And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Mark 11:25 ESV
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your grace and mercy and forgiveness. You have forgiven me, not because I deserve it, not because I’ll never do it again, but because of the blood of Jesus shed on my behalf. Help me to trust You more, to trust that You are good and faithful, that You are sovereign Lord over heaven and earth. And as I trust You, help me to forgive others, to lay them once and for all at Your feet, to stop punishing them myself and let Your justice be enough. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Judge and Ruler, I pray. Amen.
Mark 7 ends with Jesus healing a deaf man with a speech impediment, followed in Mark 8 with Jesus feeding a crowd of 4,000 people with only seven loaves of bread and a few fish, and then Jesus healing a blind man.
And right in the middle of all these miracles, Jesus’s own disciples are concerned that they don’t have enough bread to which Jesus says,
“Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?”
They said to him, “Twelve.”
“And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?”
And they said to him, “Seven.”
And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
(Mark 8:17-21)
Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving me eyes to see the beauty of creation, sunrises and sunsets, flowering trees and birds of every color, puffy white clouds and stars in night skies. But even more than that, thank You for opening my eyes to see You. I see You in creation, and I see You in the Scriptures, and I see You in my life. Thank You for giving me ears to hear the music of creation. Falling rain and rumbling thunder, singing birds and babbling babies, roaring lions and bleating lambs, they all sing your praises. But even more I thank You for giving me ears to hear Your voice. I hear You speak by Your Spirit in my heart, and I hear You speak by Your Word on the page. I hear You, Lord. Thank You. Now, please, help me, Father, to understand and remember what You have spoken and what You have revealed. Help me to fix my mind on the things that are above, the truth of who You are, Your goodness and power and faithfulness, Your wisdom and love. For the glory of Your Name and the good of Your people. Amen.
The man, possessed by a legion of demons, “begged [Jesus] earnestly not to send them out of the country.” In fact, the legion of demons even “begged [Jesus] saying, ‘Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.’”
When the people of the area heard about what happened, they “began to beg Jesus to depart from their region,” while the newly-delivered man, finally freed from the demons, “begged [Jesus] that he might be with Him.” (Mark 5:10, 17, 18 ESV)
What is the reaction of our friends and loved ones, the people of our communities, when they encounter Jesus?
Do they ask to be with Him … or do they ask to be free from Him?
Do they ask Him to be near Him or far, far away?
Do they want to be delivered of the demons holding them captive, or do they prefer to remain in the comfortable life to which they’ve grown accustomed?
More importantly, what is our own reaction to meeting Him?
Does our fear of His awesome power and holiness drive us to our knees in reverence, or does it drive us to run from Him in terror?
Do we fall at His feet and beg Him to take us with Him?
Do we pursue Him night and day, hungry to touch even the hem of His garment?
Do we proclaim to our friends how much the Lord has done for us, or do we hide our light deep beneath a bushel?
Heavenly Father, I’m begging You to be near me, to walk with me, to hold my hand, to be my ever-present companion and help. I need You every hour. I want to be Your mouthpiece, shouting Your praises from the rooftops and from home to home as I go. Please, Father, bless me to be a blessing – to You and to my fellow man. For Your glory and our good I pray in the Name of Jesus Christ who has promised to be with me wherever I go. Amen.
Jesus called the twelve men whom He desired and they came to Him. One of those twelve men was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
As hard as it is for me to understand why God puts hard people and hard situations in my life, I want to trust Him, that this is His will for me and that His will is always right and good. Jesus ‘s own family thought He was “out of His mind.” (Mark 3:21) Why should I expect any less?
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
Heavenly Father, I know that no plan of yours can be thwarted. I know that You know all things, past, present, and future. You know what is in the hearts and minds of all men. You are perfectly wise and work perfectly to accomplish Your purposes. Help me, Father, to trust You enough to give thanks in every circumstance, trusting that You are on Your throne and that You are good. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord, I pray. Amen.
Only God can truly forgive sins, because He is ultimately who all our sins are against. When I’m mean to my husband, or lie to a friend, or covet someone else’s life, I’m breaking God’s laws and hurting God’s creation. My sin is against the Holy, Almighty, God of the Universe, so He would be totally just to condemn me as the guilty wretch that I am.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Psalm 51:4
And yet, in His great love and mercy, He has paid the price for me, laying my sin upon His own shoulders. I have been forgiven and the sinless God-man was condemned in my place. All I can say is THANK YOU!!!
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for Your love, poured out on the cross for me. I pray for my friends and family who are still paralyzed in their sin, unable to walk by faith, please heal them and forgive their sins, for Your glory and their eternal good. In the Name of Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord I pray. Amen.
I decided to switch around the order of the 2-Year Bible reading, so I could read some New Testament in the weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday. So, if you’re reading along with me, let’s do Mark, 1-2 Peter, and James between now and March 31.
So, today I read Mark 1, and I was struck by verse 35,
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Mark 1:35 ESV
If Jesus needed His Heavenly Father’s help, so do I.
If Jesus had a packed day ahead and woke up early to pray first, so should I.
If Jesus needed to pray, so do I.
How about you?
Heavenly Father, I need You every day and every hour. I need You early in the morning before life gets crazy because life is crazy. My family needs me to pray. My friends need me to pray. The lost world and my persecuted brothers and sisters need me to pray. Help me, Father, to seek Your wisdom and to sit at Your feet. I love You, Lord. Lead me in Your love and grace. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Kings 3:1-5:14
In 2 Kings chapters 3-5, we read about one miracle after another. God sends water into the desert. God fills vessel upon vessel with oil. God conceives a child in a barren woman’s womb. God brings a boy back from the dead. God makes pure a poisonous stew, and God heals a man of leprosy.
This is a light thing in the sight of the LORD.
2 Kings 3:18a ESV
Yet, to the Lord, all of these things are light. None of these incredible events are hard for him. God isn’t exhausted after doing them. He didn’t struggle or labor night after night to achieve these mighty feats. What is a few jars of oil or one little baby to a God who can speak the entire universe into existence by the sheer power of His voice?
In light of the truth (pun intended) that all things are easy for God, we need to remember that there is nothing too big for Him, but also there is nothing is too small for Him.
Out of work and need a job? No problem.
In a hurry and need a parking spot? Got it.
Struggling with discipling and disciplining your children? He can help.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible for Him. And nothing, absolutely nothing, is too little for His care.
I love it when my adult children ask for my advice and my help, no matter how big or how little it is. Likewise, our perfect Heavenly Father loves His children to seek His help in all areas of our lives.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6 ESV
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 NLT
Heavenly Father, thank You for always being there for us. We know that nothing is impossible for you, that you are able to do all things. Help us to trust You and turn to You. Whether the thing to us looks too big or too small, may we entrust it into Your watchful, loving care. In the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray. Amen.
Do you ever feel like you’re the only one who is still pursuing God with your whole heart? Well, you’re not alone in those feelings. Elijah felt that way, too.
[Elijah] said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
1 Kings 19:14 ESV
The truth is that God preserved a remnant in Israel three thousand years ago and He has preserved a remnant today, too. Press on, friend, God is with you. Don’t lose heart. The Lord Almighty is on your side. And so are thousands of others around the globe.
Heavenly Father, I’m praying for my brothers and sisters around the world today who are despairing, feeling like they are the only ones holding fast to the hem of Your garment. Encourage them, Father. Strengthen them with Your Word and the comfort of Your Holy Spirit. Uphold them with Your righteous right hand and shelter them under Your wings. Please, Father, give them someone to fellowship with, a Christ-lover to walk with through the valleys and mountains of life. In the Name of Christ who sticks closer than a brother we pray. Amen.
Heavenly Father, please, increase my faith. Give me the faith of a mustard seed and then grow it. Multiply it. Make it spread and take over every aspect of my life. As I feed morning and evening, day after day, on Your Word, may it take root deep into my heart and bear the fruits of repentance and obedience and faith. I want to hear Your voice and obey. I want Your Spirit to guide me in what I say, what I do, and where I go. Make me Your faithful worker, a steadfast laborer in Your vineyard, for Your glory and fame. By the blood of Jesus Christ, poured out for me I pray. Amen.
Heavenly Father, Your Word warns us again and again about the importance of having a godly wife. I pray that my son will heed those warnings. Guard his heart from those who want to steal it away from You. Turn his eyes away from worthless things and focus them on Your commands. Help him to treasure Your Words that he will not be tempted to go astray. Give my son divine discernment and patience, that he will be led by Your Spirit around the pitfalls laid by the enemy of our soul who seeks to trap him in his clutches. Guide him to a woman who loves You with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength, that the two of them would be better together than they could be apart, that 1 + 1 would be 3 squared. Make the two of them a cord of three strands that cannot be easily broken with you that center strand of steel that they will both cling to through good times and bad, plenty and want, sickness and health, until their last day on earth. For Your glory and his good I pray in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Teach What is Good 
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