Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: bible

Watch And Pray

Encouragement

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26:41‬

The only way you can live victoriously in this fallen world is to heed the instructions of Jesus and to watch and pray. Keep watching and keep praying, is the guiding principle for every child of God, every moment of the day and throughout our time on earth. 

As Jesus prayed before the night of His crucifixion, He urged His disciples to watch and pray as well. The disciples were all exhausted and could not stay awake to pray. After praying for some time, Jesus walked back towards them and found them sleeping when they should have been praying. 

We need to be praying in unity with the Holy Spirit. Our flesh is weak. We need the strength of the Holy Spirit of God to give us victory while we walk this earth. 

We must remember that God is in control. Jesus is on His throne and has everything under His authority. But what Jesus wants is His bride to be watching and praying. We are to pray in unity together and for one another. 

This is a time for Believers to come together and strengthen one another’s faith. We are to encourage one another through prayer and sharing the Word of God. Don’t let this day of chaos blindside you and find you sleeping. This is a great time for us to shine the light of Jesus Christ into a dark and sinful world. 

Pray

Lord, let us all be aware of what is happening in our world today. Hear our prayers and heal our land. Let me be a light of Jesus for someone to see. 

Great Are His Works

Encouragement

How great are your works, O Lord ! Your thoughts are very deep!
Psalms 92:5

It shouldn’t take much for someone to see that God’s works are wonderful. Wonderful doesn’t even begin to describe how great His works are.

God made no mistakes from the time of creation nor has He held back any glorious design. Take the human body for example. How wonderful it is that the human body can heal itself.

The human brain has the capacity to store over 74 terabytes just in the cerebral cortex alone. Imagine if we used our brains to full capacity.

Now take creation as an example. The earth provides the perfect environment for humans to exist. The stars in the heavens remind us how small we are compared to God. The sun is just at the right distance to bless us and not burn us. God is wonderful in all His works.

If and when you struggle in your faith or wonder if God cares, stop and consider this verse as a reference that God knows and cares. He made us with much more detail than anything else. He loves us and cares for each and everyone of us.

When we consider His works and thoughts we may never comprehend the extent to His greatness. Maybe one day it will all be revealed to us when we get to Heaven.

If you are struggling today consider his greatest work when He sent His Son to die for you and to give you eternal life. He has prepared a way for you to spend eternity in His presence. That alone says enough.

Pray

Lord, help me to know that You care. As I face my struggles, give me comfort and peace that you are in control. I know you will work it all out.

Your Time Is Precious

Encouragement

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16

In what areas do you invest most of your time and energy to? What do you spend a lot of your time doing or thinking about? 

A fool makes unwise choices with his time and energy. With every new opportunity that comes along, the fool chases off in a different direction, not questioning whether that is the best choice.

Most of the time the loudest voice gains the most attention. But at the end of the day, the fool squanders the investment of time and energy on the things that don’t matter.

The devil knows that if he can get you to waste your time and energy on things that don’t matter then you will not be investing in the things of God. At this moment, the devil is trying to rob your time in the Word of God. The devil knows how to tempt you and make you veer away from God’s best.

Time is precious. Don’t waste your time on the things that you know are not of God. Instead take time to listen for the voice of God as He directs you to the most important and best things that bring everlasting joy.

Pray

Lord, help me to spend more time with You today. Speak to my heart and show me what I need to do to accomplish Your plans. Give me wisdom to discern the most important choices I can make today.