Eternal Rewards

12-31-04

"Let him who does wrong; [who is vile; who does right; and who is holy, continue]." "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:11-12 (Paraphrased)

We cannot control anyone's actions. God will give accordingly to those on earth who have followed Him and those who have rejected Him. We are to concern ourselves with our own behaviors for we control those alone.

I need to stop getting angry at others for their actions, their reward will come; and so will mine, so I should focus on mine.

Lord, I pray that those who do wrong around me would not hinder me into feeling angry but that they would remind me of my faults so that I can take action. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Knowing You More & More

12-30-04

All nations will come and worship before You for Your righteous acts have been revealed.
Revelation 15:46

By all, He will be worshipped. He will finally reveal Himself to us and we will see, know, and worship Him in death.

I need to act in faithful obedience, knowing that as each moment passes, He reveals more of Himself to me and will reveal all in the end.

Lord, I look forward to the instant that I will know You completely, I pray that would be my motivation in the painful times, to remain in You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Find Rest in the Lord

12-29-04

"Then I heard a voice from Heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." Revelation 14:13

All who live for the Lord will be blessed as well as those who die for Him. In Him we find rest.

There is nothing to fear in this life or in my death as long as I am living for the Lord. I am protected by His love for me, and mine for Him.

Lord, remind me daily that You are my rest and that with You there is no fear of what is to come. I am so blesseed now and will have more blessings as I continue to walk with You. In Jesus' man I pray. Amen.

Worthy of All Our Praise

12-28-04

In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
Revelation 5:12

God is not only worthy of all these things from men: power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise, but He also receives it from the angels, elders and all who surround and love Him.

I want to give God praise on all occasions to which He is most deserving.

Lord, You are the most high and holy in all the universe. You are my King. My God, my brother, my friend, and my Creator. I praise You for Your love and mercy. You are great and there is truly no one out there like You. Amen!

To The Death of Me

12-27-04

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you to the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10

Remain devoted to Him, no matter if we love all the people in our lives; if we feel lost; if we experience immense pain; or even death - because we will receive the reward according to our life now and His place in it.

Look to God, stay focused, and be faithful - in every situation. Our actions are being recorded and we will be rewarded accordingly to our deeds.

God, I give my life completely. I no longer hold the reigns, not for the crown, but for Your love. In Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen.

The Ultimate Prayer

12-26-04

Let no sin rule over me.
Psalm 119:136b

A prayer worth praying for and worth pondering! No sin can rule over us unless we allow it to.

No longer will my sin rule over my life. I lean only on God. No longer will I struggle ~ He gives me strength.

Lord, let no sin rule over me! I shout this so as to express it's importance. Lord I know you are pleased when we follow Your commands, so help me be a blessing to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

The Spirit of the Enemy

12-25-04

but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist.
John 4:3a

Anyone who declares Jesus is not the Son of God is an antichrist. We are to discern between these spirits and those that are from God.

I do not want to associate with those who do not even have a little faith that Jesus may be the Son of God.

Lord, I pray that I would only be with those whom You've chosen and not those who don't have a desire for You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

The Power of Forgiveness

12-24-04

And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
John 20:22-23

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to forgive.

In order to understand we need the Holy Spirit. If it weren't vital, Jesus would not have given it to us. I need to rely on the Spirit in order to love and understand everyone, especially those who do not know the truth.

Lord, help me to love those around me, only through you am I grounded. Otherwise I build up anger and resentment which in turn causes me harm. Thank You, Lord, for Your love. In Jesus' name. Amen.

There's No Excuse

12-23-04

"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin."
John 15:22b

Jesus came as a sacrifice in order for us to be with God, before it didn't matter if we sinned, because we didn't know better, but now we have the truth so there is no excuse to keep on sinning.

I can choose to reject of follow the message sent from our Father: Now go and sin no more. I will follow.

Lord, I pray, as I have before that I would see deceit before I fall, Lord, in order to reject sin and not You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Need A Light?

12-22-04

"The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going."
John 12:35b

Do not be overtaken by darkness, but remain in the light so as to not stumble. Trust in the light and be reminded of it daily.

I need to stay in the light and not get sucked into the darkness around me. Trust in the Lord and His light.

Lord, I pray that You'd make it known to me as soon as the darkness tries to creep into my life. I pray I would stay focused on You, giving me the strength to overtake the darkness and remain in the light. In Jesus' name. Amen.

We Are Given A Choice

12-21-04

"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
John 10:17-18

Although God has given me authority to take my life back, I am to lay it down out of choice. How happy it would make Him, that we would choose to give our lives for Him.

In every thought, decision, action, and responsibility I choose do it as He would have me do it.

Lord, I pray each day, moment after moment, that each would be devoted to You, that I would focus on You and live according to Your ways not mine. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

An Honest "Loving"

12-20-04

"but it [the world] hates me because I testify that what it does is evil."
John 7:7b

The world hates the truth and in turn persecutes Christianity and Christians because we say their way of life is wrong and wicked.

Jesus went through beatings unimaginable because He spoke the truth against the world. As fearful as it may be, or painful, I want to be like Him in that way - honest in a loving way because it's true.

Lord, I pray that You would remind me when friends dissipate and it seems so lonely, that You too were alone in Your sufferings leaning only on God. I pray that I would stand strong against the world as scary as it may be, because that is what you would have me do. In Jesus' precious name. Amen.