWER through CHRIST, AMEN 👑

You will pray for you needs from The FATHER—won’t you?
BELIEVE

Salvation Prayer:

God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”
A GOOD SEED for the Garden of your spirit-soul.

Pastor Roy Squyres
a Bond-servant of JESUS

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 1st 2017 – An Important Privilege

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“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.” (2 Chronicles 26:3-4)

If you were to take a poll of the world’s most important jobs, you would no doubt find teachers, policemen and others like them at the top of the list. While those in these positions are indeed important, I wonder how many would place parents at the top of that list. God tells us in His Word that children are a blessing from the Lord and yet many parents today seem to see children as a hindrance. Children are not a hindrance to abundant life but can be a catalyst for mothers and fathers to experience life to the fullest. The key is to see parenting as the sacred task that it is. When we do, we realize the importance of guiding our children into the arms of Jesus.

(Proverbs 22:6) ” Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Each person’s life will impact the world in some way. It may be good or bad depending on choices made, but it will impact someone. When a mother and a father dedicate their lives to demonstrating Jesus to their child and speaking about the things of God, they are adding years to their lives impact. The legacy left to their children will echo throughout their life and on into the next. In fact, it could be said that the influence we have on our children echoes into eternity. We see this clearly in the passage above. Uzziah was crowned at sixteen and because his father led him in the ways of the Lord, he was prepared to lead the people according to God’s Word. We may not be over kingdoms, but how we lead our children can impact their lives and the lives of their children and their children’s children forever.

“Parents you have been given a sacred task in raising their children in a godly manner.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your love and for the opportunity to be Your child. Lord, I thank You for the children You have given me and for the honor of being a parent. Help me to come alongside my children to raise them according to Your Word. Give me wisdom and insight in how to encourage and discipline rightly so that they may see Jesus in me. 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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 29th 2017 – The good Gardener

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“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2)

What an amazing and loving Heavenly Father we have.  He is always at work within us to help us grow up.  Many people look at verse two and see the words “takes away” and think that God gets rid of those who do not bear fruit.  That is not what it is saying.  This verse means that God lifts up those who are having problems bearing fruit and works with them.

A wise farmer doesn’t destroy his branches, he lifts them up, cleans them, and reties them to the vine.  Our loving Father does the same thing.  He is out for our best and will keep working with us to produce much fruit.

Remember, good trees naturally bring forth good fruit. We are good trees planted in the house of the Lord. If you love God and you have accepted His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ then God’s love is poured out on you. God is working on the inside to help you produce a great harvest that will last you throughout all eternity.

It’s important to know that it’s not what you do, but it’s letting Him do the work within you.  Too many times, we say, “I need to do this or I need to do that” before God will work in my life; it’s just being legalistic. God wants to do the good work within you and as He does and good things develop within your heart, you will see that these fruits of the Spirit will become obvious to others.

If you let God do this pruning within you, you will see that the fruits of love, joy, and peace will start growing, and you’ll look back and say, “Is this really me?” Remember, the fruits of the Spirit are not works of law but gifts of grace.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank you for always being “The Good Farmer”, Its Your pruning that produces good fruit in my life. I welcome the planting of the seeds through Your Word to grow and live in me. As I do, You will clean my heart so that the fruits of the spirit can operate big time within me.  I praise You for all that you do in my life. 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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 23rd 2017 – Falling Short

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“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1)

It’s an excellent question to ask ourselves. When we see the rest of the verses in Psalm 15 we see how we all fall short of God’s glory.

(Psalm 15:2-5) “He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.”

The truth is that none of us can dwell in God’s presence. None but Jesus that is. Yet through Jesus we can partake of His forgiveness, and through His forgiveness we can partake of the power of Christ, that raised Him from the dead, to walk in the ways of the Lord. All of us have failed to speak truth, have failed in loving our neighbor and speaking to our neighbor the way Jesus loved us. Yet, as we partake of Jesus, we can partake of the newness of life and as we do we can walk in the promise:

(Psalm 15:5) “He who does these things shall never be moved.”

Jesus wasn’t moved away from God’s will and as we trust in Him we won’t be easily moved outside of His will either.

“We could not go to God on His Holy Hill. God came to this earth from His Holy Hill, to die for our sins, so we can be declared righteous and innocent, and then we can go to God’s Holy Hill.”

Prayer:

Havenly Father, I thank You that You were able to walk to that Holy Hill to die for my sins. Now by Your power I can have Your freedom and forgiveness and stability. Please give me Your power to walk in it continually. 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.

2017-07-21-05-57-35

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 14th 2017 – Locate Your Spiritual Passion

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“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Paul tells the church of Corinth to “examine themselves as to whether you are in the faith.” In the same way today we should take some time to examine ourselves as well. In the military before soldiers go into battle, two soldiers will stand in front of each other and check to make sure they are each equipped for the battle.

Do you know that you are in the battle, spiritually speaking?

Since we are in a battle, obviously at times we need to examine ourselves. So what does it look like for us to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith? I see these as “Spiritual Passions”, or more appropriately the spiritual disciplines to help us examine our lives in Christ. At times, we should take a look at these passions or principles to see where we are spiritually with the Lord. Taking a survey, if you will, of each principle and rating ourselves on a 1-to-10 scale: 10 meaning you are walking in this maturely and 1 pointing to the need to step up in this area.

Let’s look together at these:

Worship – This is not something you do at church on Sunday mornings, but worshiping the Lord in everything we do. Whether you are at work, home with your family, or serving in your local church these things are a form of worship. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Read/Study – As we grow in Christ our main point of hearing from the Lord is through His Word. We want to be followers of Jesus, and the best way to do that is having our noses in the Bible “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2nd Timothy 3:16)

Fellowship/Family –  Fellowship is a great privilege, possible whenever it occurs; in church, Bible studies, prayer meetings, home groups, with roommates or family. It is how God meets our needs–it is His “supply line” “For wherever two or three people have come together in my name, I am there, right among them!” (Matthew 18:20)

Prayer – Jesus died not for just our sins, He died for a relationship with Him. There is nothing more important than a life of prayer. ” Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven” (Psalm 107:28-30)

Serving – If you have received Christ in your life you are called to ministry. The term “full-time ministry” is really misused as we are all in full-time ministry. We get to serve the King of kings with the gifts that He gave to us as the church. “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) 

Giving – We see scripturally the practice of the tithe to our local church body, but more than being concerned with the financial aspect of that is giving away our selfishness. We are called to support the work of the ministry whether through the tithe or offerings. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Evangelism/Discipleship – We get to share the Gospel, invite people to church and help raise others up in the faith. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Where are you with these Spiritual Passions? Looking at these passions in our personal walk will help to identify areas of weakness in our lives. Once we see the weaknesses, then we begin to grow in our relationship with Christ because we want to be more Christ-like.

The Bible is clear that our salvation is by grace alone, through faith, by Christ alone. These are just great disciplines to help us examine whether we are in the faith. Remember, we are all growing in Christ and are in different areas of that growth so extend grace to yourself and extend grace to others.

Take this opportunity see where you are at right now in your walk with Christ.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me enough to sacrifice Your Son to be able to wash away my sins and have a relationship with You. Thank you for Your Word that shows me the way to live a Christ centered life. Thank you for Your Spirit that allows me to live a life that shows You to a lost and dying world. Please help me to continually examine my life and make sure I am not neglecting one of these areas of spiritual growth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

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

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org