KEE IT; WHY IS DAILY PRAYER IMPORTANT?

Question: "Why is daily prayer important?"

Answer: Quite simply, for followers of Jesus Christ prayer is the best way to communicate with God. Prayer is the vehicle for daily dialog with the One who created us. The importance of daily communication through prayer cannot be overestimated. It is so important that it is mentioned over 250 times in Scripture. So why is daily prayer so important? First, daily prayer gives us an opportunity to share all aspects of our lives with God. Second, daily prayer gives us the chance to express our gratitude for the things He provides. Third, daily prayer provides the platform for confessing our sin and asking for help in overcoming that sin. Fourth, daily prayer is an act of worship and obedience. And finally, daily prayer is a way to acknowledge who is really in control of our lives. Let’s take a look at each of these important reasons in a little more detail.

Daily prayer gives us an opportunity to share all aspects of one’s life with God. Life’s circumstances change on a daily basis. In fact, things can go from good to bad to worse in a very short time. God calls us to bring our concerns to Him for disposition and potential blessing. He also calls us to share our joys and triumphs with Him. In fact, Jeremiah 33:3 states, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” God wants us to call on Him so that He can answer our prayers. He also wants to share with us incredible blessings that we might otherwise have missed had we not reached out to Him through prayer. And finally, James 4:8 tells us to “draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” God wants us to be close to Him at all times.

Daily prayer gives us the chance to express gratitude for the things in life that He provides. It is no secret that we must give thanks to the Lord for all the things that He provides and all of the things He does on our behalf. His goodness and lovingkindness to us should be recognized on a daily basis. In 1 Chronicles 16:34, we are commanded to “give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” The psalmist tells us in Psalm 9:1, “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.” We pray on a daily basis to acknowledge His faithfulness and His abundant provision in our daily lives.

"GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEART" 1 JOHN 3:19-24

1 John 3:19-24
We are saved by grace. Ephesians 2:5 says so explicitly. There should be no question on this fact. We are saved when and if God chooses to save us. Certainly we have duties and responsibilities, both before and after our sins are forgiven. But any Christian who thinks he has somehow earned a place in God’s favor by being baptized, preaching the gospel, feeding the hungry, or any other good “work”, he has no concept of the Bible’s teaching regarding salvation.

But still, we do have duties and responsibilities. And we fall short from time to time — not because we’re “human”, as is often said; that pushes the blame off on God, since He’s the One who made us “human”, warts and all. No, we fall short because we are weak. And if we have the idea when we come to the Lord that our weakness will wash off in the waters of baptism, we are quickly informed otherwise. And consciousness of sin leads to feelings of guilt; we know we have let God down, and that we have only ourselves to blame. Thankfully we have a Savior who will continue to forgive us when we continue to repent (1 John 1:7).

These Celebrities Really Make a Difference

We are often fascinated by celebrities because of their presence on the screen or stage

 bu

t for these celebs their work isn’t done when the performance ends. Not only does their “day job” impact our lives, but they also strive to make a difference with considerable donations to charities that benefit society as a whole. While, many celebrities use charity work as a PR stunt other public figures have devoted a huge portion of their lives to giving back and have done so consistently throughout their careers. Here is a list of celebrities that continue to give back and help restore our faith in humanity.

Elton John is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) contributor towards AIDS research. He founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in the 80’s. His passion for this project came after witnessing many close friends fall victim to this disease. He has made crucial donations over the years to over 50 charity organizations. Some of the other causes he consistently supports are disaster relief, homelessness and hunger, civil rights, cancer, bullying, and gay/lesbian equali

Life With God. Life with People. My Ambitious and Desperate Vision hat are you doing with your life?

Life With God. Life with People. My Ambitious and Desperate Vision
hat are you doing with your life

 Think about that question for a few minutes. What comes to mind? Is it something exciting? Not so exciting? Is there purpose? Are you just “going with the flow?” How would you honestly answer that question, “What are you doing with your life?”
In Bill Hybels’ book, Courageous Leadership, he speaks of the characteristics of a leader. And, the very first characteristic is vision. A leader must have a vision.

Many people are scared away by the word vision for many reasons; so, if this is you don’t think of the word vision, think of something else… like life-goals, purpose, calling, a few words that describe your life, etc. You get the idea.

But, whatever you may call it you and I are built to embody this characteristic. So when I ask you, “What are you doing with your life,” you may not think that you are doing very much. However, in your mind you have already concocted an entire world in which you would feel completely fulfilled if you were doing this one thing. This is the beginning of your vision.

I ask you that question because I have spent some time over the past few weeks asking myself this question. “Curtis, what are you doing with your life?” I want to share my answer with you.

My vision for my life (The Life Trend) is… Life with God. Life with People.
Sounds simple. And, it is… kind of. Everything I do and everywhere I go, these two values lead my decision making, lead my thoughts, and direct me on the path God has laid for me. “Life with God. Life with people.” Let me break it down for you:

Life With God

Spiritual Health – Prioritizing my life around an intentional discipline of prayer and fasting. Every time I stray, God always points me to prayer and fasting – fellowshipping with Him and denying myself the things that distract me from Him. Do I live a life of intentionally seeking God?
Personal Growth -I love to learn, but it is hard work sometimes. Yet, when I consume myself with other things that do not grow my mind and gifts, I lose sight of God’s purpose in creating me. Surrounding myself with things that grow me and stretch me in new ways fine tunes me to be a tool for the Kingdom of God. Do I live a life filled with books, writing, and experiences?

Bodily Health – The healthier I am, the more availability I have to be with God and be used by God. (Though the hardest value for me, personally) living a life of heath, diet, exercise, rest, and relaxation is essential to living a life with God. From consistent check-ups, to daily exercise, to a full-night sleep, I find great clarity in my relationship with God when I am healthy. Do I live a life of good health and personal disciplines?