4 Principles That Are Necessary for Effective Prayer

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

If you’re like me, you may have wondered from time to time if God really hears your prayers. After all, you may go days, weeks, or months without getting any kind of definite answer from God. 

At times it feels like it’s not even worth bothering to pray because your prayers are only bouncing off the ceiling. It is at those times it’s toughest to pray, but it is also at those times when we probably need to pray the hardest and with all the faith we can muster.

We can rest assured that God does indeed hear our prayers. There are multiple places in the Scriptures where we’re told that God hears our prayers. In just one of these examples, we read in Psalms 6:9:

The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.

And in Psalms 66:19, King David says:

But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Matthew 21:22 tells us:

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

The list could go on and on of verses that promise us that God hears our prayers.

However, there are some caveats we must adhere to in order to get our prayers answered. We can’t just live our lives the way we want, without any concern for God’s principles, and expect Him to answer our prayers. It simply doesn’t work that way.

Pray Within God’s Will

One of the first things we must do to have our prayers answered in the affirmative is to make sure that our prayers are made within God’s will.

We’re told in 1 John 5:14:

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Well, your first question might be, How am I supposed to know God’s specific will for my life? Sure, I know I’m supposed to read the Bible, pray, and give to my church, but what about the specific things in my life? How do I know what those are?

The best advice I can give you for finding God’s specific will for your life is simply to ask Him. Lord, do you want me to take this specific job? Yes, it seems like a great opportunity, but is it your desire for me? 

You may have to spend some time on your knees before the Lord, even fasting, before you get a clear answer from Him. And don’t forget to ask your family and friends to join in prayer with you. If it’s a private matter, you don’t necessarily have to tell them what it’s about. God knows about it after all.

You Must Be a Righteous Person

James 5:16b tells us:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Although our righteousness is found in Christ, for our prayers to take root, we must be a person who strives to do God’s will every day. The context of this verse is one in which we’re encouraged to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other that we may be healed. Then we’re told that a righteous person’s prayer has great power. 

So, does that mean we need to confess our sins in order to expect our prayers to be heard and answered. It would seem so. As much as I don’t like the idea of telling my sins to a friend or accountability partner, I don’t really see any way around it, according to this scripture.

So, when we confess our sins and pray for one another, we can rest assured that our prayers are being heard and effecting change. I like how the New King James Version renders the last part of that same verse:

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 

Treat Your Wife as Christ Treats the Church

I am far from a perfect husband, as my wife would surely tell you. However, the proper marital relationship is modeled in scripture.

1 Peter 3:7 commands us husbands: 

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Furthermore, in Ephesians 5:26-28, we are told:

That he [the husband] might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

However, wives, you’re not off the hook on this one. We’re told the following in Ephesians 5:22-24:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

When husbands and wives are in a mutually beneficial marital bond, not only are they happier, but they’re helping ensure that their prayers are heard and answered by our Heavenly Father.

Pray the Word, Just as Jesus Did

In the gospels, we’re often told that Jesus would head out early in the morning to be by himself and pray. I’ve always wondered what he could devote so much time to in prayer. 

While I still don’t know, I believe that a large portion of his time spent in prayer must have been devoted to praying the Father’s words back to Him.

That’s actually one of the most productive forms of prayer because we’re taking God’s promises and reminding Him of what He told us in His word He would do.

One of the most famous examples of Jesus doing this is found in Luke 22:42 when He is on the Mount of Olives with his disciples:

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.

If you’re looking for other promises of God that you can pray back to Him, the book of Psalms is a good place to start. Psalm 91 is a wonderful account of all that God does for his believers. 

For the 91st Psalm, you can pray something like this:

Dear Father, in the 91st Psalm, you promise to deliver me from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. You promise me that I will not fear the terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day. A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me. I’m trusting You to come through on your promises because I know You are a God of Your word. I thank You that I can trust you.

Then, of course, the famous 23rd Psalm has been used for thousands of years to bring comfort to weary souls.

For this psalm, you could pray:

Lord, thank You for leading me beside still waters and restoring my soul, just as You promise in Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because You are with me.

It’s quite an uplifting experience to comb through God’s words, finding His promises and reminding Him of them in your time of need. Doing so strengthens your faith, bonds you closer with God, and shows Him that you have hidden His word away in your heart.

These four principles are a good start toward getting your prayers answered. However, I’m sure there are other principles we must adhere to to ensure our prayer life is fruitful; I encourage you to seek these out on your own and strengthen your prayer life.

Finding Hope in Times of Adversity: Trusting in God’s Plan

/ Clay D. / 2 Comments

We’ve all been there. By there, I mean been in a situation where we doubted if God was ever going to come through for us. 

Each of us faces challenges and struggles every day of our lives. Some of these challenges are small—perhaps as simple as trying to find a parking space in a crowded parking lot. Other challenges can severely test our faith—perhaps a family member has received a negative diagnosis from a doctor.

The question many of us ask ourselves during these trying times is, Where is God in this situation? 

If you’re like me, you tend to question God during these times, even challenging Him to show up and do something positive to affirm His love for us.

It’s easy to point our finger at God and ask Him why He has allowed this bad thing to happen to us. 

After all, we’re good Christians, right? We read our Bible, go to church, pray, and perhaps even give when the offering plate is passed around. Why shouldn’t God bless us when negative circumstances come into our lives?

This isn’t a simple question to answer by any means. By expecting God to bless us when we do the things He expects of us, we’re completely taking His love and mercy out of the picture.

We’re reducing God to some sort of magical genie whose only purpose is to grant us wishes upon our request.

And that is not what God is at all. Sure, He can do anything He wants. However, His plans often don’t coincide with what we think is best for our lives. In fact, more often than not, they don’t. 

It is during these times of trials that we simply must trust in God and His plan, understanding that He knows best and that,

for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Rom. 8:28

I have had to lean on that verse many times when things weren’t going my way.

God is bigger than I am, and He knows how to run the universe. He doesn’t need me telling Him how I think He should do things, as He is perfectly capable on His own.

However, believing that God can and does do what is best doesn’t always translate into a feeling of peace and calm for me.

Does that mean that my faith is somehow lacking? Yes, it probably does. It most likely means that I’m not relying on Him to work everything out for the best.

A good verse to read and meditate on when things aren’t going your way is Psalm 91. Here are verses 2 through 6:

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

    my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

    and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

    nor the arrow that flies by day,

 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

This passage can give us hope in God’s goodness and protection when it seems like all is lost. It conveys to us the love of God for His people and the protection that He has promised to us.

We can also keep in mind Psalm 103, especially verses 17 and 18:

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

    and his righteousness to children’s children,

 to those who keep his covenant

    and remember to do his commandments.

We can rest confidently on God’s promise to look out for us during all the trials we are sure to face while living on this fallen earth.

That doesn’t mean that everything is always going to work out how we think they should, because often they won’t. 

We can, however, feel certain that God is in control and that His plan will be for our benefit. It takes faith to continue trusting God even in the midst of circumstances that look hopeless. 

But we know that with God, all things are possible. Plus, we have His promise that He is always on our side.

So, the next time you’re facing a challenge in life, just remember that God has everything under control. 

He exists outside of time, meaning He is in the past, present, and future all at the same time.

Even though our human bodies can only experience life moment by moment, God has already been where we’ve been and where we’re going. It’s just up to us to trust Him.

A Tale of Two Sticks

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

As I lay in bed I scratched the itch on top of my head. My fingertips grazed over the sore spot. Damned Bobby Watkins*, I thought to myself. 

How long had I been dealing with this sore area on my head? It’s been over 40 years, I realized.

The long-ago scene easily materialized in my brain. I’d been reliving the incident for over four decades.

I was yucking it up with a couple of my friends on the playground at school. It was September of our 8th grade year and the weather was perfect. We were on our lunch break and everyone was having fun outside.

All of a sudden, I felt a whack on the top of my head. It hurt some, but not a great deal like you might think getting hit in the head would.

Instinctively, I reached up with my right hand to rub the area. I felt blood. I looked at my hand and saw a significant amount of blood on my fingertips. At this point, I had no idea what caused my injury.

I knew this was not a situation I could handle on my own—not with all this blood. I don’t remember what my buddies did or said to me.

Leaving them, I began walking toward the door to the school en route to the office. We didn’t have a school nurse, so the secretary always took care of matters like this.

As it turned out, my injury was not something she could help me with. It was bad enough that I needed medical attention. The secretary called my mom at work to come get me and take me to the doctor in our little town.

I learned from my friends that Bobby Watkins had taken a good-sized stick he found on the playground and decided it would be fun to throw it straight up in the air; it came down smack dab on my head.

The nurse at the doctor’s office had to shave a quarter-sized hole on the side of my head so they could put a few stitches in and apply a bandage.

That was the worst part of the whole ordeal—now I had a bald spot on my head with an ugly white bandage on it.

I strategically combed my hair during this time to try to hide the spot. Eventually, the bandage came off and the stitches came out. Soon, my hair was growing out and before long it didn’t matter anymore.

Now, years later, every time my fingers touch that spot on my head, it is noticeably tender to the touch. Not so much that there’s true pain, but enough that I feel some discomfort.

As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I happened to scratch my head in that exact spot. The stimulus immediately made me think of Bobby Watkins and his senseless act. 

I knew he had died a few years ago, but I wondered what his life had been like over the decades since we graduated.

He had seemed to have a hard life when we were in school, so I reasoned that his adult life had probably followed the same path.

Serves him right for throwing that stick. I knew that was the wrong way to feel, but it was late, I was tired, and I didn’t care at that point. 

I actually did care. I’m not one to wish ill will upon anyone. Hopefully, he had had a good life, filled with joy and all the things that make life fulfilling.

I wish I could say that that was the only incident I’d ever had with Bobby Watkins and a stick, but it wasn’t. 

The other incident, which happened a few years earlier, actually caused me more pain, so much so that I had cried.

When I was younger, I played Little League baseball in the summers. I loved it, and it gave me something to do to alleviate any boredom I might have over the summer break.

One night during a game, our team was on the field and someone on the other team hit a foul ball. Apparently, Bobby got to the foul ball before anyone else did, hoping to make off with it for himself. 

The details are a little hazy, but I had seen him grab the ball, so I told one of the coaches or the umpire or someone in charge that he had it.

He had to surrender the ball and wasn’t too happy about it.

After the game was over, my mom and I were talking to others and making our way to the car to head home.

Well, here came Bobby walking quickly toward me with a branch in his hand. I don’t remember exactly what he said to me but it was something along the lines of, “This is for telling on me about the ball.”

He then swung the branch toward me. He hit me at least a couple of times on my neck and face. I was stunned to say the least, because he had come out of nowhere. 

I’m not sure my mom actually saw it happen, as she had been talking to some of the other moms at that time.

The assault hurt a decent amount and I began crying. I’m not sure if I cried because of the pain or just from the fact that someone would do that to me.

After my mom realized what had happened, she tried to console me, while simultaneously walking me to the car.

The lashes left big, red welts on my neck. I’m not sure how long they were there, but I don’t remember worrying about them the next day. 

The thing I was worried about, however, was running into Bobby Watkins again somewhere and his continuing to take his vengeance out on me.

Fortunately, that was all there was to it, and I had no further run-ins with him—not until that September day when he inadvertently hit me in the head with a stick a few years later.

So, those are my two incidents with Bobby Watkins.

One thing I might mention about Bobby is that one of his arms was paralyzed. He couldn’t move it at all I don’t think. 

When we were in elementary school—second grade, I believe—he had been in an accident where his coat got caught in the door of a car that was pulling away. He had been dragged for several feet before anyone realized what was happening. 

I still remember our class sending him get-well wishes. Ever since the accident, he hadn’t had any use of his arm (I don’t remember which one it was).

You might be asking yourself what the point of these stories is. 

I suppose the takeaway is that no matter how hard I might try to put the past behind me, every time I touch that tender spot on my head, I’m reminded of Bobby Watkins. When I think of him, I reacknowledge the grudge I’ve held onto for so many years.

After all, is it right that I still feel discomfort for something he did to me over 40 years ago? 

Perhaps I’ve never fully forgiven him for either incident. The branch lashing was mean and vicious, while the stick to the head was an accident. 

However, I believe that I hold more of a grudge about the latter incident because I am periodically reminded of it.

As I mentioned earlier, Bobby passed away a few years ago, so maybe the incidents shouldn’t bother me any longer. 

However, they do. I’m still dealing with the repercussions of his stick throwing even though he is no longer around.

To sum everything up, I know I need to forgive him at last. I don’t believe I’ve ever really considered the need to do so before now. But I know that is what God would want me to do.

He’s forgiven me for many sins and trespasses, so the least I can do is forgive Bobby.

Oh Lord, help me forgive Bobby for what he did to me so many years ago. Allow me to let go of the anger and resentment that I have held onto for so long. Let my heart and mind be free of any animosity toward him so that I can be unshackled from the bondage of unforgiveness. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

I feel better now. Thanks for listening.

*Not his real name

God Is Always on Our Side

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

As believers in Christ, we never have to doubt that God is with us and working in our lives.

He is always at our side, no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in. Even when we feel our loneliest, we can rest assured that God is walking beside us.

After all, we’re told in Romans 8:28a: 

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good. 

This verse should be enough to reassure us of His love for us and that He is actively working in our lives.

Of course, there are a myriad of verses that tell us that God is always there for us, always on our side. In Isaiah 41:10 we read:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

We need not be afraid of anything in this life, as God is always available to strengthen and help us. All we have to do is trust in Him and place our hand in His.

A few verses later, in verse 13, we read:

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Again, God tells us not to be afraid because He is the one who will help us.

In Joshua 1:9, we’re told:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

There are also abundant references to God’s presence in the New Testament. Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 28:20b:

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Jesus says this immediately after commanding them to make disciples in all the nations and then baptize the converts. He doesn’t give them a huge, important task like this and then leave them to their own devices. He knows they will need His help.

In Acts 2:27-28, Peter quotes King David in Psalms 16:

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.

We can go through the Bible and find many more examples of God telling us He will always be by our side. But the simple truth is that we can’t go anywhere where God isn’t.

Whether we’re high above the earth flying in a jetliner or deep below the ocean depths, He is there, always pulling for us.

He will go to work in your life to help you become the person He has desired for you to be all along.

The redeeming work of Christ on the cross, as He died for your sins then arose from the dead, makes you justified in God’s eyes. 

And for that reason, He will never leave you nor forsake you. That fact should be comforting for us all.

All we have to do to tap into this power is accept His son Jesus as our savior, then latch onto God.

We don’t have to be perfect before we come to Him. Just show up where you are, as you are, and He will do the rest. 

Praying in Jesus’s Name

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

Can we really trust God to hear and answer our prayers?

In several places in the Bible we’re told to ask God for what we want (in Jesus’s name) and He will give us our requests. 

But is it really that simple? Can we think of God as some sort of cosmic vending machine just waiting for us to make a selection so He can dispense what we want?

No, of course that’s not accurate. If it were, then that is exactly how we would see God, as a supernatural genie waiting to fulfill our wishes.

Rather, God promises to give us what we long for, so long as He is our main focus:

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

We’re focusing on three chapters of the gospel of John—14, 15, and 16. In these passages we are told several times that God will give us what we ask for in Jesus’s name. 

However, as we’ll see, these promises are not without caveats that we must adhere to. And dare I say that most of us fail to fulfill our end of the bargain. I know that I often do.

Let’s first look at John 14:12-14. Here, Jesus is speaking to His disciples:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

In verse 13, Jesus promises to give us what we ask for in His name. However we have to look at the surrounding text on either side of that promise. Immediately after the promise are the words, “‘…that the Father may be glorified in the Son.’” 

And after this sentence, Jesus reiterates His promise: “‘If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.’”

It is obvious that Jesus wants to get His point across about doing what we ask, but it is also apparent that His promise is conditional in that the reason behind our prayers is to bring glory to the Father.

Verse 12 gives us an even stronger description of the reason behind Jesus’s promise:

The works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do. 

Once again, it is to bring glory to God through our actions. 

I believe that is the whole crux of this passage—to do good works and pray for things that are in line with God’s will so as to bring glory to Him. As long as we are doing that, He will give us the desires of our hearts.

Now let’s look at the next chapter, John 15, specifically the verses before and after verses 7. In this verse we’re told:

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

That’s a pretty big promise. But we have to look beyond the promise to the surrounding verses before we can understand the reason behind the promise.

Verses 5 and 6 talk about the importance of abiding in Jesus so that we can produce much fruit, because apart from Him we can do nothing. It is this abiding that is so important to fulfilling the destiny that God has planned for us. 

Verse 8 then tells us:

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Once again, if we read the passage correctly, we understand that Jesus’s promise is not intended to be spent on our own selfish desires, but rather it is intended to produce fruit, bring glory to God, and draw others to Him.

We must keep these ideas in mind when we go to God in prayer, not merely asking for solutions to our problems, but imploring God to show us how we can be used daily to advance His kingdom.

Next, we look at Chapter 16 of John. In verses 23 and 24, Jesus tells His disciples:

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

The “day” that Jesus refers to is His resurrection after spending three days in the grave. His disciples will be excited at His return from the dead. Furthermore, He tells them that they will be able to ask the Father in Jesus’s name and they will receive their petitions. 

Even though not explicitly spelled out in this section, based on similar promises in the preceding two chapters, we must assume that the prayers mentioned are not just any old prayers, but rather petitions of God that will advance the work of His kingdom and bring Him glory. 

Jesus wants us to be fruitful during our time on earth. Hence, the reason He mentions praying in His name on so many occasions.

Plus, He promises to send the Holy Spirit, who will guide His followers into all truth and help them produce fruit for the Kingdom.

These passages in the gospel of John are but a few examples of Jesus telling his followers to pray in His name and expect results.

The important idea we must keep in mind, however, is that our prayers are not meant to be spent on only petitioning for our desires. 

We must align ourselves with God’s will and pray God’s word in accordance with the Scriptures. Then we can expect to see Him working in our lives in a supernatural way for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom.

How Is Your Faith?

/ Clay D. / 1 Comment

I believe that one of the most difficult spiritual practices to follow is walking in faith at all times. 

It’s relatively easy for us to say that we have faith, but it’s something else altogether to maintain this faith day in and day out as we deal with the stresses of living in a fallen world.

However, we know that as believers we are commanded to have faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Also, in 2 Corinthians 5:7, we are told:

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Therefore, we must have faith if we want to please God and live our lives as He would have us do.

If we know we’re to live in faith, why is it so hard to do? 

I have found that just reading about the concept of faith seems to strengthen my own faith. This strengthening will last for a little while even if I don’t do anything different.

However, the cares and worries of life usually creep back in and I begin to look at my circumstances instead of God’s promises.

Pretty soon, I’m again living like somebody who has never known the Lord and His word. It’s far too easy to keep my focus on what’s going on around me, rather than what God has said.

I believe that we must make a conscious effort to focus on scripture, rather than the narrative that’s being played over and over in our minds.

Even though we know that God will reward our faith, that doesn’t make it any easier, as the enemy is constantly whispering lies in our ears. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a good place to start:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

These verses have been among my favorites in the entire Bible for many years. I have read them over countless times as a way to bolster my faith in the face of life’s struggles. 

While it is comforting to read God’s truths, the truth doesn’t do us any good if we don’t take action on it. 

James 1:22 says:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 

We’re only fooling ourselves if we don’t take action on the word of God. We can never expect to receive God’s blessings on our lives if we don’t walk in faith.

One good way to build your faith is by starting small. Pray to God about something minor going on in your life that you need His help with. However, make sure that it lines up with His will. 

Then, as God answers your prayer and you see His hand operating in your life, build on that faith. Go to God with a slightly bigger need and watch Him work.

Keep cultivating your faith as you slowly but surely work toward trusting Him for help and provision in every area of your life.

He may not give you everything you ask for, but rest assured that His work in your life will always be for the best:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Rom. 8:28

Treat your growing faith as if it were as valuable as gold, because it truly is. As your faith deepens and you see God working in your life in an ever increasing way, you’ll find it easier to maintain your faith.

Of course, I’m talking to myself as much as I am to anyone else. I need to walk this path so I can increase my faith and live the way God intends.

Let’s do it together, what do you say?

Does God Inhabit Our Praise?

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

Does God make His home in our praises? It’s a very intriguing thought—that God is actually present when we are praising His name. 

Psalm 22:3 is the key verse that brings up this question. Various Bible translations have rendered this verse in different ways.

For example, the New International Version (NIV) translates it:

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.

The English Standard Version is one of several translations that makes the question a little more valid with its rendering:

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

You can almost picture God living in our praise. In fact, the ESV includes a footnote that says an alternative rendering is “dwelling in the praises.”

Then, there are translations that make it relatively easy to envision God living in our praise. The King James version, among others, renders this verse:

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

And that is where the question really comes into play for me.

Does this verse mean that God is actually present with us when we’re offering up praise?

Of course, God is always with us. He gives us that promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 and reiterates it in Hebrews 13:5.

But it is a whole other thing to imagine that God is physically present—real and alive—in our praises. That should give us comfort like nothing else can.

It’s like the famous line from Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.” If we praise God, He will show up. That should give us something to think about.

No matter which translation you read from, and whether or not you believe that God actually lives in our praises, we should all practice praising Him more. 

He is certainly worthy of our praise, as He is our Creator and Heavenly Father who loves us immensely despite all our flaws and sins.

That, in itself, is reason enough for our reverent worship of Him.

God Wants to Bless Us

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

When I read the verse, the truth of it immediately hit home with me. It was an awesome truth, one that gives hope and strength to a weary soul. 

“Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” (ESV)

Psalm 35:27

How had I missed this verse all this time? It was exactly what I needed, at a time when my faith in God had been at a low point.

God delights in my welfare! He wants me to be well—in every way. This was definitely an encouraging verse.

I let the truth sink in. God wants me to do well, to succeed and prosper, to be at peace, to flourish in my relationships.

I also realized that I can’t just skip over the final word of the verse. Servant. I have to serve God faithfully. Then I will have His full blessing.

The verse is similar to another well known verse, Romans 8:28, which is one of my favorites:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

It promises us that in the end, everything will be OK, everything will work out for the best. 

But like Psalm 35, it is conditional. We have to be among those who are chosen for His purpose. 

However, you don’t have to wonder if you’re part of the called. If you have a heart for God and want to be closer to Him, it means the Holy Spirit is working in your life.

God tells us over and over in the Bible that He wants the best for us, that He wants us to prosper and succeed. 

That doesn’t mean we’ll all be rich and have no problems in this life. Far from it. But He wants His servant to live a blessed life and He is always looking to enrich our lives if we’re following Him and doing as He commands.

Of that we can be certain. And that should give us hope in this life. 

To Will and To Work — What It Really Means

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

God recently gave me a revelation about a particular verse that I have read countless times over the years.

It is significant because understanding this verse in a different way sheds light on the way God works in our lives.

The key to this whole revelation was reading the verse in a translation that I don’t normally use. The real meaning of the verse hit home with laser accuracy.

Here’s the verse, Philippians 2:13, as it appears in the English Standard Version (ESV), the translation I normally read:

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

For me, the meaning had always been clear enough—God is fulfilling His will through His work. And that made sense to me, as God is, of course, going to do the things that line up with His will and what He wants.

But here is the same verse in the New Living Translation (NLT), the translation used in an email I recently read from a ministry I routinely receive messages from:

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Many people may read these two translations and immediately see that they’re saying the same thing. 

However, when I read this verse in the NLT, it had a completely different meaning to me than I had previously interpreted it from the ESV and other similar translations.

All these years, I had read the verse as meaning that God is the one doing the willing and the working for His good pleasure. 

After reading this passage in the NLT, however, I now realized that God is actively moving in my life to create the desire to serve Him and the power to do so. 

I’m the one with the “will” and who will do the “work.” It’s not God. I had always interpreted the second part of the verse (after the comma) as just an extension of the first. I had read the second part as basically repeating the first part.

But that was wrong. God is actually helping me by giving me the desire to do His will and serve Him.

He hasn’t left me alone to live in a quagmire of weak faith and uncertainty. 

He is working daily in my life, increasing my faith and developing in me a deeper desire to live my life for him and perform the works that He has planned for me to do (Eph. 2:10).

To confirm what I was seeing, I checked a few other modern translations and found that they were translated similarly to the NLT. 

Of course, I could see how the verse could be interpreted incorrectly—as I had done for years— but, more importantly, I also now saw how it could be interpreted in this other way.

I couldn’t believe that I had held the wrong interpretation of this verse for decades. I found it strange that I had never read it like this before. 

Perhaps most other people have always interpreted the verse correctly. Or maybe there are others like me who have held the wrong view of this verse.

This revelation changes how I think about my relationship with God. He longs for me to serve Him with my actions and attitudes. That’s why He’s working in me to create the desire to live my life for Him. 

It’s not up to me and my feeble efforts to become the person God wants me to be. I’m getting a big helping hand from God Himself. He’s working on my behalf to help me become what I should be and to serve Him better.

To me, that makes all the difference. Hopefully, it makes a difference to you as well.

What If It Were Today?

/ Clay D. / Leave a comment

What if today were the day that Jesus calls his believers home? How would this change how you lived out this day?

I, for one, know that I would feel “unready” to say the least. There are so many things in life that I had always intended to do for God, that I have never gotten around to doing. 

There are so many people that I’ve never talked about the gospel with—people of other faiths that I care about and would want to be included in the family of believers before it’s too late. 

You might then ask why I don’t simply get it together and talk to these people now, while there’s still time. 

That’s a very good question. Perhaps it’s fear that’s stopping me—the anxiety of possible rejection on their part. 

What about you? What would you do differently today to prepare for Jesus’ return? Whatever it is, make plans to go ahead and do it while you still can.

The truth is, no one knows when Jesus will come back, and we all have a list of things we could work on before that time comes.

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 

Matthew 24:36

Not even Jesus knows when He is coming back!

Much of your to-do list probably revolves around relationships—righting neglected relationships or forming new ones in the furthering of the gospel and creating goodwill within our community.

So, maybe we should just act like Jesus is coming back today. We would certainly accomplish more for the gospel than we currently are. 

Living our lives like it could be anytime would revolutionize our faith and turn many people around us onto the gospel.

Today is a great day to start living like that.