Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Encouragement

Time To Pray

Encouragement, Trust

“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”
‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭1:4‬

When do you know it’s time to pray? Is it when things in your life are falling apart? Or when there is mass chaos all around? What has to happen for you to realize it’s time to pray?

Most of the time we wait till things get out of hand before we say, “I can’t do anything but pray that God does something.” If this is the case, we’ve waited too long.

Nehemiah received some news that deeply disturbed him. The Jews had gone back into their homeland to rebuild their city and temple, but the walls around Jerusalem were still in ruins. As you can tell in our Scripture verse today, Nehemiah was troubled in his heart.

His response to this terrible news was to turn to God with fasting and prayer. He knew he couldn’t do anything about it, but He knew God could.

Are there things in your life right now that are disturbing you? Are they out of your control? If so, it’s time to pray. When something lays heavy on your heart and you can’t get it off your mind, you need to turn to the Lord in prayer.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. The moment something troubles you, seek the Lord in prayer. Spending time in prayer with God will make a difference in your life. God will reveal special things to you and give you hope that something is about to happen.

Pray

Lord, I know You hear my prayers and You know my heart. I ask that You give me the solutions to my troubles. I seek You today for guidance and understanding.

His Name Is Praised

Encouragement

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord , And all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.
Psalms 145:21

Did you know that God will take what Satan intended for evil and make it good? That is how good our God is!

Sometimes it seems like when we get closer to God is when the spiritual battles occur in our life. But that is when Satan tries his best to make you stumble.

If you are not facing Satan’s opposition it may be because you are not doing anything for the Lord. When you boldly praise the Lord and live righteously for Him, Satan will attack like never before. Be on guard!

Satan’s strategy is to defeat you but God is there to empower you and lift you up. He will give you strength in times of weakness and grace to overcome any opposition.

God will be praised by those who truly seek Him and follow Him. His name will be blessed and honored by people who trust in Him for all things. His name is on the tip of our tongue all the day long.

If you were to have a recording of everything you said yesterday, what percentage of your speech was praise to the Lord? Was the majority of your words used to glorify God?

We need to be more attentive in speaking praise of the Lord. We are to bless His holy name all the day long. If we were to speak more praise we would be full of His joy. Praise the Lord today and watch what happens.

Pray

Lord, I praise and honor You with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Your wonderful works bless me and keep me strengthened. Let me see Your glory today.

Heaven Bound

Encouragement

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3

Peter was writing to a group of believers who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. They were facing rejection and severe hatred from the world around them.  So Peter began his letter encouraging them to endure the difficult times that they will face in this world.

Perhaps one of the best solutions of how to deal with difficult living is to look toward our heavenly future. This serves not only as encouragement but as a promise from God.  Troubles in this life are temporary and small compared to eternity in Heaven.

We all need to be reminded from time to time that we will suffer trials in order to build stronger faith.  So we need to view our suffering and trials as good things and keep glorifying God through it all.  

In the Old Testament, Job is one of the best examples of suffering as he kept on praising and worshipping God.  He never lost faith and he never stopped worshipping God.

Suffering should never direct you away from worshipping God.  Instead it should draw you to Him.

As Christians our inheritance is Heaven.  All of Heaven!  As children of God we are given eternal life that is free from sin and full of grace.  

It is hard for us to comprehend what life in Heaven will be like but Paul says it best, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Pray

Lord, show me what I need to learn through my sufferings. Let my trials and difficulties bring me closer to You. Help me to see a heavenly perspective.