Tag Archives: Spiritual Gifts

March 28th 2020 – Pruning and Bearing More Fruit

“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.” (Romans 7:5)

The technological advancements made by mankind in the last century or even the last 20 years are astounding. Yet with all our technology, we still have to wait for lettuce to ripen and for olives to mature. Lettuce ripens a month and a half after planting, but for an olive the wait is at least four years. Some of us, like the lettuce, are maturing quickly while others, like olives, are improving more slowly. Something changed in you when you were saved, and still… God is making changes to you.

“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Romans 7:6)

We should all be bearing fruit. There may be times that you need to endure pruning before you bear fruit. Pruning redirects energy to the right places. If you are not being fruitful, maybe you need to redirect energy toward the Lord. Don’t just come to church, be the church. Be praying, giving, serving – joining hands with your church to achieve something far greater than any one of us could achieve alone.

“Christianity is not do-it-yourself religion. Its a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and fellowship with the family.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me. Give me the desire to grow in righteousness through the washing of Your Word, in serving You and prayer. Help me to love and serve others in the place where You want me to grow and bear good fruit. 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 7th 2020 – 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 facing 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 just 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.

Do trust Jesus enough with your life? You should, Jesus died on the cross for you and me. He loves us and wants to help us. If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior please click here 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, pleaseClick Hereand we will pray for you..

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 14th 2019 – When We Give

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“Then Peter said, Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking, leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:6-8)

Many times we try to give what we think others might need, but as we see in this story, Peter didn’t have any money on him, he had something better. He had the power of the Name of Jesus, and with that Name he was able to see a miracle happen.

So don’t always look for what you don’t have, look for what you do have. What’s that in your hand? You might say, well I don’t have a hundred dollars to give to the work of my church, but God will always say “what do you have?” If you’ve got five and you’re willing to give that with a cheerful heart, God sees it just like it was a hundred.

You might say, well I don’t have the time to help in the children or teen ministry. Yet maybe you can help on special events or once and a while. “Give What You Have” and give it from your heart. God our Father doesn’t look at the outside, He looks at the heart.

Do you remember the poor widow who gave the two pennies? She had so little but Jesus said she gave so much. Many try to say, so all I have to do is give a little like that poor widow did? Well, no! The scripture said she gave all that she had. So what do you have today? Give that and watch God give you such an increase that it will just amaze you.

“The only things we can keep are the things we freely give to God.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Today, I give what I have and I give it from my heart. You were never looking for us to give what we don’t have, just to give what we do have. I have learned that as I give (not out of obligation, but wanting to give) more of my time, my talents, and my treasure, You God, always reward me with blessings much greater than what I freely gave to further Your Kingdom. You always amaze me Lord. Thank You for teaching me to give in this way.. 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.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 6th 2019 – YOUnique Gifts & Talents

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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.

“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.” (Romans 12:3)

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:

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

October 30th 2019 – Why Would God Choose Us (Part 1 of 5)

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“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27)

When you look through the stories of the Bible, one thing stands out, and that is that God doesn’t do things like the world does. He operates the way He wants to and nobody is going to tell Him differently. We see this so clearly in the type of people that He uses. He doesn’t go for the high and mighty, He goes for the low and humble, and makes them into who He wants them to be. For the next few days I want us to look at different people in the Bible and see how God chose them and used them.

King David: David was a young man that watched his father’s sheep. One day when the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of his sons to be the next king of Israel, his father never even called him to come in to meet this great man of God. Yet after Samuel went through all of David’s brothers he asked if there was another. Look at what the Bible says:

Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” (1 Samuel 16:10-12)

David’s father might have passed him up, but God didn’t. At times you might feel like you were passed up, but stay faithful and close to God your Father, because He is the one that has great plans for you. He never misses the one that He wants and what He is looking for is a person with a pure heart. So today, be that person. Yes, why not you?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, It is You Lord that promotes and makes us strong, so today my trust is in You. Lord God, You will get me to the place that You want us to be. Thank You for all you do. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

As King David faced Giants in his life, so will we. Don’t face them alone.. if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, please click here to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here and we will pray for you..

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

June 13th 2019 – Reignited

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“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)

Have you ever watched a fire begin to burn down to the point that all you have left are coals? It looks as though there is no fire actually left, because the coals may be under a layer of ash. You can’t really see much. But when you take a fresh log and toss it on top of those coals and stir it around a bit, suddenly it ignites, and you have a whole new fire going.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). That phrase stir up the gift means to fan it into full flame.

There may be live coals in your life, but you have allowed the fire to go down. You haven’t been using the gifts that God has given you, the talents He has given you. It’s time to fan them into full flame again. It’s time to be reignited. It’s time to say, “Lord, how can I use what You have given me for Your glory until You return?”

It’s easy for our Christian faith to go stale. We say the right words and go through the right motions while having a cold heart toward God. One thing that causes our faith to become stagnant is we forget that Christianity is not about a set of ideas; it’s about the most important person in all history – Jesus Christ, who came from heaven to earth not only to provide a way for us to escape hell after we die, but also to show us a better way of living before we leave this world.

We need to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. If we will humble ourselves and take what we have and offer it to God, if we are willing to do what He has set before us and be faithful in the little things, then He will give us more to do.

Any time you take a chance, you can fail. But it’s better to try than to never have anything happen in your life. I would rather try and fail than never try at all.

“It’s time to be reignited.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your love for me and the faith that has grown in my heart. I ask that You fan my flame and ignite my faith into a towering infernal for you Lord! I want to use my life and talents to please You. Help me share Your love and the message to others. Keep my heart full of faith during in the often trials of my life, that I may be on fire to inspire others and glorify Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Seeking a personal relationship with Jesus?

If you do not know Jesus personally, I encourage you not to pass up the precious gift of His love and eternal life. Jesus died on the cross for you and me. He loves us and wants to help us. If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior please click here 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

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

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

June 4th 2019 – Strong Hands

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“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Be strong and finish the task! Ever since the laying of the foundation of the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you have heard what the prophets have been saying about completing the building.” (Zachariah 8:9)

When the world is looking for strength in a person, the ones that come to mind are our military professionals, emergency responders, athletes or the well known CEOs who exhibit power and endurance. These men and women work hard to push through and accomplish their goals. Granted we can learn from those who have done these things, yet God points us in a different direction when we are looking for strength. In Zechariah chapter 8, God tells Israel to “let your hands be strong,” but He does not just leave it at that. He points them to the source of their power.

“These words by the mouth of the prophets,”

God, in essence, is telling Israel to be strong because He has spoken promises over His people that can be trusted. When they face difficulty in rebuilding the temple or face trials from other nations, they can be strong because God said that He would one day bless them in a mighty way. This is great for Israel to hear, and yet this Truth is the same for us. Throughout the Scriptures, God has spoken promises over us. Each one can be held on to with complete confidence that it will come to pass, because they are the words of a God who cannot lie. These promises from God are to be trusted above our emotions, above our circumstances and above the wisdom of the world. These words from the Lord will drastically change our lives – if we believe them with all our heart and trust in the One who spoke them.

“When we are weak and hurting, Our strength is found in the Word of God.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I praise You today for the power of Your Word to change my life. Thank You for the promises of Scripture that are for my good. Thank You for the corrections in the Bible that help me to become more like Jesus. Teach me to trust in each one more and more each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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

Interested in experiencing forgiveness and love found in Jesus? Please click here to learn more about how to ask Jesus into your heart. 4 Simple Steps to Jesus

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

May 13th 2019 – We Need Each Other

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“And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” (1 Corinthians 12-21)

This week chances are real good that you’ve been out to the market to get some groceries. Without really thinking about it, each week we go to the store to get food then drive home all the while taking for granted that the store will be there the next time we run out. But what if it wasn’t? What if the stores closed or ran out of food? Now, I’m not saying this to cause alarm, but I am trying to paint a picture of just how dependent we are on one another.

Each one of our lives impacts those around us and this fact is even greater inside the church. You see, God created the body of Christ to function together. Without the feet, there would be no walking and without the eyes, there would be no seeing. God did not make us to work apart but rather together as one. Yes, we all have different pasts, pains and problems but God is greater than that. With His Spirit in each of us, we can find the power to work together for the sake of His Kingdom.

“We need God and we need each other.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for my friends and family and for the church. Thank You for those who are united under the name of Jesus to love one another and to help each other. Father, I pray that You would help me take my eyes off myself and to focus them on You. As I do that I will find strength and unity as the body of Christ. 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

April 22nd 2019 – Stop Making Excuses

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“Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.” (Jeremiah 1:6-7)

God knows everything about us… what we’ve done, what we will do – it’s a hard thing to really grasp. In spite of all this, He still wants to use us. Many times God’s plan for our lives does not jive with our own plan for our lives. We may say things like, We are too young or too old, we might feel were not gifted in some skill, one that we think we need to answer God’s request. Maybe we think it’s going to cost lots of money.

What do we do then? Jeremiah wanted God to accept the excuse that he’s too young and inexperienced to do what God has called him to. God on the other hand, God knew exactly what Jeremiah was capable of. He chose Jeremiah not because of what Jeremiah wanted to do, but because of what He could do through Jeremiah.

Have you been handing God excuses? “Lord, I know You want me to do this but…” How can you say “Lord” and “but” in the same sentence? You certainly shouldn’t. It’s one or the other. Either He is Lord of your life or He isn’t. If you are throwing out excuses not to do what God has asked you to do, maybe you need to consider just who is Lord of your life?

“God’s will leads to blessing; our selfish will leads to destruction.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me. Forgive me for times when I’ve given You excuses instead of hearing, believing and doing. Please show me areas of my life where I am saying “but” to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Do you have a relationship with Jesus?

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

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

April 3rd 2019 – God’s Gift To You

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“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

We all know that pride is a dangerous thing. It causes damage to others and leads to division and bitterness. But, do you know what is even worse than pride? Spiritual pride. You see, God has gifted each and every one of us with spiritual gifts that we can use for the benefit of the body of Christ. Unfortunately, it can be easy to begin thinking it was our power to begin with.

I have some unsaved friends that have some amaizing gifts, some are incredible muscians, auto mechanics, one is even artist with very unique talents. I also have very unique talents that I had many years before becoming saved, I continue to use these gifts to share Gods word and love.

We can almost always use our talents to share Gods love. For example, the musician can write and preform songs that glorify the Lord. The artist can make art that represents Jesus love for humanity. You see, we can always show Gods love through our talents and bless people.

Just like salvation is a gift from God and not by works, the same is true with our gifts. We did not earn our gifts, and God does not show favoritism. Each spiritual gift is just that, a gift. It was given from a loving God who desires to equip you and me to share the Gospel with a hurting world. If we begin thinking we are the source of that power, we can be a hindrance to the Kingdom as well as our own spiritual growth.

“Our spiritual gifts do not come from us, they come from God.”

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 at times I have been ungrateful for talents and spiritual 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. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Thank You for His work in my life. Father, help me to continue to use my talents and gift for Your glory and not my own. I praise You for Your forgiveness and love and pray for opportunities to share Your Gospel with the world. I offer You all of my life. In Jesus’ 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.

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

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

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