Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: stephen dedman

Pray For One Another

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
‭‭1 Timothy 2:1

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night and had friend or loved one on your mind?  That person was placed on your heart for a reason. God places people on our hearts and minds so we can help them and bless them.

Our prayers can actually bless others. We need to take time to pray for those who come to our attention and pray without hesitation. When we pray for others we are helping them get blessed.

Paul wrote a letter to Timothy to address some of the issues that were happening at the church at Ephesus.  One of the issues facing that church was prayer. The church was divided between the Jews and Gentiles who had complete different attitudes concerning spiritual matters such as salvation and blessings.  

So Paul instructed Timothy to instruct the church, the people of God, to pray for each other. It’s our responsibility and privilege to pray for one another.  Everyone needs prayer.

You need someone praying for you as well. That is why it is important to surround yourself with faithful praying people.  Other people can pray blessings into your life.

There is nothing more wonderful and amazing than to witness an answered prayer.  It’s important to pay attention to what others around you are going through so that you can pray for them specifically.  

Sometimes a generic prayer just isn’t enough.  We need to pray earnestly for the needs of others.  Pray for their salvation if they are lost.  Pray for their health if they are sick.  

If they are poor, pray for their wealth.  Pray for their strength if they are weak.  If they seem hopeless, pray for their faith to be strengthened.  Pray for them as the Holy Spirit directs you to.

Who is on your mind today as you pray? Reach out to that person and ask them how you can pray for them.

Pray

Lord, I pray for those who You put on my mind and heart. Thank You for allowing me to be part of their blessings. I pray that people are praying for me as well.

Watch And Pray

Encouragement, Trust

Watch And Pray

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41

 

The Spirit vs. The Flesh

Jesus warned Peter, James, and John to watch and pray as He went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray to the Father.  He had just celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples and was about to be betrayed by Judas.  The guards were seeking to arrest Him and He knew He only had a couple of hours to prepare Himself for the worst suffering and torture known to man. Three times Jesus went away to pray and three times He returned and found the three men slumbering.

Jesus tried warning the three disciples but they let their guard down.  Little did they know that they were about to be tested and tempted more than ever before.  They didn’t think all of this would happen on that night because it was a time of Jewish celebration.  In verse 33 Peter exhaust himself and exclaimed that he would never deny Him even if he were to die.  Three times Peter denied Jesus before the rooster crowed.

We all fall into similar slumbering.  We think all is well and life couldn’t be any better.  That is when Satan prowls like a lion to devour.  We must never let our guard down.  We must always be alert to the temptations of sin.  Jesus said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  We all have high regards to what we strive to do for Christ but in the end we each fall into the same category as Peter.  Good intentions are not good enough.

We can all relate to Paul and his dilemma in Romans 7:15-20.  He sums it up in verse 19, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

Prayer

Pray for the Lord to help you to stay alert keep you from the temptation of sin.

Founded On The Rock

Trust

Founded On The Rock

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:25‬

The Foundation Of Obedience

There is a great advantage of building upon a firm foundation. A structure’s foundation is its most important element. And it’s the storms that test the durability and strength of what lies beneath the surface.  Jesus gives great advice to build on the rock.

Jesus was wrapping up His Sermon on the Mount and was giving the final take away. The large crowd that surrounded Him listened attentively to every word that was spoken.  The message that Jesus wanted them all to understand was that some listen and obey but some listen and do as they please.

He compared two men building a house. The wise man worked hard and dug deep into the soil to make sure that his house would stand the test of time.  But the foolish man was in a hurry and took short cuts so when the storm came his house didn’t stand. It’s obvious that the foolish man didn’t understand the importance of quality and endurance.

The rock of the foundation is obedience.  For a Christian it is important to obey the Word of God and keep it close to our heart.  Sometimes it is difficult to obey and remain righteous as Jesus instructs.  But it’s easy to disobey and fall into sin and live hypocritically.

It takes a foolish person to build a house on sandy soil as it’s also foolish for a person to know God’s Word and not obey it. It’s one thing to listen to instructions, it’s another to obey them. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  We must live obediently upon the biblical truth of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Pray for the truth of God’s Word to embrace your life as you are tempted to take foolish shortcuts of disobedience.