Baptist City Blog

Sunday, 12/21/14  More ideas for your prayer life: Mentally, sit in church and picture all those who sit around you and pray for them. Are they old? They’re worried about failing health; are they newlyweds? They need lots of wisdom. Teens? Protection from temptation and wisdom to figure out life. Working adults? Safety during their commute.               Mark 8:4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? This should be the heart’s cry of every preacher, SS teacher, Christian school teacher, and parent: “Lord I can’t do it without Your help? Lord, fill me!!”            Isa 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. If life has damaged you (“bruised” or “singed”) and you can only give a little in your service to Christ (money, time, labor, effort, etc.), God accepts that. Or, if you’ve not grown very much, God understands. However, if you’re strong and healthy spiritually (or should be), a “little” effort is not understandable, it’s rebellious.

Monday, 12/22/14  What to pray for?  Pull out your phone and pray for each of your contacts. Think of their unique situation and needs.  Do the same with your FB friends. Pray for each staff member at church: their financial, spiritual, emotional well-being. Pray for people you are with daily at school or work: by name, face, need.              Mark 8:23-24 And he took a blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. This always puzzled me: for some reason, God made Jesus heal him twice...perhaps so Christ can understand us and our “bad luck” or “It worked last time...”               Mark 10:3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? This should be our automatic initial answer to any life question: “What does the Bible say on that topic?”

Tuesday, 12/23/14  Things to pray about:  Ps 119:37a Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity. Ps 141:3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Pray over your troublesome body parts. (This requires honesty re: your sins.) Couple this with confession.                 Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! If you have a peaceful, harmonious situation at home: AWESOME!! If not, why not? Do WHATEVER you have to to change this.             Ps 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. “Zion”...home...regularity...normal...ups and downs...usual...predictable.  You’ll miss home when you lose it, and you will lose it because of time or death or sin or life’s inevitable progression.  ¹Realize what you’ve really got now.  ²Enjoy the positives AND the negatives that constitute “home” “normalcy” now.  (Great paintings have both light and dark places!)  ³Don’t delude yourself: things will change.

Wednesday, 12/24/14  Things to pray about: preview your next 24 hours: for what do you need Divine Intervention? A crucial meeting/test? Dealing with that one person who aggravates you by their presence? A temptation you know is coming?             Mark 13:5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you. ‘Twas good advice then; ‘tis good advice now. Do you consume enough truth so that error won’t sit right in your spirit? The Devil’s pretty shrewd...he probably could deceive even one as superior as you!!

Thursday, 12/25/14  Prayer topics: Who’s in the hospital? Who is grieving a death? Which family is facing their first holiday without the one who died or went away? Whom did you tell you’d pray for? Who on FB asked for prayer? Pray for your neighbors: by needs and for salvation.            Matt 2:2-3 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews...[we] are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Jesus’ coming troubled them. Question: Would adding Christ to your day, week, party, celebration, vacation, entertainment trouble you? Was He even invited to any of those? Would He feel comfortable being there?           Jer 2:17 Hast thou not procured this [the problems of v14-16] unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way? If you walk away from the umbrella of God’s blessings, don’t be surprised when your parade gets rained on.

Friday, 12/26/14  Psalm 119 is the longest prayer recorded in the Bible. Pick a stanza, and talk to God about what David talked. Ex: v65 Remember God’s faithfulness and praise Him. V66 Pray for judgment and knowledge. V67 Thank Him for problems. V68 Ask to be taught. Etc.            Here’s a way to be like Christ in a manner you never thought of:  Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. How? Suffer and don’t let anyone know about it!!!!

Saturday, 12/27/14  Pray for your spiritual condition: that you’d get more from your Bible; that He’d speak to you in church; that He’d fill your SS teacher/preacher with the Holy Spirit’s power as they teach and you as you listen; for soul-winning boldness and power; for revelations of your sinfulness and pride, and victory in those areas; pray for your kids’ SS teachers and school teachers; pray for those who have influence on your family; for sensitivity to His leadings.               Ps 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Who’ll teach you this morning at church? Your SS teacher and pastor, or the Lord God almighty? It’s YOUR choice, not theirs.

Ps 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. We have so much to praise and thank God for. Eternal salvation, care and protection of our souls that cannot be earned or bought. Why us and not others?

Ps 67:7 God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shal fear him. We should let the blessings of God and the source of them be known so He gets the credit. There needs to be a reverential respect and fear for our God and His people because of His blessings.

Pro 23:31 Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. That ought to be enough to keep all of us from drinking it, but just in case, He tells us what it does. It gives sorrows, woe, contentions, babblings, wounds without cause, red eyes, immorality, perverted thinking and talk, obliviousness to injury and its cause, addictions and inability to quit. Need we say more, and we wonder why our nation is in trouble?

Pro 21:1 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord. Military might, nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons are no match against the might and protections of God!

Ps 70:4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee, and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. Our attitude is a reflection of our spiritual condition and our love for His salvation.

Ps 71:9 Cast me not off in time of old age: forsake me not when my strength faileth. The desire and prayer for every child of God ought to be for a closer walk with God as we age, more than physical health.

Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (Dr. Hyles’ favorite verse.) We need to thank God for his memory and the impact his life had and is having on us today. This verse is still true for us today.

Luke 7:49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? Just as the world in His day would not accept and recognize Him as God, so today men reject and refuse Him. Even most Christians reject His authority.