“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do …
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…”—Ephesians 1:16-19
Have you ever prayed for something—perhaps for someone to be healed—and then you ended your …
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”– Galatians 2:20
The changes God makes in our lives after our conversion are profound and lasting; God does a deep work that rituals cannot perform. Consider this: God so profoundly put us into Jesus—in a legal way—that His history becomes our history. We were crucified with Him, and we were “raised with Him” (Romans 6:5). This …
“Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”—Esther 4:13-14
These are the words of Mordecai to Esther, the young woman whom Mordecai had adopted after her parents died. Through divine providence, she was selected by King Ahasuerus to replace his rebellious …
“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's …
“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”—Ezra 7:10
“For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law”—Nehemiah 8:9
Ezra was a scribe who set himself to study the Law of the Lord and to obey it. Later, we read that he instructed Israel, and thankfully, the people had ears to listen to what God was saying. This stands in contrast to a past generation of Israelites who refused to hear the words of the Lord …
“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”—2 Chronicles 20:12
Imagine being responsible not only for your own fate, but also the fate of a nation. That’s the predicament Jehoshaphat found himself in when a great army was moving against the land of Judah. Filled with fear, he “set his face to seek the Lord” and called the people together to fast and pray for God’s mercy and protection. He prayed earnestly, confessing …
“Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”—1 Kings 3:9
At the beginning of his long reign, God gave Solomon an invitation to ask for whatever he wanted. “Ask what I shall give you,” the Lord told him. Solomon prayed for the gift of wisdom—the gift of discernment or the ability to make the best choice when confronted with a number of options. God commended Solomon for not asking for a long life, nor riches, nor for the …
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”—1 Corinthians 10:13
On one occasion, a Christian woman came to the Elders of our church and asked for special prayer because she was so terribly tempted to accept the pressure from her male friend that they become sexually intimate. Because immorality had been in her background, she found herself weary of resisting his overtures and was about …
“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”—1 Corinthians 5:6-7
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”—1 Corinthians 6:19-20
