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by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
What happens when we fail but we feel unworthy to ask for
God’s help?
The Lord may have rescued us, but we fell into the same repeated
behavior.
We can then feel guilty for asking for
deliverance again.
We feel unworthy, condemned, and disappointed in ourselves.
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Jesus’ disciples saw their Master spend time in prayer. On more than one occasion, He separated Himself and spent the night talking to God.
These followers saw the fellowship Jesus had with the Father, and they wanted
to know how to do the same.
These men asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and He answered
them with what we call the Lord’s Prayer or the Model Prayer. His instructions,
given in Matthew chapter six, were preceded by the following verses.
And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the
heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need
of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:7–8 emphasis mine)
Jesus told His followers, and us, that vain repetition is not the way to talk to God. Prayer is not a recited formula, but a heart to heart conversation with our heavenly Father.
Why would Jesus tell us to pray if God already
knows what we need? Multiple verses tell us to pray through all occasions.
The Lord wouldn’t tell us to pray if we didn’t need this powerful assistance. (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Here are 7 reasons we need to pray:
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
We celebrate our country’s birthday on July 4 because that
is the day the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress.
But we don’t often contemplate the suffering the
revolutionary patriots experienced to give birth to this country. A good
exercise, not only during an Independence Day celebration, but anytime of year,
would be to research the sacrifices of some of our founding fathers and the
soldiers who fought the Revolutionary War.
If we answer the following questions, we can learn how to
pray an Independence Day prayer. We can find information we may not have known
that can show us more reasons to be thankful. We can discover more about the
spirit behind the forces who opposed them, and what we can do about this
invisible enemy that still threatens us today.
Why was America founded?
I’m thankful the Lord tells us about the failures of some of
the biblical characters. If we didn’t know about their struggles and sins, we
would think they were perfect. This could make us feel like we could never be
successful at obeying God.
These accounts were given to us as an example (1 Corinthians
10:11). We can learn from all the triumphs and failures of biblical fathers.
The same lessons can apply to mothers, as well.
Here are few examples of how our ancient ancestor’s parenting mistakes brought consequences, but also how God’s mercy and grace brought redemption.
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
I learned 4
lessons from a clay pot during a pottery demonstration.
I watched a potter spin the wheel with his foot. The talented hands worked the clay until it softened enough to form a pliable lump. Even though his hands moved and formed, the clay had to submit to the fingers pressing on it. If the clay was too hard, the bowl he wanted to create would not turn out like he planned.
As Christians, sometimes we hear the word “meditation” and we back off as if we are being pursued by a cult. We associate this practice with New Age religions. But is meditation a bad thing?
The negative
image comes from eastern religions that teach people to empty their minds, hum,
and sit on the floor with their eyes closed.
But meditation
simply means thinking about something. The difference in the benefit (or
damage) is in what we think about.
Give ear to my
words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Listen to the voice of my cry, my King
and my God: for to you I will pray. (Psalm
5:1 AKJV)
We can see from
this Scripture that biblical meditation is thinking about God’s Word and
praying.
Even though Jesus warned the disciples more than once about the future suffering He would endure, they still didn't get it (Matthew 16:21).
Despite
Christ’s warnings, His followers, like the rest of Israel, waited for a Messiah
with military might. The Israelites conquered other nations and entered the
Promised Land through war. Their history involved conquering and being
conquered. Centuries later, when the Romans ruled over their country they assumed
their long-awaited Messiah would rescue them through armed conflict.
The Master
Teacher tried to prepare His companions for what lay ahead. But they couldn’t
even stay awake to pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Mary Magdalene
was the first one Christ appeared to after the resurrection, and He gave her
the task of proclaiming the good news that He was alive.
She went to the
hidden followers and told them she had seen the Lord’s immortal body. They
still didn’t pay attention to this eyewitness.
When they
heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. (Mark 16:11)
Here are 2 possible reasons they doubted Mary's report.
by Barbara Latta
What does the Bible mean when it talks about perfect love?
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out
fear, because fear involves torment. (1 John 4:18a
NKJV)
I used to think the perfect love this verse talked about
meant I had to display perfect love toward God and others for anxiety to leave
me.
But after I heard someone explain this Scripture, the light
came on in my mind. (Sometimes I'm slow!)
This verse speaks of God's love, not ours, because His love
is the only perfection. We can't express perfect love no matter how close to
Him we grow because we still have our flesh (mind and emotions) to deal with.
The second part of that verse says, But he
who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18b)
How does perfect love cast out fear?
Do you ever suffer with being wishy-washy, inconsistent in accomplishing goals, or procrastinate like Scarlett O'Hara?
I often struggle with these ailments and frustration follows
because of uncompleted tasks.
When I prayed about my dilemma, I heard the Holy Spirit say,
"Consistency is the key."
Consistency is the key. What does that mean, Lord?
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| 4 Scriptures to overcome thoughts of condemnation and guilt |
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Does your mind play games with your conscience over past sins? Do you suffer with guilt even though you know you are forgiven?
Sometimes the words of others can ignite those thoughts and
bring the hammer down on any positive progression we have made in our souls.
I have heard these words from people before. "(Name of
person) told me I have cancer because there must be sin in my life."
Or thoughts and accusations come after a disaster or tragedy such as, "This happened because of what I did." (Meaning they think they are being punished because of a past sin, not a consequence of a bad decisions such as having a wreck because of speeding.)
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In ancient Rome, the army of Caesar was an institution to be feared. Everywhere they marched, these soldiers conquered. To resist them meant certain death.
They were heavily armed, trained, and disciplined. They had at their disposal an arsenal of weapons. Among these were various types of swords.
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Love is the foundation upon which all biblical doctrines
rest. It is the cement that holds all other revelations together. How can we
trust our heavenly Father to save us,
provide for us, or heal us if we question the depth of His affection?
We may not feel His heart at times, but that doesn’t change
the truth. We should believe He is passionate toward us because He said so.
We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19 NKJV).
We can’t love God first because there isn’t anything in us to love Him with
until we receive for ourselves the life He extends to us.
Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). We
don’t deserve His mercy, but He gives it to us because of His grace.
God's love gives us more than we can ever count, but here are 3 benefits we can live out daily.
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| Remedies for emotions that cause thoughts of insignificance |
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Have you ever felt insignificant? Hidden from God? That your
life doesn't really matter?
The Bible provides examples of women who felt less than
worthy. They didn’t feel as if their existence contributed to anything or
anyone. Lives full of pain, despair, brokenness, and condemnation were all they
knew.
Since the Bible does tell us about these women, we know
their story is important. Their lives had a special meaning we can all learn
from.
These biblical women are examples of how God overcame their difficulties and redeemed their souls. He will do the same for us with these remedies for emotions that can create thoughts of insignificance.
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Have you ever
thought about what you think about? We may not realize it but our thinking does
control our lives.
New Year's
resolutions usually involve changing some type of behavior. Rather than a
resolution, why not a renewal? Why not start the new year with new thinking?
A renewal of
our minds can bring about changed behavior.
Where do thoughts come from?
