Pastor Stephen Dedman

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In The Likeness Of Jesus

Encouragement

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26

One of the greatest blessings of being a Christian is knowing that God sees the righteousness of Jesus when He looks upon those who believe in Him. He doesn’t see our faults and failures; He sees the righteousness of Jesus that has been gifted to us.

Some people mistakenly believe that God is only pleased with them when they do good deeds. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. God is pleased with you and only wants good things for you.

God is never ashamed of your imperfections. He desires to bless you and give you peace. He wants you to be made perfect only through Jesus Christ.

If you want to understand who you are through Jesus Christ you need to recognize that God is perfecting you through His Son. Pauls said it this way, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12)

We are far from perfect. But everyday we should strive to be more like Jesus. Jesus makes all things new!

Pray

Lord, thank You for giving me Jesus. I look forward to being more like You everyday. Help me to understand that I am being perfected through the works of Jesus.

With All Your Heart

Encouragement

Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.
II Chronicles 31:20-21

God will honor the heart that commits to follow Him. God is pleased to bless those who strive to please Him. So the surest way to prosper is to pursue the will of God.

Hezekiah, king of Judah, lived during a dangerous time. He faced very powerful enemies. Pagan and idol worship was the popular religion of the day. Even his parents rejected God and encouraged others to serve false gods.

Hezekiah had the opportunity to reject God as well yet he chose to serve God with all of his heart. He did everything in his power to encourage the people to worship the One and true God. He showed honor and respect to God by keeping His commandments.

Because Hezekiah served and obeyed God, God blessed him in return. God proved to the people that it is beneficial and prosperous to serve and obey God. Even when it was not the popular thing to do, Hezekiah resolved to follow God.

It takes courage and commitment to seek after God rather than pleasing people. When you do not set your heart to seek after the Lord, calamity and chaos fill your life. Resolve to pursue God with all your heart and receive the peace and prosperity that follow.

Pray

Lord, I seek You with all of my heart, soul, and mind. I desire to obey Your word and I strive to remain in Your will. I seek to please You only.

The Importance Of Prayer

Faith, Trust

‘Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ‘
James 5:16

Did you know that you can get God’s attention through prayer? It’s not so much in what you say but what your heart desires. James, the brother of Jesus, gives us a great truth to always remember.

James gives us the insight on how to get God’s attention when we pray. He says to confess our sins. This is necessary to have good fellowship with God. We need to confess our sins and cleanse our hearts.

All through the Bible, the righteous were close to God and He was near to them. Anyone who comes into the presence of Almighty God will be renewed and changed. It is important that we confess our sins and remain pure at heart. This is how we can know God will hear our prayers.

In the next verse, he uses the example of Elijah as he prayed fervently that it might not rain and there was no rain for 3 1/2 years. And then in verse 18, he prayed again for rain and heaven poured down rain. So what made Elijah’s prayers get God’s attention?

Proverbs 15:29 says the Lord hears the prayer of the righteous. But this same verse also says the Lord is far from the wicked. When the righteous speak, He hears. But God does not hear those who do not repent.

Also, James says to pray for one another. Is your heart’s desire set on the healing of others? Not just the healing of sickness but spiritual healing as well. It is important that we pray for others and not just ourself.

Perhaps the greatest key to getting God’s attention is in our faith in the One True God. Our faith is what gets God’s attention the most. Our faith speaks louder than words. Is your faith strong? Do you pray expecting God to answer your prayers? Don’t be so surprised when God answers your prayers.

Pray

Lord, forgive me of my sins and renew a right spirit in me. Cleanse my heart and make me new again. Help me know that you hear my prayers and You will answer according to Your Will.