2 Corinthians (Bible in 90 Days)

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Paul writes another letter the church in Corinth. They listened to his last letter and were growing stronger as a church and people.

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Corinth had a problem with false teachers. Paul wrote this letter to defend his ministry and title as an apostle. He spends time validating his message to the people. He also talks about looking out for others who are less fortunate and finding strength in God.

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2 Corinthians 12:9-10 -- “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

  

Pray for All Believers Everywhere (Ephesians 6:18 - Day 5)

Ephesians 6:18 -- "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

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This is the final day in this series about Ephesians 6:18. This is a very powerful verse containing lots of wisdom so I wanted to spend this week breaking it down. This last devotion has a run down of the other four in it so I won't waste time here. So lets jump in...

"Pray for All Believers Everywhere"

God hears all prayers, but when you intercede for others, you are boosting their needs above your own, which is the meaning of humble prayer. I believe God smiles down when we show love for others, especially through prayer -- it means we are learning what He is teaching and like any parent, that makes for a proud papa.

Ephesians 1:16 -- "I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly."

Paul speaks simply in this verse in a  way we can truly understand. I thank God for you and I pray for you. I mean, how much more can a person mean to us by using those words? It is so powerful because it is more than just the words, it is the action they imply. I humble myself and thank God that you are in my life, I take myself out of focus and I pray with my heart, mind and soul that God will bless you!

Jesus' new covenant included two main commandments -- love God and love your neighbor. If we can thank God and pray for others we are walking in His light. If this becomes our focus we can do anything.

This simple task is not easy, but it is what God has called us to do. It is our purpose and it betters our life.

Ephesians 6:18 -- "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

Pray in the Spirit, with all your heart. Pray all the time no matter what. Stay alert and be weary of what's surrounding you. Be persistent in prayer -- never stop praying. Pray for others and show God's love to the fallen world we live in.

In all that you do pray because God wants to know you and for you to know Him. Keep the line of communication open and you will be amazed at what you see.

There are more Devotionals where this one came from!

Study God's Word and be Blessed!

Be Persistent in Your Prayers (Ephesians 6:28 - Day 4)

Ephesians 6:18 -- "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

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There is a lot packed into this one verse. That is why I am breaking it down and focusing on each aspect. First, pray in the Spirit. Put your heart into your prayer, don't use empty words. Second, pray at all times and on every occasion. Don't just pray when you feel like it or need something and don't pray because you are waiting to give God a formal address. Always pray, just like breathing. Thirdly, stay alert, temptation is everywhere but if your focus is on God the devil won't be able to get a foothold. Fourthly...

"Be Persistent in Your Prayers"

If God puts something or someone on your heart, keep praying , keep lifting it or them up to God. He wants constant communication with us and He wants us to express what is on our minds and in our hearts.

Romans 12:12 -- "Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Don't worry about bugging God, keep praying with all your heart. Don't use empty words, but open your heart and mind and pour it out to God.

At the same time, don't get discouraged if you don't get an answer immediately. God's timing is a mysterious thing; however, it is also perfect. God waits to grant desires for all sorts of reasons. He may be waiting for you to be ready or for the situation to positively affect someone around you. He puts puzzle pieces together in a way that we can't even imagine. Have faith that God will do what is best for you and it will happen at the perfect time in the perfect way.

In the meantime...
1 Thessalonians 5:17 -- "Never stop praying."

There are more Devotionals where this one came from!

Study God's Word and be Blessed!

Stay Alert (Ephesians 6:18 - Day 3)

Ephesians 6:18 -- "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

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Pray what you mean and mean what you say. Prayer is simply communication with God. Don't wait until you have to confront God, pray at all times and on every occasion. God wants to know you and for you to know Him. This is what we have learned so far through Ephesians 6:18...today we learn about temptation.

"Stay Alert"

Temptation is everywhere. The subtle distractions of the everyday are powerful and misleading. You must stay alert so that sin doesn't surprise you when you least except it.

Matthew 26:41 -- "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

We get so caught up in what we want and need and feel that we invite the temptation in and then snuggle with it. Jesus explained to his disciples that he knows they really want to live in the Spirit and do what is right, but they let all the stuff get in the way. 

That's what we do, we let all the stuff get in the way. For us sometimes the stuff is material (competing over who has the most or the best), emotional (being so high or low that the narrow path is completely forgotten), financial (buying when we should save or saving when we should give), or spiritual (letting all the programs and obligations getting in the way of a real relationship with Christ). 

We often do to much when we should focus on what we have or not doing enough when we should be reaching out for more. We sleep when we should stay away and stagger restlessly when all we need is rest. The situations are always changing from person to person and from day to day. This is why it is so important to pray constantly, to stay in tune with what wants for us and needs from us at any time.

"The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak"

This is so true. We want to do good and right, but we will fail. We are human and living in a fallen world -- it is inevitable to sin. However, that should not stop us from trying. There is always room to learn and grow in our faith. This i s a journey, not an end game and every progression is a victory.

Christ's disciples did not give up, instead they got up, learning from their mistakes, and spread the Good News of Jesus across the land. Jesus lifted them up just as He lifts us up. Stay alert and always pray. God has wonderful things in store if you keep watch and pray.

There are more Devotionals where this one came from!

Study God's Word and be Blessed!

Pray At All Times (Ephesians 6:18 - Day 2)

Ephesians 6:18 -- "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

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Yesterday I talked about praying in the Spirit -- putting your heart into your prayers every time you communicate with God. Communicating with God is as easy as breathing. God wants open communication with you.

"[Pray] at all times and on every occasion"

How do you talk to your best friend? Do you only call on her or him when you need something? Do you begin every conversation with formal dialogue  God doesn't need the formalities  all He needs is you to reach out and communicate with Him.

 God wants to be your best friend -- the person you can't wait to talk to, the one you look for advice, the one you can't spend a day without thinking about in some way. Don't let the formalities and the way you "should" speak to Him get in the way of actually speaking with Him. He wants to know you and hear from you all the time about everything.

Prayer to me isn't a formula to memorize and rejuvenate  Prayer is just like breathing. It's something you don't really think about, but you simply constantly do.

One of the best examples of this is when I see a wreck on the highway, my automatic response is to lift that person (or people) up to God in a breath of prayer -- "Dear Lord please be with them now as they face this trial before them. Give them strength and peace."

That's it. God knows that I'm genuinely concerned because He knows my heart. I don't have to dwell on the formalities. I am in constant communication at all times with God and I pray during all occasions.

You don't have to put things on a list until you have time to make a formal request. I used to do this and the result was that I would never pray at all. All the parts of prayer -- the adoration, supplication, thanksgiving, intercession and confession -- are all important, but they are all there at all times. You don't have to go through them all every time you talk to God -- when you pray at all times in every occasion all of the parts are covered as they come up.

The point is this -- prayer is simply communicating with God, just like talking to a friend.

There are more Devotionals where this one came from!

Study God's Word and be Blessed!