Prayer Requests

PRAYER REQUESTS UPDATED 02/28/14

For more prayer request please check out my Facebook page CPREzra823 Intercession

I am honoured to pray for you. If you wish me to add you or someone you know to the prayer list, or if you have a prayer request, please let me know in a comment or email:
cpr{dot}ezra{dot}8{dot}23{at}gmail{dot}com

--February 22 2017--

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Will You Make It?


I have some pretty amazing on line friends that inspire and encourage me. :) This post was inspired by Lisa at My Heart's Home. She wrote an amazing raw post on Friends talking about forgiveness and that got me to do some pretty serious thinking.
Luke 21:34-36 NIV
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

According to the above Scripture we see that in the lat days one can be weighed down by multiple things one being the anxieties of life. From listening to and taking part of conversations I am realizing that more and more people, as time moves on, are being weighed down by the anxieties of life. Could this be caused by making merry with lots of strong drink? Maybe, or it maybe the fact that as we grow closer to the time of Jesus' return, Satan is throwing the concerns of life at us.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

That is a very hard word to take to heart. Friends, I am seeing this. Me, who lives a lot in solitude am seeing this in the few people that I associate with. I am seeing a bitterness and a hardening of heart weave into the church, into people who I knew to be kind, loving and very forgiving. I see the affect of a selfish world penetrate into God's people. We truly need to be diligent in seeking after the heart of God, turning the other cheek to those who lash out at us. We need to keep our focus on God and His love seeking after a forgiving heart even when others hurt us.

A really good example for me comes in the form of driving. ;P I use to be a transport truck driver and I drove all over Canada and the United States. I consider myself a very good, professional driver who obeys the rules of the road and the unspoken common courtesy, like not driving in the left hand lane except to pass. Here, Satan can really get under my skin and my temper can rise when I see arrogant, foolish people doing 10 K or more under the speed limit sitting in the passing lane. This is a form of selfishness and it is on the increase here in Canada. Where the rule of thumb, even in Toronto on the 401, use to be always keep the left hand lane clear, is now being filled up with those who do not follow these rules. I know this is minor and really not a huge issue but it is one that shows the underlying heart of a person.

Brothers and sisters, we need to walk the talk. How can we be sure that we will go to heaven if we do not do what we are told to do?

QUESTION: If Jesus raptured His church today are you sure you would go? 

This is something I am really thinking on and examining my heart over. Am I living in sin? The sin of anger and unforgiving of that person in the left lane clogging up the traffic.

No, we are not perfect and we will continue to sin, but are we holding on to that sin and wallowing in it like a pig wallows in a mud hole?

Galatians 5:13-26 NIV
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The more times I read this above passage the more I am understanding that walking in the Spirit goes against our 'feelings'. We may feel anger and hatred but we are not to act in anger and hatred but we are to act in love and forgiveness and the more we act in love and forgiveness the feelings of anger and hatred will dissolve. The more we love and forgive the easier it will be to spread this and hopefully show others the Spirit of God and allow them another chance to see who God is and hopefully they will consider Him and give their lives to Christ. After all that is the biggest concern for the Christian, to win others to Christ through our actions. :)

Blessings in Christ Jesus,
<><

16 comments:

  1. Powerful. Yes, walking in the Spirit is a whole walk in itself. Blessings to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi JBR,
      Walking in the Spirit can be difficult but with practice it becomes easier and the flesh is crucified.

      Blessings dear one,
      <><

      Delete
  2. Hi child of God,
    yes, it is right that the 'no condemnation' to those who are in Christ Jesus refers to, as it says further on in the chapter, those who walk according to the Spirit. I thank God that the Lord is patient with me as I continue to learn how He requires me to be. I think one of the easiest ways for me to grasp this and not retaliate is to know that I am quite capable of doing what I accuse someone else of doing if I do not seek to ask the Lord to change me. Everything happens for a reason eh? God bless

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brenda,
      I too am so thankful that God is patient with us and give us many chances to make it right.
      Your comment of "...to know that I am quite capable of doing what I accuse someone else doing..." brings my mind to Matthew 7:3-5 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. We are to analyze ourselves first before we look to the other person. We are all sinners and need to check ourselves daily to make sure we are not backsliding and living in sin.

      Yea, everything does happen for a reason, I don't believe in chance but purpose. :)

      Blessings hon,
      <><

      Delete
  3. Hey COG, recently I've started thinking of the rapture more frequently than I've ever done in the past. Another thing you touched on that resonated with me is 'people having a form of godliness but denying its power.' One way in which this is reflected is in the form of lacklustre prayers uttered without faith and real conviction that God is alive and fully intends to answer prayers. It's a real concern.
    Blessings to you and I hope you're having a great weekend. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Vilisi,
      The lackluster prayers is a real concern. Praying without faith does real harm to ourselves but not to God. We are cheating ourselves out of multiple blessings when we pray with no conviction. We don't need a lot of faith, Scripture tells us if we only have faith the size of a mustard seed we could move mountains.

      I was a little video clip of a physician who worked on a patient who had a heart attack. The patient died and the team called it quits. As the doctor was leaving the room he heard God tell him to go back into the room and pray over the patient. He argued with God and said something like, I will look like a fool if I do that, he's dead. But, he obeyed the Lord, went back into the room told the nurse to stop what she was doing, he wanted to pray. The nurse look at him like he was crazy but back off from what she was doing and he prayed. He told the camera that it was a very weak, half hearted prayer without much conviction at all, yet as soon as he finished praying the heart monitor that was still attached to the man's chest started showing signs of life. Then the man's chest started rising and falling, when that happened, I believe the nurse screamed and the team was called back in and they continued to work on the man and he came back to life!! Praise GOD!! The man fully recovered from this heat attack and as far as I know he is perfectly healthy!

      The doctor went on to say that he didn't believe in the prayer he said but he obeyed the voice of God and did as he was told. Our faith doesn't need to be big it is our obedience to God and His Word that needs to be followed. Father is teaching me that it is in the obeying to Him and what He wants us to do, that is what pleases Him, obedience.

      You too, have a wonderful weekend. :)

      Blessings,
      <><

      Delete
  4. Awe Sweetie,

    It is my turn to tear up now...I am so blessed to have been an inspiration to you!
    In answer to your question:
    Yes, I believe I will make it, but only by His grace!

    ~Blessings and love~ Lisa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa,
      Lol!! We are weeping back and forth here, that is the Spirit of God!! :)

      I agree with you, I too will make it but it is only by His grace that I will. It is a daily struggle, the flesh is strong yet He is stronger still! Praise GOD!!

      Blessings hon,
      <><

      Delete
  5. Hi dear friend,
    I have not been to your blog lately, but today I am glad I visited. Your words on being obedient are so timely. Like you, I have also observed a hardening and an arrogance in the attitudes of people around me. It's true that the enemy is working double time, and we have to be vigilant.

    Thank you, I always appreciate the words you write on your blog.

    Shalom.

    Lidia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Lidia!!
      Nice to see you. :) Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment with encouragement.

      The time for the return of our Lord is quickly approaching so we really need to be diligent and true to Him. It is hard with so many people thinking of themselves first but with the help of the Lord and obedience to His Word, we will make it.

      Blessings sister,
      <><

      Delete
  6. This is a really great post. I think that in the world at large there are many people calling themselves Christians and many so-called Christian denominations and organisations who are nominally Christian, but when you really boil it all down, they are not practising Christianity, they are merely paying lip-service to it. You see this both in Britain and America; and when these people say or do unChristian things, the rest of us Christians just trying to live out our calling get tarred with the same brush sadly. All we can do is hold fast to our faith and do what is right.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tim,
      Isn't that so true! Christians are tarred with the same brush that is painting the lifestyle of the professing Christian that doesn't live the life of Christ. It is sad yet I see that as another ploy by Satan to wipe out the amazing Truth of God, yet God is even bigger than that. It takes a drop of true Christianity to neutralize and clear up the bogus that false Christians have given to Christ. The real followers of Jesus need to continue to walk in Truth and stay close to the Word of God and those who are called by God into His Kingdom will see the light and come into a relationship with Jesus.

      Our God is amazing!!

      Blessings,
      <><

      Delete
  7. I think that being physically sensual humans, we are so easily drawn to the physical and soulful (meaning mind, will and emotions) aspects of life on earth. The unseen kingdom is received by faith, and that is hard for us to grasp ... impossible without the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."), and Christ revealing the spiritual truth that I was so blind to (Matthew 11:27 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him"). Is it possible that this spiritual blindness is what you are seeing today? When I see the truth, then I can understand Psalm 51:4, where David says: "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight." and see that I need my redeeming Savior Lord Jesus and appreciate the "Saving" grace of the Father. Could this be the problem and the answer for the world?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brian,
      You are probably right in saying this might be a spiritual blindness that I am seeing amongst the people I know. It is our continual sinning without repenting that hardens our hearts so we cannot hear the voice of God and Scripture becomes difficult to understand. We need to have soft, supple hearts, hearts that are sensitive to sin and offended by it in order for the Spirit of God to heal us.

      Yes!! Against God only have we sinned! We need Jesus, living and active in our lives and we need to be obedient to His Word.

      Thanks so much for sharing Brian.

      Blessings,
      <><

      Delete
  8. peace!!!
    guess St. Francis said it best when he said to spread the gospel by our actions.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Annmarie,
    It is in our actions that others will see Jesus, not in our words, which tend, sometimes, to be hollow.

    Blessings hon,
    <><

    ReplyDelete

Hello! Thanks for leaving a comment, it sure does brighten my day. Please remember to keep the comments God honouring and click 'Subscribe by Email' as I always reply to comments.
God Bless,
<><