Praying for other believers

I believe that oftentimes, we judge other believers more than we pray for them. We see what they do outside of church, how they act, and we judge. We forget the part that they were at church with us! I mean sometimes it might just be a big show for someone to go to church, but the fact of the matter is, we are all struggling with something and there is no perfect Christian.

I believe that it's crucial to pray for believers (and nonbelievers of course) that we know. 

I believe it's also important to pray for believers and leaders at all churches across the world. 

Paul writes in the book of Colossians about praying for other believers. Paul prayers teach us how to pray for others, whether we know them or not. We can request that:

They begin to..

1. understand God's will

2. gain spirutal wisdom

3. please and honor God

4. bear good fruit

5. grow in the knowledge of God

6. be filled with God's strength

7. have great endurance and patience

8. stay full of Christ's joy

9. give thanks always

My encouragement and what I really hope you take away from this post this evening are some simple ways that we can start to pray for others. Once we start praying for others like Paul did, God will be so pleased with our obedience and commitment to loving him above all.

Please stop judging others and please stop judging other believers. Everyone is always going through something.

A secret to discover

What if I told you that there was a great secret to discover? Would you try and figure it out?

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12) 

The great secret is the ability to be content in any and every situation. Which is hard, but it's something that we need to start putting effort into. Because as soon as we can be content, we can begin to do all things through Christ that gives us strength. 

Notice that verse is before one of the most famous in the bible...Philippians 4:13. 

So it's often overlooked. 

Oftentimes it might not see like we can do all things because we can get easily down when things aren't going well. 

The great secret that I want all of us to be able to discover is contentment with all things. We can't base our contentment off of our circumstances. We have to base it off our relationship and our trust in God. 

When things go south for me, or I have a bad day, I remain content because I know that life isn't perfect. I also remain content because I know that God is faithful. God is also very good. If things don't go as I planned them to go, I know that whatever ends up happening is God's plan, not mine. 

I want Philippians 4:13 to be so true in your life. I want you all to be able to say that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! There is power in that. But first we have to find joy and contentment in every circumstance that we face. 

We can't do all things until we make that decision to trust God with all of our hearts, minds, and strength. 

My encouragement to you this afternoon is to start training yourself to find the joy in all things. Once we do that, the presence of Christ will become so much more present in our lives. 

What we've already attained

A common excuse that I hear believers say all the time is this: We still have so much to learn. 

How is that an excuse you might ask? Too often, I believe that we are lagging in how our faith grows because we never think we know enough. We let the belief that we don't know anything hinder the belief that there are things that we have learned.

For example, I remember there being plenty of times throughout my life when I would sit down with a mentor and they would ask me what I felt like the Lord was teaching me. Of course I usually had something to say, but after a few minutes of trying to come up with new things I always felt lost. I felt that way because I don't know everything. The Bible is a really long book...

So I used to feel discouraged about it, thinking to myself, I will never know everything. 

What did I already know? All those times I met with mentors or friends? I knew that Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I knew that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and that the second greatest command is to love others and treat everyone equally. 

If I were to continue walking in my faith focusing on what I didn't know, I wouldn't ever get to where I want to go. I would easily forget what I do know, which is some of the basics! 

Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:16)

I encourage you to remember this: Christian maturity involves acting on the guidance that you have already received. We can always make excuses that we still have so much to learn. The interaction for us to live up to what we already know and live out what we have already leaned. We do not have to be sidetracked by an unending search for truth.

unity: we need to pick each other up

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. (Philippians 2:1-2)

I often forget that importance of having unity with other believers. I tend to become some focused on my relationship with Christ that I don't want to be in a position to compromise what I know and what works for me, to step back and really try to help someone else out. 

It's more honoring to Christ to have unity with other believers than it is for everyone to focus on making a good impression or meeting your own needs. 

We are all one big team and we can't forgot that. We need each other. 

Selfish ambition can ruin a church, but genuine humility can build it. Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves. We are sinners, saved only by God's grace, but we are saved and therefore have great worth in God's kingdom. 

Instead of having your sights set for yourself, value others as well. 

When I played basketball at Bethel, Coach Mike Lightfoot was really big on leadership. He wanted players who were going to encourage and push guys on the team. A huge reason for the success of the teams that I played on was good leadership. The best guys on the team didn't only focus on their own growth and development, they encouraged the guys on the rest of the team as well. 

This is how we should encourage other believers. It's not just about us. My encouragement for you to love everyone, pick each other up, and share what Christ is doing in your life.

lack of concentration

The average attention span is a whopping average of 8 seconds. Microsoft completed this study just over two years ago. In 2000, the average attention span was 12 seconds. I wonder what it will be 10 years from now? I can't imagine it getting in shorter than 8 seconds.

I believe that our lack of attention and our relationship with Christ go hand and hand. 

Too often, when we are waiting on God to answer a prayer or do anything in our lives, if it doesn't happen right away we start to lack trust and we begin to lose faith. We live in a world nowadays where we can almost get everything that we want right away. So naturally we are being accustomed to a lifestyle of instant gratification.

being confident in this, that he who began a good work in your life will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

When Christ Jesus does work in your life, he is going to complete it. He doesn't leave things unfinished or uncompleted. He is patient, yes. But patience doesn't mean that God forgot about you. 

Do you sometimes feel like you aren't making progress in your spiritual life? As with the Philippians, God will help you grow in grace until he has completed his work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won't give up on you. He promises to finish the work he has begun. 

When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God's promise and provision. Don't let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to him.

My plea for you is to hone in on the work that God is doing in each and every one of our lives. Don't let your lack of attention in the way the world works affect what God is doing in your lives. 

God's power & nature

Last night we arrived back home after a week of vacation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It was so beautiful and relaxing up there...a perfect and much needed break from reality.

One of the things that always inspires me to write is nature. Each time I travel somewhere or really just sit and admire God's creation and I am blown away. I believe that sometimes we take it for granted. I know we always joke coming home from vacation that we have to come back to the fields of Indiana/Ohio. But honestly, people who might not be from around here might find it beautiful. 

In my reading this morning I came across Psalm 29. Psalm 29 is entirely back God revealing his power in nature. There are a few verses that I want to highlight. 

The voice of the Lord is over the waters. (v. 3)

This past week I think about Wednesday morning when Rach and I decided to go on a kayak ride in Lake Manistique. It was a windy morning but we really wanted to go out and kayak together. Now the waves were not that big at all, but powerful enough to push us on the kayak without our own power. These waves were miniature, but had power like no other. Knowing that God's voice and power is over even the smallest waters is an incredible thought to me. 

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. (v. 5)

Have you ever tried to move a cedar tree? It's impossible on our own strength. But God does it likes it's nothing. The voice of the Lord is so powerful.

The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. (v. 6)

On Thursday night, there was a really big thunderstorm. I slept in the living room so I had a view of the lake when I woke up. All of Thursday night there was lighting and thunder coming across the lake. The lightning was unreal. I could see the entire lake light up about every 5 minutes. To think the Lord's voice strikes like lightning is amazing. 

The voice of the Lord strikes the desert. (v. 8)

Rach and I stopped by the Sleeping Bear Dunes on our trip home yesterday. I know there is a difference between the desert and the dunes, but I really am not sure what it is! While Rach and I hiked up the dunes, we could not stop talking about how God created the sand dunes. If you have ever seen sand dunes before, they're some of the coolest things that you will see. 

The voice of the Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. (v. 11)

The voice of the Lord does all of these things. It's revealed in nature and even in our own lives. I encourage you to not take anything from granted because God is always in control. Please start appreciating the power that God has over all. 

Feedback/day 11

Starting this blog a few years back has been one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I started it to encourage others but it has helped me stay disciplined in my relationship with Christ more than anything. I've read more of my bible than I ever thought I would, I have learned so many things, and most importantly I believe that each post has encouraged at least one person-which was my goal since day 1. 

Lately - I've lacked some motivation to continue writing. I know I am not going to stop - it's just a rut that I pray I am out of soon. So today I am asking for feedback. If you read this, I would love to know who you are and if I should continue to write the way I write. I want to know if there are things you want me to change, or things that could made these posts better. 

Again, in my heart I believe that one person is encouraged from each post but I also believe that there could be more people encouraged. Please give some feedback because I love doing this and I want to make these posts as effective as possible.

Day 11: Dear heavenly Father, I pray today that you make your presence known in the lives of others. I am especially thankful for your creation today. There are not many things that I love more than beautiful mornings like this. I pray for anyone who reads what I write. I pray the words you give me can be encouraging to all. Thank you for this amazing life and for loving us more than we could ever imagine.