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“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult”  Proverbs 12:16 (NIV)

As we walk with God, our character will develop. An acid test to see how we are doing would be to examine how we “react” in adverse situations. How do we “react” when someone falsely accuses, lies about, hurts, or insults us? Are we annoyed immediately, or do we keep our composure?

When hard times come, we have been trained to “react” in a harsh way. It’s socially acceptable, and in some cultures, it is expected.

Just knowing how to “act” is respectable, but knowing how to “react” is a reflection of a God that is real. So when an insult comes your way, treat it as a chance to show those around you that your God is alive and working.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, it is impossible for me to “react” right on my own. Please help me to step back from an insult and understand that person may be hurting, needy, or weak. Then I need You to empower me to control my emotions and “react” well. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” Philippians 1:3-4 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul was writing to his good friends in Philippi. It seems that Paul takes breaks from his extremely busy schedule to sit back and pray for old friends. At the same time he reminisces, which in turn puts joy in his heart, his gut, his inner being.

There are many times I know I could use a dose of joy in the midst of the daily hustle-bustle. Paul’s helpful example here can only be tapped in to if we take time to STOP, PRAY, and REMINISCE. 

The band Twenty One Pilots has a song titled “Slowtown”. It was written about a group of senior high school guys who would get together at a campfire many times in the spring and summer of their graduation. They just wanted to sit around the fire and talk, laugh , and reminisce. 

I urge you to google “Twenty  One Pilots, Slowtown”, and listen to the words… ‘Hey. hey. Wouldn’t it be great, great. If we could just lay down, and wake up in Slowtown…’ Or copy and paste-http://old.thesixtyone.com/s/BeCb6FdjhIX/

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to take the time to STOP, PRAY, and REMINISCE. Thank You for the doses of joy that I so desperately need. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” Philippians 1:3-4 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul was writing to his good friends in Philippi. It seems that Paul takes breaks from his extremely busy schedule to sit back and pray for old friends. At the same time he reminisces, which in turn puts joy in his heart, his gut, his inner being.

There are many times I know I could use a dose of joy in the midst of the daily hustle-bustle. Paul’s helpful example here can only be tapped in to if we take time to STOP, PRAY, and REMINISCE. 

The band Twenty One Pilots has a song titled “Slowtown”. It was written about a group of senior high school guys who would get together at a campfire many times in the spring and summer of their graduation. They just wanted to sit around the fire and talk, laugh , and reminisce. 

I urge you to google “Twenty  One Pilots, Slowtown”, and listen to the words… ‘Hey. hey. Wouldn’t it be great, great. If we could just lay down, and wake up in Slowtown…’ Or copy and paste-http://old.thesixtyone.com/s/BeCb6FdjhIX/

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to take the time to STOP, PRAY, and REMINISCE. Thank You for the doses of joy that I so desperately need. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”  Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV)

I can relate to food illustrations in the Bible. When I was a teenager, my jaws would literally get tired from chewing before I would got full.

Lately, my new favorite show is called “Man vs. Food”. This guy travels around finding these amazing restaurants. He watches them cook their best dish, and then he eats it. Sound boring? Not for me! I will buy the “Man vs. Food” tee shirt, bumper sticker, and lunch box when it comes out.

So, when God tells me that studying and living by His words is like eating food, I can relate. And when I think of passing up a meal, I deeply (‘hunger painfully’) understand how I am missing out on what I need to survive daily.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heaven Father, keep me hungry for Your words. Nourish me so I can develop stronger, wiser, and internally healthier. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow”  Psalm 51:7 (NIV)

‘Dealing with sin and guilt’ is the context of this verse. Being ‘cleansed’ is critical to our emotional and spiritual well-being.

Hyssop is used, even to this day, as an antibacterial and anti inflammatory. It can help with about 81 different medical conditions including cancer, bronchitis, insomnia, edema, and colds.

It’s interesting to note that cleansing of the result of sinning (wrongful actions, words or thoughts) is paralleled with physical infections. Bacterial infections grow inside of us if we don’t deal with them. Time doesn’t heal.

Only God can truly cleanse us from  the result of our past sins. We merely need to admit our wrongs, and ask Him to heal us. Then His “divine antibiotics” can kick in.

Now, when it comes to habitual wrongdoing, we need to help the hyssop work by continually confessing it. We can’t just roll over and give up. The damage isn’t worth it.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I want a blessed and fulfilled life. So please cleanse me of the infections growing in my “heart”. I admit my individual sins and hand the results over to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps” Proverbs 14:15 (NIV)

I grew up as a golfer. I spent enough time learning the game and practicing. I was very good. Now, what happens to good golfers is they are always asked for tips from the less competent players. I didn’t mind this most of the time, but when I’m concentrating in the middle of a round it can be a distraction.

One day I was playing with a very obnoxious young man who constantly badgered me throughout the round. On one of the holes I told him to set up in his stance, then proceeded to give him “tips” that he followed to a tee (no pun intended). The other players with us were confused as I adjusted his grip and swing, because I basically had him do everything wrong (he would have stood on one foot and screamed like a chicken during his follow-through if I would have said to). He hit his next drive straight sideways into a corn field. I can still picture the look on his face as the rest of our foursome hit the ground in laughter.

I have since asked forgiveness, but I learned from that experience. We tend to believe anyone who is successful at something. It happens all the time. I’ve seen many great athletes fail at coaching. I’ve heard wealthy men give poor business advice, and later find out they got rich marrying a woman who inherited her father’s company.

We need to have what I call, “Divine think times.” A time that is part prayer, and part thinking things though as we ask Him to guide our thoughts.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to be a good thinker. Give me good times alone with You to ponder relationships, decisions, direction, and especially on how to manage my day. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise”  2 Corinthians10:12 (NIV)

As we strive to grow closer to God, and develop our faith and character, we can tend to look around and see others who aren’t even trying. That can slow down our desire and focus. Comparing ourselves can rob us of the blessings that God has for us. It can ruin the exciting plans He wants to guide us to. It can retard the attributes and inner peace He wants to manifest in our hearts. Comparing is not wise.

We will make mistakes, and forgiveness is at our finger tips, so we shouldn’t use the classic mentality of “at least I’m not as bad as them”. Settling to just “fit in” will lead to mediocrity and lack of fulfillment.

During Jerry Seinfeld’s first stand up routine on the Johnny Carson Show, he said; “Have you ever seen the Guinness Book record for the fattest man in the world? It’s Bob Hughes, fourteen hundred pounds! The man has let himself go. I feel bad talking about heavy people on stage, but you could weigh 1,000 pounds and say, ‘well, he’s not talking about me. Bob is a man with a SERIOUS weight problem!'”

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, take who I am right now and come along side of me, and through me to develop my faith, my character, and my heart. I was uniquely made, so don’t let me compare. Instead, show me how to strive toward You and Your life principles. Thank You that I can continually be forgiven and starting over. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)

God wants us to realize how each us were made unique and special. Sometimes I look at my body and think that God must have made some mistakes. That I am more “fearfully” than “wonderfully” made. But that’s not the case. He knows what He is doing.

Our flaws are opportunities to trust Him for our attractiveness. Our outer look gets better as our inner look develops. And our inner look develops through getting our eyes off of ourselves, and focusing on God, His Words, and others.

Comedian Brian Regan has a routine that quotes his eye doctor; “Brian, do you know that you have one eye set a little higher than the other. It doesn’t effect your vision or anything, I just thought you might want to be self-conscious the rest of your life.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me to focus on You and others, so that I don’t get bogged down with self-pity, self-absorption, and insecurity. I don’t want those to run me into the ground. Thank You that I was special made by You, with a personalize look and purpose. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither”  Psalm 1:3 (NIV)

In the proceeding verses, the table is set for today’s verse, 1:3. Verse 1:1 talks about not following the crowd of peer pressure. Verse 1:2 hits on us constantly thinking about God’s presence, and working on ways to apply His words written in the Bible.

If we dedicate ourselves to verses 1 and 2, He will put verse 3 into us as the result of those efforts.

“Tree by water” has an endless source of hydration, even during a drought of hard times. “Yielding fruit” is getting results in life, and impacting those around us. “A leaf that doesn’t wither” represents the attractiveness of the tree. People with strong character and faith have an attractiveness, even when they grow old and gray.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me (vs 1:1) not to follow the crowd, but follow Your principles. Remind me to (vs 1:2) think of You and how to apply Your Bible to my daily life. Make me like the tree planted by streams of water: inner strength during hard times, a good influence and encouragement to others, and an attractive person. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“CALL to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”  Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

God is asking us to pick up our ‘prayer phone’ and ask Him about our lives, to teach us, and to show us insights for living effectively.

When I was a young boy in the late 60’s, I remember our telephone that sat on a desk in the hallway. That loud ring would sound, and we had to race to pick it up from all areas of our big old house. I also remember hating to call my friends that had a zero or “9” in their number, because the rotary dial had to be pulled all the way around.

Then car phones got popular. You could get a huge antenna that made communication possible. It was very expensive to use. I knew guys that would get a fake antenna just to impress the girls.

There is another phone I have to mention, the BAT-PHONE. When trouble was happening in Gotham City, they would pick up the emergency red phone to let Batman know help is needed. When desperate and all else fails, use the BAT-PHONE!

Now everyone seems to have a portable cell phone. Communication is right at our fingertips at all times. I see people who even wear an earpiece type phone for even quicker use.

The big question has to be, is my ‘prayer phone’ an old rotary, do we at least have an extra phone in the car, is the BAT-PHONE the only time we talk to God, OR is our earpiece always dialed in for continual communication with the One who can “tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know”?

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help me be aware of Your continual ability to guide, teach, and show me about life. Remind me to stay dialed in and communicating. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.