Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Prayer Power
(A short observation from a few years ago :-))
I just read 2 Kings 19 today and had a great lesson about prayer. See, Sennacherib was all talking smack about Israel and The LORD. He boasted about how he'd beaten all these other places and their gods didn't save them. (Of course, as Hezekiah pointed out, that's 'cause those gods are wood and stone and not real.) And in 2 Kings 19:1 and 19:15- what was Hezekiah's first response? P..p...p...Prayer Power! Let God at 'em! He'll splat them! :-) So I was thinking (as guided by my devotional book and of course, God's Book and Spirit), why is prayer our last resort and not our first? I mean, if I'm going to a resort, I'd want that to be the first thing I'm doing! :-) It's like on Power Rangers when they fight against all those enemies just with their individual powers when they've got a Megazord they can bust out on the side of evil. Why don't they just pull out that giant robot first and the battle would be done in like two seconds? (I guess then the show would be really short-lol. Not that I really watch it.) Why don't we bust out The MegaLord first? He's got all the power! So let's pray and let Him work- because we're nothing without Him!
Saturday, October 3, 2020
All Through Jesus' Rule (song)
C.S. Lewis said in his classic "The Screwtape Letters" book that there are two errors people fall into about the devils. One is to disbelieve in them and the other is to believe in them with an unhealthy interest and obsession. The devil and his demons are equally pleased with both errors. Thus, it's important to maintain the right balance in our view of the spiritual battle that we are all in as followers of Christ. As Ephesians 6:12 tells us, we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with spirits, forces and powers in the heavenly realms! We don't have to be scared of them though and we don't have to let them push us around. Jesus empowers us to resist the devil and his demons. Through the power of Jesus' Name, we can even command demons to obey in Christ's Name. We need to be aware of the battle going on around us and be brave and bold in standing strong with the full armour of God on us. We only need faith the size of a mustard seed in Jesus to tell a mountain to jump into the sea- and it will be done! Stand strong in faith in Jesus. Do your devo in 1 John 4:4 and you'll find that the One who is in us is greater than the one in the world. He has won the victory!
"All Through Jesus' Rule" (parody of "Through Being Cool" by Devo; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/15/2020)
(1 John 4:4, Revelation 20:10, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, Mark 16:14-20, Matthew 12:22-32, Matthew 12:43-45, Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 11:14-26, Luke 10:17-20, Romans 16:20, Ephesians 6:10-20, 2 Timothy 1:7)
We're through being cool
We're through playing cool
Eliminate the lily-livered bits
You wanna barge ahead?
We're gonna need Jesus!
Christ will show those evil spirits He's God
When one leaves from a fallen house
Returns, brings in seven more too
Want these parasites to be cast out?
Matt. 12- it declares- Look through 29
Luke too- 11 find
Plan strong man to bind first- by Jesus!
Time to clean some house!
Indeed plunder the house!
Waste then is laid to a divided house!
Even if you lack big faith
Only factor's in Whom it's found
Faith of mustard seed-sized grain
Throws mountains all around
Even if you lack big faith
Mighty plants form from seeds now
Faith of mustard seed-sized grain
Throws mountains all around
Corinthians, 2
Look to 12:10, dude
Depend of Grace- Power perfected in weakness
Lord, the demons obey!
We can tread on snakes!
Rejoice that Christ picked our souls to be saved
6 Ephesians- as Paul found,
The fight's unseen- in Heavenly realms
Like Alien, chests that burst out
They're there in the air
We're through being fooled
We're through being tools
2 (Two) Timothy 1:7 verse it says
We're not fear-imbued
Accrued Spirit's tools
Power, love, self-driving through Jesus
Trust Him!
Stand firm! Jesus rules!
We're fueled by Him too!
Sunday, October 20, 2019
The Power is Yours! (Forgetting What's Behind)
Don't ask, "Why were the old days better than today?" It's not good to ask such things.... (see Ecclesiastes 7:10-18 and chapter 12).... As Acts 17:24-28 tells us, God set men and women in history at exactly when and where He wanted them to be for His purposes.... (which doesn't mean that God won't move you at some point too though ;-))- But part of finding our identity in Jesus as His follower means being happy with who God made us to be- boy or girl, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, African descent, Indian descent, Caucasian, mixed, etc., Spanish, Trinidadian, American, German, Swiss, South African, Ukrainian, Canadian, Argentinan, Brazilian, Peruvian, Eritrean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Australian, Indian, Senegalese, Antarctican, etc.- whatever the social class- whatever other label we put on each other....... God made us above all those things in His image (Genesis 1:26-31). And when we're in Christ, none of those things matter anyway! (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:1-4, John 13:34-35, Galatians 3:25-29) And as Colossians 3:11 says, "Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."
We are all infinitely important and infinitely loved by God. (Jeremiah 31:3) And we are all valuable in His kingdom, where the elder learns to serve the younger and the younger cares for the elder- where each thinks of others as better than themselves and each seeks to love each other truly and forgive from the heart...
No, these aren't the "good ol' days"- but as I like to say, the only good ol' days this planet has ever seen were Genesis 1-2. We won't have any more truly good ol' days until Revelation 21-22 come to pass. But Jesus makes the in-between time more abundant when we follow Him, as John 10:10 says. :-) And during our faith journey with Him, He shapes us to be more and more like Him in character and empowers us with spiritual gifts to bring a touch of The Divine to a fallen world so badly needing of redemption. To be sure, the final Redemption culminates with the coming of The Lord- but until then, we're like the Planeteers with our power rings, sent forth to bring God's restoration to the world through our love and good deeds and sharing of the Greatest Love of all shown to us on the cross and in the empty tomb (Romans 5:8). And way better than Captain Planet, and the Avengers who "have a Hulk"- we have Someone Real Who can do something about our situation (Hebrews 11:1-6)- we have a Savior- Jesus Christ- Whom we eagerly await to come back from Heaven! We have The One Who alone bears the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We have The One God Who holds all things together and by Him all things exist!
And as Jesus said in Acts 1:8 (in essence)- The Power is yours! :-) (So use His gifts and be His witness in all the world.)
We are all infinitely important and infinitely loved by God. (Jeremiah 31:3) And we are all valuable in His kingdom, where the elder learns to serve the younger and the younger cares for the elder- where each thinks of others as better than themselves and each seeks to love each other truly and forgive from the heart...
No, these aren't the "good ol' days"- but as I like to say, the only good ol' days this planet has ever seen were Genesis 1-2. We won't have any more truly good ol' days until Revelation 21-22 come to pass. But Jesus makes the in-between time more abundant when we follow Him, as John 10:10 says. :-) And during our faith journey with Him, He shapes us to be more and more like Him in character and empowers us with spiritual gifts to bring a touch of The Divine to a fallen world so badly needing of redemption. To be sure, the final Redemption culminates with the coming of The Lord- but until then, we're like the Planeteers with our power rings, sent forth to bring God's restoration to the world through our love and good deeds and sharing of the Greatest Love of all shown to us on the cross and in the empty tomb (Romans 5:8). And way better than Captain Planet, and the Avengers who "have a Hulk"- we have Someone Real Who can do something about our situation (Hebrews 11:1-6)- we have a Savior- Jesus Christ- Whom we eagerly await to come back from Heaven! We have The One Who alone bears the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We have The One God Who holds all things together and by Him all things exist!
And as Jesus said in Acts 1:8 (in essence)- The Power is yours! :-) (So use His gifts and be His witness in all the world.)
Thursday, December 27, 2018
We are the Reason for the Season
In the hustle and bustle of this busy holiday season, it's easy to get overwhelmed. There are so many activities and traditions to keep up with at Christmas. It's easy to forget what it's all about and why we do the celebrations we do. But, of course, in the course of it all, we should always remember the reason for the season- us. If not for us, there would be no Christmas- there'd be no need. It might seem weird to say Christmas is all about me and you but in a sense it certainly is just that. In the same way that police and fire fighters and superheroes are out of work without villains to stop and people to save, the birth of Christ would not be necessary except for us. We, the pinnacle of God's creation, went astray like sheep. We have all sinned and are all villains. But instead of sending us to the Phantom Zone, God found a way to save us from our Kryptonite that had killed us. The real life Superman came to earth, rocketed out of Heaven and arriving via the miracle of the Incarnation. He was raised by a carpenter and his wife in a small town, not too unlike Jonathan and Martha raising Clark Kent in Smallville. Joseph and Mary raised Jesus Christ in Nazareth later on after His spectacular birth in Bethlehem, which was reserved for only a few shepherds to first know about and view the manger.
And like the meek and mild-mannered reporter, Jesus humbled Himself and disguised His superpowered self in the form of a bondservant for the planet daily for 33 years. And ultimately, He showed us that He is the one true real Superhero because He did what only He could do for the sake of the people- He gave His life to save all of humanity. He paid the price for all of our wrong deeds once for all time. And then He proved He is God over all ultimately by defeating the great enemy no one else could defeat- He beat death, sin, Hell, the devil and his demons all in one blow! He rose again from the grave!
And He did it all to save us! If we put our faith in Him to save us, He gathers us in His arms and no scheme of Lex Luthor can ever shake us loose. We are saved forever from the sin that had entangled us and we are freed to live for Jesus and have an assurance of eternity with Him in Heaven.
And that's the meaning of and reason for Christmas. Yes, Jesus is still always the reason for the season but as David Meece reminds us, we are the Reason for Jesus coming! He loves us and wants to save us! That's why we can celebrate Christmas and that's ultimately what we celebrate- the advent of our salvation culminating and fulfilled in Easter!
And as we celebrate the joy to the world The Lord's first coming brings, we also look forward to the joy to the world (for those in Christ) that The Lord's second coming brings.
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman- fully God and fully man! The Saviour has come and The Saviour's coming again! Hallelujah!
Merry Christmas and Happy (First and Second) Advent!
And like the meek and mild-mannered reporter, Jesus humbled Himself and disguised His superpowered self in the form of a bondservant for the planet daily for 33 years. And ultimately, He showed us that He is the one true real Superhero because He did what only He could do for the sake of the people- He gave His life to save all of humanity. He paid the price for all of our wrong deeds once for all time. And then He proved He is God over all ultimately by defeating the great enemy no one else could defeat- He beat death, sin, Hell, the devil and his demons all in one blow! He rose again from the grave!
And He did it all to save us! If we put our faith in Him to save us, He gathers us in His arms and no scheme of Lex Luthor can ever shake us loose. We are saved forever from the sin that had entangled us and we are freed to live for Jesus and have an assurance of eternity with Him in Heaven.
And that's the meaning of and reason for Christmas. Yes, Jesus is still always the reason for the season but as David Meece reminds us, we are the Reason for Jesus coming! He loves us and wants to save us! That's why we can celebrate Christmas and that's ultimately what we celebrate- the advent of our salvation culminating and fulfilled in Easter!
And as we celebrate the joy to the world The Lord's first coming brings, we also look forward to the joy to the world (for those in Christ) that The Lord's second coming brings.
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman- fully God and fully man! The Saviour has come and The Saviour's coming again! Hallelujah!
Merry Christmas and Happy (First and Second) Advent!
"We are the reason that He gave His life. We are the reason that He suffered and died. To a world that was lost He gave all He could give to show us the reason to live." ...."He is my reason to live!"
- "We Are The Reason" by David Meece
(Philippians 2, Galatians 4:4, Psalms 98, Mark 4:41, Colossians 1:15-23, Romans 5:6-8, John 1:1-18, John 1:29, John 1:43-51, John 3:13-21, 1 John 4:7-21, Hosea 11:8-9, Hosea 2:16-23, 2 Peter 3:8-9, Revelation 22:16-21) (Action Comics by DC Comics publishing and David Meece's 1980 "Are You Ready?" album from Myrrh Records for all the rest
)
- "We Are The Reason" by David Meece
(Philippians 2, Galatians 4:4, Psalms 98, Mark 4:41, Colossians 1:15-23, Romans 5:6-8, John 1:1-18, John 1:29, John 1:43-51, John 3:13-21, 1 John 4:7-21, Hosea 11:8-9, Hosea 2:16-23, 2 Peter 3:8-9, Revelation 22:16-21) (Action Comics by DC Comics publishing and David Meece's 1980 "Are You Ready?" album from Myrrh Records for all the rest
)Monday, June 4, 2018
Satisfaction
"Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief." (Proverbs 14:13) Sometimes we mask our need for God with so many things- and we can even seem happy and joyous, but the ache for more in our hearts is always there. I see this sometimes especially as a fan of books and comics...it's fine to enjoy a hobby, but I never want to be so sucked into fantasy for escape that I forget the true life which is only in Christ. Lord Jesus, forgive me for ever trying to find satisfaction in anything but You. It's all such a futile effort. "I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind." (Ecclesiastes 1:14)
I feel so saddened and sorry for those who look to fill a void that can only be filled with The Divine and try to fit anything else in there. God has placed "eternity in our hearts" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were made for eternity. The perishable must put on the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:49-58) We're like Marty McFly trapped in 1955 and needing God to send a bolt of lightning to help get us back to our real life in 1985. "For as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27) That day will come in God's time. Until then and until the day we die (whichever comes first), we have the offer of real life from Jesus. He's come to give us life abundant. (John 10:10) He paid for all our sins in the supreme act of love.
Just as we cheer brave soldiers who die for their countries so that others might live, how much more should we cheer and praise God, Who has died for His creation so that we might live? I owed a debt I couldn't pay and He paid a debt He didn't owe. I owe Him a life debt infinitely more than Chewbacca owes Han Solo. Christ died not for the righteous, but wretched sinners like me and everyone else. And He rose again. (Romans 5:8) And because of my faith in Him, I know I will rise with Him too.
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4) Holy Spirit, guide me to do just that. Better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalms 84:10) May my tongue stick like peanut butter to the roof of my mouth if I don't make New Jerusalem and its Lord my highest joy! (Psalms 137:6) Father God, please make this true in my life and use me to show others the Way to the Highest Joy- You alone. Let us not chase after the wind, but after the One who moves like the wind. May we always remember our Creator and fear Him and keep His commandments- which can only be done through relationship with Jesus. (Ecclesiastes 12:1 and 11-14) As Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, neither are the eyes of man. (Proverbs 27:20) We never rest satisfied until we rest in You. (Proverbs 19:23)
I feel so saddened and sorry for those who look to fill a void that can only be filled with The Divine and try to fit anything else in there. God has placed "eternity in our hearts" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were made for eternity. The perishable must put on the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:49-58) We're like Marty McFly trapped in 1955 and needing God to send a bolt of lightning to help get us back to our real life in 1985. "For as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27) That day will come in God's time. Until then and until the day we die (whichever comes first), we have the offer of real life from Jesus. He's come to give us life abundant. (John 10:10) He paid for all our sins in the supreme act of love.
Just as we cheer brave soldiers who die for their countries so that others might live, how much more should we cheer and praise God, Who has died for His creation so that we might live? I owed a debt I couldn't pay and He paid a debt He didn't owe. I owe Him a life debt infinitely more than Chewbacca owes Han Solo. Christ died not for the righteous, but wretched sinners like me and everyone else. And He rose again. (Romans 5:8) And because of my faith in Him, I know I will rise with Him too.
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4) Holy Spirit, guide me to do just that. Better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalms 84:10) May my tongue stick like peanut butter to the roof of my mouth if I don't make New Jerusalem and its Lord my highest joy! (Psalms 137:6) Father God, please make this true in my life and use me to show others the Way to the Highest Joy- You alone. Let us not chase after the wind, but after the One who moves like the wind. May we always remember our Creator and fear Him and keep His commandments- which can only be done through relationship with Jesus. (Ecclesiastes 12:1 and 11-14) As Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, neither are the eyes of man. (Proverbs 27:20) We never rest satisfied until we rest in You. (Proverbs 19:23)
Friday, November 17, 2017
Will You Believe and Ask Him? (song)
Note: Another favourite from the archives. One of my magic references in the song- "The Magician", a short-lived action/adventure show that utilized magic as a means of stopping the bad guys and starred Bill Bixby, recently finally got a DVD release! :-) And that deeper magic of Aslan is finally set to come back to theaters in the near future with things moving along nicely with "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair" movie! We must believe in (deeper) magic! Of course, it's always timely to consider Christ and His claims and what we will do with His offer of salvation. As 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, now is the day of salvation!
..............................................................................................................................................
This recounts a specific incident in The Bible. It’s about a certain magician who came face to face with the most powerful magic he’d ever seen. And when he got a lovin’ spoonful of that magic, he just had to have it at any price. But what he didn’t realize was that if you just believe and ask, this magic is totally free! (And yes- bonus points for catching the various magic references I just had to make- especially the one at the end! For Narnia- and The Lion of Judah!)
“Will You Believe and Ask Him?”
(parody of “Do You Believe in Magic?” by The Lovin’ Spoonful)
(copyright by Nathan Ludwick 4/24/2010)
(Acts 2:38, Acts 8:4-25)
“Will you believe and ask Him right into your heart?”
Now then Simon believed that sorcerer upstart
And his magic- well, it used to be groovy
Acts 8 reveals Simon’s like an old time news reel
Philip tells him ‘bout The Master- how He’ll free your soul
But it’s like Simon now felt a learner in a brave new world
Yeah, Houdini’s magic- don’t bother to choose
Earvin Johnson’s Lakers; Orlando and crew
Bibxy’s “Magician”- or then Merlin beguiles
They can’t buy off the faith no matter how hard they try
The peeps start talking- Simon’s not The Divine
Now they got Christ, so they get baptized
Then they receive The Spirit- Pete and John laying
Their hands on them wowing Simon- “Are you selling?”
“And maybe, if the money is right”
Well, Pete cuts him off now, stating, “You ain’t right”
“Your sins- renounce them, baby, then you’ll see”
“How the magic’s in The Spirit and The Spirit’s in me”
Yeah, Will you believe and ask Him?
Yeah, believe in the passion of God’s own Son
Believe in the power of Resurrection
Believe deeper magic that can set you free
Ohh, talking ‘bout Aslan
Do you believe in Aslan? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal]
Will you receive Redeemer? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal]
Will you believe and ask Him? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal]
(Fade)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
..............................................................................................................................................
This recounts a specific incident in The Bible. It’s about a certain magician who came face to face with the most powerful magic he’d ever seen. And when he got a lovin’ spoonful of that magic, he just had to have it at any price. But what he didn’t realize was that if you just believe and ask, this magic is totally free! (And yes- bonus points for catching the various magic references I just had to make- especially the one at the end! For Narnia- and The Lion of Judah!)
“Will You Believe and Ask Him?”
(parody of “Do You Believe in Magic?” by The Lovin’ Spoonful)
(copyright by Nathan Ludwick 4/24/2010)
(Acts 2:38, Acts 8:4-25)
“Will you believe and ask Him right into your heart?”
Now then Simon believed that sorcerer upstart
And his magic- well, it used to be groovy
Acts 8 reveals Simon’s like an old time news reel
Philip tells him ‘bout The Master- how He’ll free your soul
But it’s like Simon now felt a learner in a brave new world
Yeah, Houdini’s magic- don’t bother to choose
Earvin Johnson’s Lakers; Orlando and crew
Bibxy’s “Magician”- or then Merlin beguiles
They can’t buy off the faith no matter how hard they try
The peeps start talking- Simon’s not The Divine
Now they got Christ, so they get baptized
Then they receive The Spirit- Pete and John laying
Their hands on them wowing Simon- “Are you selling?”
“And maybe, if the money is right”
Well, Pete cuts him off now, stating, “You ain’t right”
“Your sins- renounce them, baby, then you’ll see”
“How the magic’s in The Spirit and The Spirit’s in me”
Yeah, Will you believe and ask Him?
Yeah, believe in the passion of God’s own Son
Believe in the power of Resurrection
Believe deeper magic that can set you free
Ohh, talking ‘bout Aslan
Do you believe in Aslan? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal]
Will you receive Redeemer? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal]
Will you believe and ask Him? (Do you believe like I believe?)[background vocal]
(Fade)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
I recently saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" again for the millionth time or so. (I love Indiana Jones! :-)) One line I always find interesting is the way Belloq describes the Ark of the Covenant. "Do you realize what the Ark is, Jones? It's a transmitter! It's a radio for speaking to God!" Of course, while it's true the Ark did house The Lord's presence in the Old Testament during Moses' time, it wasn't really how the Israelites prayed to God. They had to go through the High Priest to make sacrifices on their behalf and they would hear what God said to Moses. It was a much different process than the direct access we have today with God through Jesus Christ! As 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us, there's one God and one mediator between God and man- Christ Jesus.
I heard a great sermon at church a few weeks back about the power of prayer and God's ability to do anything! In thinking on that, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 came to mind, wherein we are commanded to "pray without ceasing."
Of course, the question often arises, "How do we practically obey this verse?" While we may not be able to devote 24 hours a day to praying and nothing else, we can devote every second we're alive to be in a continual mode of prayer. I think of it as an ongoing conversation with God- He's always listening and He's always speaking to us when we listen to His Word in The Bible.
And while we're praying, we should remember that Jesus invites us to ask anything in His Name and He will do it. But there's a caveat to John 14:13- first, it's anything asked in Jesus' Name and also, it's so that The Father may be glorified in The Son. Thus, it must be something that will glorify God and in His Name. (It's not an invitation to bring your Christmas list to Santa Claus or put money into the vending machine to get whatever you desire.)
And if we do what Jesus said in John 15:7, we'll find our desires matching up to God's desires. So what does a guy like me need to do? The dude abides. :-) (And no, I haven't seen the movie that line references- I just knew the line and threw it in for fun.)
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7) Probably the number one thing I'd say about prayer- be totally honest with God. Jesus already knows all your thoughts anyway. (Psalms 139).
One of my favorite quotes on prayer from Jimmy Abegg-
"But what God wants most is honesty, for us to open our hearts and come to Him without pretense or posturing. Some of my most powerful prayers aren't even couched in 'proper' language. Many of them I wouldn't dare pray aloud in church. But they are honest cries from my heart. Sometimes the best prayers are something like this: 'Oh my God, Help.' "
So don't be afraid to pray big prayers- God is able to do abundantly more than we can think or imagine! (Like Ephesians 3:20 says) It's interesting that we particularly tend to discard modern day examples of healing. (Probably because of some phony faith healers out there who do run scams, sadly.) But this doesn't mean God can't do it and doesn't still do it as He so chooses. (Check 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 - The Spirit gives some the gifts of healing and some the working of miracles- among many others. The caveat with that is that these gifts are to be used for the glory of God alone, not man's glory- going back to John 14:13.)
Jesus told us that with faith the size of a mustard seed (which is quite tiny indeed), we can speak to a tree and tell it to plant itself in the sea and it would obey us. We can make mountains move- by faith in Jesus' power (not our own power). And it's always according to God's will. He reigns sovereign and supreme. (See Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 17:5-6 and Romans 9)
Psalms 103:3 says that The Lord heals all our diseases. God is plenty capable of bringing physical healing- if He chooses. But we must also remember 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, where Paul was tortured with a thorn in his side- three times he pleaded with The Lord to remove it, but God didn't do it. Instead, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (And, as we can see in 1 Corinthians 1 and numerous other places in the Bible- check out Gideon's Thermoplyae-style battle in Judges 7 where 300 Jews fought humanly-impossible odds and won with The Lord's help...plenty of other examples- basically, see the entire history of the Jewish people- God loves to take what the world loves to despise and hate and shame the strong and bring to nothing all the puffed up folks- so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.)
As Job reminded us, The Lord gives and He takes- blessed be the Name of The Lord. Ultimately, we trust His will and His eternal love for us above our own feelings and desires. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15)
In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13, The Lord Jesus gives what we know as The Lord's Prayer. The disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" and He demonstrated a structure for us to follow. In it, we see some important elements of prayer- adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication and intercession.
(As written in Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)
"Pray then like this:
'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "
And of course, we have powerful pictures from The Lord Jesus about the way God answers our prayers. No good parent gives their son a snake when he asks for a fish or a scorpion when he wants an egg. If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our kids, how much more will our good Father give good gifts- like the Holy Spirit- to those who ask Him? Be bold and persistent in prayer- knowing that we can be confident in God's goodness. Ask, seek and knock- it will be given, you will find and the door will be opened to you. Persistence pays off, whether it's a friend coming at midnight begging for a loaf of bread or a widow pleading with a wicked judge to grant her justice in a case. Seek the Lord in the prayer closet- not making a big show of it for a reward, so that someone thinks we're oh-so-holy- but in secret where God sees what's done in secret and meets us there. (See all of Matthew 6 and Luke 18.) We have an audience with the God of the universe who is eager to bless us with things we need and answer our prayers according to His will- we only need to come to Him!
So, how do we keep praying to Jesus and trusting Him without ceasing? Well, we do sometimes falter in trust and faith and obedience and God is willing to forgive us when we truly repent. (Luke 17:4, 1 John 1:9) But with every breath He lends, we breathe in and keep focusing our mindset on Him (Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 8:1-11 [particularly verses 5-8]. As Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord formed us and breathed the breath of life into us. We keep breathing that borrowed air and breathe in both life and New Life- physically and spiritually. (Also check Job 33:4 and Isaiah 42:5 and Acts 17:25) "As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit." (Job 27:3-4) "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28)
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:13) The Spirit of His power strengthens us in our inner being (see Ephesians 3:16) when we let Him.
Our every breath is a prayer to God- we keep the phone line open and never hang up- we keep a running text message or instant message chain with Him going- we can even communicate telepathically because He knows all our thoughts- and His Spirit brings to mind His Scripture (when we know it and listen to His voice). (Psalms 139, Psalms 94:10-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, John 16:13-15 and John 17:17 and John 14:6)
"It is The Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." - Jesus Christ in John 6:63
I heard a great sermon at church a few weeks back about the power of prayer and God's ability to do anything! In thinking on that, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 came to mind, wherein we are commanded to "pray without ceasing."
Of course, the question often arises, "How do we practically obey this verse?" While we may not be able to devote 24 hours a day to praying and nothing else, we can devote every second we're alive to be in a continual mode of prayer. I think of it as an ongoing conversation with God- He's always listening and He's always speaking to us when we listen to His Word in The Bible.
And while we're praying, we should remember that Jesus invites us to ask anything in His Name and He will do it. But there's a caveat to John 14:13- first, it's anything asked in Jesus' Name and also, it's so that The Father may be glorified in The Son. Thus, it must be something that will glorify God and in His Name. (It's not an invitation to bring your Christmas list to Santa Claus or put money into the vending machine to get whatever you desire.)
And if we do what Jesus said in John 15:7, we'll find our desires matching up to God's desires. So what does a guy like me need to do? The dude abides. :-) (And no, I haven't seen the movie that line references- I just knew the line and threw it in for fun.)
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7) Probably the number one thing I'd say about prayer- be totally honest with God. Jesus already knows all your thoughts anyway. (Psalms 139).
One of my favorite quotes on prayer from Jimmy Abegg-
"But what God wants most is honesty, for us to open our hearts and come to Him without pretense or posturing. Some of my most powerful prayers aren't even couched in 'proper' language. Many of them I wouldn't dare pray aloud in church. But they are honest cries from my heart. Sometimes the best prayers are something like this: 'Oh my God, Help.' "
So don't be afraid to pray big prayers- God is able to do abundantly more than we can think or imagine! (Like Ephesians 3:20 says) It's interesting that we particularly tend to discard modern day examples of healing. (Probably because of some phony faith healers out there who do run scams, sadly.) But this doesn't mean God can't do it and doesn't still do it as He so chooses. (Check 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 - The Spirit gives some the gifts of healing and some the working of miracles- among many others. The caveat with that is that these gifts are to be used for the glory of God alone, not man's glory- going back to John 14:13.)
Jesus told us that with faith the size of a mustard seed (which is quite tiny indeed), we can speak to a tree and tell it to plant itself in the sea and it would obey us. We can make mountains move- by faith in Jesus' power (not our own power). And it's always according to God's will. He reigns sovereign and supreme. (See Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 17:5-6 and Romans 9)
Psalms 103:3 says that The Lord heals all our diseases. God is plenty capable of bringing physical healing- if He chooses. But we must also remember 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, where Paul was tortured with a thorn in his side- three times he pleaded with The Lord to remove it, but God didn't do it. Instead, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (And, as we can see in 1 Corinthians 1 and numerous other places in the Bible- check out Gideon's Thermoplyae-style battle in Judges 7 where 300 Jews fought humanly-impossible odds and won with The Lord's help...plenty of other examples- basically, see the entire history of the Jewish people- God loves to take what the world loves to despise and hate and shame the strong and bring to nothing all the puffed up folks- so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.)
As Job reminded us, The Lord gives and He takes- blessed be the Name of The Lord. Ultimately, we trust His will and His eternal love for us above our own feelings and desires. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15)
In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13, The Lord Jesus gives what we know as The Lord's Prayer. The disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" and He demonstrated a structure for us to follow. In it, we see some important elements of prayer- adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication and intercession.
(As written in Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)
"Pray then like this:
'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "
And of course, we have powerful pictures from The Lord Jesus about the way God answers our prayers. No good parent gives their son a snake when he asks for a fish or a scorpion when he wants an egg. If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our kids, how much more will our good Father give good gifts- like the Holy Spirit- to those who ask Him? Be bold and persistent in prayer- knowing that we can be confident in God's goodness. Ask, seek and knock- it will be given, you will find and the door will be opened to you. Persistence pays off, whether it's a friend coming at midnight begging for a loaf of bread or a widow pleading with a wicked judge to grant her justice in a case. Seek the Lord in the prayer closet- not making a big show of it for a reward, so that someone thinks we're oh-so-holy- but in secret where God sees what's done in secret and meets us there. (See all of Matthew 6 and Luke 18.) We have an audience with the God of the universe who is eager to bless us with things we need and answer our prayers according to His will- we only need to come to Him!
So, how do we keep praying to Jesus and trusting Him without ceasing? Well, we do sometimes falter in trust and faith and obedience and God is willing to forgive us when we truly repent. (Luke 17:4, 1 John 1:9) But with every breath He lends, we breathe in and keep focusing our mindset on Him (Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 8:1-11 [particularly verses 5-8]. As Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord formed us and breathed the breath of life into us. We keep breathing that borrowed air and breathe in both life and New Life- physically and spiritually. (Also check Job 33:4 and Isaiah 42:5 and Acts 17:25) "As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit." (Job 27:3-4) "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28)
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:13) The Spirit of His power strengthens us in our inner being (see Ephesians 3:16) when we let Him.
Our every breath is a prayer to God- we keep the phone line open and never hang up- we keep a running text message or instant message chain with Him going- we can even communicate telepathically because He knows all our thoughts- and His Spirit brings to mind His Scripture (when we know it and listen to His voice). (Psalms 139, Psalms 94:10-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, John 16:13-15 and John 17:17 and John 14:6)
"It is The Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." - Jesus Christ in John 6:63
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Luke's book's Sequel (song)
When Jesus left us to go back to Heaven, He didn't leave us as orphans. He sent The Holy Spirit to guide and counsel us, convict us and lead us into all truth. And He gives us power to stand strong and share His Word with everyone. And we must be like Christ's first disciples and take the Gospel of Christ crucified and raised for the payment of all sins, offered free to all by faith and repentance, to the world at large. It's the power of God of salvation for the Jews first and then to the foreigner. And we can look to both Luke and Luke's book's sequel for great examples of witness in action. Start where you are and take the love of Christ far and wide.
"Luke's book's Sequel"
(parody of "Jukebox Hero" by Foreigner; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/02/2014)
(The book of Acts-[particularly Acts 1-2, Acts 1:8, Acts 4:20, Acts 5:27-32], Luke 4:42-44, Luke 10:1-24, Luke 24:36-53, Romans 10:8-17, Jude 1:17-25, Matthew 28:18-20)
Standing on mountain 'cause The Lord said so
Out on Mt. Olivet- Jesus is about to go
He arose in a cloud- Can you picture the scene?
Just these here disciples- they look up intently
Appeared two angels- just blew in to say
"Why're y'all starin' at the sky? He's returning same way"
So Men of Galilee go out serving The Lord
Didn't know how it'd all play out, but they knew for sure
Acts 1 records- Christ laid out the plan- "Don't leave town- 'til Spirit lands
Then comes power upon you guys so
Preach The One Way ticket- only One Way to go"
So they started walking- ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on preaching- So they gonna take Christ all throughout
Go to Je-rusalem, yo- Get started there, guys
Hit up Ju-dea, yeah- in Acts 1:8, go- Sa-maria
Far and going wide- End of the earth (far and going wide)
They're taking Christ worldwide!
Back to town all in one place- they're all in one accord
So they cast lots for disciple- fell on Matthias (yo)
Take a trip to 2 Acts- to that day when He came
And those tongues of fire made their whole lives change
Now they need to keep on talking- they just can't stop
Gonna speak emboldened- The Lord is gonna shake things up!
It'll be like Luke 4:43- go far and go wide
Read in Luke's book's sequel- got started where they were
Yeah, Luke's book's sequel- start of the church
With Acts 1- our charge (start witness, guys!)
The church will thrive (with) changed lives through Christ...Whoa!
Yeah, we're gonna keep on talking- just can't stop
Acts of the Apostles- and now the job is laid to us
24 Luke 48 shows- Got charged to share Christ
Read in Luke's book's sequel- go far and go wide
(Those tongues of fire) Luke wrote Theo (aah aah aah)- Gospel's going worldwide
It's all in Luke's book's sequel (aah aah aah)
You've got (a part) you know (charge! charge!)
Jude 1:23, yo! (charge! charge!)
We've got a charge to share Christ- start here, go wide!
...............................................................................
"Luke's book's Sequel"
(parody of "Jukebox Hero" by Foreigner; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 10/02/2014)
(The book of Acts-[particularly Acts 1-2, Acts 1:8, Acts 4:20, Acts 5:27-32], Luke 4:42-44, Luke 10:1-24, Luke 24:36-53, Romans 10:8-17, Jude 1:17-25, Matthew 28:18-20)
Standing on mountain 'cause The Lord said so
Out on Mt. Olivet- Jesus is about to go
He arose in a cloud- Can you picture the scene?
Just these here disciples- they look up intently
Appeared two angels- just blew in to say
"Why're y'all starin' at the sky? He's returning same way"
So Men of Galilee go out serving The Lord
Didn't know how it'd all play out, but they knew for sure
Acts 1 records- Christ laid out the plan- "Don't leave town- 'til Spirit lands
Then comes power upon you guys so
Preach The One Way ticket- only One Way to go"
So they started walking- ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on preaching- So they gonna take Christ all throughout
Go to Je-rusalem, yo- Get started there, guys
Hit up Ju-dea, yeah- in Acts 1:8, go- Sa-maria
Far and going wide- End of the earth (far and going wide)
They're taking Christ worldwide!
Back to town all in one place- they're all in one accord
So they cast lots for disciple- fell on Matthias (yo)
Take a trip to 2 Acts- to that day when He came
And those tongues of fire made their whole lives change
Now they need to keep on talking- they just can't stop
Gonna speak emboldened- The Lord is gonna shake things up!
It'll be like Luke 4:43- go far and go wide
Read in Luke's book's sequel- got started where they were
Yeah, Luke's book's sequel- start of the church
With Acts 1- our charge (start witness, guys!)
The church will thrive (with) changed lives through Christ...Whoa!
Yeah, we're gonna keep on talking- just can't stop
Acts of the Apostles- and now the job is laid to us
24 Luke 48 shows- Got charged to share Christ
Read in Luke's book's sequel- go far and go wide
(Those tongues of fire) Luke wrote Theo (aah aah aah)- Gospel's going worldwide
It's all in Luke's book's sequel (aah aah aah)
You've got (a part) you know (charge! charge!)
Jude 1:23, yo! (charge! charge!)
We've got a charge to share Christ- start here, go wide!
...............................................................................
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Bush on Fire (song)
This song relays a key event in Moses' life. In Exodus 3, he has an encounter with the living God. And God has a task for him- go down to Egypt and set His people free! Moses had some excuses but God provided for each one and He got a fire burning in Moses fueled by The Holy Spirit coming upon him and God used him to do just what He said He was going to do for Israel! Moses followed the game plan God had for his life. This was the theme for the soccer camp I helped with that my church sponsored in the summer of 2014 and that definitely inspired this parody. :-)
Bush on Fire
(parody of "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys; copyright Nathan Ludwick 9/29/2014)
(Exodus 3-4, Isaiah 40:28-31, Hebrews 11:23-29, Hebrews 12:28-29)
He's from Israel and he's out hiding
Slaughtered an Egyptian peep- Moses hits the highway
He's sitting by a well and gets a fight on
Filled troughs- watered the sheep- Girls' hero- gets invited to stay
Ohhhh oh oh oh oh!
"Please God," groan people out loud
And He's heard Israel now
Ohhhh oh oh oh oh
At Mt. Horeb He comes down
And Moses (is) walking 'round
This bush is on fire!
This bush is on fire!
It burns without dying!
This bush is on fire!
Looks at the bush and it's in flames
Some sight- Moses turns his eyes
Exodus 3- I'd say, "Wayz!"
You can bet that he'll never forget that day
He hears God call his name
Holiest Lord God then does say
Ohhhh oh oh oh
"Take shoes off feet- it's holy ground"
"Israel's burdened- go down!"
"Goooo go go go go!"
God has heard His door pound
But Mo's got excuses now
This mouth has a stutter
I'm 'bout to retire
They'll balk and require
Some sign I've seen Father
(Ohhh!)
Every doubt he airs, The Lord provides
'Cause He can feel the pain that Israel cries
Balking? Then just show them these 3 signs
You're gonna go and meet Aaron- he'll speak
And if they want I.D.
Then you go tell 'em "I AM has sent me, baby"
This God came as fire
There's no one who's higher
He's a consuming fire!
This God will not tire
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhhh
oh, oh, oh, ohhh,
oh, oh, oh, ohhhh (x4)
He got Israel set free by His power!
...................................................................
Bush on Fire
(parody of "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys; copyright Nathan Ludwick 9/29/2014)
(Exodus 3-4, Isaiah 40:28-31, Hebrews 11:23-29, Hebrews 12:28-29)
He's from Israel and he's out hiding
Slaughtered an Egyptian peep- Moses hits the highway
He's sitting by a well and gets a fight on
Filled troughs- watered the sheep- Girls' hero- gets invited to stay
Ohhhh oh oh oh oh!
"Please God," groan people out loud
And He's heard Israel now
Ohhhh oh oh oh oh
At Mt. Horeb He comes down
And Moses (is) walking 'round
This bush is on fire!
This bush is on fire!
It burns without dying!
This bush is on fire!
Looks at the bush and it's in flames
Some sight- Moses turns his eyes
Exodus 3- I'd say, "Wayz!"
You can bet that he'll never forget that day
He hears God call his name
Holiest Lord God then does say
Ohhhh oh oh oh
"Take shoes off feet- it's holy ground"
"Israel's burdened- go down!"
"Goooo go go go go!"
God has heard His door pound
But Mo's got excuses now
This mouth has a stutter
I'm 'bout to retire
They'll balk and require
Some sign I've seen Father
(Ohhh!)
Every doubt he airs, The Lord provides
'Cause He can feel the pain that Israel cries
Balking? Then just show them these 3 signs
You're gonna go and meet Aaron- he'll speak
And if they want I.D.
Then you go tell 'em "I AM has sent me, baby"
This God came as fire
There's no one who's higher
He's a consuming fire!
This God will not tire
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhhh
oh, oh, oh, ohhh,
oh, oh, oh, ohhhh (x4)
He got Israel set free by His power!
...................................................................
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)