Category: Strength for Today

Mark 11:24
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

If you have been saved for any length of time, then you have heard of people whose prayer lives were able to make great changes. The disciples saw this first hand with Jesus Christ. Jesus cursed a fig tree because it had no fruit on it, and the next day when they passed the same tree Peter noticed that the tree had withered up and died. That impressed Peter so much that he reminded the Saviour of His words, as if Jesus didn’t know this would happen. Jesus then used this opportunity to teach His disciples how to pray so that they also could have a prayer life that changes situations.

One of the greatest needs of our day is the need for Christians to pray, and not just praying but having prayers change things. Lives do not change without prayer. Societies do not change without prayer. The heart of kings will not change without prayer. Healing does not happen without prayer. The problems in today’s society is not that God has lost His power, but that the prayer of the Christian is shallow and powerless. Jesus showed His disciples three types of prayers that change things. If you are going to have a prayer life that changes things, then your prayers must have these three things.

The first type of prayer that changes things is the prayer of faith. Jesus said in verse 22, “Have faith in God.” This is the prayer of the impossible. One of the reasons we don’t see great miracles today is because we don’t pray for the impossible. I’m afraid our faith in God has wavered. Christians used to pray for the impossible because they had the faith that God would come through. Where are the prayers of the Elijah’s that pray down fire from Heaven? Where are the prayers of the Elisha’s that raise the dead to life? Where are the prayers of the impossible? Friend, your prayer life will not change a thing until you broaden your faith and pray for the impossible.

The second type of prayer that changes things is a believing prayer. Jesus commanded in the verse above that when we pray we are to “believe” that we are going to receive it. In other words, don’t let doubt stop you from praying. The believing prayer is the prayer that never stops praying no matter how long you have prayed for something. This is the prayer that continues to pray for a request because you believe that God will come through. You will never have a prayer life that changes things until you continue to pray until the LORD comes through. A believing prayer says that it will continue to pray until the answer comes.

The third type of prayer that changes things is a forgiving prayer. Jesus tells us in verse 25 to forgive others when you pray. In others words, pray that God will bless those who have hurt you. That is what Matthew 5:44 tells us to do. The prayer that changes things is the prayer that forgives others, for it is in that type of prayer that our heart for people changes, and others will see our countenance towards them has changed. Let me ask you, who has wronged you? Do you have a forgiving prayer towards them? The prayer of faith and believing will have no power until you have a forgiving prayer.

These three types of prayers are prayers that will change. I encourage you to increase your faith and pray for the impossible. Stop praying for the small portions and get a prayer life that prays for the impossible. Don’t stop believing that God can come through and continue to pray until He answers. Then remove any ought that you have in your heart towards others and have a prayer of forgiveness. It is these types of prayers that truly change lives, societies and the world.

Mark 4:38
“And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?”

After a long day of teaching, Jesus told His disciples to get into the ship so they could go to the other side. He was tired and needed to get some rest from the long day of teaching. I can completely understand how He must have felt. Jesus had to be mentally and physically exhausted.

The Scriptures do not say how long they were on the sea, the one thing we know is that a storm arose and they were caught in the middle of the storm. It wasn’t just any storm, but it was a great storm that caused the waves to go into the boat. When the disciples saw their ship was full of water and they were beginning to sink, they woke up Jesus and asked Him if He cared. What a ridiculous question! Asking the Saviour if He cared was truly a foolish question. He cared enough to be with them in the boat. He cared enough for them to tell them to get to the other side. He cared enough for them not to show any concern of the storms Himself. Though they could not see that Jesus cared for them, His actions proved that He did.

Friend, we can oftentimes go through great storms of our own. In fact, you may presently find yourself in a great storm of your own, yet the Master truly does care for you. You may wonder if Jesus really cares for you, and let me assure you that He does. Let me give you some thoughts that may help you as you go through the great storms of your life.

First, if Jesus said that you are going to get unto the other side, then you will make it to the other side. When the great storms come our way, we can wonder if we are truly going to make it through the storm. Let God’s Word assure you that if Jesus said you will make it to the other side you will. The size of the storm is not going to stop God’s Word. The violence of the storm is not going to stop God’s Word from being fulfilled. If Jesus said to get to the other side, then you will make it.

Second, though you may think Jesus is asleep in your storm, He is very aware of what you are facing. I’m very confident that Jesus knew what the storm was like, but He wanted to teach the disciples that no matter what they faced He understood. Jesus’ silence does not mean that He doesn’t care. Maybe you should take from His silence that He is completely in control. You need to understand that though He may seem silent to you, He is still very aware of what you are facing and is with you in the storm.

Third, when Jesus is ready to calm the storm He will. Jesus knows how much you can handle, and He will take you to the brink, but not beyond. Jesus will never let the storm overtake you. He will make sure that your faith is strengthened through the storm. Your spiritual and emotional boat may seem to be filled with the water of your storm, but you are still floating. As long as you are floating spiritually and emotionally, you simply need to trust that God will calm the storm at the very moment you can take no more.

Christian, let God’s presence in your life encourage you that you are not going to sink in the great storms you face. As long as you have His presence in your life, then you will make it. Keep trusting God and keep paddling to get to the other side. God is greater than any storm you face. You will make it to the other side if you don’t quit.

Matthew 25:45
“Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”

When I was a boy, my mother always stressed to me the importance of taking care of the smallest details because she stressed that they would eventually lead to bigger details in life. I have worked with a few preachers who made a big deal about making sure every little detail is cared for. They understood that the least matters of life are oftentimes the determining factor of the success of projects.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables that deal with the kingdom of heaven. The first parable was about the ten virgins awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom. The second parable was about a man traveling into a far country and leaving three servants in charge of a portion of his money. The third parable was about Jesus talking about the separation of sheep and goats and how many people didn’t treat Him right. Each of these parables show us a test of how to deal with the least matters so that we can be entrusted with greater things in life. Let me show you these three tests and see if you pass them.

The first test is the preparation test. Five of the virgins were not prepared when the bridegroom came. They slumbered and slept, and then at the last minute tried to get ready, but it was too late. Though this parable is dealing with salvation, it also carries an important truth to be prepared for everything that comes in life. Far too many people run off a crisis mode and then wonder why they are so stressed in life. I have found that if you learn to prepare in advance with every task for which you are responsible that you will have much less stress in life and will find success is much easier to achieve.

The second test is the task test. The second parable was about three servants who were supposed to care for their task of investments. Two of the servants cared for the “few things” of which they were entrusted, and the master gained the confidence in them to give them more responsibility. Every little task is a big task. How you treat the little tasks of life will determine how you treat the big tasks in life. If you treat the little tasks unimportantly, then you should never be entrusted with the bigger tasks in life. It is not until you learn to treat every task importantly that you should be entrusted with the greater task.

The third test is the people test. Jesus rebuked people because they passed over the “least of these.” There are no unimportant people. If you have a class for people, then you will treat every person differently according to their class. Let me encourage you not to classify people, but treat every person is important. You never know when you are dealing with someone whom you think is least who in fact is someone who can truly help you later in life. Treat every person importantly and you will never “accidentally” treat someone of importance wrongly.

Friend, these three tests truly define your character. Whenever you fail any of these three tasks, you are showing that you are not ready to be entrusted with greater tasks. Your potential is dependent upon how you treat the least matters. If everything is important to you, then you will never miss the one task that makes or breaks the greatest task that is the deciding factor of what propels you in life. Let me encourage you to be sure to treat every least matter in preparation, task and treatment of people importantly. When you pass these three tests, then you will prove to God that you are ready for the greater vision He has for you.

Proverbs 29:11
“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.”

A person says, “I’m just going to give you a piece of my mind.” This is what a person does when they are upset and want to unload their feelings. They want to tell the person with whom they are upset just how angry they are about them and what they did. I often say that you better be careful about giving a piece of your mind because you might not have a mind left after you are done.

So many relationships are ruined because someone had to give a piece of their mind. They think if they give a piece of their mind that it will make peace, but it does the opposite and most of the time causes irreparable damage and hard feelings that will never be healed.

God says that the person who utters his whole mind is a fool. God understood the human nature to unload in the heat of the moment, but He also understood how it damages relationships. I have watched pastors run off many church members because they quickly gave a piece of their mind. Many marriages have been damaged because a spouse gave a piece of their mind. Many relationships have been severed because one person gave a piece of their mind. There are several things you can do to keep from giving a piece of your mind.

First, wait before responding. You should learn to be an actor and not a responder. What I mean by this statement is that you must not let what you perceive as a wrong to cause you to react. You are better off waiting and knowing what you are going to say than you would be if you simply reacted and said everything that is on your mind. Waiting has a way to allow the heated moment to cool off. When cooler minds prevail, then hurtful words are averted.

Second, don’t say everything that you think. This is what gets most of us into trouble. There are some things that are best left unsaid. Just because you are thinking something doesn’t mean that you need to say it. Some of the things that you are thinking will truly be hurtful and are not needed to be said. Learn to control your emotions and never say everything that is on your mind.

Third, don’t ever write down what you are thinking. We live in an electronic world that makes it easy to respond, but one thing the electronic world cannot do is transfer what you are truly feeling. You may write something, but what you write may not actually come across the same way that you meant it to come across. Meeting with someone face to face is better than trying to solve disagreements electronically.

Fourth, don’t respond until you have had time to hear both sides of the story. One of the most foolish things you can do is to quickly give your mind without hearing both sides of the story. You would be best to ask both sides before giving a piece of your mind. Only responding off one side of the story will cause you to further damage a situation that may be a complete misunderstanding.

Fifth, plan what you say instead of giving a piece of your mind. Friend, you would do yourself much favor by knowing what you are going to say when you are going into a tense situation. Plan your responses and stick with it. Be sure that what you are going to say is exactly how the LORD would want you to respond. A planned response will keep you from giving a piece of your mind.

Many of the divisions we find ourselves in happen because of one person giving a piece of their mind. Yield yourself to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to guide your conversations and reactions throughout the day. If you are guided by the Spirit, then you will find that you will no longer give a piece of your mind which will help you to build strong relationships that will last a lifetime.

Matthew 15:3
“But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”

It is amazing how powerful traditions are to many. The scribes and Pharisees were caught up in the traditions of men so much that they ignored the commandments of God. They saw the disciples of Christ eat bread without washing their hands, and they thought that Jesus should rebuke His disciples for doing so. Instead, Jesus took the opportunity to teach the importance of traditions and commandments. Let me show you several things you must learn from Jesus’ response.

First, traditions change. Traditions of themselves are dependent upon the accuracy of man communicating them to the next generation. The problems with this is that man cannot be relied upon to be accurate. Oftentimes you have heard or watched someone whisper something in someone’s ear and asked people to spread it around the room. By the time it gets to the last person, what the last person heard was completely different than what was originally said. Traditions are just simply something that a culture does, but that does not make them the final authority.

Second, God’s commandments never change. The difference between traditions and commandments is that God’s commandments were settled before the world was ever created. Psalm 119:89 says, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” God’s commandments have not evolved as our culture has, but His commandments were settled before the world was created.

Furthermore, God’s commandments are not dependent upon man preserving them, but God Himself chose to preserve them to keep them accurate. Psalm 12:7 says, “Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” This makes the commandments of God something which you can trust to be accurate because God is the One making sure they are accurate.

Third, traditions do not determine right and wrong. Just because tradition says something is right or wrong does not mean that to be true. When I was growing up, I remember my mom telling my sisters that if they were going to set the table right, then the fork needed to be on the left side of the plate. That is a tradition. If they now choose to put the fork on the right side of the plate, that does not make them right or wrong because tradition is what dictates this. We must always decipher if something is a tradition or a commandment to determine if it is a right or wrong.

Fourth, when traditions conflict with commandments, then the tradition is wrong and God’s commandments are right. Always remember that God’s Word is the final authority. You must never let tradition become your foundation for truth because only God’s Word is the foundation of ALL truth. Traditions will change with one’s conscience and culture; therefore, you must follow God’s commandments when tradition conflicts with them.

Friend, study God’s Word and learn what is right and wrong. Lay aside the traditions and only let God’s Word be the final authority that you follow. There is nothing wrong with having traditions as long as they don’t contradict God’s Word. Whenever teaching or following traditions, always be sure to make clear that it is a tradition and that God’s Word must always be followed. First and foremost, don’t become so entrenched in traditions that you become like the scribes and Pharisees who were blinded to the Word of God and what it said. When God’s Word is your basis for truth, then you will easily decipher what is right and wrong.

Matthew 2:11
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

For many years the wise men had waited for the star to appear. They knew that in their lifetime that the Messiah would be born. They also knew that a star would appear in the East that would announce His birth. I can only imagine the anticipation every night as they studied the skies awaiting the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine the excitement that happened the night they looked in the sky and saw the star appear which announced the birth of Jesus Christ? There is no doubt in my mind that their hearts were filled with joy as they loaded their camels to go and see the child. The journey must have been long, but they knew they were going to see the Saviour.

Something happened to these wise men when they came into the presence of Jesus. These men who were probably leaders in their own respect came to pay homage to Jesus; however, three things happened to them when they came into His presence. The same three things that happened to them will happen to anyone who lives in the presence of Jesus Christ.

First, they saw their worthlessness and His righteousness. You will notice that when they came into His presence they fell down before Him. Anyone who ever comes into the presence of Jesus Christ will never talk about their own righteousness. It is quite interesting when people come into God’s presence that they talk more of the righteousness of Christ than their own. The reason this happens is because when you see the righteousness of Jesus Christ you truly have no personal righteousness about which to talk. Your righteousness is nothing compared to God’s righteousness.

Second, the presence of Jesus caused them to worship Him and not man. Not only did they fall down because of His righteousness, but it was easy for them to keep their eyes upon Jesus. Friend, when you are in the presence of Jesus, you will talk more of Him and less of man. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but we don’t worship any preacher, we should only worship God. When you talk more about your preacher than you do Jesus Christ, then you’re in the wrong presence. Any man of God worth his salt will only push you towards Christ.

Third, the presence of Jesus caused them to open their treasures. This is very interesting to me because they were not afraid to give of what they had when they were in His presence. You show me someone who lives in the presence of Christ and I will show you someone who is not afraid to open their treasures to Him. Money will not be an issue with them because they will realize it truly belongs to God.

One thing worth noting is that when a person begins to close their treasures to God, then they will start placing their eyes on man and will begin to brag on their goodness. These three things cannot be separated. The answer is to live in the presence of Jesus Christ. This sinful world needs to see less of man and more of Christ, and the only way they will see this is if you start living in His presence. When you live in His presence, then these three things will naturally happen in your life. These three things are a wonderful result of being in His presence.

Revelation 2:17
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”

The Roman empire has been known for its sporting events. One of the common customs of the Roman emperors was to attend these sporting events. They say that when two men competed against each other, the victor was given a white stone from the Roman emperor with the insignia of the emperor and the name of the victor engraved on the stone. This white stone gave the victor much credence in his society for everyone knew that this stone meant that he was in favor of the emperor.

In the verse above, God promised the Christian a white stone if they overcame. This white stone is the equivalence of the white stone given from the Roman emperor; instead, this stone is given by God Himself to the Christian. This stone meant that the Christian is in favor with God. This stone meant that the Christian was given a name by God that was special to that person and God. This name is the equivalent of a parent giving their child a special name that no one else understands, but it is the loving name a parent uses with their child. If there is anything you should desire from God, it is this white stone which He will give you. As I look at this, there are several things that we can take from the white stone.

First, God never said that we would not fail on the way to overcoming. God did not say that He would give the white stone to the one who never failed; rather, God said that He would give the stone to the one who overcame. That means you can fail in life and still receive the white stone as long as you get up and keep going until you overcome.

Second, God never said we had to be the best to get the white stone. I love this because I know that I am not the best at what I do, but I don’t have to be the best, I just have to overcome. Friend, God is not expecting you to be the most talented or gifted. He simply is expecting you to overcome. There are most likely many other people who are better than you in many areas, but you can still receive the white stone from God if you will overcome.

Third, God never said that you would not want to quit along the way. Friend, there are going to be times when you want to quit, but if you overcome you will receive the white stone. Yes, you will become weary in well doing, but if you overcome the white stone will be given to you.

Fourth, God never said that you had to win to get the white stone. He said that you simply had to overcome. I love this because this would mean that any Christian can receive the white stone from God if they simply cross the finish line. You may be the last person to cross the finish line, but you can still receive the white stone from God. Others may finish a long time before you, but you simply have to overcome and cross the finish line. God simply says you need to overcome to get the coveted white stone given to you.

Christian, do you feel that it is worthless for you to continue on because you are not going to win? Let me encourage you that God simply says that you must overcome to get the white stone. I don’t know what is beating you down today, but you must keep on going and overcome whatever you face. God simply wants you to finish. Your desire should be to stand and receive the prize of the white stone with your name engraved with God’s. You may want to quit right now, but let me encourage you to keep going for there is a white stone waiting for you when you overcome.

1 John 5:4
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

The greatest battle that has ever been fought and is continuing to be fought is the Christian’s battle over the world. There have been great battles fought throughout history, but this battle will be ongoing until the LORD’s return. The difference between the Christian’s battle with the world and other battles throughout history is that the Christian’s battle is a spiritual battle; it is a battle that is unseen.

God says in the verse above that the Christian has overcome the world. In other words, inside of each Christian is the wherewithal to conquer every battle that you face within. To overcome means to gain the superiority or to be victorious. When God says that we have overcome the world, He is saying that we can be victorious and gain the superiority over the world. Yes, you can subdue the world and its attack against you. There are three ways we overcome the world.

First, you overcome the world by getting saved. You will never overcome the battles you have within without getting saved. You can’t overcome the world when you are part of the world. Verse 5 says, “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” When a person gets saved, they are essentially moving their citizenship out of the world. You will continually fail to overcome the problems this world throws at you until you accept Christ as your personal Saviour.

Second, you overcome the world with God’s help. 1 John 4:4 says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” One of the reasons you needed to get saved is because you couldn’t overcome the world in your own power. Once you got saved, you acquired a power within to overcome the world, and that power is the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Friend, there is nothing in your life that you cannot overcome with God’s help.

Third, you overcome the world with your faith. The verse above makes is very clear that your faith is what helps you overcome the world. What is your faith? The faith is the Word of God. The more you spend time in the Word of God, the stronger you become in the faith. In other words, studying God’s Word is what helps give you the knowledge to overcome anything the world throws at you.

Knowing that you can overcome the world should help you in three ways. First, it should help you to understand that you can overcome the world. You don’t have to let the world defeat you. Stop walking around with a defeatist attitude, you can have the confidence that there is nothing in your life that you cannot overcome with the help of God and your faith.

Second, you already have the victory over the world. Friend, God says that you will continually overcome the world. The word “overcometh” means that you are continually overcoming the world. In other words, it is a daily battle that you fight, but you essentially have already overcome it with the help of God and your faith.

Third, it all comes down to your desire to overcome the world. Do you truly want to overcome the world’s influences on your life? It is truly your choice. God has promised that you can overcome the world, but it comes down to the desire to overcome. It comes down to whether you choose to overcome the world. Stop living in the world of defeat and claim the victory you already have in Christ. You can live the victorious Christian life if you have the desire to do so. Inside of you is a power that is greater than anything this world can throw at you, and that power is the Holy Spirit’s power. Claim His power and grow your faith and you will find that you can overcome the world’s stranglehold on your life.

1 Peter 2:9
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

God says about the Christian, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14) God says in the verse above that He has called us “out of darkness into his marvellous light.” When the Christian got saved, they were called out of the darkness of Satan’s power, immorality, powerless living, no hope and eternal punishment. When a person gets saved, they are saved to eternal life, a relationship with God, a blessed hope, an empowered life and a life of purpose.

God is making it very clear that when we get saved, we are no longer to live a life that represents darkness, but we are to live a life that represents light. When God uses the light as an illustration, He is making it clear that the Christian is to live a transparent life so the world will come out of their darkness into the same light in which you are called. There are four ways you are going to accomplish this life of living in the light.

First, you must realize you are chosen. Notice that God says, “But ye are a chosen generation…” Out of all the things in this world that God could have chosen to use, He chose you. God could have chosen the heavens to declare His praises, and they do, but He specifically chose you. He could have chosen the animal and plant life to declare His praises, but instead He chose you. You must realize that you are chosen by God to declare His praises to the world. You will never live in the light until you accept that you are chosen by God to represent Him. What an honor!

Second, you must recognize your calling. God says that we are a “royal priesthood.” In other words, just like the priests in the Old Testament were the ones who testified about God to man, you are called by God to tell the world about the wondrous Gospel of Jesus Christ. You will always struggle with coming out of the life of darkness until you recognize you are called to tell others about Christ. Being the soul winner God has called you to be will help you to drop the works of darkness and live in the light of Christ.

Third, you must validate your example to others. God says that we are a “holy nation.” In other words, you are the measuring stick of truth to the world. Yes, God’s Word is truth, but the world will only look at Christians to determine truth. If the Christian does not live a holy life, then they are keeping the world from seeing the light. You are the light to the world. They will only see their darkness if you will let your light shine brightly. Don’t let sin darken the Light that shines in your heart.

Fourth, you must accept your distinction if you are going to come out of darkness. God calls us, “a peculiar people.” In other words, you are to be distinctly different from the world. The world is to look at you and see a distinct difference in your life. Too many Christians are identifying more with the world than they are with Christ, and there is no distinction for the world to see. You will continually struggle with the old life of darkness as long as you shy away from being distinct.

Christian, we are truly saved by grace, but the world must see the light shining in our life in order to see the grace of God in our life. The world will never see the praises of God until you realize you are chosen, recognize your calling, validate your example and accept your distinction. Let me ask you, does the world around you see the light in your life? If you will come to grips with these four areas in your life, then you will see that coming out of darkness into light will be a rewarding task.