Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Trust

Does God Hear My Prayers?

Faith, Trust

Listen! The Lord ’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
Isaiah 59:1-2

Do you ever feel that God is not listening to your prayers? You don’t want your prayers to be hindered because when your prayers are hindered, it means you are not connecting with God.

It’s at this point that God seems distant and you don’t sense His presence like you did before. There is nothing more terrifying than for a Christian to feel disconnected from God our Father. 

For an unbeliever this is a way of life. There’s no peace, no grace, no forgiveness and no fellowship with God. They know something is missing but are so spiritually blind they cannot see the Light of Jesus Christ. Hence the reason we as Christians need to fill the gap and be an influence in their life. 

People need to witness the power of our prayers. That is what gets people’s attention most. When we pray and seek God and He answers our prayers, people are amazed. In fact we’re drawn to prayer warriors who seem to have a direct connection with God. We all need to be these types of prayer warriors. Do people see the power of God in your prayers?

There are several things that can hinder our prayers but one of the most obvious reasons is due to our sins. Unconfessed sin can clog our direct line with God. The way we live results in our prayer life. It makes sense that God will not hear from those who cherish sinful behavior. We must have our sins removed so God will answer us. Here are some other reasons why your prayers may be hindered. (10 Ways Prayers are Hindered)

Pray

Lord, please remove any sins that are keeping me from having good fellowship with You. Make me to know my sins and where I have stumbled. Renew me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

God Supplies Our Needs

Faith, Trust

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:12-13‬

Sometimes we are faced with unexpected circumstances. Either what we thought would happen didn’t or something happened that we didn’t plan for. Sometimes these life events can seem pretty intense.

What do we do when we don’t know what the future holds? The Book of Philippians helps us learn about real life situations.

Paul was faced with incredible life threatening circumstances. He was chained in prison for preaching Jesus. He was physically chained to a Roman guard. There was no way out.

Can you imagine what was going through his mind? Would he actually be put to death for preaching in the name of Jesus? Would God somehow work a miracle and release him from prison? Or would he be forgotten about and spend the rest of his life in prison?

His future was uncertain but he was sure of one thing as he stated in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” He knew God was in control and had a perfect plan.

When we face unexpected circumstances of our own we need to have the faith to respond and react the way that Paul did. He didn’t miss out on what God gifted him with. He didn’t have a multitude to preach to, but he did share the gospel with the Roman guards.

He didn’t have fellowship with other Christians but he did write to them and encourage them. Even though his circumstances were not what he expected, he knew that God would reveal Himself to be powerful.

When we face unexpected circumstances (and we will), we need to look at them with the perspective that God is up to something big and wants to use us in a specific way for His glory. As our verse for today states, Paul’s imprisonment was for Christ’s sake and for the Gospel to be advanced.

Pray

Lord, help me to use every opportunity to share Your grace with others. Let me notice that my unexpected circumstances are for Your glory. Make my faith stronger.


The Power To Overcome

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:14‬

Paul uses the threefold title, “Lord Jesus Christ,” to emphasize the Lordship of Christ. He did so to prove a point that making Him Lord over our lives helps us overcome the temptation to sin. When we “put on” Christ temptation loses much of its power. This doesn’t mean that we avoid temptation, but it does mean we have the power to overcome it.

Temptation is an issue for everyone who draws a breath. Even Jesus was tempted just like we are. Satan tries to use temptation to make us stumble in our walk with God. When we submit to temptation and commit sin a sinful act, we break fellowship with God. Hence the importance of forgiveness of sin. We need to be forgiven so we can have a good relationship with our Lord.

The only way to fight against fleshly desires is to seek Jesus daily. When we put Jesus first we can fight the battle of temptation much easier. Everyone’s temptation is different. But know that the devil knows what you’re tempted with and will do whatever it takes to make you slip and fall and give in to sin. So beware of the devil, because he prowls like a lion seeking to destroy you. But have confidence that as a Believer you have the power of God to fight against the flesh and say no to sin.

It’s a daily battle and that is why Paul says to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and don’t allow your fleshly desires to have a part of making decisions. When we seek Jesus with all of our heart, mind and soul, we become a fierce battle for the devil. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ today and make Satan wish he never messed with one of God’s children.

Pray

Lord, I seek you today to be my first desire. Give me power to say no to temptations that I will face today. Thank you for giving me the power to overcome sin.