.png)
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.
