November 22, 2024

Do Not Harbor Sin

January 22, 2014 by

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If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened.
Psalm 66:18

Those who take pleasure in unrighteousness have no hope of answered prayer when they call on God. God wants us separated from sin, only then will he respond to us as a Father to a son.  2 Corinthians 6:14 says “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

Sin comes to us in different forms. One way of sinning is by being disobedient to God. When we live in disobedience we become children of darkness; therefore there is no way the light of God can fellowship with the darkness.

Sin separates us from God and it is not the will of God that we should live sinful lives. God tried to make it simple by simply saying “If you confess your sins, I am faithful and just to forgive you.”  What is it that we do instead? We confess today yet we do again tomorrow and take advantage of His grace and mercy to us.

I have learnt in life that most of the prayers we pray are unanswered not because we don’t know how to pray or that it is not time yet but it is because we harbor sin and God cannot answer us. In Jeremiah 29: 12-13, God is saying “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

Everything starts from the heart. And therefore we have to take care of what is in it. Remember in Proverbs it is written, “Above all things guard your heart for it the wellbeing of your life” (4:23) meaning out of it there are springs of life or death. As long as you are in the right standing with God your heart will spring forth life; if vice versa, then doom.

Therefore I beseech you, my sisters, that we should let God direct our path…letting Him be our light so that we see where we are going. He should be our Salvation and our Strength. Let us hide the Word of the Lord in our hearts so that we do not sin against God. God loves us and He wants us to fully obey him—so therefore, let us not harbor sin.

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Lord, I thank You and bless You for all who You are and what You have done in our lives. I pray, Lord, for Your continued grace for us all. May the Holy Spirit be with us and guide us as we meditate on this Word further. We thank You for Your goodness and mercy that is following us all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name we have prayed. AMEN!

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He Heard My Prayer

January 21, 2014 by

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Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what He has done for me.
I cried out to Him with my mouth;
His praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld His love from me!

Psalm 66:16-20

Oh, what sweet words to hear—that He has not withheld His love from me! How many times, as mere humans, have we felt like we have done something totally unredeemable only to discover the God of the universe loves us unconditionally. All we have to do is repent, ask for forgiveness, and receive the blessings.

Maybe you have asked for a boyfriend, job promotion, your spouse to change or love you more. Maybe you have asked for your kids to love and respect you. Whatever your circumstances, our God is more than able to meet your needs. All you have to do is turn the attention to Him. He desires a relationship with you. When your friendship with God changes you may be surprised at how strong you feel and how your self-confidence increases.

As when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, His prayer was not answered in the way He wanted (Luke 22:39-46).  But Jesus knew His Father had a bigger plan. A plan that would effect the whole world. Talk about trusting! Most of us know how Jesus sufferd and died on the cross. He was alone, naked, beaten, and abandoned. But three days later, a miracle happened, Jesus rose from the dead! Every word He had spoken was fulfilled, every Scripture spoken about His birth, death, and resurrection was made true.

As you walk through your day, be aware of what you say, what you do, what your read, and what you watch. I have been trying to be more conscious of this as well and sometimes I fail. The Holy Spirit is working on me to turn away from things that would distract and keep me from a closer walk with our Father.  I pray that God will be patient with me, not give up on me, and keep searching Him out.  How about you?

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Father, thank You that you hear and answer our prayers. Thank you for the opportunities You have given us and forgive us for the ones missed. I so want to love you the way Jesus did! Please put people in my life, path, and areas of influence who will push me, stretch me, and grow me for Your Kingdom’s sake. Help me to see where others need Your touch and let me let go of me and focus on You. I love You, Father!  Amen!

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God Hears

January 20, 2014 by

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But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!
Psalms 66:19-20

When we speak, God hears us. He hears us when we speak in everyday conversation. He hears us when we talk to him through prayer. Even when we think God is not listening—He is. God is omnipresent. He is aware of everything.

I remember both times that I was pregnant with our son and daughter. I prayed for a boy when I was carrying our son. I almost jumped off the table when the ultrasound technician told us we were having a boy. I fist-pumped when God answered my prayer for a little girl. I wouldn’t have minded another boy, but I asked God to let His will be done. I told God if He wanted us to have a little girl then to please let the baby be a girl. That must have been what God wanted because that was how He answered my prayers. I have several friends who have sons. Each time that they had their last child and were wanting a girl, I prayed for them to have a girl because they were praying for a girl. There was only one mom that He gave a boy instead of a girl. (But then, of course, I was not the only one praying for them.)

My point is that God listens to us all. He does not turn away from us. He is our heavenly Father. He loves us all. God is not going to turn from us at any time. God is listening to us even when we are not in prayer. He knows our heart. He knows our wants, needs, and desires—even when we do not tell Him directly.

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and He shall hear my voice.
Psalms 55:17

No matter what time of the day or night we talk to God, He will hear us. I talk to God whenever I want or need to. I will talk to Him when I drive, take a shower, or just about anytime I want to. Thanks to the death of Christ, I can talk to God anytime I want and in a way that I can. God hears me no matter the way in which I talk to Him.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful listening and answers to our prayers. The answers may not be the ones we want, but they are the ones that are best for us. You know us better than anyone here on Earth. Thank You for Your love and mercy. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Call Upon Me

January 18, 2014 by

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Then you will call upon Me
and go and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12

Do you ever have those days where you just need to be heard?  The day is going so well that you just want to share, or the day isn’t going as well and you need to take a weight off of your heart.

Let these words seep into your heart and mind… I will listen to you… say what? Someone will listen to me without the fear of them having to top my story, listen to me without a cell phone in their face, or a distraction taking their attention during our time together?  Someone I don’t have to pay or track down?  Yes!

Call upon Me and go and pray to Me….

It still seems surreal to have someone that will listen with unconditional love, and all I have to do is call on Him, all I have to do is pray to Him. Simple talk,  just like He is a friend sitting next to me.

Call to Me, and I will answer you,
and show you great and mighty things,
which you do not know.
Jeremiah 33:3

I used to be intimidated by prayer, I felt that it had to be this super strict, structured time of silence, and if this wasn’t done then my prayer wouldn’t work. Well, as I grew and matured, I found that this wasn’t true.  Now when I read verses like the ones above I love the word “call.”  To me this means that He is available at any time.  When I’m driving and I need to talk to Him. When I’m in a meeting and I need help biting my tongue.  When I need to feel His presence all I need to do is call.  All I need to do is pray to Him. All you need to is pray to Him.

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Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, You make talking with You so easy, You are so easy to call, on, to pray to. We as people make rules and regulations that make prayer difficult. Please remind us of the ease and comfort of coming to You. Remind us that when no one will listen, You will.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

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Encouraging One Another

January 17, 2014 by

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Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what He did for me.
For I cried out to Him for help,
praising Him as I spoke.
Psalms 66:16-17

Listening to others tell me about what God has done in their lives is like reading a good book or watching a good movie. I always get excited and sometimes my eyes water. I love hearing about how doctors tell women they are infertile but, by the grace of God, they get pregnant with no trouble! Or how circumstance after circumstance piled on top of a person and they just couldn’t make sense of any of it and felt that all hope was gone but, God showed up and changed everything!

I especially like the stories of how a person prayed…waited…hoped…and struggled…waiting for God to fulfill a desire. Somehow those stories make waiting a little more bearable.

It is easy for us to get consumed and weighed down by our circumstances. I oftentimes find this is the case when we get into the mindset that somehow we are the only one in the world who has ever experienced, is experiencing, or will experience our situation.

And that’s why as Hebrews 10:25 advises us to,

…not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Fellowship with other believers is important.

Fellowship with other believers isn’t about “paying” a church or getting attendance records up. No, fellowship with other believers is about encouragement. We are reminded through the lives of our fellowbelievers that we are not alone! Together we are stronger.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken
Ecclesiastes 4:12.

We aren’t called the body of Christ for no reason!  We are meant to work together.

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Lord, I am so thankful for every person you have placed in my path to spur me forward on my journey. You have given me strong friends in the most unlikely places and from the most unlikely people. Thank You for reminding me that I never know how similar I really am to a person until I get to know them. You are so awesome for creating such diversity among Your people and only the Creator of the universe could bring us together…in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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He Always Listens

January 15, 2014 by

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In those days when you pray, I will listen.
Jeremiah 29:12

Finding God is not a difficult task. He is all around us! The Bible explains, “They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:19-20). Stepping outside and basking in what God has made can bring you near to Him.

Even better, we have been gifted with the privilege of prayer. Should we need to find God we simply need to “go a-calling.”

The thing I love about prayer the most is that prayers don’t have to be formal for God to listen. I can recall many times when I have briefly thought about things (not specifically praying for them) that have come to pass. To name a few:

  • Prior to being saved, I wished that I had a friend in my life who knew who I had been and could appreciate and celebrate the progress I had made. The Lord spoke to me and told me that He was that friend and now I have plenty of friends who are walking this faith journey with me. I never would have imagined such a “small” desire would have such a tremendous affect on my life.
  • I had the idea of working in daycare well before the opportunity presented itself. And now I work at a preschool.
  • I had a passing thought about writing for GCH when I first got connected with this community. And when I say passing thought, I mean just a passing thought. It was a quick “Oh, I’d like to write for them.” Of course, my negative mind chatter came up with a million and one reasons why I couldn’t and I didn’t think anything more about it until the opportunity presented itself.

Intentional prayer is important. However, I believe that God listens to all our requests. He hears the ones we cry out. He hears the ones we bow our heads for. He hears the ones we kneel for. And He hears the ones we whisper in our minds. God listens. Even when we may not be talking to Him directly…He always listens.

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Lord, thank You for seeing me. Thank You that the words I speak and the thoughts I think reach You. And thank You for caring enough about the “little things”—the things I feel are “too small” to bother you with—to answer the whispers that I don’t intentionally bring to you. Thank You for always listening.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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Seek Him in Prayer

January 14, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogoOne sees rich sand in his hand and scrapes more toward him on the beach to build a sandcastle. One holds bright snow in his hand, then piles and shapes more snow on the wintery ground to build a large snowman. Likewise, one can take a verse and find other passages to support and magnify the truth and concept of the original verse. The act of building can accentuate the original in such a way that the “take-away’ is an accentuated memory or a more impactful lesson learned.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
Jeremiah 29:12

Never believe that you can live without complete dependence on God! If you try to do so, you’ve made one of the biggest mistakes of your life! When I turn through the pages of the Bible, I see many examples of those who called upon God…yielding their lives toward Him in prayer. Come to Him, and He will hear you.

NEHEMIAH

When Nehemiah heard about the destruction of Jerusalem, he at once sought God in prayer for Israel. “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, ‘O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you (Nehemiah 1: 4-7).
To see how God wonderfully worked through this praying servant, read Nehemiah 1-13.

JESUS

Jesus sought God and said a prayer of thankfulness to God for hearing His prayers and to bring God glory before He performed a miracle—bringing Lazarus back to life. “So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth…” (John 11:41-44).
God always heard Jesus’ prayers. Jesus came to earth to do the will of the Father. As Jesus went and prayed to God, so should we. God will hear our prayers!

BELIEVERS IN ACTS

When Peter healed a crippled man by the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts 4, Peter and John were brought before the Jewish Council. “So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard’” (John 4:18-20).
Then, the believers sought God and prayed for boldness. “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31) A prayer-activated boldness through the power of the Holy Spirit is the only kind we should desire!

Seek God, pray at once, and believe with a thankful heart that He hears your prayers and will answer them. Great things, like miracles and boldness, can happen if you seek God and pray to Him. He will hear His people when they come to Him!

Dear God, let us all come to You in prayer. In crisis, in calm, in confusion, and in everyday, let us be a dependent people who recognize that we need You to help us and guide us. With You in all things, our lives are made better and with purpose. We recognize our need. We recognize Your love. Let us recognize You as Lord. In Jesus’ precious Name I pray, Amen.

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Wholeheartedly

January 8, 2014 by

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In those days when you pray, I will listen.
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 NLT

I want to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. I’ve uttered these words plenty of times in my almost 4 year journey with the Lord. I’ve also assumed the fetal position and/or thrown a tantrum at some of God’s responses to my bold statement—after all, wholeheartedly is much easier to say than to do.

There are areas of my life I feel comfortable with God having control over…and some that I do not. For instance—my finances. I know a lot of what the Bible says about finances and, yet, I’ve hesitated when it comes to submitting to the Lord in this area.

Whenever we seek Him the Bible says,

The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.
Lamentations 3:25

How good?

Daniel sought the Lord and, in doing so, defied the decree of the king (Daniel 6:1-28). And he was tossed into the lion’s den for it—but he was saved. The Lord is good to those who search for Him.

Joseph sought the Lord and, in doing so, was betrayed by his brothers, promoted in slavery, set up by his master’s wife, promoted in jail, forgotten about—and ultimately—promoted in the kingdom of Egypt. The Lord is good to those who search for Him.

The bleeding women suffered many years, was deemed unclean and unworthy of social contact, made an outcast. The Lord sees and heals, He is good to, those who search for Him.

Father Abraham was given a promise from God Almighty and, though the fulfillment of this promise seemed physically impossible, the Lord delivered and (then shockingly) asked Abraham to offer up the manifestation (his precious son, Isaac) of that very promise. The Lord provides and blesses, He is good to, those who seek him wholeheartedly.

Wholeheartedly means to hold back nothing or be sincere. As a living sacrifice, I must daily commit to a wholehearted relationship with the Almighty. I stumble, I fall, but I always get back up. One of my favorite verses says it like this, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked” (Proverbs 24:16). Wholeheartedly is not about perfection. No, wholeheartedly is about a heart position. It’s a choice we can make at any millisecond of the day, after any mistake (killing off Christians), doubt (when walking on water) or even outright denial of Jesus (three times).

And as always with our loving God, His way has its perks.

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Lord, I want my life to be one of wholehearted devotion to You and You alone. Everything (every idol) I have held on to and given pieces of my heart to, I ask that You show me these areas and then give me Your truth so that I may submit these areas to You. And when I want to squirm, Lord, give me the courage to stand strong instead! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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Interested in joining us for our next Online Bible Study that starts on January 13, 2014?   Click HERE for more details!

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Seeking Him

January 6, 2014 by
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Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you.
You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 ESV

Have you ever had those times where all you do is seek God with all of your heart?  I have—so many times.  He created us to seek a relationship with Him.  When we walk away He is sad…like a lover we have left behind; yet we are always pulled back toward Him.

As the New Year begins, we want to start with a clean slate and clean hearts; yet we don’t know how or we lose our way. By making that commitment to seek out His Word we will be able to.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 KJV

I do not make New Year’s resolutions because I often do not keep them.  But what I do seek to do is to make a lifestyle change.  Something I want to have in my life day to day.  Striving for the relationship I need to have with God is my goal every day. Distraction comes in many faces.  Some seem harmless, some are just very harmful. Pray and ask God to reveal to you what your distractions are, and choose to eliminate them from your life. It may be very hard at first but you will be rewarded with a new insight into the heart of our Father.

One of the things we have experienced in the Marin household is having my mother-in-law come to live with us. She is such a joy to have around! It is just difficult for her to adjust to living here without her husband of 55 years. Plus with 2013 being the mildest summer and the winter of 2014 being the coldest in a while is not helping her either. (She moved from Florida to Tennessee). We are a busy household. Between work and exercising to keep healthy, we are not home with her a lot. She has her room, her TV, music and movies. She also sews, knits beautiful scarves, and helps us wherever she can.

Her faith has also been tested. She was angry with God for a while. Through the Holy Spirit, He is showing her why Carlos needed to go home to Him. We love her and try to keep her busy with little projects.  Our daughter,  Nikki, and I will take her out shopping, to hair appointments, and whatever else we can do to entertain her. By faith and by seeking Him, she is settling into a routine. One that I hope is satisfying and that will allow her to grow in her walk with God.  We will continue to find ways to entertain each other.  As long as we are truthful we will be able to have fun along our journey.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and Your mercy.  Thank You for giving us the ability to minister to others and to be ministered to.  Help us seek You more and to have the faith we need to love Your people as You do.  In Jesus’ precious name.  Amen.

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Interested in joining us for our next Online Bible Study that starts on January 13, 2014?   Click HERE for more details!

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Ever Present Help

January 4, 2014 by

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God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed
nd though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
Psalms 46:1-2

This psalm expresses the writer’s trust and confidence in God during a time of instability and insecurity. We all experience spiritual barrenness at times. This is not the norm for God desires to be near His people with help and comfort. The power and ability to face the uncertainties and adversities of life are found in God.

Refuge shows a picture of shelter from danger, indicating that God is our true security in the storms of life.

Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there
a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night
over all the glory will be a canopy.
It will be as shelter and shade from the heat of the day
and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Isaiah 4:5-6

Strength refers to His might when battling our foes (Exodus 15:13) and includes His energy that works powerfully in us.

To this end I labour, struggling with all His energy which so powerfully works in me
and enables us to overcome obstacles in life.
Colossians 1:29

God is an ever present help in times for trouble. God is available to His people and wants us to call on Him in any time of need.

Let us then approach the Throne of grace with confidence
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need
Hebrews 4:16

He is sufficient for any situation and never leaves our side, thus we need not fear. Fear is for non-believers and if you do not believe you are sinning. For with our hearts we believe and with our mouths we confess. How can we confess a thing that we have no confidence in? Therefore it is good we confess what we know for it to be established.

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Father, I thank You for You are our ever present Help. And Your promises to us are yay and amen. We come to Your Throne of grace for we know Whom we serve and we know Whom we are following. You have never failed us in our times of troubles. We call unto You even now as the mountains fall; we shall stand by the powers of Your hand and in Your heart of hearts we shall dwell. As the seas rage we know You shall calm them and there is going to be peace in our valleys, Lord. Help us realize that we serve You our miracle-working God Who is Omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time), Omniscient (all knowing) and Omnipotent (all powerful). In Jesus name we have prayed.  Amen!!!

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