Monday, October 29, 2007

Feast Upon His Word

SCRIPTURE
 
Matthew 4:3-4
During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
 
Psalm 119:103
How sweet your words taste to me;
      they are sweeter than honey.
 
 
PRAYER
 
Lord, I pray that you would nourish ______’s soul with the sweetness of your word. I ask that when the temptations come to divert his focus to the temporal, you would feed him with the eternal. I pray that when his is pulled to worry about his needs, you would give him what he truly needs. Strengthen him with truth as it flows from your heart to his Lord. Make his mind simmer on that truth, pondering its application to his life this week. Bring to his remembrance the bread of truth you have given his soul in days past, and nourish him again as he presses its beauty into his everyday. And Lord, I pray that, as he tastes the sweetness of your word, his soul would be satisfied. May ______ live indeed by every word that comes from you to him. Amen.
 
 
ENCOURAGEMENT
His words to you are words of true love. Dine upon them. Savor them. Feast generously. They are food for your soul.
 
 

Monday, October 22, 2007

Embrace His Love

SCRIPTURE
Romans 8:35-39
 
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
 
 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
 
PRAYER
 
Lord, I pray that you would reach into the tender parts of ______’s heart and make him know your lavish love. The part of his heart that is broken, I pray your love would heal. The part of his heart that is desperate, I pray your love would comfort. The part of his heart that longs, I pray your love would fill. And the part of his heart that hurts, I pray your love would sooth. Lord, ______ needs you, he needs to know that he is important to you and loved by you. He needs to know that your love will never fail him, no matter what trouble swirls around in his life. He needs to know that your love makes life worth living Lord. Fill ______ with your love today I ask. Amen.
 
 
ENCOURAGEMENT
 
He loves you. When all others fail you, He will not. Embrace his love in the midst of your pain. It is sweet and sure.
 
 

Monday, October 15, 2007

Live Close to Him

SCRIPTURE
 
Psalm 27:4-6
4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
6 Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
 
PRAYER
 
Lord, I pray that you would put within ______’s heart a passionate desire to live his life in a continual place of connectedness with you, as if he were living in your house. I pray that he would think deeply upon your perfections, your attributes, and your beauty. And as he sees you, may his heart leap with delight, as seeing his best friend and the object of his deepest affections. May he long for closeness with you Lord. And I pray that when those moments of inevitable trouble come, you would hide him in that place of closeness with you, protecting him from the harm his enemies would seek. May he feel so loved and cared for by you, that he can hold his head high as a valued son of the King. Amen.
 
 
ENCOURAGEMENT
 
The place of secure protection in times of trouble is to be near our Lord. Live close to our Lord as the dwelling place of your soul, and delight your heart in his beauty. He will never let you down.

Monday, October 8, 2007

His Abundance

SCRIPTURE

Psalm 36:7-9
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
9 For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.


PRAYER

Life is in you, Lord. Shelter from the storms of life is in you. Abundance and delight come from you. Lord, I ask that today ______ would bask in the generous gifts you have given him. I pray that he would feel alive indeed, and would know that this life comes to him from you. I pray that he would see your abundance in his life and heart. I ask that he would stay very near your, seeking shelter from the difficulties of life. And I pray that you would allow him to drink from your river of delights and feel the satisfaction of soul that comes. Lord, lavish upon ______ your precious and unfailing love. And may his heart be overcome with gratitude because of it. Amen.

ENCOURAGEMENT

His love will never fail. His shelter is secure and sure. His abundance feeds, and his delights quench your thirst of soul. Stay close to him, and live indeed.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Living in Harmony

SCRIPTURE
 
Psalm 133
1 How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.
 
 
PRAYER
 
Lord, give us harmony I pray. There is too much hate, too much fermented anger, and too many nurtured grudges. The embers of misunderstandings are fueled into raging fire, and the sting of pain is returned seven fold. Lord, I ask that you would make each of us aware this week of our part in the dissonance around our web of relationships. Search our hearts and show us each how to be harmonious, and with whom that should start. Move us each to do our part in being at peace with those around us, even our enemies. Restore friendships. Resolve conflict. Reunite families. Replenish love. Move us to show the love to one another that you have first shown to us. And may we experience the beauty, satisfaction, and refreshment of harmony among us Lord. Amen.
 
ENCOURAGEMENT
 
Forgive an offense. Touch a need. Understand a deep heart. Be a friend. And feel the refreshment of harmony.