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Like worldly ambitions of today, the pagans of Paul's time engaged in transient aspirations and pursued goals that were temporary. Often their hope was founded on a wealthy fortune, an esteemed lineage, one's position in society, and things like education, courage, academic debate, and physical fitness. Paul's teaching to Timothy about 'the end times' in 1 Timothy 4 has been of immense value to Christians, through centuries of time. If only we would expend the same devotional and commitment in developing godliness as an athlete does when exercising his or her body, we would lay up for ourselves eternal treasure. We should recognize that godlikeness is a noble pursuit that holds promises for this present life as well as the one that is to come. While there are certain similarities between Physical And Spiritual Development, like discipline and endurance, the earthy tribute is a crown that quickly fades. The wealth and success, fame and fortune, pleasures and achievements, honors and acclamation that the world offers, is but for a moment before it passes away forever. But the Christian that presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, through devotion to Christ and the pursuit of godliness, will receive a crown that lasts forever. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and the wisdom it contains. Help us to remember that physical discipline is only of little benefit, but that godliness is profitable for all things. Help us to walk in spirit and truth, grow in grace, mature in the faith, and seek after godliness, knowing that it is not only beneficial in this present life but provides eternal benefit in the life to come. We pray that You would give us the strength and courage to live lives of Godliness and to trust in You for all things. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN.
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We Are To Build Our Lives On The Right Foundation. We are to stand on the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Rock of our salvation. We are to build our life with the right materials, which are the spiritual gems of wisdom and Godly nuggets of truth that are found in the Word of God. The first example is one who lives as unto the Lord by walking in spirit and truth, and who will receive rewards at the judgment seat of Christ. These rewards are for works that were carried out in the spirit. The second example is a one who lives according to self, resulting in fleshly works, an unspiritual, immature Christian life, and a loss of reward. This loss of rewards happens because of works that God had prepared in advance for us to carry out in His power, but which were fulfilled in the energy of the flesh. As believers, we are all saved by grace through faith, but if we live our Christian life in our own strength and not in dependence upon the Lord Jesus, we will still be saved but we will suffer loss, for the wood, hay, and stubble that results from works of the flesh will be consumed in the fire that tests each of us. The soul of the believer will be saved, yet as through fire. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, teach us, we pray, to walk in spirit and truth and to live as spiritual people and not as carnal Christians. Teach us to live our lives as unto You. May our lives remain nailed to the Cross, and may our new lives in Christ do only those things that are honoring to You. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. Paul is a great example of a man who always tried to encourage and edify the saints, while ensuring that he did not compromise the truth of the gospel of grace. Paul knew that He had been called to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery: "Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." So, God's chosen apostle of the Lord, who was called to declare to Jew and Gentile alike the wisdom of God (which had been kept hidden glory before time began), and the glorious destiny to which we have been called, opened his scriptures to these believers with grateful thanks to God through Jesus Christ for them all. Paul thanked God that Their Faith Was Spoken Of throughout the whole world. May we adopt this attitude of humility in the work to which God has called us, and thank God that He is building His Church and that we are granted, by grace, to be fellow-laborer's in His vineyard. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that we are new creations in Christ and that You have placed us in the corner of Your vineyard for Your good pleasure, and gifted us in the work that You would have us to do. Keep us from imagining that we are the only real laborers You have called to witness and work to Your praise and glory. Help us to rejoice in the work that you are doing in the lives of so many believers in so many ways. Help us to be encouragement to others in the work we do and the words we say, to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. In its historical context this verse is mainly towards the nation of Israel, there is much that we can learn from these inspired words of Scripture and much that we can apply in our own lives during this Church dispensation. How we praise our Heavenly Father for Calvary: that our sins are forgiven, that there is no more condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, that we have been placed in union with Christ, and accepted forever in the Beloved. How important to know the Scriptures That Are Written For Our Learning, and to read, mark, learn, inwardly digest, and apply their godly instruction during this age of grace, and to rightly divide the Word of truth so that we may grow in grace and in a knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How important to trust the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father Whose promises will one day be finally and forever fulfilled and His promises toward His Church will never fail. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word of truth. Help us to read it with understanding and to learn all the lessons that You would teach us. We pray that we may live godly lives to Your praise and glory, as we look forward to that day when we will finally receive our promised times of refreshing, and we will all worship together at Your feet. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. There is one God, the Lord our God is One; one immortal, invisible, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, holy, and eternal God. He alone is to be worshipped. He alone is the Lord, and He will not share His glory with another. But that one God is manifested in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Spirit breathes life into the sinner saved by grace through faith in Christ, and removes him from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Christ. He provides redemption, sanctification, justification, and ultimately glorification. He clothes each one in the garments of grace and dresses each child in heavenly robes of redemption and righteousness. He takes up permanent residence within the body of each believer as a down-payment of God's rich and eternal promises. All the three members of the eternal, holy Trinity bear record in heaven that: "God has given us (mankind) eternal life, and this life is in His Son." Each Person of the Trinity: Father, Son, And Holy Spirit, bear record in heaven of the truth of God's Word, which is the will and testimony concerning the incarnate Son of God. The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost unite to witness that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The witness of one immortal, invisible, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, holy, and eternal God stands fast for ever and ever, these Three are One. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the amazing truth that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again the third day so that all who believe in Him might not perish but be forgiven of our sins and receive life everlasting. Thank You that Your truth is settled forever in heaven. We give glory to the Father; We praise and worship the Son, Jesus Christ the righteous, and we lift up our voices in praise and thanksgiving to the Spirit for ever and ever, AMEN. The chronicles of old and the writings of Moses recorded the many times when God had protected His people and had become their safe hiding place and a protective shield from the assault of the enemy. But the Psalmist trusted the whole counsel of God and believed that His future promises of deliverance of His people was faithful and true, although he recognized that he may have to wait for its final fulfilment. The Psalmist had learned that the Word of the Lord is trustworthy and true, and though the fulfilment of God's Word may tarry, he would wait for it patiently for it will surely come. The Lord is no less our Shield and Hiding Place in this world in which we live. He is still our Rock of defense and our Strong Tower in these troublesome times, and His precious promises to all His children continue as he continues to be Our Protective Shield. You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our hiding place. Help us to abide in You, day by day. Thank You that You are our Shield and Defender. Help us to remain covered in the spiritual armor of God so that we may stand fast in Christ. Thank You that Your Word of truth is altogether sure and can never fail. Help us to patiently endure the trials and difficulties of life, knowing that the day is fast approaching when Jesus will come to take us to be with You, Whom to know is life eternal. To You be all praise and glory. In Jesus’ name, AMEN. There are many times we cry out to the Lord for His healing touch in our lives and on our bodies. We often call out to God for some restorative miracle for a friend, family member or acquaintance who has been struck down with a serious health issue, but often we forget to give God the thanks and praise for His healing touch in our lives, and for health restored. Too often we simply commend the skill of the doctor or applaud the success of the prescribed medication, or we just rejoice for the health-giving supplement that was recommended for our complaint, by a caring friend. Often as we intercede about a disability, distresses, cares, or concerns of others, God sends wonderful answers to our prayers which affect many areas of our own life and have a positive and productive effect in the lives of many others. How necessary it is to Always Recognize The Hand Of God, Touching Lives Through Prayer. Mornings of joy follow every night of weeping, but when a threatening illness has been reversed by God's grace and healing hand has brought life-giving health and strength, we should never forget to thank Him and to extol His holy name for His kindness in raising us up into health and wholeness. May we be ready to sing praises to the Lord, day and night, and not forget to give Him the thanks and glory due His name, when specific prayers have been answered. LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the many times You restore health and strength to those who are sick. Thank You for the doctors, nurses, surgeons, and medics You use to bring healing to sick souls, and for the amazing medications and healing supplements that so often bring restoration to a sick body or diseased mind. May we never forget to bring our needs and petitions to You in prayer first, and may we never forget to give You the praise and glory due when health has been restored, for You are the healer and You provide all the life-giving curatives for every illness. Thank You that our times are in Your hands, and help us to trust You even when physical healing does not come. May we always remember to sing praise to Your holy name and not remain silent, but give thanks to You forever and ever. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. It is an amazing privilege as well as a huge responsibility to realize that as Christians our frail, human body is a temple of God. One result of trusting in Jesus as Savior is to have God's Holy Spirit come and take up permanent residence within our mortal frame. We can live our lives in our own strength rather than abiding in the power and strength of Christ, but the house we build will be of wood, hay, and stubble, which will finally be burned up. In this case, we would be eternally saved, but would have laid up no treasure in heaven, in us there is no good thing. Or we can choose to submit to the Holy Spirit, die to self, and live to Christ so that it is God Who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure. The Constant Works Of The Holy Spirit in all Church age believers, from the moment we are saved, is a blessing of such magnitude, it is hard to comprehend. Let us recognize the amazing privilege, huge responsibility, and serious truth that the Spirit of God has taken up permanent residence in our bodies and live our lives as unto the Lord. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we are beginning to understand the incredible privilege and the serious consequences of having Your Spirit dwelling in our bodies. We pray that we may live worthy of the callings to which we have been called. Help us live our lives from this day forward, as unto the Lord. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. The miracles Christ performed, His sacrificial death, His glorious Resurrection, and His Ascension into heaven to sit on the right hand of God the Father, are a few of the prophecies within Peter's sermon, when he quoted David's words about Christ . That God would not abandon His soul to Hades, nor would He allow Christ Jesus, the Holy One of God, to decay in the grave. Instead, He rose from the dead in a physical body of flesh and bone, His blood had been shed at Calvary, in full and final payment for the sins of the whole world. Praise God that because HE rose we too will rise to life-immortal. May we be ready to witness to those souls that are lost and remain dead in trespasses and sins, so that they TOO may hear the good news of the Gospel and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and become part of that redeemed multitude that has been saved by grace through faith in Christ. because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the prophetic witness in Scripture concerning Christ's first advent, and the many passages that were literally fulfilled as witness to this truth. Thank You that Jesus is coming again, and for the many prophetic passages the remind us of His soon return. May we be ready to meet Him, when He returns in the clouds for His Church, and help us to witness to those who do not yet know Him as their Savior and Lord, so that they will have an opportunity to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting. This we ask in Jesus' precious name, AMEN. The universal truth that ALL Have Sinned and ALL fall short of the glory of God applies to every member of humanity, no-one is exempt. Not only are we condemned for sins of the flesh, like murder, hatred and adultery, we are also condemned for our prideful thoughts, works of the flesh, self-righteous attitudes, and failure to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and honor Him as we ought to every day of our lives.. This is quite a shocking concept to the human heart. We all like to gloss over our faults and magnify our qualities, embellish our gifts and exaggerate our graces! The shocking truth is that the guilty man or woman, who is justly condemned, is justified freely by God’s grace, which is based on the redemption price that was paid, in full, at Calvary. We Can Be Forgiven of our sin by faith in the shed blood of the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Who takes away the sins of the world. May we reject all that is evil and live and work for His praise and glory, every day of our lives. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  Our United Prayer:
How we praise and thank You, Father, that we who are guilty sinners and deserving of death and eternal separation from You, have been justified freely by Your grace, through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. As born again believers, the old life that we received from Adam, through our earthly parents, was crucified with Christ on the Cross of Calvary and must remain nailed to the Cross if we are to stand fast in our new-life-in-Christ, walk in newness of life, and be led by the Holy Spirit of God. Christ identified with our sinfulness so that His death would become our death; death to all that belonged to our past heritage in order that His resurrected life would become our new-life-in-Christ. As born again believers, we receive a new nature that needs to be nurtured and fed throughout our earthly Christian walk, and it is only accomplished in The Power Of The Holy Spirit. Before we received the freedom to walk in spirit and truth through faith in Christ, we were in bondage to a law that we could not keep and a fleshly nature that we could not control. But the Law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ so that all that is of the fleshly 'self' could be put-away in Him and remain nailed to the Cross. And that means all that is of Christ may manifest itself in our lives as we walk in spirit and truth and are led, moment by moment, by the Holy Spirit of God. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ and are no longer under the Law, but under grace. Thank You that our old, fallen nature was crucified with Christ on the Cross. We pray that it will remain nailed to the Tree so that we may be led by the Spirit of God and walk in newness of life. Keep us, we pray, from fleshly inclinations and legalistic practices that place us back in bondage to our old sin nature and the works of the flesh. Help us to live and move and have our beings in You so that we can say as Paul did, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave himself for me." In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. There are about 150 passages in the Word of God that state unequivocally that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's finished work on the Cross alone. Sadly there are some that cause confusion in the Body of Christ by teaching that without water baptism a man or woman is not saved, and they often cite this verse as evidence. And yet, if our eternal salvation is dependent on water baptism it stands in contradistinction to the clear teaching of the rest of the Word of God, and it indirectly declares that Christ's finished work on the Cross is insufficient for our eternal salvation, requiring us to add to His finished work. As Paul would say: "May this never be!" From the foundation of the world, the shed blood of the Lamb of God was God's demanded purchase price for the salvation of all mankind, and although the waters of baptism are a most beautiful picture of the inner cleansing that results when a person is saved by grace through faith in Christ, if it is a requirement for salvation in addition to Christ finished work at Calvary, it proclaims that His finished work was insufficient to pay the full price for the sin of the whole world. It is indeed a precious truth that we read in Mark: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved," but the rest of the verse is also a severe warning: "but he who does not believe will be condemned." Water Baptism is simply an outward and public demonstration of an inner, work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, which takes place in the life of a man or woman who trusts in Christ for salvation. The very moment that a guilty sinner who has recognized his or her need of salvation, places their faith in Christ as their own sin-substitute, that man or woman is saved. The instant a guilty sinner who recognizes their need of salvation, puts their trust in Christ as their own Redeemer, that man or woman is Immediately Baptized By The Holy Spirit and is taken out of Satan's domain and placed into the Body of Christ. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You that Christ's sacrificial work on the Cross is sufficient for our salvation. Thank You that we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and received salvation. In Jesus' name, AMEN. When the love of Christ begins to permeate our bodies and transform our nature following our great salvation, we will grow in grace and in a knowledge of Him. The healing that flows from His nail-pierced hand is a streaming flood of forgiveness and grace, that is as effective today as it was on that day when His hands were wounded for our transgressions and He took the full force of God's wrath upon Himself, in our stead. He gave us life, the Spirit of life, newness of life, eternal life, and abundant life, because of the depth of His loving-kindness and compassion. Because of the greatness of God's love for humanity, He stretched wide His everlasting arms of love and willingly gave up His life for His friends - for you and for me. There is nothing we can do, in and of ourselves, to assist God's transforming work in our life, except submit to Him and acknowledge that it is through His goodness and grace, that we are being changed from glory into greater glory, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Salvation Comes Through Christ Alone! He was appointed by the Father of love, to fulfil God's wonderful plan of salvation through the justification, sanctification, and glorification of ALL who simply trust in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,  Our United Prayer:
Thank You, Father, for Your Love towards us, and for the abundance of Your gift of Life, which is our, simply through faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus, and His work on the Cross. As we contemplate Christ dying on the Cross in our place, we are overwhelmed with grateful thanks and heartfelt praise for all that He has done for us. We pray that in the power of the Spirit of love, we may live our lives in ways that are pleasing to You, so that through us, Your life-giving love may stream out to those that are lost and hurting. In Jesus' name we Pray, AMEN. Paul prophesied of moral decay, societal degeneration, and an increasing advance towards every form of ungodliness, such that the influence of evil and wickedness would be seen to permeate every area of society and would even infect the Christian Church itself. And Paul gave clear, concise instructions to Christians living in: "The end times," and outlines our responsibility to God and our duty toward others. We Are To Keep Our Eyes Looking To Jesus so that we may finish the race that God has set beforeBut mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. each one of us, whatever that race may be, and he also reminds us that there is a crown of righteousness laid up for all who long for His return. Today, we are much closer to the return of Christ than the disciples in those early days of Christianity, when the perilous times in which we live began. But down through the ages, there have been men and women who have read and understood this passage, and faithfully carried out Paul's final instructions to the Church before his death. They too were living in the last days as the Scripture indicates, and they too took heed of the instructions that were given to the Body of Christ in this final epistle of Paul. May we in like manner fulfil our responsibility to God and our duty towards our fellow man as we look steadfastly to Jesus, study His Word, fulfil the ministry that God has given each of us, and continue to look for His any day appearing, knowing that very soon Christ will be coming in the clouds to take us to be with Himself, before He finally pours our His wrath during that future time of great tribulation. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  Our United Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the wisdom and warnings that Your Word contains. I pray that in these perilous times, I will take heed to the instructions of Paul and not try to walk in my own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith. In Jesus' name, AMEN. Though salvation is conditional on the repentant sinner turning to Christ, this beautiful passage gives assurance that it is never too late to look to the Lord Jesus and live. It demonstrates that Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, and is not dependent on any liturgical sacraments, baptismal rituals, good works, man-made doctrines, or legalistic requirements. It is faith in the Person, the Work, and the Word of the Savior that secures for us the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. It was by the sin of the first Adam that paradise was lost, the way to the Tree of Life barred and guarded by mighty angels with flashing swords, and it was by the sacrifice of the second Adam that paradise was regained, and the way to the Tree of Life was once again flung wide open, to whosoever will believe. The door to paradise was unbarred and the gates of heaven were thrown wide open to this repentant sinner who hung next to our Lord, for he gained the right to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God, simply because he trusted in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. For as it is written: "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Our United Prayer:
Thank You, Father, for the gift of salvation that is given to all that trust in the name of the Lord. We thank You that the way into the paradise of God has been reopened through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our sins, past, present, and future, have all been forgiven simply because we trusted on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In His name we Pray, AMEN. |
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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.
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