Tag Archives: Celebrate Recovery

August 31st 2015 – Stand and Fight!

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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)

*  Put on the full Armor of God, stand against the devil’s schemes. 

*  Struggle against principalities and powers

*  Weapons of warfare

*  Bind and loose

*  Take it by force

*  Resist the devil

*  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

Dear Heavenly Father, I am in the middle of spiritual warfare. I day upon you for guidance and strength in this battle against the enemy that is seeking to destroy my life and my family. 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.

Discover how you can find strengh and victory with Jesus. Click Here

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 29th 2015 – Pray for the Glory of God


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“Please show me your Glory!” (Exodus 33:18)

Imagine what this short prayer means! The children of Israel were delayed in their journey because of idolatry. While Moses was on Mount Sinai, they made a golden calf to have a god like the other nations. God was very angry and Moses, bless him he threw down the stone tablets that were written by the finger of God. After confronting the people about their sin, the perpetrators were put to death.

Moving forward, God made this suggestion: that His Presence—the fire during the night and the cloud during the day—would no longer accompany them, lest the next time He “consume” them. In His stead He would send an angel to guide them.

Moses could not tolerate this. If the Presence of God did not go with them, Moses said he did not want to go. Better to remain in the wilderness with the Presence of God than to go to the Promised Land without Him! So, God gave Moses the assurance that indeed, He would go with them. God affirmed that He had heard Moses’ prayer, saying that Moses had “found favor in His sight.”

Moses is not content with this simple promise but prays that he might see God’s Glory. Although we should not expect to physically see the Glory of God as Moses did, we should and must pray that we would share Moses’ passionate desire for the Glory of God.

Can we see this relationship still operating even today? I believe we can. When we offer our bodies as living sacrifices; our future, our plans, our possessions and our lives, to the Lord–His glory begins to be revealed as His Spirit works in and through us. Called by Him to be more and more like Yeshua (Jesus), the people of God should be a people of sacrifice. Do you want to see the glory of God filling every aspect of your life? Then lay your life upon the altar in surrender to His perfect will–you will watch in amazement as He takes your offering and turns it to a beautiful testimony of His glory.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me the heart of Moses, who cared only to see Your glory. And I pray that we would so strongly desire to know You that they would be willing to sacrifice time and energy just to be assured that You are pleased with us all, give us a holy desire to glorify You in our private lives, in our public lives, and in all our associations. May You be our most prized treasure. I pray You will get glory from our lives.

Help us to get to know You as well as it is possible for us as sinners to know You in this life. Today, show us Your glory through Your Word and help us to reflect this glory to others. Let us be like Moses who did not know that his face shone—let us live in Your presence and radiate Your presence to others. Consume us with a desire to see You glorified in our lives. Show us Your Glory! We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

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August 28th 2015 – Seeking Jesus

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“If you seek me with all your heart you will find me. But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)

The Lord encourages us to seek Him with all our heart and all our soul. If we do pursue Him with everything within us, He promises that we will find Him. I imagine this to be similar to a child’s game of hide and seek. When my children were young, they would love to play this game with me, They would turn towards the wall and close their eyes and count to ten.

In the mean time, I would scamper off into another part of the house to find a place in which to hide. At the count of ten, my children in much delight would begin their quest to find me. Their anticipation would build as they would open every closet door and look under every bed.

While the searching part of the game was always fun, it was the finding part that was the best part of the game! I never chose a place too hard for my children to find me. I loved the moment when the children would finally catch me. Our cry of “You found me!” and their cry of “I found you!” would happen simultaneously followed by a mutual celebration that the game was over.

The game wouldn’t have been fun if my intention was to hide so that my children would never find me. The fun is in being found. I think it is the same way in our relationship with God. When He calls us to search for Him, He never hides Himself so well that He cannot be found.

Prayer

Father, I am thankful that You do not make it difficult for me to find You, for You are never far away and are always happy to be found! I pray that I might pursue You with all my heart and my soul, all the while having a child-like anticipation of finding You! In the name of your beloved Son Jesus I pray, Amen.

Seeking Jesus, here’s how to find Him

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

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August 23rd 2015 – Our Salvation is Free

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“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24)

Salvation is free! God puts no price tag on the Gift of gifts—it’s free! Preachers are not salesmen, for they have nothing to sell. They are bearers of Good News, the good tidings that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Money can’t buy it. Man’s righteousness can’t earn it. Social prestige can’t help you acquire it. Morality can’t purchase it. It is, as Isaiah said, “without money and without price.”

God is not a bargaining God. You cannot barter with Him. You must do business with Him on His own terms. He holds in His omnipotent hand the priceless, precious, eternal gift of salvation, and He bids you to take it without money and without price. The best things in life are free, are they not? The air we breathe is not sold by the cubic foot. The water which flows crystal clear from the mountain stream is free for the taking. Love is free, faith is free, hope is free.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Even though my salvation was obtained only through the costliest sacrifice ever made, You freely gave it to me. Lord, I praise You for this gift so lovingly given. Thank you Lord

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 22nd 2015 – God Opens Doors When We Least Expect It

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What if today, right out of the clear blue sky, or tonight, out under the stars, God placed before you a clear-cut opportunity for an adventure in faith with Him? Are you ready? Ready to lace up your shoes, step through that door, and follow Him?

Why do we always tend to turn away from open doors, from the prospect of new adventures in faith? Why do we let opportunity after opportunity pass us by, even though we feel a stirring of desire and a tug on our hearts to respond? What holds us back?

I think many of us feel too busy in life, often we are too tangled up and weighed down by our past to step into God’s purpose today. How sad is that, We lose “today” because of “yesterday.” Life flows on by, and age creeps up on us while we remain mired in doubts, fears, and hesitations.

Have you ever met some older person, now physically unable to work or travel, who could only look back on life with regrets? It’s not a happy story. Some older man will say, “Years ago I had the opportunity to serve the Lord overseas—and deep down, I really wanted to go. But I had a good job, and I was climbing the ladder. So I held back. Then the opportunity passed me by—and it never came again.”

Or some older lady saying, “My husband and I couldn’t have children. He wanted to adopt a baby girl from China, but I was afraid, I kept stalling the decision, and we never did. Now my husband’s gone, and here I am with no one in my life. It would be so wonderful to have a daughter or son.”

Life is too short to live with regrets! Life is too precious to turn away from promising opportunities to serve the King in His kingdom.

The psalmist said,

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” (Psalm 119:32)

That’s what we want. To just run and run and run into His will and the paths of His purpose. With a light heart, a clear eye, and hope rushing bank-high through the channels of our heart.

But we can’t run if we have huge packs on our backs or ropes tangling up our feet that keep us from embracing God Adventures. Be open when God calls, even out of the blue.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we praise you for all of the opportunities that you provide for us. Please forgive us when we don’t pay attention or allow procrastination to get in the way. I pray that we, your children would spend more time in prayer seeking Your will, Your guidance and Your direction in our lives. I pray father God that when we  come across an open door to serve you that we ask for Your direction and have faith that You are our God. In Jesus precious name. Amen

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 21st 2015 – I Knit You Together

Close up of knitted pink yarn with a pair of knitting needles --- Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:1-14)

When I read this verse, my mind wanders off to a turn of the century style living room, softly lit by a crackling fire. There is grandmother in this room, gently rocking back and forth in her maple rocking chair as she knits a sweater for a beloved grandson. I can see the expression on her face, as all her love is, for this moment focused on this new creation.

In her mind, she can picture how the sweater will look when it is finished, and the joy that it will bring to her grandchild’s heart. With anticipation, she continues to count (knit one, pearl two, knit one, pearl two) as the sweater begins take the form that she always imagined it to be. This project is not work for her, for it brings much joy to her soul and delight to her heart because each stitch is filled with love.

Now for a moment, think about how God knit you together in your mother’s womb. Our Father uses such a tender illustration of how He lovingly, and carefully created our being. He could have blasted us together, or snapped His fingers and we would have appeared, but He chose a more delicate process in which He could be intimately involved as He formed us in our mother’s womb…knit one, pearl two, knit one, pearl two. Stitch by stitch, loop by loop, each one of our parts was delicately and carefully crafted by Almighty God.

Your life is not the product of an impersonal evolution, but the result of a loving Father, who planned your creation before the foundations of the world, and took the time to knit you together in your mother’s womb. You are a masterpiece, and your very existence brings much joy to your Father’s heart.

Prayer

Father I thank You for creating my inmost being. I know each strand of my DNA was fashioned by You, stitch by stitch, loop by loop, with a love that called me to life. I was created in love, and for love. And in my heart, I want to express my love back to you for being such a wonderful Father to me that You would knit me together in my mother’s womb. In the name of Your beloved Son Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 20th 2015 – Brand New Day

images-125“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

I once heard a story about a man who was slowly losing his memory. After a lengthy examination, the doctor said that a risky operation on his brain might reverse his condition and restore his memory. However, the surgery would be so delicate that a nerve could be severed, causing total blindness.

The surgeon asked, “So, which would you rather have, your sight or your memory?” The man pondered the question for a while and replied, “My sight, because I would rather see where I am going than remember where I have been.”

Our enemy is always trying to dig up the past and keep us all bound up in our failures. Instead of focusing on what was, lets see what God’s Word has to say about it.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

4 Things You Must Do For a Fresh Start to Occur:

(1) Forget the former things. It will only weigh you down and keep you from where you are going.

(2) Do not dwell on the past. This just jumbles your mind with garbage. There’s no room for garbage when making a fresh start.

(3) Acknowledge the fresh start is a gift from God. He’s doing a new thing in you. “Do you not perceive it,” we are asked. Don’t miss it.Trust God. He’s making a new way for you. Haven’t you done it your way enough?

(4)Trust Him. Not for a quick fix, but in making a “new way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Be Encouraged! Today is a new day! Today and every day we have a choice to make! Like Paul, we must choose to press forward and put aside our past. We must purpose to keep our eyes on the Lord, not on our successes or failures, but upon on what can we do for Him today!

Prayer

Lord we place today in Your hands and trust You to direct our day until we place my head back onto our pillows to sleep.. Thank you for your presence in our lives. We love you. IN Jesus name. Amen..

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Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

August 18th 2015 – Pray with Amazement

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“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34:15)

When I was a boy, I wonderd how God could listen to so many prayers at the same time. How could He possibly hear each one and yet keep the babble of voices separate? And how could He answer those prayers when one person asks for rain and another for sunshine— both on the same day?

These problems no longer trouble me, even though I still can’t explain how God can respond to our prayers. I do know, however, that He is all-knowing and present everywhere, and that His wisdom and power are beyond our comprehension.

We don’t have to take turns coming to Him, nor must we wait for just the right opportunity. At any time and in any place we can lift our voices to the Lord with full assurance that He will hear us. And He does more than just receive our requests—He comprehends, He understands, and He perceives exactly what His children ask for in faith.

Has God heard you yet today? He invites you to make your requests known to Him. What a tragedy that so many of His children go through the day without uttering a single prayer to the One who takes pleasure in hearing their voices! Proverbs 15:8 says, “The prayer of the upright is His delight.” So pray. God listens!

There never is a night or day When God won’t hear us as we pray;

There is no time, there is no place, When He would withhold His love and grace. 

Prayer

Lord God, We want to thank You for hearing each and every prayer that we make to You., and we give praises to each prayer that You have answered. It still amazes me how even when it’s sometimes not the answer we may want, when we look back we can see that it’s is always what was best for us. We love You and we sing your praises. With love…  

In your precious name, Amen

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

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