Romans 8:32

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

Have you ever asked God for something and thought "Why would God give me this? I don't deserve it."?

Maybe you missed your morning devotional time. Perhaps you became irritable in traffic on the way to work. Maybe you were short-tempered with a family member. Most of us wouldn't consciously admit that we believe this disqualifies us from having our prayers answered. But, somewhere on the inside, we don't quite pray as confidently when we've stumbled. We wonder if God is quite as inclined to hear our prayers when we've messed up.

Well, guess what? Before you were even a part of the family of God, He answered a prayer you weren't even praying. He gave you the greatest, most outrageous gift ever given. How qualified were you when you received the gift of salvation? My guess is you came to Christ like me- completely messed up, broken, and on a path that would've lead you to despair. Yet, somehow, God came to you! His mercy reaches far beyond what we've done or haven't done. He reached the whole way across to us.

(see Ephesians 2:1-10 for more)

Instead of questioning whether God will answer us because of our sin, do what I do: Push the Divine Delete Button. Confess your sin, repent, then get back to bold prayer! As soon as you confess and repent, your sin is gone forever and has no legal right to hinder you from coming to the Father.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)

God is not offended when we make mistakes, even as I am not offended by the mistakes of my 3-year old. It's called immaturity. As long as our desire to be wholly His is sincere, He will help us to grow and overcome that which hinders us. In the meantime, know that His desire to bless you is not impeded by your weakness. So, keep on asking! He will answer in due time!

Do Not Grow Weary

"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy." (Colossians 1:9-11)

This is a passage I use when praying for various people on my prayer list. Rather than teach on it, I want to encourage (dare!) you to pray these verses today for yourself and for someone you care about. These verses are incredibly rich in spiritual meaning. Pay attention as the Holy Spirit emphasizes certain portions to you as you pray. You might feel that you resonate with different phrases. If so, you can take an extra few moments and pray into them more. Maybe the person you are praying for is in need of wisdom today. Or maybe joy in the midst of a trial. The Holy Spirit will be faithful to lead you.

If you yourself are struggling and feel that it would be a stretch to pray for others while you are in a trial yourself, that's the best time to intercede for someone else. You will reap what you sow. Sow prayer and blessing into someone else today, and it will come back to you in due time.

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9) 

Blessings!

His Will

“The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19)

His throne is established in heaven! The place of His sovereign rule over the affairs of men is firmly established. He has all authority and power. Anyone with even a basic understanding of God would say that He has all power and authority. The God who spoke creation out of nothing is obviously all-powerful and carries all authority.

But take a look at the second part of the above verse- “His kingdom rules over all”. Beyond being a sound theological statement, what does this mean for us today?

First, what is His kingdom? One of the dictionary definitions of “kingdom” is “the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled.” (www.merriam-webster.com) The Kingdom of God is the place where what God wants to happen, happens. He is the King, and whatever He says goes, goes.

To make this verse practical, we need to know what God’s will is. What good is it to believe that His will rules over the world if we don’t know what it is? For the answer, look no further than the Lord ’s Prayer. In it, Jesus tells us to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). God’s will is perfectly manifested in heaven. He desires to manifest His will on earth, just like in heaven. So, when you go to pray for someone with cancer, ask yourself, “Is there any cancer in heaven?” The answer of course is a resounding, “NO!” With that knowledge, you can pray boldly that cancer would be driven out of that person’s body. It is parked there illegally.

Is there any depression in heaven? Emotional imbalance? Poverty? Sickness of any kind?

No, no, no, and no!

Not only should we know His will, we must also recognize that it is our responsibility, through prayer and obedient faith, to cause His will to be manifested in the earth. Jesus wants to partner with us to bring more and more of heaven to earth.

Pray boldly today. Thank God we can know His will. Declare that “His kingdom rules over all!” All means all! Whether your life or someone else’s, declare His kingdom and watch impossibilities bow to the perfect, sovereign will of God!

The Throne of Grace

“Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.” (Revelation 4:2)

“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19)

When we last left John, he had just seen a doorway to heaven open up and heard a voice invite him to ‘come up’. The blood of Jesus has made the way for us to meet with God! This is the greatest truth in all human history and the greatest privilege of our lives.

Immediately after receiving the invitation, John goes into the Spirit (the realm where God’s invisible world becomes visible and tangible). The first thing he sees is a throne set in heaven, with One seated on it. As you meditate on this verse, it can be helpful to ask the Holy Spirit questions: What does the throne look like? How big is this throne? What are the colors, the sounds surrounding this scene?

Also helpful in meditation is reading through the verse several times, each time emphasizing a different word or phrase. As you focus on different parts of the verse, it will come alive to you in dynamic ways. See the following examples to stir your thinking:

Consider that the throne is set in heaven. It is established. It is firm. It is unmovable, unshakeable, and unchangeable. It is set as the pillar for all things visible and invisible. The throne, the rule of God, is the standard by which all of life is measured.

Consider that there is One seated on the throne. No one else is sovereign over the universe but God alone. He is totally set apart as having all power and authority.

Meditation is meant to lead you to interact with God Himself. The Book is wonderful, but the purpose of the Book is to lead you to the Author. As we have considered the throne of God, let's take time to actually speak with the One on the throne.

I am reminded that we can come before the throne to receive what we need for each day. Today, as you have pictured the throne of God, come before Him in prayer and receive what you need. There is fresh grace for you today, but it is your responsibility to take the time to come before Him and ask for it.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)