HOUSE OF PRAYER

 

Matthew 21:13

"It is written, he said to them, My house will be called a house of prayer . . . ." NIV

"And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer. ."KJV

It seems that we have gotten nestled in our comfortable lifestyle. So much so that we come to the house of God with little thought that we are entering into the sacred presence of our God. Many churches today bring in the culture and lifestyles of the world. We treat the sanctuary as if it were a theater and we are waiting for the show to start. These things are taking away from the honor and priority of God at the expense of our feeling comfortable. God's house is holy and sanctified. Are we acting as though it is? We are being blessed with God's mercy and grace to be able to come together with other believers into His house. It is only right that we treat it as such.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for entering Your house with our own comforts and distractions from having our hearts already prepared in worship and praise. Bring us out of our complacency so that You will be honored and praised in all ways while we are in Your house. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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PREPARING FOR WORSHIP

 

Psalm 100:4

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." NIV

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name." KJV

As we enter into our place of worship, are we prepared in our hearts to praise and worship God Almighty, who gives us the privilege of openly worshipping Him? Do we stand around in small clusters of friends and acquaintances exchanging the latest news and happenings? Are we just sitting waiting for the service to start so we can get into the "mood" to worship? Our hearts are already to be praising and thanking God for who He is and all He has done for us. Entering the sanctuary should be a definite experience of being in the very presence of the Lord. The worship service does not begin when the pastor steps up to the podium or the music begins to play. It begins in our hearts before we ever leave home. We are to come into His house with hearts already worshipping.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for our complacency in coming to Your house for worship. We have failed to acknowledge that there are many around the world who do not have this privilege or freedom. We forget that Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for us to be able to come right to the very throne of grace. Forgive us Lord. Fill our hearts with thanksgiving and praise before we reach the house of God so that our hearts will be in communion with You and we will receive what You long for us to have. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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FAITH IS A GIFT

 

Ephesians 2:8

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."NIV

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." KJV

Grace is God's favor toward us even though we do not deserve it and have not earned it. Faith is the power of believing that God gives us. God will never believe for us, but He will always give us the power to believe by the gift of faith. Do we earn this gift by our good works or moral lives? No! None of us are worthy of that gift. It is freely given by God because He is a gracious God. It is up to us whether we accept this faith, this power to believe in Jesus Christ. Salvation comes by no other way.

Heavenly Father, how we thank You for Your grace to us and the measure of faith You have given to each of us. Help us to use our faith so that we will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. In His name we pray, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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NO MORE THAN WE CAN BEAR

 

1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." NIV

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." KJV

Overcoming temptation begins with our state of mind. We are never tempted in a unique way that no other human being has ever experienced. Our temptations are common and experienced by many other fellow human beings. Our God is the pinnacle of faithfulness to us, even when we are in a place of great temptation. He knows how much we can take and will always come to our assistance during times of temptation. We always have a choice to give in to the temptation or to search for that way of escape our faithful Lord has provided for us. The way to keep from giving in to the temptation is ours if we choose to take it. These times are great tests of our faith and commitment to God. We can never say we couldn't help it, or the temptation was just too overpowering. If we are honest we can only say our desire for the temptation was stronger than our desire to obey Christ.

Heavenly Father, forgive us when we give in to temptation and so dishonor You. We thank You that You always provide a way for us to overcome the temptation and pray You will help us to listen to the Holy Spirit within us and to obey so that we will not sin. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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SIMPLE BUT CRITICAL MESSAGE

 

Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." NIV

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."KJV

Wages are something we work for and earn. If we rely on our sinful natures to get us through this life and the life to come, our wages will be hell. That's what we will have earned. We can never earn eternal life. If is a free gift given by God to those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He saves us from the reliance on our own sinful natures that take us to hell and puts us on the narrow path to eternal life with Him.

Heavenly Father, how we praise You for such a simple yet profound message. Help us to accept the boldness of the Holy Spirit to tell this critical message to those who are still relying on their own sinful natures. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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ADEQUATELY EQUIPPED

 

Ephesians 4:12

"To equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."NIV

"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ."KJV

Let's imagine for a moment that we are setting out for a journey of a lifetime. Would we not be foolish and seen as foolish by others, if we set out for this journey with no preparation or equipment that we will need during our journey? If we are honest with ourselves, that's just what many of us do on this most important journey we will ever take, the journey to eternal life with Jesus Christ. Some expect that the Lord will do all the things that need to be done. He did die in our place on the cross, so we don't need to do works in order to be saved. But His Word tells us to "be ready" "study" "pray" "seek Him" "share the gospel" "put on the armor of God" "let our lights shine" "stir up our faith" "forsake not assembling with other believers." This is only a tiny list of things we are to do to equip ourselves for the journey. How equipped are we?

Heavenly Father, in this busy world, we have allowed ourselves to become distracted and we have not done those things that will equip us and others for our journey though this life. Forgive us for our lack of fervor and zeal. Help us to be energized by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us so that we will have all we need to get to our destination. We pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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NEVER GIVE UP

 

Galatians 6:9

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." NIV

"And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." KJV

How many of us have been living lives that reflect Godliness, but we still don't see any results of what we have done? How many of us grow tired of trying? It is human to be this way and it has happened to each of us at one time or another. If we give up, we are dishonoring the Lord, because He promised us that if we continue doing the work He has set out for us to do, we will reap a reward. Let's keep going for the Lord, keeping our hearts focused on Him and the glory He deserves. Let's keep doing what He wants us to do, whether we see results or not. There will come a day when our well doing will bring forth a wealth of rewards for us and great glory and honor to our Lord. Keep going and don't give up.

Heavenly Father, forgive us, not for becoming weary, but for wanting to give up and for giving up. Help us to keep our eyes focused on You and Your purposes that will be for our good and Your glory. Renew our faith and spiritual strength through Your Word and fellowship with other believers. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

No Copyright Infringement Intended

Personal Use Only