Stir it up in our hearts, Lord, stir it up in our hearts, Lord, stir it up in our hearts, Lord, a passion for Your name…
(via classyliving)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Heavenly Father, I want to not only be one who makes my parents glad, but I also want Your heart to be glad. Lord, strengthen me to be more like You, in all that I do. Lord, may my life be a good witness, so that others may see my good works, and that will bring glory to You. Deliver those who have strayed from the commandments in the Bible and are now living a perverted lifestyle, that is without natural affection. Minister mercy and grace to them, and restore the natural love and affection that You want them to walk in. Lord, we pray against the devil’s plans for changing the law in our nation that would redefine marriage. Spare us, so that this unholy action will not become law, thus bringing our nation under a greater judgment. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in Jesus’ name. I willingly submit to do all that You ask of me, and will endure and bear all that You place before me. However, Lord, I know there are some things that the devil wants me to suffer under, that are not of You, and I will not receive those things that the devil would try to put upon me. I yield to You, Lord, and if You want me to continue to bear long in any circumstance, I am willing, for I know You will give me abundant grace to do so; but I resist the devil and the abuses he would put upon me, and I know that he must flee according to Your Word. Lord, develop the fruit of faith and patience in my life, so that I may be like You in this earth. Amen.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
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| — | Matthew 5:11-12 |
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
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| — | I Peter 4:15-16 |
When we first come to the Lord, most of our suffering is because we have broken spiritual and physical laws. Therefore, we are suffering as a result of these broken laws. This form of suffering comes upon the Christian and the non-Christian alike. However, if we walk with the Lord He will lead us out of this kind of suffering as it is the result of sin. Jesus suffered on the cross to relieve us of this. Types of this suffering would be sickness, depression, fear, poverty, filth, torment, emotional pain stemming from divorce or broken relationships, anxiety, loneliness, grief, stress, disorder, confusion, etc.
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| — | www.bible.com |
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
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| — | Isaiah 53:5 |
How do we suffer for Christ today? Some examples of godly suffering for Christ would be the following: We suffer for Christ, by staying in a hard place, rather than fleeing, in hopes that redemption might come to those that misunderstand us. We suffer for Christ when we choose to fast instead of eat; when we leave our comfortable homes and go to mission fields that are filthy and spiritually dark; when we turn the other cheek; when we pay a bill that is not our own; when we “go the second mile”; when we rise at the midnight hour to pray; and when we minister to others when it is not convenient for us. There are many forms of suffering that are just as valid as the stripes Paul bore for the Lord’s sake. We can endure emotional and physical pain, as we give up the things we could have in this world for the kingdom of God’s sake.
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| — | www.bible.com |
True suffering for Christ is always by choice. It involves laying down our lives for others. Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross is the greatest example of suffering for others.
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| — | www.bible.com |
