September 2023 Prayer Focus
One thing is crystal clear from the onset, from Genesis to Revelation and all other 64 books of the Bible in between: pride is the problem, and not one of us is immune from its lofty, lying lure.
One thing is crystal clear from the onset, from Genesis to Revelation and all other 64 books of the Bible in between: pride is the problem, and not one of us is immune from its lofty, lying lure.
As marvelous as nature is, and as pleasant as our pursuit to experience its grandeur may be, it fades to nothingness if its Creator is not acknowledged, known, and pursued.
When it comes to “freedom” or “liberty,” this definition is usually listed first in collective humanity’s book: the right to be able to do anything I want to do without restraint, expectations—or sometimes even consequences.
If we could see with spiritual eyes what surrounds the unseen of those spiritual commissioning ceremonies, in our humanity we would be aghast and terrified at the spiritual warfare taking place.
We are called to persevere, persist, and keep our eyes on Jesus, “to feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation,” and “to have the full assurance of hope until the end… of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
In Jesus, we receive eternal life because of His complete and total payment to remove the spiritual death sentence awaiting us if we died in our sin. His resurrection also set into motion the final countdown that is still unfolding toward God’s restoration of all things.
Regardless of denomination, and before we can really celebrate what Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the grave means for each of us, we can never go wrong by taking a contemplative journey of repentance with Christ on His road of suffering.
The fundamentals of God’s Word must be revisited continually to readjust our stance not only for our effectiveness in the game plan Christ has established for us, but especially regarding biblical faith in Him.
It is in Christ alone that we find the identity that He intends us to operate and live in. We are made an entirely new creation, an entirely new person—not just someone refurbished or retooled.
We celebrate Christmas because God in mercy and kindness delivered on His promise to send us a Savior in His Son Jesus Christ, who will bring the fullness of salvation to all who will receive Him.
It's amazing to think that thanksgiving was in Jesus’ heart and on His tongue to His Father as He knowingly, steadfastly walked right into what it would cost Him physically, emotionally, and spiritually to procure salvation for sinful humanity. Within moments, those He had dined and worshipped God with—who He had just conferred a special place at His table and on thrones in His coming eternal kingdom (Luke 22:28-30)—would betray, abandon, and deny knowing Him.
Chaplains bear a tremendous weight in caring for the spiritual and moral well-being of service members and their families in a unique lifestyle that includes frequent moves, deployment, and combat stress. There are doors of great opportunity for God to be glorified as OCFers step out to support the chaplaincy by reaching out to their chaplains.
Unless we are focused on God and His truth, alert to the temptations we personally struggle with, and vigilant of worldly lies and lures to kill, steal, and destroy our Christian faith, we are just as vulnerable to slide into compromise and right into God’s judgment.
Seen especially within military circles, a desire eventually arises in all of us to move on for that something or somewhere to satisfy a longing we can’t quite explain.
The lure in humanity’s fallen nature to be able to do whatever we want, whenever we want, and without restraint tends to only feed that bent of human nature we all struggle with—the “freedom” of my way.
Ten years ago, Colorado experienced a devastating series of wildfires throughout June, July, and August that included the Waldo Canyon fire on the northwest edge of Colorado Springs. It is the third-most destructive fire in Colorado history, destroying 347 homes.
Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom once posed this question about prayer: “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”
Jesus’ leadership of investing in the lives of those entrusted to Him formed followers who embraced Him and His mission of eternal salvation into leaders who replicated that in others.
For Christians, our life’s purpose involves a calling, which starts with our response to Christ’s call of “Come, follow Me.” It’s a call to a restored, ever-growing intimate relationship with Him.
He who made us in image and likeness, who assigned us as caretakers to oversee ever-increasing, fruitful growth of the Earth, is the Caretaker of our souls.
Our loving Father will vigilantly chip away at the achievements, talents, positions, power, rank, status, possessions, etc., we are prone to default to for our self-worth. His goal is to hone and refine our identity into the very image of Jesus Christ.