What time is it??

Good morning everyone!! What a wonderful day to be alive in Jesus!!! God is good all the time, all the time God is good!!! GOOD MORNING GOT!!
I hope this past weekend was wonderful and great for you. Then Sunday an added blessing as we take extra time for God.
Do you ever stop and wonder why God does not answer our pray NOW? Oh, I have prayed and prayed but God just does not hear or answer my prayer. Well, God, in fact does, however, the problem lies in the fact that we are in different time zones and on different time tables. God never delays his promises to frustrate you. Rather, he patiently waits until everything comes together and you've learned all you need to receive them.
God is committed to you for the long haul. So never fear being unqualified to receive his promises. Today learn from him and obey his instructions that the waiting will be exceptionally effective.
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towar you. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but want everyone to repent."
We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do. Be ready to meet Christ any time, even today, yet plan your course of service as though he may not return for many years.
Moses reminds us in Psalm 90:4 "For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours." God is not limited by our time, just be faithful and ever watchful. Do not let you lamp oil grow low.
Thank you for reading today. I pray that the Lord blesses you more than you could imagine today and each day. Stay faithful. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you praying in the spirit???

   Good morning everyone!!!  I trust this will be a great day in the Lord
Jesus Christ!!!  Did you tell anyone about Jesus yesterday??  We are to
go forth and share the good news of Jesus Christ, who still lives, yet
died for our sins!  I am not trying to belabor the tongues issue,
however, it seems I have not really heard/seen what Paul is saying in 1
Corinthians before.

    1 Corinthians 14:13-15 "So anyone who speaks in tongues should pray
also for the ability to interpret what has been said. For if I pray in
tongues,my spirit is praying, but I don't understand what I am saying.
(15) Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will
also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit and I will
also sing in words I understand."

  So, what is being said?  If you speak in tongues we should pray for
the ability to interpret. When we pray we should be in the spirit. If
we don't have the gift of tongues does that mean we are not praying
in the spirit? No, it does not.  Tongues is simply a gift, but not
the greatest of gifts.

  When we pray or sing praises, or even study the word our mind and our
spirit are to be fully engaged. Most people can recite the Lord's
prayer, but how many really say the words with meaning and understand
what they are saying????  I can, you can, anyone can pray and say the
right things at the right time for the right people. BUT, is this
really praying in the spirit or is it just pleasing to man???

 When I am driving and have my Open the Eyes of my Heart praise tape in
I often feel that I am in the spirit both physically and mentally. 
There are times my mind wanders, yet the same praise tape is playing. 
Take time, let your spirit go, close out everything, focus on God,
turn off the radio, the t.v., the whatever and focus. See how your
"visit with God" goes. Let me know. I am going to do this as I hit the
send button.

 Thank you for listening....uh....reading today. Satan is alive and
moving  - keep your spirit right....let God and the angels fight the
spiritual battle to slay the demons.  Love you all!!

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Courage, Prayer, Diligence

Good morning everyone!! I trust this will be a great day in the Lord
Jesus Christ for the Kingdom of God which is yet to come. Wow!!! An
awesome God, what a day, so many things are being laid on my heart, and
they are all talking to me. In revealing my study this morning I just
pray that you gain from it as must as I have. Remember, God is good all
the time, all the time God is good!! I will not try to be lengthy.....be
prepared!! LOL
1 CHRONICLES 28:20 "THEN DAVID CONTINUED,'BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, AND DO THE WORK. DON'T BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED, FOR THE LORD GOD, MY GOD, IS WITH YOU. HE WILL NOT FAIL YOU OR FORSAKE YOU. HE WILL SEE TO IT THAT ALL THE WORK RELATEDTO THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD IS FINISHED CORRECTLY.'"
David advised Solomon not to be frightened about the size of his task
as king and builder of the Temple. Fear can immobilize us. The size
of a job, its risks, or the pressure of the situation can cause us to
freeze and do nothing. One remedy for fear is found here. Don't focus
on the fear, instead, get to work. Getting started is often the most
difficult and frightening part of a job.
OKAY, an exerpt from Jeff Wells, pastor at Woodsedge in Woodlands
Now PRAYER!! Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words
may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the
gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may
declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20
Sometimes Paul amazes me.
Paul is in a Roman prison. He's writing to a much-loved church where he
spent three years. At the end of his letter, he asks these brothers and
sisters to pray for him. And what does Paul request?
The biggest longing of Paul's heart, the one thing that he wanted
prayer for from the Ephesian Christians, was that he would have courage
to preach the gospel. "Please pray for me that I would be fearless in
proclaiming Christ's gospel!'
I think Paul was so God-centered, so Christ-intoxicated, so
kingdom-oriented, that even when he was in a Roman prison bound by
chains, he was more concerned with Christ's cause than with his own
comfort. Now back to a word from Johnny Holcomb.
Diligence!!! "NOW WE WANT EACH OF YOU TO DEMONSTRATE THE SAME DILIGENCE FOR THE FIANL REALIZATION OF YOUR HOPE, SO THAT YOU WON'T BECOME LAZY, BUT IMITATORS OF THOSE WHO INHERIT THE PROMISES THROUGH FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE." Hebrews 6:11-12
As we study the Bible, we are confronted again and again with God's
intention that we, as believers in Christ, lead disciplined lives. God
does not reward laziness nor does He praise mediocrity. To the
contrary, He expects us to be disciplined, diligent, and faithful to His
commandments. As we begin this day, let us remember that God rewards
diligence. And let us act accordingly.
Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Lord's Prayer

Good morning everyone!!! I hope this is a great day for all of you!!! God is good all the time, all the time God is good!!!! Well, this has been an interesting week. Please allow me to bore you with family "stuff" for a moment. My granddaughter's softball team went to the state playoffs this week. They lost their first game of a 2 game elimination tournament. Sooooooooooooo, to make it to the championship they cannot lose any more games. Weeeeeeeeelllllllllll, they played 3 games a day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to win the state championship. Yea!!! Hard on parents and grandparents too. Okay, enough!!
God wants us to find a quiet place to pray, have our Bible, let His will be done, and follow His will. Jesus taught his disciples to pray and this is what He said. Matthew 6:9 "Pray like this "Our Father in heaven, may youname be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptaion, but rescue us from the evil on. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."
vs 9 - praise our Father in heaven
vs10 - God's spiritual reign, God's will (not ours) be done
vs11 - God gives us sustance and is our provider
vs12 - forgive others as He forgives us
vs13 - pray to be delivered from temptation
vs14,15-if we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive us
You all know this, but sometimes a refresher is worthwhile. Thank you for indulging me and reading. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

PRAYER -Heartfelt or Headfelt

Good morning to all!! Yes, yes, yes LORD!! Open the EYES OF MY HEART!! Some great praise songs are out. Go to Scroll or your local Christian book store and you will find some great praise songs.
Bro Lou is talking about prayer!! Pastor Lutzer on KBJS was talking about prayer!!! AND........this is touching me very much and I hope and pray it touches you as well.
Yes, for you LCUMC people, we heard this from Bro Lou. However, have you ever read scripture and understand, even talk about it and then.....WHAM!!!It leaps out and smashes you between the eyes??? Well........
Matthew 6:7,8 "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!!"
Repeating the same words over and over like a magic incantation is no way to ensure that God will hear your prayer. It's not wrong to come to God many times with the same requests--Jesus encourages persistent prayer. But he condemns the shallow repetition of words that are not offered with a sincere heart. We can never pray too much if our prayers are honest and sincere. Before you start to pray, make sure you mean what you say.
Take caution against being ritualistic. Example, the Lord's Prayer...do you say it from mere memory..... or do you listen to the words and what you are saying. How does the Lord's prayer begin???? Huh????? Exactly, we are talking not only to a holy God, but to our FATHER.
Thank you for reading with me today. May God bless your steps, thoughts, and actions.
Love you all!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Prayer for people OR prayer for GOD??

Good morning everyone!!! I hope this is a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ for you. God is good all the time, all the time God is good!!!
Bro Lou's sermon about prayer has really spoken to me and I continue today. Be humble and sincere is so very important. We all enjoy praise, it makes us FEEL GOOD!! These emotional/physical feelings only last a short time.
The religious leaders in Jesus' day wanted to be seen as "holy" and public pray was one way to get attention. Jesus saw through their self-righteous acts. Jesus taught that the essence of prayer is not public style but private communication with God. There is a place forpublic prayer, but to pray only where others will notice you indicates that your real audience is not God.
Jesus was drawing attention to the motives behind the actions. There is a place for public prayer, but Jesus is talking about heartfelt prayer and hypocritical prayer. It should come from the heart. If you are asked to pray in public the focus should be on addressing God, not how you will sound to others or how your prayer will come across to the 'people.' Prayer is a conversation between you and your Heavenly Father.
Matthew 6:5,6 "When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father sho sees everything, will reward you."
Thank you for reading with me. I hope and pray you gain as much as I do from studying this. Bro Lou is preaching a series on prayer and this has be a catalyst for me in my prayer life. Thank you Bro Lou. Thank you Jesus for opening my eyes. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Do you pray??? REALLY????

Good morning everyone!! What a great day to be alive in the Lord!!! Jesus is the key, HE is the answer. God is good, all the time, all the time God is good!
You know we get tired of praying....why??...Because God does not answer our prayer!!! Oh, but HE does!!! Just not always in the time and fashion we would like. Let's look at Luke 18:1-8
"One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. (2)'There was a judge ina certain city, who neither feared God nor cared about people. (3)A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, 'Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.' (4)The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, 'I don't fear God or care about people, (5) but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she get justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant request!'" (6) The the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. (7)Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?(8) I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man return, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?"
WOW!! Persistance in prayer and not give up does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Constant prayer means keeping our request continually before God as we live for HIM day by day, believing HE will answer. When we live by faith, we are not to give up.
God may delay answering, but his delays always have good reasons. As we stay constant in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope.
If godless judges respond to constant pressure, how much more will a great and loving God respond to us? If we know he loves us, we can believe he will hear our cries for help. Do you pray?? Really?? OR Do you really pray??? Thanks for reading, Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny