Philippians Prayer

We have just completed studying the book of Philippians and are learning to apply the word to our prayer life. Is there a better way to pray than to speak God’s own words? Rest assured that you are praying God’s will if you are praying from the word.
Any way, this is a summary prayer, certainly not all-inclusive, but this is what God has given me to pray and I thought I would throw it out and see what happens. Please read the book and make your own prayer and post it on my comments. I love feedback, even if you think I am in error, (especially if you think I am in error). I want to be accurate in all that I write and I am not perfect or all knowing and always learning more and more.



Philippians chapter 1
Father I thank you for beginning a good work in me and the fellow Christians you have placed in my life and for the assurance that You will finish it according to your will until the day of Your coming. Father, until that time I pray that our love would abound and would be without offence and filled with the fruits of righteousness to the glory of God. Father I pray for boldness and that we would rejoice in our salvation and in our suffering for His sake.



Philippians chapter 2
Father I thank you for your consolation, your comfort, your fellowship and your mercy. I pray that we would be of one mind in Christ and each would esteem others above themselves. I pray that we would be obedient to you even unto death as Christ did for us, and that we would work in accordance with the good work that you have begun in our lives without complaining but as a shining light to the world. I thank you for those you have brought into my life who care for me and are not seeking for themselves and who have been proven of their love and faithfulness to you.




Philippians chapter 3
Father help us to be aware of evil workers. Help us to discern what is evil amongst us that we might address it according to your ways. As we cannot trust our flesh we must rely on your spirit. We recognize that nothing in our flesh is good and we give it up to you that we would obtain righteousness, which is far superior. Not by our own actions or works for our flesh is not worthy, but we forget the things of past and press on to accomplishing the good work that you began in us. We do that by being of one mind looking to You our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.



Philippians chapter 4
Father if any contention or disagreement should arise I pray we stand fast and be of the same mind in the Lord. We will rejoice in you Lord always and come to you in prayer and thanksgiving asking our requests. I thank you that in acting in accordance with your word that you promise a peace that passes understanding which will keep our minds on Christ and what is true and honest and just, pure, and lovely and of good report. Thank you Father that, again, acting in accordance with your word we can endure all things through Christ and you will provide all our spiritual needs for us to have a peace that passes all understanding.

Get Serious

I believe God is calling us to get serious today. Not one of us knows when our time on earth will be done or when Christ will return for us. That includes me, and that includes you. My last breath could be this one, or this one. I’m not saying this to scare you into making a decision you don’t really want to make. But if my saying this scares you then you should really do some, well I wouldn’t say soul searching, but you should do some Christ searching.

If your relationship with Christ is just a safety rope to get into heaven and stay out of Hell then you probably don’t have enough of a relationship to even make it into heaven. You’re only fooling yourself for God will not be mocked.

I know that all sounded harsh but it is the truth and we all need to be reminded and encouraged from time to time.

In the first chapter of Luke we have the record of the conception of John the Baptist and also of Jesus. In the second chapter we see Jesus as a child growing up. But, I would like us to focus on John for now. The reason for John’s existence is stated very plainly in verses 76 and 77 of chapter 1.

Luk 1:76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
Luk 1:77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,

I am pointing this out to validate John and Johns teaching for you. Verse 77 clearly points out that if one is interested in salvation and forgiveness then they need to focus on the teachings of this man. That was his “commission” if you will.

Luk 3:3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

So John is doing his thing, he is preaching the message of salvation to the people and then the crowds begin to show up.

Luk 3:7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee
Luk 3:8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

Why was John so harsh on this crowd of people in calling them a brood of vipers? In the next few verses we are going to find out whom this crowd of people were and that should shed some light for us.

Luk 3:9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
Luk 3:10 And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?"
Luk 3:11 And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise."
Luk 3:12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"
Luk 3:13 And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do."
Luk 3:14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."
Luk 3:15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,
Luk 3:16 John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Luk 3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Luk 3:18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.

So we see that the crowd was probably mostly made up of Pharisees, Publicans, and soldiers, the wealthier healthier, religious people.

John was wise to them though and made it clear to warn them that if they did not bear fruit then they would be chopped from the roots. If they were just there, as I said earlier, to have a safety net in which to get into heaven then they may end up being the chaff that will burn with an unquenchable fire.

I am reminded of my children when they were younger and it was time for bed. They used to go through the ritual of "I have to go potty", "I'm hungry", "and I’m thirsty". Some how all this seems to coincidentally happen when it is time for bed. But its not a drink they want, there is no hunger, they’ve already been potty twice. They are trying to use a “good” thing and manipulate it for what they think they want. Having a drink of water is not a bad thing. But using thirst as a justification to stay up longer is.

The crowd that John called a brood of vipers in Luke is the same. They were not thirsty for the water of repentance they were just interested in an "easy" heavenly guarantee. They quickly found out from John that there was more to it then a ritualistic dunking or sprinkling or repeating a few bible verses. It required action. It required fruit.

There are a lot of people saying that they are thirsty in the world today. But there are not many people willing to drink the water of repentance. They want something sweeter with some sugar or honey in it. Religion offers all kinds of different waters to you. But there is only one type of water that offers salvation in Christ and that is the water of repentance. Don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying if your not baptized you can’t go to heaven. What I am saying is that if you don’t repent there is not forgiveness and if there is no forgiveness then there is no salvation.

There are no traditions or rituals that will give you salvation from Hell. Decide today to get serious about Christ. While you have the opportunity. Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

You Can Run But You Can't Hide

Why do we spend so much time trying to hide from a God that knows all and sees all?
We go about our lives all trying to be like chameleons blending in. Afraid to be a contrast or a light in a dark world. Yes, even us Christians. Even Gods chosen. Look at the book of Exodus.
Exo 20:18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off
Exo 20:19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die."
Exo 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin."
Exo 20:21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
They were afraid of God because they were aware of their lack of righteousness before God. They were afraid of failing the "test".
So, we do today. It is easier to hide in the bushes than to "fess up". Or so we think.

Pro 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Num 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

It does no good to hide from God. Confess and we shall have mercy. I don't know about you but I need mercy!

MERCY DROPS ROUND US ARE FALLING,
BUT FOR THE SHOWERS WE PLEAD!!

Enlightened

Thanks to J.D. Hatfield for helping me with my new blog design, links, and all the other goodies you tech-savvy bloggers already know, and will be seeing soon on this site.

FAITH

Finally, a new post!

I want to talk about faith. Not just the kind of faith that you have to have to become saved but the kind of faith that changes the way in which you live your life day by day, minute by minute, step by step.

Lets start with a very general definition of faith…faith is the persuasion of the mind that a statement is true. II Thessalonians 2:13 simply states it as… belief of the truth. I believe God gives His elect or chosen the amount of faith that they need in order to achieve salvation. The day-by-day, minute-by-minute, step-by-step faith is our responsibility as we grow and mature in Christ. The problem seems to be is that we as Christians seem to think that that’s all the faith we need. In a way I guess that it is. You will get into heaven with that much faith.

But is that glorifying God? Is that all He really expects or wants from you? That faith is just the beginning of our walk with Christ. Our faith will not be complete until we are standing with Christ in His presence. But here is the problem… Us Christians have gotten lazy in the faith department. I am speaking for myself. Even as far as I’ve grown in Christ I have a bad week and I am ready to give it all up and wallow in my misery instead of trusting God through the trial. Certainly I can’t be the only one who has done this or is going through this right now. Has God done nothing for us that we shouldn’t trust Him through our petty little trials? What are we so concerned about anyway? In Philippians chapter 3 Paul tells us that everything we have here whether it be possessions, status in the community it is all dung compared to Christ. What do we have to lose in losing everything? Nothing worth anything! We are so busy saying “God why did you do this to me?” Instead what we should be saying is “God why have I done this to you?” and “God thank you for doing this to me”.

Phi 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do you trust Him enough to believe His word? Some people don’t seem to have enough faith in God to believe that the Bible could still be accurate after the translations and what not. Pray for them because my Bible tells me in Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God. What kind of a God do we serve if He can’t even preserve His very words. I believe my God is strong enough to preserve His words through any attempts by humans to change it.

In saying that I would like you to look at a verse with me. Lets look in the book of Matthew chapter 17:20.

(ASV) And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

(ESV) He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

(KJV+) And1161 Jesus2424 said2036 unto them,846 Because1223 of your5216 unbelief:570 for1063 verily281 I say3004 unto you,5213 If1437 ye have2192 faith4102 as5613 a grain2848 of mustard seed,4615 ye shall say2046 unto this5129 mountain,3735 Remove3327 hence1782 to yonder place;1563 and2532 it shall remove;3327 and2532 nothing3762 shall be impossible101 unto you.5213

(YLT) And Jesus said to them, `Through your want of faith; for verily I say to you, if ye may have faith as a grain of mustard, ye shall say to this mount, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you,

What I would like you to take notice of is that it does not say if you have faith the size of a mustard seed. Which happens to be one of the tiniest seeds. What it does say is, faith as a mustard seed. I have researched this in the Greek and in several translations and even in Luke 17:6 the same words were used. Strong’s uses the phrase ‘In that manner’. Why do I see this as significant you may ask. It is because I believe a mustard seed has an incredible amount of faith. Again a mustard seed is among the tiniest seeds there are and yet it becomes one of the largest in the garden, rivaling that of a small tree. When that seed is planted it knows nothing else of what to do than to grow. A mustard seed does not have its own agenda. It by immeasurable faith just begins to grow, not being concerned of what will happen next or how tall it will become. Whether or not it will get washed out by a flood or burnt by a drought. Just grow. It just focuses on what it was designed by God to do day by day, minute by minute, step by step regardless of circumstances.

So how do we get to the point that we have faith as a mustard seed? I’ve already mentioned that faith comes by the Word of God. So, as I have said a number of times before we have got to be reading the Bible. Waiting patiently on the Lord is faith. Faith that God will handle any situation in our lives. Not trying to solve problems on our own. Eastons Bible Dictionary says that knowledge is an essential element in faith. We gain knowledge in the Lord by reading the Word, listening to preaching and teaching, and studying on our own. Eph 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; Faith gives us the ability to extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one.

Dan

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!!

This is going to be short and to the point. My children say that my posts are too long. So this one is for them. Hopefully they will read this and apply it and reap the benefits.

We see all these exercise plans on TV and magazines that if you will do this exercise or that exercise for just 7 or 10 minutes a day then you are guaranteed to lose weight, look prettier, be happier, get the man/woman of your dreams etc.. I think you get the idea. So many people believe these scams and do try them only to discover that they have "failed again" because it didn't work. They didn't lose the weight they wanted to, still don't like the way they look, still are not happy, and still haven't found their knight in shining armor or princess.

Well, I have the plan that will work for you!! In less than one minute a day I can guarantee that your life will change for the better and you, YES YOU, can become beautiful and be full of joy by just spending less then one minute per day on this program. I know this sounds too good to be true, but it's not. I guarantee this program will work for anybody who isn't already on it. Those who are on it rave about how wonderful it is and how much better their life is on it.

However, I must be true to my word and make this short. You'll have to wait for my next post to see what this unbelievable program is and how it works!!

Read the other posts on this site while you are waiting or visit Voice of Vision for some more great stuff.

Dan

BELIEVE THIS !!!

Are you ready to find out about this unbelievable plan that can change your life by following it for less than one minute a day? The plan that can make your life better, make you more beautiful, and fill your life with joy?

There are also advanced stages of this plan for those who achieve the beginning stage. But I assure you that the promise I made of a better life is extended to those in the beginning stages as much as those in the advanced stages.

The Plan: Commit to read one Bible verse a day.

I know it sounds stupidly simple right? I guarantee that this will work though. If you are willing to commit to God that you will read one Bible verse a day, and do it with an open heart and mind for Christ your life will change. You are showing God that you are serious about Him and are making an attempt for a relationship. You may not see immediate results, (or you may) but don't get discouraged. If you remain obedient you will start noticing changes taking place in your life. Changes that are permanent. Like building a foundation.

Eventually you will find that one verse is not enough and you will have to continue on to the advanced plan which consists of more verses per day, more prayer, more praise etc..

I think most will find this first step more difficult than you think. Many Christians (myself included up until about 4 months ago) do not read the Bible on a daily basis. I don't say this to condemn, I say this to challenge you.

A lot of our "problems" would not be problems if we were living a life that focused on Christ. One way of focusing our attention on Christ is by reading the Bible. Try this... The next time a "problem" arises, focus your attention on Christ not your situation and see what happens to the problem.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...

Dan

ARE YOU LISTENING?

I Chronicles 21:1

Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

I remember when I was a teenager and I used to look at myself in the mirror. I'd check out my muscles and how good I looked. Not that I was a hunk or anything but I was fit and trim. Not like I am now! I also remember when I was still in high school and we had an undefeated basketball team. We didn't just win our games, we pulverized our competition. For the longest time we just couldn't be beaten. We would remind our opposing team all through the game how they lacked in ability and how we excelled, chanting things like we're #1, we're #1. You're problably wondering where I am going with this. Just keep these memories in mind while I go on.

There is a great man of the God in the Bible that had to deal with a little sin in his life. I personally believe this particular issue was pride but some disagree and think it was fear. I'll address this shortly. Regardless of what the sin was you can replace it with whatever it is in your life at this moment. So this is for everybody, no matter who you are and what your situation may be. As Pastor J.D. Hatfield asks us on occasion,"When you woke up this morning were you God?" Then this applies to you.

King David was on the winning team. He was winning all his games and stomping on all his competition. He beat the Ammonites and the Syrians, he conquered a place called Rabbah and David just destroyed the Philistine giants. And in one instant David took his eyes off God and sinned. Because of all the victory David had been experiencing is why I believe that this was a pride issue and not a fear issue. Don't misunderstand me, David was a great man of God and was obedient in a majority of the areas in his life most of the time. He was very special to God and God, I believe, was overall very pleased with David. I pray that we would all have the zeal to serve God as David did. I point out all this to say that even David made mistakes in his life. So don't be discouraged, be encouraged.

Again, verse 1 reads. Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. If you are familiar with the history of Israel then you know the only time Satan has had any strength over Gods people is when they are sinning, in disobedience or rebellion.

So you say "What is wrong with David counting the people?" Moses did it. He had a census that counted everyone and it was actually commanded by God. Moses did it according to and in response to Gods will. God knew David's heart. I believe David wanted to see how strong he was. Instead of using Gods measuring stick to measure his strength , David used mans measuring stick. Pride was Satan's tool. The only reason Satan had a way in and was able to stand up against Israel is because David allowed sin in the camp. What tool is Satan using on you? Satan's main goal is to take your focus off God. As long as David was trusting God for his strength, Satan had no power. If I am facing a mirror the only thing I see is myself. I assure you there is no God in that mirror. Remember I explained earlier this isn't just about pride. It's about anything that takes your focus off Jesus Christ. What's in the mirror when you look at it? You are! Start looking at Christ!

So, we see that sin can enter into our lives with one look the wrong way. What about our hearing? David not only took his eyes off God, he apparently wasn't listening to God either.

My kids don't like to hear me and my wife "COO" at each other, so when we do they stick their fingers in their ears and make a lot of noise so they can't hear us. Are you intentionally doing something that makes it so you can't hear God? Is there something in your life that is preventing you from hearing God? Do you even want to hear from God? Or are you afraid at what He might say? If you can't hear God it is problably because you're too far away from God or not even faced in the right direction. Who are you close to? Who are you hearing?

If you are too far from God to hear Him then you are way to close to Satan. If you do hear something there is a good chance it won't be God. What is it that takes your focus off Jesus? Is it pride like David? Lust? Unforgiveness? Fear? Anger? The list goes on.

How close are you listening? Remember the story in Acts when Paul and Silas were in prison and they were praising God and there was an earthquake that opened all the prison doors and loosed everybody's chains and they were able to walk out the door. How many of us would have said PRAISE GOD, THANK YOU LORD FOR DELIVERING ME and walked out praising God? You would have missed the whole point. As brother Danny Morgan, the evangelist, would say, "We have missed an opportunity". But Paul and Silas must have been listening close. The noise of the earthquake, falling walls must have been almost deafening. But in the midst of all that they knew they were to stay as if they were still chained up. A soldiers life and his whole household was changed forever because of that! And Paul and Silas still ended up free!! Every moment is an opportunity to serve God. How far are you willing to go? Would you be willing to stay in that jail cell even if the doors fell down? Are you close enough to God that you would even hear Him speaking to you?

Again, in Acts chapter 12, Peter is in prison and is awoken in the middle of the night by an angel that is freeing him. If Peter had his fingers in his ears, the angel would have never awakened him. There scripture says that Herod was about to bring him out. Problably for sentencing, maybe even for death. But peter was listening.

Are you close enough to God to hear Him? Would you hear Him if He told you to stay? Would you hear Him if He said run? If you're not even willing to read your Bible or pray, or fellowship with other believers then you're not going to be able to hear Him. You need to turn away from that mirror, take your fingers out of your ears and start getting closer to Jesus so you can hear Him. He wants to talk to you. He wants to save your soul. He wants to guide your every moment. Are you willing to let Him?

David was looking the wrong way to hear God. God never spoke directly to David through this whole ordeal. God spoke to Gad, David's seer, but not to David. God didn't speak to David until David repented and offered the proper sacrifices for his sin. If there is something preventing you from hearing or being close to God it is as simple as repenting and turning towards God. As far as the sacrifice goes...Sorry, but there is nothing you have that is enough of a sacrifice for your sins. But!!! Praise God, Christ has made the ultimate sacrifice that is more than enough for your and my sins. Have you allowed sin in your camp? Remember David isn't the one who really got hurt for sinning. 70,000 men died from plague. Our sins affect those around us. It may not be in death but in some way, even if it is just you being a poor witness for the Lord. Repent and mean it. How do you repent? Turn away from whatever it is that you are looking at and look at God, read the Word, pray, fellowship with other Christians and don't take your eyes off Christ no matter what.

Dan

VICTORY

I don't know about you but I'm getting tired of being beat up and losing battles to Satan. I've had some victories but it's been a lot harder than it had to be. Its like baking a cake, if you follow the recipe the cake will come out tasting good. I've been trying to bake a cake with bits and pieces of a recipe. Sometimes it may come out hard, bitter or too flat. Sometimes it is edible and sometimes it is not. Sometimes I had victory, sometimes I failed miserably.

My question to you is...When is the last time Satan lost a battle in your life? Are you tired of being beat up and tossed to and fro like a ragdoll? I believe God has revealed to me a recipe for victory.

The text for all this is II chronicles chapters 19 and 20.

The first steps toward victory would be conviction from the Holy Spirit to clean these areas up in your life that are displeasing or in disobedience to Gods Word. So all of this will seem pointless to you if you have not been "born again" and do not have a personal relationship with the one true God. This is the beginning of the sanctification process. God expects us to do the obvious beginning steps such as praying, reading His Word, studying, going to church, etc..

So, maybe your doing the basics. You have cleaned up some of the blatently obvious areas of sin in your life and have been pretty successful on this road to sanctification. Then God reveals to you an area that your not so ready to let go of. Perhaps that "pet" sin. Now Satan doesn't want you to be successful and will be unrelenting in his attempts to defeat you. If we look at verses 1 and 2 in chapter 20 Jehoshaphat learns that a great multitude is coming to destroy his land. Satan is going to come and try to destroy you and take away your victory. That is the point I would make it to and fail every time. I was victorious until it started to hurt a little then I would be knocked down and have to start over again.

So what happened to Jehoshaphat when he heard that multitudes were coming to destroy him? First of all he didn't wait until the danger was already there before doing anything about it. He had already placed judges to judge over their respective areas to be sure that all the land was living in fear of the Lord. He made provisions to be obedient to the Lord. This is one of the first ingredients in our cake. We need to make provision for victory. Avoiding people who are not encouraging or avoiding the bar or drinking buddies would be examples of making provisions for victory. I Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to obstain from every form of evil.

Next, Jehoshaphat fasted, prayed and went and gathered all the people to pray (verses 3 -13). So, our next step would be to fast and pray. The next ingredient I've already mentioned is he gathered all the people to pray. Jehoshaphat had to be humble. Next ingredient...fellowship (prayer) with fellow believers.

Then God spoke through others with encouragement to Jehoshaphat saying in verse 15 "Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but Gods". If we are obedient in following God's direction he will comfort us when we need it. So the next ingredient would be faith. As my Pastor and friend J.D. Hatfield says, "faith is in the face of fear".

Please understand, encouragement wouldn't be neccessary if it was easy. It will be difficult and there will be times when you want to give up. But that is when you need to realize you are doing something wrong. Read verse 17. You will not need to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you. If we realize that it is not us that needs to fight this battle then we can concentrate on what God wants us to do to be victorious. But we have to be still and not try to fight a battle that we cannot win.

Our cake is almost done! Our next ingredient is praise. If you continue reading from verse 18 you'll see that praise is all that was required of Jehoshaphat and his people to be victorious over their enemy. If we concentrate on the very reason for our existence then we can live that victorious life that I believe we all want. CONCENTRATE ON GOD!!!

After the enemy had been defeated then the people of Jerusalem and Judah went to the house of the Lord and rejoiced (verse 28). This is the stirring up of the cake. The witness, which was so great and strong that their other enemies heard of their victory and were in theory, already defeated.

Now that we have added all our ingredients and stirred our batter it is time to put it in the oven (Gods hands) and watch our cake rise and become the wonderful creation we were designed to be.

Dan