How Can I Become A Prayer Warrior?
Although
the phrase “prayer warrior” is not found in Scripture, a prayer warrior is
generally thought of as a Christian who prays continually and effectively for
others in the manner of praying taught in Scripture. Therefore, prayer warriors
pray to Father God (Matthew 6:9) in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians
3:16; Jude 1:20) and in the name of Jesus (John 14:13). To be a warrior in
prayer is to engage in the spiritual battle and fight the good fight of faith
wearing the full armor of God and “pray[ing] in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:10-18).
While all Christians are to be prayer warriors, there are some people who feel
they have a special and unique ability to pray and have been called by God to
pray as their special ministry. The Bible never specifies certain people who
are to pray more often, more diligently, or more effectively than other
Christians, but there are diligent pray-ers who are known for their emphasis on
prayer. Paul commands that “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be
made for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:1), and he says nothing that would indicate
some people are exempt from doing so. All believers in Christ have the Holy
Spirit who helps us communicate our prayer requests (Romans 8:26-27). All
believers are to be praying in the name of Jesus, which means that Jesus Christ
is our Lord and Savior, that we trust in Him for everything, including His
interceding with the Father for us in all things, and that we live and pray in
accordance with God’s will. Praying in Jesus’ name does not mean merely adding
“in Jesus’ name” to a prayer. Rather, it means praying in submission to His
will.
As prayer warriors, we rejoice in all things and have a spirit of thankfulness
for what God is doing in our lives and the lives of others, and our own spirits
grow day by day as we come to realize the magnitude of our blessings. We know
with certainty that God provided the breath we just took (Isaiah 42:5); that He
has forgiven our past, present and future sins (1 John 2:12); that He loves us
with an eternal love (Ephesians 2:4-7); and that we have a place in heaven with
our Lord (1 Peter 1:3-5). Our hearts, then, are filled with joy and peace and
overflow with love for God, and we want others to have this same love, joy and
peace. Therefore, we work for them by praying.
Effective prayer is indeed work. We have to learn to walk with God, so we meditate daily on Him and His ways in order to become more and more humble, which is essential for effective prayer (2 Chronicles 7:13-15). We also study Scripture thoughtfully every day to learn what is pleasing to God and therefore what constitutes acceptable prayer. We learn to eliminate hindrances to prayer (Mark 11:25; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 John 3:21-22) and not to grieve the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30-32). We learn that we are in a spiritual battle with Satan, so we must pray for our own spiritual well-being to maintain our strength and focus in praying for others (Ephesians 6:12-18).
Prayer warriors have a heart for God, a heart for prayer, a heart for people,
and a heart for Christ’s church. Therefore, we pray continually and trust that
God answers each prayer according to His perfect will and in His perfect
timing.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"When you’re feeling sad, I want you to anticipate feeling joyful again. This takes the sting out of your sorrow, because you know it is only temporary. Sadness tends to duplicate itself along the timeline - convincing you that you will always be unhappy. But that is a lie! I urge you to turn away from the lie, choosing rather to trust Me and all I have promised you. The truth is, all My children have infinite Joy ahead of them: reserved in heaven, guaranteed throughout eternity! No one can take this away from you."
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." - Job 8:21
- "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young
How Can I Have My Prayers Answered By God?
Many people believe answered prayer is God granting a prayer request that is offered to Him. If a prayer request is not granted, it is understood as an “unanswered” prayer. However, this is an incorrect understanding of prayer. God answers every prayer that is lifted to Him. Sometimes God answers “no” or “wait.” God only promises to grant our prayers when we ask according to His will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
What does it mean to pray according to God’s will? Praying according to God’s
will is praying for things that honor and glorify God and/or praying for what
the Bible clearly reveals God’s will to be. If we pray for something that is
not honoring to God or not God’s will for our lives, God will not give what we
ask for. How can we know what God’s will is? God promises to give us wisdom
when we ask for it. James 1:5 proclaims, “If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it
will be given to him.” A good place to start is 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24,
which outlines many things that are God’s will for us. The better we understand
God’s Word, the better we will know what to pray for (John 15:7). The better we
know what to pray for, the more often God will answer “yes” to our requests.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Is Praying For You
“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him,
because he always lives to intercede for them.”
because he always lives to intercede for them.”
Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)
I can’t pray anymore.
I tried, but it felt like my prayers were hitting the proverbial ceiling.
Does God even hear me? Does He still care?
Perhaps you’ve gone through seasons like that, too, where you’re discouraged by your inability to pray or you feel like you don’t know what to say. Maybe you’ve tried to make a new habit of praying this year, but you keep getting distracted as your thoughts Ping-Pong from prayer to your grocery list to that unpaid bill - and it’s so discouraging that you just give up.
Many things keep us from praying. But here’s one good reason to pray anyway: Jesus is praying for and with us.
A few years ago I stumbled on this quote from Robert Murray M’Cheyne: “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”
The first time I encountered that idea, I felt shocked. Really? Praying for us? That’s a lovely idea, but that’s not in the Bible … is it?
So I searched the Scriptures and was surprised by what I discovered. Hebrews 7:24-25 says: “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them”.
And again in Romans 8:34, the Bible affirms: “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”. It seems clear that Jesus is praying for His people every moment of every day.
I don’t know what Jesus is praying, but we glimpse His tender heart in His high priestly prayer in John 17. The Bible also says even in our sorrow, heartache and darkness, and even when we don’t feel Him, Jesus strengthens us and protects us (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
Even when we don’t know what to say, Jesus is praying for us.
Even when we don’t feel like praying, Jesus is praying for us.
Even when we think our prayers don’t make a difference, Jesus is praying for us.
This one conviction has brought such comfort to my heart on hard days: believing Jesus understands what it’s like to be human and He knows exactly what to pray - even when we don’t.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace, knowing Jesus Himself is waiting and praying for you, for me and for us.
Precious Jesus, thank You for loving us so much that You care about the details and You pray for us, even now. We join You in our prayers and surrender to You all the hard and heavy burdens in our lives. You are able, and we trust You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
- Asheritah Ciuciu
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"
What Is The Proper Way To Pray?
Is
it best to pray standing up, sitting down, kneeling, or bowing down?
Should our hands be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Do our eyes need to be
closed when we pray? Is it better to pray in a church building or out in
nature? Should we pray in the morning when we get up or at night before we go
to bed? Are there certain words we need to say in our prayers? How do we begin
our prayers? What is the proper way to close a prayer? These questions, and
others, are common questions asked about prayer. What is the proper way to
pray? Do any of the above things even matter?
Far
too often, prayer is viewed as a “magic formula.” Some believe that if we do
not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not
hear and answer our prayer. This is completely unbiblical. God does not answer
our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in,
or in what order we word our prayers. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to
have confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will
grant whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Similarly, John
14:13-14 declares, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the
Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and
I will do it.” According to these and many other Scriptures, God answers prayer
requests based on whether they are asked according to His will and in the name
of Jesus (to bring glory to Jesus).
So, what is the proper way to pray? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to
pray without being anxious, to pray about everything, and to pray with thankful
hearts. God will answer all such prayers with the gift of His peace in our
hearts. The proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest
and open with God, as He already knows us better than we know ourselves. We are
to present our requests to God, keeping in mind that God knows what is best and
will not grant a request that is not His will for us. We are to express our
love, gratitude, and worship to God in prayer without worrying about having
just the right words to say. God is more interested in the content of our
hearts than the eloquence of our words.
The closest the Bible comes to giving a “pattern” for prayer is the Lord’s
Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Please understand that the Lord’s Prayer is
not a prayer we are to memorize and recite to God. It is an example of the
things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests,
confession, and submission. We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer
talks about, using our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with
God. The proper way to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing,
or kneeling; hands open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home,
or outside; in the morning or at night - these are all side issues, subject to
personal preference, conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for
prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us.
- Provided by
"Got Questions Ministries"
What Is The Purpose Of Prayer?
Prayer is
an important part of the Christian life. It is the way we communicate with the
Lord and praise Him. To understand the purpose of prayer, it is important to
first understand what prayer is not. There are many wrong views in the world
and culture about prayer, even among Christians, and these should be addressed
first. Prayer is not:
• bargaining with God.
• making demands of God.
• only asking God for things.
• a therapeutic, meditation-type exercise.
• bothering God and taking up His time.
• a way to control the Lord.
• a way to show off one’s spirituality before others.
Many people believe that prayer is only about asking God for things. Although
supplication is a part of prayer (Philippians 4:6), it is not the sole purpose
of prayer. Praying for the needs of ourselves and others is needed and
beneficial, but there is so much more to prayer. A. W. Tozer warned,
“Prayer among evangelical Christians is always in danger of degenerating into a
glorified ‘gold rush’” (Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings,
compiled by Gerald Smith, Moody Publishers, 2008, entry for Feb. 26). But God
is not a magical genie who answers our every wish, nor is He a weak God who can
be controlled by our prayers.
The best way to learn about the purpose of prayer is studying the example of
Jesus during His earthly ministry. Jesus prayed for Himself and for others, and
He prayed to commune with the Father. John 17 is a great place to see
Jesus’ use of prayer. He not only prays that the Father be glorified but also
prays for His disciples and “for those who will believe in me through their
message” (John 17:20). Submitting to the Father’s will was another aspect to
Jesus’ prayer life, highlighted in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Yet
not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). With any request we have, we
must submit to God’s will.
In addition to interceding for others, prayer is also a way to strengthen our
relationship with God. Jesus set the example, as He prayed to the Father
throughout His earthly ministry (Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23). Those in
relationships will naturally seek to communicate with each other, and prayer is
our communication with God. Other good examples in the Bible of those who spent
time in prayer are David, Hezekiah, and Paul.
Ultimately, the main purpose of prayer is worship. When we pray to the Lord,
recognizing Him for who He is and what He has done, it is an act of worship.
There are many examples of prayer being an act of worship in the Bible,
including 2 Kings 19:15, 1 Chronicles 17:20, Psalm 86:12–13, John
12:28, and Romans 11:33–36. How we pray should reflect this purpose; our
focus should be on who God is, not on ourselves.
Interestingly, the model of prayer that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew
6:9–13, known as the Lord’s Prayer, has all these elements. The first part
includes praise and worship of God (Matthew 6:9), and then the second part
moves on to praying for God’s will to be done (Matthew 6:10). After this, there
is supplication for ourselves and others (Matthew 6:11–12), as well as asking
for strength to deal with temptation (Matthew 6:13). Jesus modeled this prayer
for His disciples, and it shows all the reasons for prayer with the central
focus of worship.
Prayer is an important part of the Christian life, and one’s prayer life should
be developed. Not only does prayer affect our lives and the lives of others,
but it is also a way to communicate with the Lord and grow in our relationship
with Him. At the heart of prayer is an act of worship to the Lord. God’s Word
places an emphasis on the power and purpose of prayer, and, therefore, it
should not be neglected.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Application of God's Word: Matthew 17:16-17
Verse: Matthew
17:16-17So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.
Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation,
how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
Application:
The disciples had been given the authority to do the healing, but they had
not yet learned how to appropriate the power of God. Jesus' frustration is with
the unbelieving and unresponsive generation. His disciples were merely a
reflection of that attitude in this instance. Jesus' purpose was not to
criticize the disciples but to encourage them to greater faith.
Jesus gave His disciples the power to cast out demons and to
perform miracles of healing (Matthew 10:8). He gave them His authority to
minister to people, yet they became so self-centered that they lost the power
to do the work of God. When God sent a father with his epileptic son to them
for healing, they failed miserably. They were so concerned with position and
status (Mark 9:32-35) that they lost their focus on what God wanted to do
through them.
Jesus’ response to His disciples included some of the
harshest words ever to come from His mouth. He called His own disciples
“unbelieving” and “perverse” and questioned how much longer He had to endure
them! Why? Because they were supposed to be on mission with Him to bring
salvation to others, but they had become so disoriented to Him that they were
spiritually powerless, lacking the faith to bring physical and spiritual
comfort to those God had sent to them.
God ought to be able
to send hurting persons to any child of His and expect that they will be
helped. Like the disciples, we can become so preoccupied with our own ambitions
and distracted by the busyness of our lives that we become ineffective in
ministering to those whom God sends to us. It is even possible to become so
involved in religious activity that we are of no help to anyone. Regularly take
inventory of your life to see if you are being a faithful steward of every life
God sends to you.
Jesus Wants You To Know...
One of My names is Wonderful Counselor. I understand you far, far better than you understand yourself. So come to Me with your problems and insecurities, seeking My counsel.
"For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6
"For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6
- "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young
What Is Prayer?
The
most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation
or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of
the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way
for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with
God and to fellowship with God.
Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal. All
prayer must be offered in faith (James 1:6), in the name of the Lord Jesus (John
16:23), and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). As the International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it, “Christian prayer in its full New
Testament meaning is prayer addressed to God as Father, in the name of Christ
as Mediator, and through the enabling grace of the indwelling Spirit” (“Prayer”
by J. C. Lambert). The wicked have no desire to pray (Psalm 10:4), but the
children of God have a natural desire to pray (Luke 11:1).
Prayer is described in the Bible as seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11), pouring
out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles
32:20), drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and kneeling before the Father
(Ephesians 3:14).
Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). Worry about nothing; pray
about everything.
Everything? Yes, God wants us to talk with Him about everything. How often
should we pray? The biblical answer is “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians
5:17). We should keep a running conversation going with God all day long. Some
find the ACTS
formula of prayer helpful, but there is really no special formula
for how to pray in the Bible. We should just do it. We can pray under
any and all circumstances. Prayer develops our relationship with God and
demonstrates our trust and utter dependence upon Him.
Prayer is the Christian’s way of communicating with God. We pray to praise God
and thank Him and tell Him how much we love Him. We pray to enjoy His presence
and tell Him what is going on in our lives. We pray to make requests and
seek guidance and ask for wisdom. God loves this exchange with His children,
just as we love the exchange we have with our children. Fellowship with God is
the heart of prayer. Too often we lose sight of how simple prayer is really
supposed to be.
When we make petitions to God, we let God know exactly where we stand and what
we would like to see happen. In our prayers, we must admit that God is greater
than we are and ultimately knows what is best in any given situation (Romans
11:33–36). God is good and asks us to trust Him. In prayer, we say,
essentially, “Not my will, but your will be done.” The key to answered prayer
is praying according to the will of God and in accordance with His Word. Prayer
is not seeking our own will but seeking to align ourselves with the will of God
more fully (1 John 5:14–15; James 4:3).
The Bible contains many examples of prayer and plenty of exhortations to pray
(see Luke 18:1; Romans 12:12; and Ephesians 6:18). God’s house
is to be a house of prayer (Mark 11:17), and God’s people are to be people of
prayer: “Dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love” (Jude 1:20–21).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Love Brings Obedience
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father,
and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
John 14:21
Obedience
to God's commands comes from your heart. When you begin struggling to obey God,
that is a clear indication that your heart has shifted away from Him. Some
claim: “I love God, but I'm having difficulty obeying Him in certain areas of
my life.” That is a spiritual impossibility. If I were to ask you, “Do you love
God?” you might easily respond, “Yes!” However, if I were to ask you, “Are you
obeying God?” would you answer yes as quickly? Yet I would be asking you the
same question! Genuine love for God leads to wholehearted obedience. If you
told your spouse that you loved her at certain times but that you struggled to
love her at others, your relationship would be in jeopardy. Yet we assume that
God is satisfied with occasional love or partial obedience. He is not.
Obedience
without love is legalism. Obedience for its own sake can be nothing more than
perfectionism, which leads to pride. Many conscientious Christians seek to
cultivate discipline in their lives to be more obedient to Christ. As helpful
as spiritual disciplines can be, they never can replace your love for God. Love
is the discipline. God looks beyond your godly habits, beyond your moral
lifestyle, and beyond your church involvement and focuses His penetrating gaze
upon your heart.
Has
your worship become empty and routine? Have you lost your motivation to read
God's Word? Are you experiencing spiritual lethargy? Is your prayer life
reduced to a ritual? These are symptoms of a heart that has shifted away from
God. Return to your first love. Love is the greatest motivation for a
relationship with God and for serving Him.
The King of Your Heart
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power,
together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and
high and deep is the love of Christ …”
Ephesians 3:17b-18 (NIV)
Your heart answers to what it loves. Whatever you make much
time for in your life ends up being the king of your life.
Ultimately, you crown what captivates you.
Is Love Himself your King, or have you overthrown Love
Himself - only to throw your heart at the feet of cheap lesser loves?
What if Jesus stands before you now, heart bound to yours,
eyes searching yours, heart whispering to yours: Am I the King of your
heart? What have you crowned with your time, attention, interest and heart even
though it can’t raise you to real life in the end? Have you seen what I have
done for you - to move you closer to My reviving heart? Has My love moved and
changed your heart? Have you listened to all the ways I’ve been wooing you away
from that which doesn’t satisfy and back toward divine love, holy wholeness and
the fullest life?
These questions beg for a real answer.
He is the One who lived the perfect way you always hoped you
would, and now He offers the record of His life to be your life. He’s the One
who died the painful way that could have been yours, and He has absorbed all
your pain as His own. He’s the One who heals broken hearts, the One who gives
sight for every single one of your blind spots. He’s the One who walks on the
waves of your every storm, feeds you soul-sustaining bread in the midst of a
multitude of troubles, crushes the head of every hissing lie, and raises your
dead hopes back to life.
This is your everyday resurrection, your everyday reality,
your everything. Don’t miss it.
Jesus is your King, Redeemer, Restorer, Sustainer, Lamb,
Lover and Lord - the only One whose passion has ever loved you to death and
back, resurrecting to offer you to the safest, realest life. He is life.
And He has saved us for Himself.
Don’t miss Him. Pilgrimage into the palace of
His presence and bow down.
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in
love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ …” (Ephesians
3:17b-18).
Jesus is the One who gets all of you - all your loyalty and
complete allegiance, your whole heart, whole life, whole self - so you get to
be whole. The King died to be the King of your heart … the King of your
everything.
This changes everything - starting right now.
King of all, You traded heaven for a cross to call our
hearts Your home. Forgive us when we crown distractions, fears or ambitions
instead of You. Open our eyes to see what You’ve done, stirring us with Your
love that heals, calls and makes us whole. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Ann Voskamp
(Provided by “Proverbs 31 Ministries”)
Does God Love Everyone or Just Christians?
There is a sense in which God loves everyone in the whole world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; Romans 5:8). This love is not conditional - it is rooted in God’s character and based on the fact that He is a God of love (1 John 4:8, 16). God’s love for everyone could be thought of as His “merciful love,” since it results in the fact that God does not immediately punish people for their sins (Romans 3:23; 6:23). “Your Father in heaven . . . causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). This is another example of God’s love for everyone - His merciful love, His benevolence extended to everyone, not just to Christians.
God’s merciful love for the world is also manifested in that God gives people
the opportunity to repent: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise. . . . Instead,
he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s unconditional love is related to His general
call to salvation and what is often called His permissive or perfect will
- that aspect of God’s will that reveals His attitude and defines what is
pleasing to Him.
However, God’s love for everyone does not mean that everyone will be saved
(see Matthew 25:46). God will not ignore sin, for He is a God of justice (2
Thessalonians 1:6). Sin cannot go unpunished forever (Romans 3:25–26). If God
simply disregarded sin and allowed it to continue to wreak havoc in creation
forever, then He would not be love. To ignore God’s merciful love, to reject
Christ, or to deny the Savior who bought us (2 Peter 2:1) is to subject
ourselves to God’s wrath for eternity (Romans 1:18), not His love.
The love of God that justifies sinners is not extended to everyone, only to
those who have faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). The love of God that brings
people into intimacy with Himself is not extended to everyone, only to those
who love the Son of God (John 14:21). This love could be thought of as God’s
“covenant love,” and it is conditional, given only to those who place their
faith in Jesus for salvation (John 3:36). Those who believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ are loved unconditionally, securely, forever.
Does God love everyone? Yes, He shows mercy and kindness to all. Does God love
Christians more than He loves non-Christians? No, not in regards to His
merciful love. Does God love Christians in a different way than He loves
non-Christians? Yes, because believers have exercised faith in God’s Son, they
are saved. God has a unique relationship with Christians in that only
Christians have forgiveness based on God’s eternal grace. The unconditional,
merciful love God has for everyone should bring us to faith, receiving with
gratefulness the conditional, covenant love He grants those who receive Jesus
Christ as Savior.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"I am with you. These four words are like a safety net, protecting you from falling into despair. Because you are human, you will always have ups and downs in your life experience. But the promise of My Presence limits how far down you can go."
Is God's Love Conditional or Unconditional?
God’s love
for mankind, as described in the Bible, is clearly unconditional in that His
love is expressed toward the objects of His love despite their disposition
toward Him. In other words, God loves without placing any conditions on the
loved ones; He loves because it is His nature to love (1 John 4:8). That love
moves Him toward benevolent action: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and
the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).
The unconditional nature of God’s love is most clearly seen in the gospel.
The gospel message is basically a story of divine rescue. As God considered the
plight of His rebellious people, He determined to save them from their sin, and
this determination was based on His love (Ephesians 1:4–5). Listen to the
apostle Paul’s words from his letter to the Romans:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for
the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6–8).
Reading through the book of Romans, we learn that we are alienated from God due
to our sin. We are at enmity with God, and His wrath is being revealed against
the ungodly for their unrighteousness (Romans 1:18–20). We reject God, and God
gives us over to our sin. We also learn that we have all sinned and fallen
short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and that none of us seek God; none of us do
what is right before His eyes (Romans 3:10–18).
Despite the hostility and enmity we have toward God (for which God would be
perfectly just to utterly destroy us), God revealed His love toward us in the
giving of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the propitiation (the appeasement
of God’s righteous wrath) for our sins. God did not wait for us to better
ourselves as a condition of atoning for our sin. Rather, God condescended to
become a man and live among His people (John 1:14). God experienced our
humanity - everything it means to be a human being - and then offered Himself
willingly as a substitutionary atonement for our sin.
This divine rescue, based on unconditional love, resulted in a gracious act of
self-sacrifice. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay
down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That is precisely what God, in
Christ, has done. The unconditional nature of God’s love is made clear in other
passages of Scripture:
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have
been saved” (Ephesians 2:4–5).
"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son
into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins" (1 John 4:9–10).
It is important to note that God’s love is a love that initiates; it is never a
response. That is precisely what makes it unconditional. If God’s love were
conditional, then we would have to do something to earn or merit it. We would
have to somehow appease His wrath or cleanse ourselves of sin before God would
be able to love us. But that is not the biblical message. The biblical message
- the gospel - is that God, motivated by love, moved unconditionally to save
His people from their sin.
Also important is the fact that God’s unconditional love does not mean that
everyone will be saved (see Matthew 25:46). Nor does it mean that God will
never discipline His children. To ignore God’s merciful love, to reject
the Savior who bought us (2 Peter 2:1), is to subject ourselves to God’s wrath
for eternity (Romans 1:18), not His love. For a child of God to willfully
disobey God is to invite the Father’s correction (Hebrews 12:5–11).
Does God love everyone? Yes, He shows mercy and kindness to all. In that sense
His love is unconditional. Does God love Christians in a different way than He
loves non-Christians? Yes. Because believers have exercised faith in God’s Son,
they are saved. The unconditional, merciful love God has for everyone should
bring us to faith, receiving with gratefulness the conditional, covenant love
He grants those who receive Jesus as their Savior.
- Provided by "Got Questions"
Romans 8:31-39
God’s Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Why Does God Love Us?
This short question is among the most profound questions ever asked. And no human would ever be able to answer it sufficiently. One thing is certain, however. God does not love us because we are lovable or because we deserve His love. If anything, the opposite is true. The state of mankind since the fall is one of rebellion and disobedience. Jeremiah 17:9 describes man’s inner condition: “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” Our innermost beings are so corrupted by sin that even we don’t realize the extent to which sin has tainted us. In our natural state, we do not seek God; we do not love God; we do not desire God. Romans 3:10-12 clearly presents the state of the natural, unregenerate person: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” How then is it possible for a holy, righteous, and perfect God to love such creatures? To understand this we must understand something of the nature and character of God.
First John 4:8 and 16 tell us that “God is love.” Never was a
more important declaration made than this - God is love. This is a profound
statement. God doesn’t just love; He is love. His nature and essence are love.
Love permeates His very being and infuses all His other attributes, even His
wrath and anger. Because God’s very nature is love, He must demonstrate love,
just as He must demonstrate all His attributes because doing so glorifies Him.
Glorifying God is the highest, the best, and the most noble of all acts, so,
naturally, glorifying Himself is what He must do, because He is the highest and
the best, and He deserves all glory.
Since it is God’s essential nature to love, He demonstrates His love by
lavishing it on undeserving people who are in rebellion against Him. God’s love
is not a sappy, sentimental, romantic feeling. Rather, it is agape love, the
love of self-sacrifice. He demonstrates this sacrificial love by sending His
Son to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin (1 John 4:10), by drawing us to
Himself (John 6:44), by forgiving us of our rebellion against Him, and by
sending His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, thereby enabling us to love as He
loves. He did this in spite of the fact that we did not deserve it. "But
God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
God’s love is personal. He knows each of us individually and loves us
personally. His is a mighty love that has no beginning and no end. It is this
experiencing of God’s love that distinguishes Christianity from all other
religions. Why does God love us? It is because of who He is: "God is
love."
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
What Is The Love Of Christ?
The phrase “love of Christ,” as opposed to “love for Christ,” refers to the love that He has toward mankind. His love can be briefly stated as His willingness to act in our best interest, especially in meeting our greatest need, even though it cost Him everything and even though we were the least worthy of such love.
Though Christ Jesus, being God in nature, existed from the beginning of time with God the Father (John 1:1) and the Holy Spirit, He willingly left His throne (John 1:1-14) to become a man, that He might pay the penalty for our sin so that we would not have to pay for it for all eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). Because mankind’s sin has been paid for by our sinless Savior Jesus Christ, God who is just and holy can now forgive our sins when we accept Christ Jesus’ payment as our own (Romans 3:21-26). Thus, Christ’s love is shown in His leaving His home in heaven, where He was worshiped and honored as He deserved, to come to earth as a man where He would be mocked, betrayed, beaten, and crucified on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin, rising again from the dead on the third day. He considered our need of a Savior from our sin and its penalty as more important than His own comfort and life (Philippians 2:3-8).
Sometimes people may give their lives willingly for ones they deem as worthy - a friend, a relative, other “good” people - but Christ’s love goes beyond that. Christ’s love extends to those most unworthy of it. He willingly took the punishment of those who tortured Him, hated Him, rebelled against Him, and cared nothing about Him, those who were most undeserving of His love (Romans 5:6-8). He gave the most He could give for those who deserved it the least! Sacrifice, then, is the essence of godly love, called agape love. This is God-like love, not man-like love (Matthew 5:43-48).
This love which He demonstrated toward us on the cross is just the beginning. When we place our trust in Him as our Savior, He makes us God’s children, co-heirs with Him! He comes to dwell within us through His Holy Spirit, promising that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). Thus, we have a loving companion for life. And no matter what we go through, He is there, and His love is ever available to us (Romans 8:35). But as He rightfully reigns as a benevolent King in heaven, we need to give Him the position He deserves in our lives as well, that of Master and not merely companion. It is only then that we will experience life as He intended and live in the fullness of His love (John 10:10b).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"Come to Me, and I will ease, relieve, and refresh your soul. Approach Me confidently, dear one, knowing that I have perfect understanding of you and everything that concerns you. Tell Me your troubles candidly; let the Light of My Face shine on them and illuminate your thinking. Then rest with Me, slowly inhaling the beauty of My Presence. You can feel safe and secure in My everlasting arms. As you spend precious time with Me, let Me ease and relieve your soul."
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’' - Deuteronomy 33:27 (NKJV)
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’' - Deuteronomy 33:27 (NKJV)
- "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young
What Does It Mean That God Is Love?
Let’s look at how the Bible describes love, and then we will see a few ways in which God is the essence of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). This is God’s description of love, and because God is love (1 John 4:8), this is what He is like.
In love, God does not force Himself on anyone. Those who
come to Him do so in response to His love. In love, God shows kindness to all.
In love, Jesus went about doing good to everyone without partiality. In love,
Jesus did not covet what others had, living a humble life without complaining.
In love, Jesus did not brag about who He was in the flesh, although He could
have overpowered anyone He ever came in contact with. In love, Jesus willingly
obeyed His Father in heaven. “The world must learn that I love the Father and
that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:31). In love, Jesus
was/is always looking out for the interests of others.
The greatest expression of God’s love is communicated to us in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 5:8 proclaims
the same message: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We can see from these verses that it
is God’s greatest desire that we join Him in His eternal home, heaven. He has
made the way possible by paying the price for our sins. He loves us because He
chose to as an act of His will. Love forgives. “If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
So, what does it mean that God is love? Love is an attribute of God. Love is a
core aspect of God’s character, His Person. God’s love is in no sense in
conflict with His holiness, righteousness, justice, or even His wrath. All of
God’s attributes are in perfect harmony. Everything God does is loving, just as
everything He does is just and right. God is the perfect example of true love.
Amazingly, God has given those who receive His Son Jesus as their personal
Savior the ability to love as He does, through the power of the Holy Spirit (John
1:12; 1 John 3:1, 23-24).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
What Is Love?
Love
can be a challenge to define at the level of how a person experiences it. Love
can involve personal affection, sexual attraction, platonic admiration,
brotherly loyalty, benevolent concern, or worshipful adoration. To accurately
answer the question “what is love?” we need to go to the origin of love. The
Bible tells us that love originates in God.
In
the English language, the word love is forced to bear the
burden of a multitude of meanings. We “love” everything from pancakes to
parents, but in vastly different ways. The languages in which the Bible was
written, Hebrew and Greek, are more precise in that they utilize different words
for the different types of love. The ancient languages differentiate among
sexual, brotherly, and familial love, and also the kind of love that God has
for creation and that we may have for Him.
The Hebrew word yada and the Greek word eros are
the words used to indicate sexual love. In Genesis 38 Judah makes
love with a woman he assumes is a prostitute. In the original Hebrew of verse
26, the word is yada, meaning “to know” and in this context “to
know carnally” or “to have sexual intercourse with.” In the New Testament, the
Greek word eros is not found because there is no context in
which it might be used.
The second type of love is the brotherly love that exists between close friends
regardless of gender. There is no sexual connotation; it is the love for and by
a friend. The Hebrew word is ahabah, and it is used to describe the
love between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:17. The Greek word for
brotherly love or affection is phileo, as used to refer to
friendship in John 15:19, Romans 12:10, and Hebrews 13:1.
Of family or tribal love, the Hebrew word is once again ahabah,
indicating a deep affection, and the Greek word is storge. We
find ahabah throughout the Old Testament because of its broad
range of meanings, but the Greek word storge is only found in
the New Testament as a negative word, astorgos, meaning
"without natural love" (e.g., in 2 Timothy 3:3).
Finally, there is the Hebrew word chesed and the Greek
word agape, which are used to express the kind of love God
demonstrates toward His elect. Chesed is often translated as
“steadfast love” or “lovingkindness.” A good example of chesed is
found in Numbers 14:18, “The Lord is slow to anger and abounding
in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression”. God’s chesed love
is why He never gives up on those He has adopted as His children. Throughout
the Old Testament, God’s people repeatedly fell into idolatry and sin, yet He
always preserved a remnant; He never gives up on His people. The reason is
His chesed love.
A similar idea is found in the New Testament with the Greek word agape. Agape love
is the goodwill and benevolence of God shown in self-sacrifice and an
unconditional commitment to the loved one. Agape is similar
to chesed in that it is steadfast, regardless of
circumstances. Agape love is the kind of love we are to have
for God in fulfillment of the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37).
Jesus wants to instill agape in His followers as we serve
others through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 22:39; John 13:34).
In the most basic sense, love is the emotion felt and actions performed by
someone concerned for the well-being of another person. Love involves
affection, compassion, care, and self-sacrifice. Love originates in the Triune
Godhead, within the eternal relationship that exists among the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit (1 John 4:7–8). Loving is unique to the human experience of being
an image-bearer of God. A pet owner may love her dog; she is concerned for its
well-being and cares for it. On the other hand, her dog doesn’t truly love her.
Oh, it wags its tail, sits by her, and comes when she calls, but all of those
responses are based on the fact that she feeds it and keeps it warm. Animals
cannot love in the same way that humans, created in God’s image, can love.
Here is the bottom line on love: “This is how God showed his love among us: He
sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This
is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also
ought to love one another. . . . We love because he first loved us” (1 John
4:9–11, 19).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
How to Walk in the Spirit and Not the Flesh
Learning
how to walk in the spirit and not the flesh reminds me of a sarcophagus. On
many of these coffins, the exterior shell has a carved image of the deceased
person. The real person is inside.
Until
a Christian walks in the spirit, everyone sees your old self. That’s because
you lock away your spirit (dare I say in a sarcophagus) when you don’t subdue
your flesh.
The
flesh and spirit are significantly different. Your body drops to the floor upon
death but your spirit lives on.
2
Corinthians 5:1-2, 4-7
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a
building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For
in this tent we groan and long for our heavenly dwelling. While we
are in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish to be further
clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who
prepares us for this very thing is God, who gives us the Spirit as a guarantee.
So
we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the
body we are away from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Controlling
this earthly tent is a constant battle! I’m miserable when I let my flesh
control everything ALL DAY LONG. For example, hunger leads me to the kitchen.
On the way there, I peek in the mirror to see what my face needs. Then, my
flesh convinces me a day off from God is a good idea. Before I know it, God
isn’t important. Instead, I’m knee-deep in emails, social media accounts or
to-do lists.
Our
flesh demands attention and wants instant gratification. It loves independence,
power, and pleasures offered by the world. In contrast, the Spirit of God who
lives inside waits for us to respond to Him. So, what do you do? How do
you make a habit of living and walking in the holy spirit?
10
Ways on How to Walk in the Spirit
- Decide what
hinders you. What’s
your biggest fleshly battle? Sin entangles a person quickly (see Hebrews
12:1-2); therefore, know your hindrances and look to Jesus for help. Is it
sexual impurity, anger, profanity, hatred, alcohol, or something else? Be
aware of what your flesh likes - that’s what keeps you from walking in the
spirit.
- Reap life. Devote your
time to what everyone else does in the world and reap death. You sow to
the spirit every time you read scripture, meditate, or pray. By doing so,
God gets larger inside you and what the world does no longer matters.
- Obey God quickly. Like
anything else, it takes practice to do what God says. Deciding to train
your flesh or your spirit takes considerable time, either way.
- Be selective. The wrong
friends, TV shows, and activities pull you away from God. Your spirit
knows when that happens. You have a feeling that God isn’t pleased and He
has a better plan.
- Pray in the
Spirit. The
strongest desire usually wins out. If a besetting sin tries to overcome
you, pray in God’s heavenly language to resist. You may even sense the
Holy Spirit cleansing your heart while filling you with new desires.
- Listen for the
Holy Spirit. He
may prompt you to stop smoking or abandon entertainment shows that feed
your flesh. Remember, the benefits of walking in the spirit outweigh the
temporary inconvenience of changing a mindset or lifestyle. Everything God
tells you is important especially when you don’t want to hear what He
says. People tune out God throughout the day and then wonder why they
can’t hear Him in a crisis. He knows things you can never come up with on
your own.
- Decide daily to
walk in the Spirit. You choose whether you walk in the spirit or
not. Christians don’t stumble upon God. They make up their minds that He’s
the only priority worth chasing.
- See yourself dead
to sin.
How you see yourself in Christ becomes your reality. You can be led by the
spirit because you are a son or daughter of God.
Romans 8:12-14
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. - Allow fruit to
grow. As
you walk in the spirit, spiritual fruit starts to develop. You become
more patient, loving, peaceful, or kind. This doesn’t happen
overnight but the more you walk in the spirit spiritual changes become
evident to you and others.
- Thank God often. Without God
at the helm, a Christian does nothing in the spirit. Every time you allow
the Holy Spirit to work through you be thankful because you’re making
progress.
More
Ideas About How to Walk in the Spirit
Supernatural
living occurs every day when Christians walk in the spirit. That’s because you
don’t follow your natural inclinations when living your life. You follow God.
Your flesh isn’t your governing authority that routinely opposes God.
Nope.
God’s laws are written on your heart, not on tablets of stone like the Ten
Commandments. When you allow Him, the Holy Spirit works inside you to keep your
heart pliable (soft) and teachable. Christians with hardened hearts allow their
flesh to rule non-stop. They’re unable to hear God thereby exalting themselves.
If
you aren’t walking in the power of the holy spirit and seeing results, review
this scripture to find out why.
Romans
8:5-9
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things
of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind
on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set
on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law - indeed it
cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are
not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in
you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
I’ve
found that choosing between the flesh and the spirit is the difference between
bondage and freedom. My spirit can soar or stagnate. It’s up to me whether my
Christian life is full of self or the things of the Spirit.
-
Betsy Wise
(Provided by “Writing For JESUS”)
Application of God's Word: John 17:18
Verse: John 17:18
As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
Application:
Jesus didn't ask God to take believers out of the
world but instead to use them in the world. Because Jesus sends us into
the world, we should not try to escape from the world, nor should we avoid all
relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be salt and light (Matthew
5:13-16), and we are to do the work that God sent us to do.
Jesus is the model for every believer. He was in the world, but He was not of the world. He was sent… into the world on a mission by His Father. So, believers are sent… into the world on a mission by the Son, to make the Father known. Inasmuch as Jesus' prayer for the disciples was not limited to the immediate apostles, this passage is similar to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Each Christian should view himself as a missionary whose task is to communicate God's truth to others.
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"I know how much that future mountain worries you. But it may not even be part of our path. You don’t know what will happen today, much less tomorrow. I may suddenly turn you away from the mountain, or show you an easier path. But I promise that if I ask you to climb that mountain, I will give you everything you need to reach the top. My angels will protect you. And I will be right by your side every step of the way."
"For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."
- Psalm 91:11
"For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."
- Psalm 91:11
- "Jesus Calling for Kids" by Sarah Young