November 24, 2024

Jesus Prays For You

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Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him,
because He always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:25

Those words really resonated with me as I read them over and over.  This week I gave Him all my problems… then took them back.  I played that game for a while.  Isn’t it just like God to lead us right to the words we so need—His words of comfort? And knowing that Jesus intercedes for us and He saves us and delivers us is the Truth; well, I think we all need to hear that.

I encourage you to read Hebrews 7:23-28.  Before Jesus, there were many priests, but they were human and they eventually died. In this passage above, we see that one of Jesus’ favorite things to do is to save us. (The word save translated means “any kind of deliverance.”)  Have you ever wondered what He was doing up there, after He left His disciples and went to prepare a place for us? I know He is hard at work on our behalf… and don’t we give Him plenty of things to work on!  We know that Jesus sits at the right hand of His Father, and He is our High Priest.  He lives to pray for us, to look deep into our lives, and knows what we need before we ask.  He knows God’s Will and fully understands it.  He knows our desires and He knows God’s total plan for our lives.

See, Jesus tore the veil that stood between us and God so that we can go straight to God.  We have total access to our Father and so does Christ.  And He uses that access for our gain.  They both love us so very much that, together, they are working all things together for our good and answering our prayers and petitions in God’s timing. Think about what is occupying your thoughts right now…are you at peace or is there turmoil going on?  When our minds focus too much on the problems and we take our minds off the Solver of those problems, the Holy Spirit nudges us, and Jesus intercedes and helps us to pray, and God answers our prayers.

Here is the main point; We have a High Priest who sat down
in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in Heaven.
Hebrews 8:1

And in verse 6 it says,

But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry
that is far superior to the old priesthood,
for He is the One Who mediates for us
a far better covenant with God,
based on better promises.

Promises like this: that you have the gift of salvation by faith, and can trust entirely in Jesus.  Jesus has done it all.  Nothing you can do will improve His work. Nothing you can do to make Him not love you.  Accept these truths today…

  • He came to this earth to live a hard life so that we would know how to do this
  • He died on the Cross so that you can live forever with Him
  • He left us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us on this journey

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Let’s all pray this simple prayer together:

Dear God, I trust in Jesus alone. Please forgive my sins through Him, and give me the eternal life secured by Him. In Your name, amen.

Did you pray this prayer for the first time today? If so, leave us a comment so that we can celebrate your spiritual birthday with you!  God sees you….

Captivating: Chapter 7 – What Does God Want From You?

When I was a child, I had a “best friend.”  All of my other classmates knew that she was my best friend not just by the fact that our names rhymed (my name is Carissa, her name was Larissa), but because we were always together – on the playground, in the classroom, even outside of school.  And we got along famously, too. It didn’t matter if we were running around outside in the woods or doing our stinky homework together – we were always having a ball.

As I grew older, we grew apart, like many relationships do.  Since then, I’ve been in search for a friendship like that.  I’ve been searching for a buddy who “gets me,” someone I don’t have to be anyone but “me” around.  I don’t have to explain my weirdness or hide my oddball nature.

Maybe you’re like me. You’re still searching for a relationship, whether romantic or not.  One where the other person just “gets you.”  Do you know that God “gets you?”  You don’t need to hide your true self from Him; He created you to be just the way you are.  So when you’re talking to Him and spending time with Him, you can just be yourself.  He is your oldest, most true friend.  He knew you before you were even born! Jeremiah 1:5

“Jesus loves you.” A common phrase, probably one we’ve heard a thousand times.  So with any solid relationship, affection is a two-way street.  I’ve always been told, “Carissa, YOU choose your friends.”  So I ask you: Have you chosen God?  Do you love Him as He loves you?

Because you are created in the image of God, your desire to be romanced is the same as our Father’s.  He desires our love and attention.  “He wants to pour His love into your heart and He longs to have you pour yours into His.  He wants your deep heart, that centerplace within that is the truest YOU.  He is not interested in intimacy with the woman you think you are supposed to be.  He wants intimacy with the real YOU” (page 121).

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Our authors point out that we were made to worship.  I’m not talking about singing hymns or praise songs in church every Sunday or while you’re driving in your car.  I’m speaking about worship as “what we give our hearts away to in return for a promise of Life” (page 123).  That “Life” our authors reference—I believe that’s the part of our hearts that was created to be filled by only One Being: Jesus.  It’s unable to be filled with anything else; not money, not success, not a man, not a family, not anything else that this world can offer.  Only Jesus can give you the Life and the Love you need so desperately. So I ask you: Have you let Him in? Have you given Him your love that He so desires?  Do you know your true Father—the One who loves you just the way you are?

I love the lesson about Mary versus Martha in Luke 10.  “[Mary] dropped everything and sat at His feet, fixing the gaze of her eyes and the gaze of her heart upon Him.”

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.2 Corinthians 4:8

I pray you fix your eyes on Who is unseen right now, but Who we will soon see one glorious day in Heaven—our Father and ultimate Lover, Jesus Christ.

Praise Him!

Carissa

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Let’s Pray:

Father in Heaven, I thank You for Your unconditional and unsurpassed love.  I pray that You become our focus, that each day we start by fixing our eyes on You.  You alone can fill the missing relationship in our lives.  You alone can give us the love and attention we crave.  I pray that we can better show You how much we love and adore You, too.  In Your Precious Name, Amen.

Your Assignment:

What have you given your heart to? What are you worshipping daily? What is distracting you? Make a list. Share it here with us, in the comment section, if you wish.

Jesus is the only One worthy of our heart’s devotion. Mary recognized who Jesus was—the Source of all Life. Love Incarnate. She did what you and I hope we, too, would have done. She dropped everything and sat at His feet, fixing the gaze of her eyes and the gaze of her heart upon Him.

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If you would like to contact Carissa in regards to this blog post, please email her at: Carissa@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com