My Daily Pause

Trust the Lord with all your heart,
and don’t depend on your own understanding.
Remember the Lord in all you do,
and he will give you success. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NCV

God is glad to have you remember him when you are troubled, but here’s a little reminder to invite him into your life even when there is nothing you specifically need.

Did you ever ask him to guide you in a choice but forget to follow up when everything turned out well? Paul reminds us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) and to offer our prayers with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

One of the reasons I like to include the King James Version for Bible study is for verses like Matthew 7:8:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Asketh. Seeketh. Knocketh. That “eth” on the end of those verbs makes it a continuous action. Jesus told us to ask, seek and find (Matthew 7:7) but God wants to be your first resource all the time.

Daily Bible reading for May 6

Proverbs 3:13-20
Deuteronomy 7
Hosea 3
Titus 1:1-4

We have often heard God asked to guide, guard and direct us in prayer – Maybe to the point of it being cliché. In Psalm 141, David expands upon that sentiment. When we invite God into our lives and protect us from sin, he helps us by protecting us from even the desire to do sinful things.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 shows us the other side of the coin. When we exclude God from our lives, we become suspect to a hardened heart, the lies that Satan tells us and an attitude of enjoyment when we do sinful things.

Be sure and call on God often.

Daily Bible reading for May 22

Psalm 141
Numbers 26
Isaiah 63-64
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

In the previous article, 5 Tips for Effective Prayer, we saw some qualities our prayer should have when making our requests from God. A quality prayer that pleases God contains much more than personal requests to satisfy our needs and wants. God is pleased with praise of his name and of his majesty, much like we read in Psalm 48. Let’s take some time today to think about the part of our prayers that do not ask anything but offer the Lord our everything.

Here are five tips that will help:

1. Speak to Him reverently (Matthew 6:9)
2. Praise for Him (Matthew 6:13b – For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. The NIV and other versions do not include this part of the verse)
3. Offered with a merciful spirit (James 2:13)
4. Not offered to be seen of others (Matthew 6:6)
5. Prayer is to be accompanied by personal action (Luke 6:46)

As Jehoshaphat was watching the enemy amass themselves against him, he turned to God in prayer (2 Chronicles 20). He was in a period where he was leading well and teaching his people to fear God, so God obliterates the enemy. Jehoshaphat’s reign was always either hot or cold in its relationship with the Lord – so why did God so completely respond to that prayer?

The Bible is full of tips on how to pray. Here are five:

1. The prayer of the righteous is effective (James 5:16)
2. Prayer is to be offered in Thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 )
3. Prayer should be continuous (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
4. Prayer should be offered Sincerely (Matthew 6:5)
5. Prayer should be offered with humility (Luke 18:10-14)

Here is  5 More Tips for Effective Prayer

Luke 18:9-14 contrasts two men offering prayers. One recognizes his own good works and seems to try to make God a debtor. The other recognizes his sinful nature and makes God his strength. There are a few lessons in this passage, but today let us concentrate on how we approach God.