In his desire to warn believers of the increasing numbers of false teachers and heresies that were bombarding the Church of his day, Jude wrote an letter of encouragement and advice, but he begins with a beautiful greeting; a prayer that has travelled down the centuries to the Body of Christ, and a humble request to God that mercy and peace and love be multiplied to all those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jude knew that the Church of his day was facing difficult days, and would be comforted and encouraged, knowing that he was praying for multiplied mercy, peace, and love for them. He also knew that giving them practical examples of how to live in these times, would be beneficial to them, and those around them This Prayer For Multiplied Blessings of mercy, peace, and love is equally needed today. Like Jude, we too should plead God's mercy on all His children, knowing that we also live in times when false teachers and doctrines in the churches of our day. Let us unite to plead God's mercy and peace and love on all Who are in Christ Jesus. Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we lift before You all those that are called by You and who have trusted in Jesus for salvation. Bless each one and may Your grace and mercy, peace and love, be abundantly poured out on them all. Keep all Your children under the shadow of Your wings in these difficult days in which we live, as we contend earnestly for the faith. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. Paul knew that the Lord was soon going to return and that we, like them, should remain content in the place where God has chosen to place us. We should conduct our lives in a manner that honors the Father and glorifies the Son, as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, Who dwells within the heart of each of His children and Who strengthens us in our inner being. Paul's pressing message was a practical exhortation to walk in holiness, brotherly love, and humble obedience before God, because the return of Christ for His Church was drawing closer. These believers were urged to walk as children of light and behave in a manner well-pleasing to God, and he gave the Thessalonians a list of instructions on godly living which is still as relevant and pressing today as it was two thousand years ago. He reminded them of the importance of treating our bodies as a sanctified vessel that honors the Lord. He pointed out how wrong it is to transgress against a brother or defraud him and reminded them that God abhors such behavior and is an avenger of such offenses. Never forget that We Are Ambassadors Of The Cross and representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are subjects of the King of kings and we are called and chosen to walk in a manner that is worthy of our calling. We are instructed to be holy because our Father in heaven in holy, and we are called to excel still more and more, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through Whom we are strengthened in our inner being according to the riches of God’s glory. and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we instructed you, Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, what a wonderful privilege that You should call such people as us into your own kingdom, and into Your glory. In the power of the Holy Spirit, We ask You to guide and direct us today, in all that we say and think and do. We pray we may live sanctified lives and walk in a worthy manner that brings glory to You. Keep us mindful of Paul’s teachings on living a spiritual life, and may we be witnesses of Your grace to all with whom we come in contact. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us. There are Lessons On Godly Living for men and women of all ages in Paul's letter to Titus, and we would all be well-advised to take to heart his guidelines for those in positions of authority within the church: "Encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity in doctrine. Be dignified in your teaching. Your message is to be sound in speech and beyond reproach so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us." Whether young or old, male or female, baby Christians or mature believers, we should all take to heart Paul's important teaching on godly living. May we be temperate, dignified, sensible, and sound in faith, while demonstrating love and perseverance. May we also be reverent in our behavior, circumspect, sober, and sensible, May we give encouragement to those that are younger than we are, while imitating the godly traits of those that are mature in the faith. Let us pray that in everything we show ourselves to be approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of truth and standing firm on godly principles. May we all become examples to others, in our day to day living. May we carry out righteous deeds for God's glory and remain pure in doctrine, dignified in sound speech, and beyond reproach in actions and attitude so that those who oppose us will be shamed into silence, and have nothing bad to say about us. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the valuable teachings we have in the book of Titus and the many instructions on righteous living and sound speech. We pray that we may live godly in Christ Jesus, and remain sound in doctrine. We ask that You would guide us into all truth and correct us from any errors. We pray that we might become living testimonies of Your goodness and grace, and be used by You to live lives that are beyond reproach, only saying and doing those things that honor Your holy name, to Your greater glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. Down through the centuries of time, Old Testament saints and New Testament believers have found comfort and encouragement in the psalms of David. The yearnings of his heart, that pepper the pages of his psalms, often reflect the same pain and pressure that causes men and women today to cry out to the Lord in their silent distress. Such comforting words provide solace for the soul and inject the will to press on, knowing that God is gracious and faithful and He will avenge His people and protect us under the shadow of His wing. Jesus told us that in this world we will have tribulation. People will trample on us, persecute us and oppress us day after day. At times we will feel alone, afraid, and in great anguish, but like David, we always have access to the throne of grace, for mercy to find help in times of need. His ear is never closed to His children and His eye is ever towards those that reverence Him. God often permits the people who trample over us, fight against us all day long, and cause us to go through such misery, to test our faith and produce patient endurance. They may be people who openly oppose us, or they may be unsaved men and women in need of salvation, for whom we ought to pray. But whatever the reason we are being encompassed about, trampled over and oppressed, we have an assurance that God Will Avenge Our Cause and those that hate us will know that He has loved us with an everlasting love. O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, what a joy it is to read through the book of Psalms and discover the jewels of encouragement and the gems of hope. Lord, You know those who are against us, especially those who are dead in sin, at enmity with You and in need of salvation. Father, we thank You that You are our God, and we trust You to bring us through the trials and temptations we are facing today, and pray that You would use us as testimonies of Your great goodness and grace. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. Multiple calls to prayer are found throughout Scripture, and many men and women in the pages of the Bible are also found travailing in prayer to God. We Are To Pray Without Ceasing, to pray everywhere, and to pray in spirit and truth. We are called to pray for our leaders. Prayer expresses a need that we are unable to satisfy. It is an acknowledgment that we live in total dependence upon the Lord. The essence of all prayer is an admission of utter helplessness combined with absolute confidence in God to supply all our needs according to His riches in His great glory. When we live in an attitude of prayer, when we pray without ceasing, we are simply maintaining the ongoing and constant attitude of simple, child-like trust and helpless dependence upon the Father. We are not to limit our prayers to those things that we consider appropriate, but we are to pray about all things with every kind of prayer, in the same helpless dependence upon God, knowing that He is not only willing and powerful enough to answer all our pleadings but, are trusting Him, in His wisdom, to do only that which is best for us. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Our United Prayer:
Loving Father, prayer is such a precious gift that You have given to us. Help us to live and pray in attitudes of helpless dependence on You. May we be alert and diligent in every kind of prayer. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. The Gospel of John proclaims with authority that Jesus Christ is the sovereign Word of God, the eternal Word of God, the creative Word of God, and the incarnate Word of God. John also announces that Christ is the Son of God John was a prophet with a magnetic personality who challenged the nation of Israel to repent of their sins: He drew many crowds and caused many backslidden Jews to repent of their sins and to return to the God of the fathers because the Lord and Light of the World, was about to be revealed. Many mistakenly began to think that John himself was the Light, but John the Baptist was not the Light. John was the man whom God had chosen to testify about the Light. John was the one chosen to bear witness of the Light. John was the one that testified that Jesus Christ Is The True Light Of The World. Today we who have trusted Christ as Savior are called, as was John, to bear witness to the LIGHT: Jesus Christ, the true Light that lights everyone who comes into the world. As we allow Christ to live His life in us, we are enabled to reflect the light of His love and to share the glorious gospel of grace with others in a lost world of deep darkness. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the witness of Your Word, and thank You for sending Jesus into the world to be the Light of the world and Savior of mankind. Help us to walk in the light as He is in the light and to let the light of His love shine through us to others so that our lives will be a true testimony to Jesus. Just as John the Baptist prayed, as he bore witness to Jesus, we pray that we may decrease and Jesus may increase in us, until He is all in all in our lives. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. Every piece of armor that we are given in the spiritual battle of the ages in which we are engaged, points to the Lord Jesus Christ. He holds all things together and in Him, we have all that is needed to face the forces of evil and spiritual wickedness in life on earth. It is by maintaining a simple trust in Him that we are able to thwart all the earthly thorns and thistles in life that seek to trip and to trap, to ensnare, undermine, and destroy our faith. The Sword Of The Spirit Is The Word Of God. The weapon that we are to use to defeat all our foes in this earthly walk is the Bible, provided for us by our Heavenly Father. The Lord gives us many precious promises and proclamations about His Word. With such a weapon as The Sword Of The Spirit, the many examples of Jesus Himself wielding that weapon so effectively, and the promises pertaining to the Word, to let us all buckle on the armor that God has provided, and firmly grasp hold of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, in both our heart and our hands so that we too may be able to stand firm in the in the days we live against the devil's wicked schemes. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the many provisions You have made for our protection against the evil enemy that seeks to defeat and destroy our trust in You. Thank You for our salvation, through faith in Jesus. Teach us Your Word so that we may be effective in our walk with You and our witness to others. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. In our Christian walk, we are not fighting a physical battle but a spiritual one, and God in His grace, has equipped us with a wide range of spiritual armor which when used correctly, will be able to extinguish all the fiery darts that come our way, be a protection to ourselves and others, and give glory to the Lord. Temptations and fiery trials, tribulation and stormy seas, irritation and deep disappointment, persecution and various people, will be used by many to burn our soul and shipwreck our testimony. Discouragement and unholy anger, doctrinal error and spiritual confusion, together with false teachings, moral failure, and self-recrimination, will flood our hearts if we step outside the protection of an unwavering faith in God and Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent. The enemy knows our weakest points and aims every one of his fiery darts at the bullseye of our human frailty. He will use fractured relationships, money concerns, health issues, the state of the nation, and anything else that may cause us to take our eyes off Jesus, and focus on the problem at hand. We will stand fast and Take Up The Shield-Of-Faith moment by moment, knowing that with it, we are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and stand victorious - by the power of His Spirit, which is given by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. There are many pieces of spiritual armor which God has prepared for our protection during our time on earth, and those that know their God and trust His Word will continuously carry that Shield-of-Faith - by taking every thought captive to Christ and Standing Firm On The Word Of Faith. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that You have fully equipped us to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, with such wonderful pieces of spiritual armour. Thank You for the Shield-of-Faith, with which we are enabled to extinguish all the flaming arrows and fiery darts of the evil one. Help us to stand fast on the promises of God and to keep our eyes looking to Jesus. Thank You that we have not only been saved by grace through faith in Him, but that in the power of the Holy Spirit we may live by grace through faith. Father, we pray that we will live by faith and not by sight, to Your eternal praise and glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. The very first piece of our protective covering is truth. Without the gospel of truth which comes from above, we believe a lie. Without the truth of the gospel of Christ, we are dead in our sins and condemned to an eternity without God. We are to bind the truth to our heart and meditate upon it day and night. We are to test all things by the Word of Truth and allow it to foster integrity in our hearts and faithfulness to our calling. We are to know the truth that comes from God and the truth will set us free. We are to speak the truth to others, in love, our strength is found in Christ and is bound up with the truth of God. Christ is our living Head and we are clothed in His own perfect righteousness and declared to be holy before God, by faith in Him. We are to maintain the pure covering of Christ's own purity, it is only as we perform practical righteousness in the power of the Holy Spirit that we become impregnable to the fiery darts of the lost. Let Us All Hold Fast To The Truth of the gospel of grace that was once delivered to the saints and Let Us All Stand Firm under the covering of Christ's own purity, wherewith we are clothed by faith. Therefore, let us take up the full armor of God so that we will be able to resist in the evil, and having done everything, we will be able to stand strong against the evil. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life and that we have been clothed in His own righteousness by grace through faith. As we live out our lives, we pray that we will walk in integrity, speak the truth in love, and be continuously clothed in Christ's own righteousness, so that we may stand up to the evil, and having done all to hear You say, "well done, good and faithful soldier," to Your praise and glory, AMEN. Paul had to address many concerning issues in the church at Corinth for there was much confusion there. There were divisions and immorality within the Body of Christ which led to internal law-suits and moral laxity, and he had to give some stern warnings against being squeezed into the world's mould. He had to remind them that their bodies were a temple of the Holy Spirit. Having exposed their worldly ways which did not honor the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul wanted to remind these born-again saints that their disorderly behavior and incessant bickering was dishonoring to the Lord and contradictory to His ways. They reflected the ungodly conduct of the unsaved who are still members of a fallen creation. Too often, we see that there is Disorder Among The People Of God and pandemonium can too readily become the norm within a local church fellowship, or the wider, the Body of Christ. Too often, ungodly actions are accepted or ignored, while spiritual gifts are abused when certain groups or individuals use their God-given gifts and talents for self-glorification or self-centered motives. Instead of exercising themselves circumspectly in order to glorify the Lord and build up the Body of Christ, they dishonor His name through their worldly ways. Too often we see the character or attitude of many Church leaders and their congregants becoming self-indulgent, while at other times we observe Christians being EITHER 1) overly critical of their fellow believers for insignificant things OR 2) prepared to compromise their Christian faith by refusing to address issues of spiritual importance which should not be ignored! There Should Be Unity In The Essentials Of Our Faith, liberty and Christian courtesy surrounding any non-essential doctrinal issues, and godly love and graciousness should be demonstrated in the actions and attitudes we show towards our brothers and sisters in Christ - knowing that: God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the words of instruction that are in our bibles. We pray that any ungodly or carnal attitude that we have developed in our Christian walk, would be identified and dealt with. Thank You that You are not a God of confusion. We pray that You would give us wisdom when we come across disunity within the Body of Christ so that we may know how to behave and what to do in a way that honors Your name and character. Help us to walk, day by day, in humility and godly righteousness to Your honor and glory. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. How important it is to be immersed in the Word of God and to search out the truths that are contained within its pages. There are, however, serious consequences of perverting the truth of the gospel of Christ with a false, legalistic gospel, and in this verse, Paul is fiercely criticizing and Condemning Those Who Do Not Teach The Truth. Many people today are seeking after signs and wonders. Many have been lured into believing a false gospel through dreams and visions, some of which come from 'angels', spirit messengers, or extra-dimensional beings. But anything and everything that distorts the clear gospel of Christ recorded in holy Scripture, must be strongly denounced and utterly rejected. There is only one message of salvation from our Father in heaven and that is: Salvation is a free gift of God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. A man or woman is saved entirely apart from works of the Law, without money or price, and without any legalistic requirements imposed by man or denomination, by apostle or prophet, by oneself, or even by an angel from heaven. God commissioned the teaching of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, to the apostle Paul, and we do well to Take Note Of His Sober Warning. May we never be tempted away from the glorious gospel of Christ which is clearly written in the unchanging Word of God. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the God-breathed Scriptures and the truth that they contain within their pages. Thank You that we are no longer under the Law, but we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Help us never to be enticed from this truth by another gospel. Give us discernment to recognize when the gospel of Christ is being compromised in any way. This we ask in Jesus' name, AMEN. Christ is the Head of the Body, which is The Church, and His headship over the Church is one of our Savior's many beautiful and glorious roles; a role which means so much to all who have been saved by grace through faith in Him. For ages and generations, this glorious mystery of the Church (which is the Body of Christ), was kept hidden from both human and angelic understanding. But through the teachings of Paul, we understand that every believer in Christ is a member of His spiritual Body (which is called the Church), and Jesus Christ is the Head of that Body. Every Believer In Christ Is A Member Of His Church. Christ is the Source of the Church, the Leader of the Church, the Head of the Church, and the Originator of the Church. Christ has promised to build His Church: "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against her." As the Head of the new creation and the Founder of the Church, Jesus Christ is also: "The Firstborn from the dead." Oh, there were others that had been brought back to life through the power of Almighty God, in both the Old and the New Testaments, but their lives on earth would ultimately end in death. But the Resurrection of Christ to eternal life, is unique in the history of mankind and magnifies His distinctive position in the human race as the second Man, the last Adam, the Head of the new creation, His Body, the Church. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, what a glorious truth that in Christ alone our hope is found, and by His death and Resurrection, we have an assurance that we will be raised incorruptible from the dead. Thank You that by grace through faith in Him, we have been imputed with His righteousness and have been made new creations in Christ. Thank You that we are members of His Body and that through His Resurrection, we too will be raised. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. Although we are strangers in a foreign land, we have an eternal hope set before us and an incorruptible inheritance reserved for us in heaven. Indeed, we who have trusted Christ and who have been saved by grace through faith in Him, have much about which to rejoice, despite the sobering truth that in this world all who live godly in Christ Jesus will face various trials and tribulations and may even have to face persecution and death. But praise God, for we have an assurance that we will be kept by the power of God, through faith for salvation. There were certain things that were not revealed to some faithful men of God, but were kept secret from before the foundation of the world. These were things concerning the Church (which is the Body of Christ), and God's great, eternal plan of redemption. It was concerning this salvation of which the Old Testament prophets desired to know and about which they longed to look into, but it was kept hidden from their understanding. But God in His wisdom gave them as much revelation as was meant for them to know, and raised up the apostle Paul to open up the mysteries of the Body of Christ, which is the Church: "Christ in you the hope of glory." Today, we have the full and final revelation of God contained within the holy Scriptures. Today, we have received all that God has chosen to reveal to the Church, just as He did with His faithful prophets of old. We may desire to look into certain things that remain a mystery to us, but we must never forget that in these last days God has spoken to us by His Son Whom He appointed Heir of all things and through Whom also He made the universe. We are called by the Father: "Listen to HIM." Let us, (The Church), Look To Jesus. Let us depend on Him and let His the holy Scriptures be our plumb-line for truth. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that You have seen fit to reveal to us all that we need for life and godliness in Christ Jesus, our Savior. Give us wisdom and understanding in this increasingly evil world. May we be content with all that You have revealed in Your Word and not seek to find out any secret knowledge that You, in Your wisdom, have chosen to be kept hidden. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. Union with the Lord Jesus can never be broken but fellowship with the Father can be broken when we allow sin to snatch control of our lives or when we choose to live in carnality, which reflects the values of the world and not the truth of God. Close communion with God is severed and fellowship with our Father is fractured when sin infects our heart, and we are not walking in spirit and in truth. Today there are many who claim to be 'spiritual' beings, but their claim is rooted in a worldly view of spirituality that is opposite of biblical spirituality and can never be reconciled with true spirituality. Such claims are in opposition to the truth and are incompatible with the character of a holy sinless God. While some unbelievers falsely claim to have fellowship with God, which is only possible through faith in Christ, Christians may also falsely claim to have fellowship with the Father. But God, Who dwells in sinless light can never commune with a soul who walks in the darkness of unconfessed sin. Similarly, when a Christian claims to have fellowship with our sinless God when walking in the darkness of unconfessed sin is equally a lie, it is not practicing the truth. Such claims from believers deny the absolute perfection of our sinless God Who can have no fellowship with sin. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, thus restoring us back into communion with the Father. But if we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. Let us from this day forward, We Must Walk In Spirit And In Truth, to His honor and glory. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. Our United Prayer:
Loving Father we desire to keep in communion with You and not to flirt with the agents of darkness. There are times that our hearts have been divided and we know that darkness and light cannot walk together. Keep us close to You and help us to fly to You and confess our sins the moment we start to stray, so that our fellowship with You is quickly restored. Father, we want to learn to practice the truth today, so that we may grow in grace and in fellowship with You, in Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. God hates sin, and God cannot look on sin. God cannot have fellowship with sinners, nor can God ever endorse anything that emanates from our old sin nature, good or bad. Anything that is produced through our 'Old Man' is tainted with sin and is produced from our former, fallen, fleshly nature and has 'Me, Myself, and I' at the core of its nature. Though all our sins are forgiven and removed far from us, and though God remembers our sin no more, while we live in a fallen body of flesh and blood, we have not become sinless. "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." The power to live godly in Christ Jesus comes from Christ Himself, we received His life in us. We do not become Christ, nor do we attain to sinless perfection. Never: " If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." But in Christ, the power of sin has been broken and The Truth Will Set Us Free. Let us choose to live our lives as unto Him, quickly confessing any sinful acts or attitudes so that we may quickly be restored into fellowship with the Father. May we grow in grace, day by day, looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that when Christ died, He paid the price for our sins and broke the power of sin in our lives. In Him, we have fellowship with You and free access to the throne of grace. We confess that we have not always walked in spirit and truth but have given in to the temptations to follow the desires and cravings of our own hearts. We are sorry for doing things that were displeasing to You and omitting to do those things that were pleasing to You but thank You that You are faithful and just to forgive all our sins and to keep on cleansing us from unrighteousness. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. |
Prayer
We are a growing group of people praying daily for and with others. We were led to start an online ministry to deliver what is needed more now than ever, a place where you can go to easily to submit a prayer request or requests involving others to pray for your needs. The Power of Prayer. Matthew 18:20- For where two or more come together in my name, there I am among them. You are never alone in prayer. The Power Of Numbers Praying.
We ask you to pray for this ministry, for its success in helping others in need of prayer. Archives
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