Tag: prayer
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I Beg You, Pray
Superman is invulnerable. Pastors are not. Pastors have flaws, temptations, and struggles. Pastors have insecurities. Pastors do not always know exactly what should be done next. Pastors yell or want to yell at their kids. We are clay called to shine the light of Christ. What is the answer? Pastors need prayer. They carry the…
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Praying with Confidence
Think for a moment who you call when you need help… It probably is a short list. Yet, the people on it are people that you can call on with confidence. How do you know that? You know it because those people have shown that they are committed to you. They have been there when…
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The Hectic Family – WORRY
For the past several weeks we have been looking at Tim Kimmel’s marks of a hurried family. Have you seen yourself in any of them? We’ve seen people who can’t relax, can’t stand quiet, can’t be satisfied, can’t embrace certainty, and can’t feel valuable without approval. Whew! What a roller coaster! We have two final…
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Good things gone awry
Last Sunday afternoon we were talking about the rich young ruler in Mark 10. We noticed that the man thought about what he could ‘do’ to be saved. He asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.” I know that this is a grammatical nuance, but I pointed out then (and…
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What Makes Church, Church?
Have you ever thought about what difference there is between worshipping God on your own by the lake and worshipping God with God’s people on a Saturday night or Sunday morning? Hebrews 10 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider…
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Faith in the Trenches
Sunday, we looked at the deliverance of Peter from Herod in Acts 12. It is an amazing passage of Scripture highlighting the power of God. It is also a profound example of fervent prayer. Yet, the part that I personally find so instructive is the response of the people. Acts 12:5 says, “So Peter was…
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Walk through the valley
Mountains and valleys. We seem, as spiritual beings, to desire the mountain top experience with God. In Acts chapter, Peter has quite a mountain top experience with God. Not only does he have a vision, but God also changes his understanding of the gospel message. That’s quite a mountain top! Then comes chapter 11. He…
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Desiring God Conference on Prayer
This week I went to a conference that dealt with the prayer life of a pastor. Since the conference speakers quoted the reformers quite liberally, I thought that it would be appropriate to put a quotation on prayer in this week’s devotion. This is from my favorite preacher of the 1800s, C. H. Spurgeon: “Continue…