Author: debo

Today we are going to talk about the fruit of love in our lives. I like to spend a lot of time reading in I Corinthians, and I just love how I Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) is sandwiched right between 2 chapters (12 and 14) that have impacted the church world so fully when it comes to spiritual gifts in the body. Even if we operate in all the gifts of the Spirit, but love is not evident in our lives, the gifts have no value. (I Cor 13:8) The Christian Spirit filled life should be evidenced most of all by LOVE. They will know we are Christians by our love! (I John 4:11) Without the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22) operating in our life, with love as priority number one, all of the other good things we might try to do are overshadowed and become not a beautiful orchestra in harmony, but a clanging cacophony – that sounds like discord, and ultimately brings discord. (I Cor 13:1). Let’s make a choice today to grow the fruit of love in our life. It will affect every area, and our families, our coworkers, and even strangers will benefit!

Have you ever wondered why people can say one thing and act like another? Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. Someone must have asked James the same question many years ago. In James 3, the example is given about a fountain giving off pure water and bitter water, and a fig tree bearing olives or a grapevine growing figs. Should this happen? NO!! In this planting and growing season, let’s grow some good fruit. Im exicted about planting! Let’s dream big dreams and see them happen. Let’s let our words line up in a life giving way and do something great for God. Here is your dailyeword.

The kind of plant you are is the kind of fruit you produce. Matthew states it even more strongly. In Matthew 12:33 after talking about those who speak words against Jesus or the Holy Spirit, He calls the listeners a brood of vipers. He said a tree is known and recognized by its fruit. Good fruit comes from a good tree, and bad fruit comes from an evil tree. Out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth speaks (Matt 12:34).

I’m sure you have known someone who professes to be a Christian and says that they are Spirit filled and they have no good fruit or both good and bad coming from their life. (not you for sure!!) Or as James puts it they have mouths that bless the Lord one moment, and curse Him the next. According to the Bible, these things should not be so. If it happened back then, this obviously isn’t a new problem. It still happens today. There is still no softer solution. These things should still not be so. In fact, James says that people who live this way have deceived themselves. (James 1:22) They may have listened to the message, but because they have not obeyed the Word, by putting it into practice, they have reasoned themselves against the Truth. Since we have the opportunity and the choice to change, let’s decide to produce only good fruit from our life. We can put our flesh under and live led by the Spirit. We can do this!

Have you ever noticed how many different kinds of prayer are listed in the Bible? With this week’s emphasis on prayer, I’m going to give you a quick recap of the kinds of prayer we can pray. And then add another type that is invaluable for the spirit filled believer.

1) Casting Your Cares Prayer: Don’t Worry, be Happy! I Peter 5:7 Don’t worry about your life.

2) Consecration – Choosing God’s will over my own – Paul ran with endurance the course before him, choosing God’s will over h Gal 2:20 .

3) United Prayer – Lifting up your voice to God in one accord with others– Acts 4:24 Dramatic changes result.

4) The Prayer of Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving – Heb 13:15 Power is released as we worship God. Worship is the language of faith! And faith is voice activated!

5) The Prayer of Faith – Mark 11:22-24 There is a praying part, and a saying part. Thanksgiving follows, because you believe you receive as you pray.

6) The Prayer of Agreement – Matt 18:19-20 When two or three agree there is a symphony created with our prayers – follow the same conductor!

7) The Prayer of Supplication – heartfelt fervency – earnest, sincere, desperation for God to move. Phil 4:6

Praying in the Holy Spirit, or in tongues is a excellent way to pray what actually needs to be prayed without the filter or our mind or our circumstances.. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the earth, praying in our own personal prayer language became a possibility. What a wonderful gift to use to bring heaven to earth, and pray directly the perfect prayer without human interference.
Each type of prayer has it’s place and it is good for us to know which prayer to pray in each circumstance. How encouraging to know that effectual, fervent prayer produces great results. I encourage you to pray in the Spirit all the time. Paul prayed that we too!

One of my life long prayers has been to be bold in sharing my faith with those who don’t Christ yet. Living our faith out 24/7 is our goal, but being bold enough to speak when we have an opportunity and to believe that God will give us the words that are specific for each situation takes faith. But we have been given power to be a witness, and to boldly speak God’s Word into the lives of the people we meet. We can be believe that God will put us in the path of those who need to know Him. We can even be more specific and ask God to give us words of encouragement for those who just need a pat on the back to keep going. Just like the disciples in the book of Acts, we pray that our faith can be effective and that we can share the gospel with those who need Jesus. Let’s be bold as a lion yet gentle as a dove! Let me pray for you today: Father, I ask you to give all of us boldness to proclaim your word like never before We want our lives to be a beacon of hope to those who are lost, and an anchor to those facing storms. Thank you for the boldness you give to enable us to be your hands and feet to a hurting world. In Jesus Name, AMEN

I was once involved in a prayer group that met once a week at 7:14 to pray for our nation, and it’s leaders. We met at that specific time, because of 2 Cor 7:14 that says if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, God will hear us and heal our land. All you have to do is watch one hour of the national news and you can see that our land needs God’s healing hand. From every type of criminal behavior, all the way to our nation’s capital, our nation needs the healing of the Lord. I want to encourage you, maybe even twice a day, when 7:14 rolls around in the morning and at night to take a minute and pray for our nation and its leaders. Pray protection around our civil servants and protection around our borders. God tells us to pray for where we live, so if America is your nation pray for America. For years and years I have prayed for Switzerland, that a mighty move of God would take place there as well, since my roots are there. Maybe God will place another nation on your heart to pray for. Wouldn’t it be amazing if all of us together at 7:14 AM and PM everyday would take time to pray? Untied prayer brings amazing results. We can pray like this: Father, In Jesus Name, we pray for our nation. We believe for our leaders to be surrounded with Godly men and women to give them wise counsel. We pray for protection and blessing upon our nation as well, in Jesus Name, AMEN.

I love all of I John chapter 3, and particularly verse 22 about receiving from God. It is always good to read each passage in context, and if you start in verse 16, this is how it reads.
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
It sounds like love is pretty important when it comes to prayer! We are not just supposed to be talking about love, but really loving people through action. We can have confidence when we come to God if we have loved in word and in deed. If we really want to receive from God, the promise of verse 22 is for us, when we love like Jesus loves. Let’s please God by loving people completely!

I John 5:14 and 15 says this:
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
This is one more of those scriptures that sounds too good to be true. Did it really say that what we ask we will receive? It really does. It is always to remember that God’s will is wrapped up in His Word. So we could say it this ways, if we ask anything according to God Word (which is His Will and Testament to us) we can be assured that we will receive it. Doesn’t that make sense even on a legal document? If you have been willed something, can’t you claim it as your own? Say you mom willed her house to you. When she died, you wouldn’t tell the probate lawyer, I don’t deserve it, or I don’t think I should have something that nice. You would say, thank you very much, can I have the keys please!!! Let’s know God’s Word, so we can know His will and then let’s have confidence when we pray. Can we pray for healing? Yes, it is in God’s will. Can we pray for provision? Yes, it is in God’s will. Can we pray for protection? Yes, it is in God’s will! Let’s confidently pray God’s Word over our families, our church, our communities, our states, our nation and our world. God hears, and He answers.

I like watching the show What Not To Wear sometimes to see how transformed a person can be just by learning how not to dress. When you understand the don’ts, and get a grasp on the do’s, you can have some real success, even just in the way you dress. What is amazing is that along with knowing how to dress for your body type, and appropriately for each occasion, confidence builds. I have seen the same thing happen when people learn how to pray. Luke 18:9-11 actually talks about how not to pray. Let’s read it and get the picture.
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
It sounds like a little bit of pride was going on, and a lot of self righteousness. So how are we not supposed to pray? With pride and self righteousness. Let’s do just the opposite. Let’s be humble and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. That is how we should pray!

Intro
Do you start your day with prayer or say grace before you eat, or take time to pray before you go to sleep each night? It is very good to ask God to bless our food, and then to thank Him for providing it for us. It is also a good thing before you go to sleep to pray and ask God for his protection over your family, for health and safety for those you love. Hi this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. Prayer is our topic and the best reminder I have for you is to pray! Become someone who prays without ceasing!

Today we are looking at the tax collector who got prayer right. He was commended for his humble prayer. Here is what it says in Luke 18:13-14
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Pharisee was all about what He had done, and how good his deeds were. The tax collector realized that He needed God’s mercy because He was a sinner. The tax collector was the one who was justified, because he humbled himself before God. In light of that, if we want to know how to pray, this would be a great place to start. Let’s remember who God is. He is GOD! We are not! We are nothing without Him. He is our everything. Once we embrace salvation, we become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, but that also is only because of God’s great mercy. He gives us right standing, and a robe of righteousness, not to show off how great we are, but to demonstrate His goodness. Let’s come humbly before our awesome God.

Have you ever heard this definition of worry? Worry is faith going the opposite direction. Faith is expecting and believing for the best, worry does the opposite! Worry expects and believes for the worst. It would appear that faith comes from God, and worry is from the enemy! Phil 4:6 tells us not to worry, but bring our requests to God, who hears and answers us. If you feel worry trying to grab ahold of your heart, start praying! When we pray in faith, we can expect results! Worry takes us backward, but prayer takes us forward. Here is the hard question you may be asking: In our world that has so much turmoil, how can I keep from worrying, about my future, my family or even the condition of our world? Here is how Phil 4:6 would answer that question, the way we can keep from worrying, is to let our requests be made known unto God and then keep on trusting Him. We don’t have control over the condition of our planet, but we can believe that God will protect and provide for us and our loved ones, because it is what He has promised in His Word. Another reason we don’t have to worry is because Matt 6:33 tells not to worry, and if we are told not worry, then we have the ability not to! And if you look at it another way, if He tells us not to worry, when we do, we are in sin. Let’s be obedient, and cast our cares on the Lord! He cares for us. Instead of worry, let’s pray! Father, in the Name of Jesus, I pray that you would help everyone who hears or sees this to be encouraged to bring their worries and concerns to You, and leave them there. We believe Your Word, and put our trust in You completely. We will live by faith, and not be moved by fear. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN! Don’t worry, be happy!