All tagged teaching

Lessons in Our Prayers?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Prayer Lessons

We continue our study of persistent prayer this morning with some examples from the bible. There are stories like that of Moses praying forty days and nights to stop the wrath of God, Elijah repeating his prayer seven times to bring rain, and Jesus praying three times in the a Garden of Gethsemane. Moses and Elijah were powerful men of God, and Jesus was the Son of God, yet they prayed persistently in times of great strife and trouble. Going to God over and over again with a prayer regarding something we feel strongly about is like adding an exclamation point to its Amen. God hears each word of every prayer, but as we pray them in this manner we are increasing our own understanding, dedication to the effort, and our faith and trust in God as well.

Questions that lead to Questions that lead to Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Questions

Do we stand a faithful watch as we wait for the Lord to reveal Himself to us, or to hear what He has to say once He does? When our waiting is rewarded, and God speaks, will He call us to task for something in our lives, or faith, and do we wonder what it will be, or how we will answer Him? As we look at our lives, and the practice of our faith, we would like to think that we are obeying Him in everything we do, and are righteous in all aspects of our lives, but are we serving the Lord as we should? Are we wise enough to even know? When He speaks, and we hear His voice, He will ask us a question that causes us to search for an answer, and as we do so, we will realize a fault, or shortcoming in ourselves that has gone unnoticed, or find wisdom that has previously been hidden from us. Are we watching, and listening as we should? Are we wanting to hear Him tell us a truth, or to ask us a question that will lead us to it?

Losing Souls through our own unkind, or Pious Actions

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , New Christians

If someone says or does some little thing wrong, uses an incorrect word in a sentence, or slips up in some other trivial way, do we feel obligated to immediately correct them? Do we look forward to arguing, or defending our point of view until we have won this point, or contest of wills, at all cost? Is our adherence to this obsessiveness in our nature so overwhelming that we come across as harsh, mean spirited, or bitter? Well this is not the nature of Christ, nor is it how we as Christians should behave. We are transformed in Jesus, not into some pious person who believes himself to be perfect, or who is intolerant, and intransigent, but into a gentle, and forgiving, person who is able to teach of Jesus Christ, and win souls to God without driving them away. So let’s honestly ask ourselves whether we win souls to the Lord through quarreling over minor points of theology, and biblical interpretation, or whether we gently win new believers by teaching of the kind and virtuous nature of Jesus.

Fear, Faith, and an Eternity without the Fear

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Lessons in Fear

Fear, or being afraid, is a frequent subject in the Bible, and we hear this word mentioned often, but in both scripture, and our lives, there is something special about experiencing fear. These times of fright, uncertainty, deep dread, and even terror, always seem to precede amazing moments, or acts of spiritual increase. In our own lives the times of fear that cause us to cringe, and quake, go hand in hand with our being humbled before God, the abandonment of self, an immersion in prayer, and profound lessons in how we are to trust God more completely. If we succeed in receiving the lessons that are taught through fear we will find that they culminate in significant increases in our faith, and spirituality. No one would ever wish for a life filled with fearful occurrences, but we certainly need them.