October 8

Standing Firm - Praying in the Spirit Day 8 by SGLY Ministry

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:18 KJV.

Prayer is a necessary part of wearing the Armor. A soldier always keeps in communication with his superior officer and so we need to be in constant communication with God throughout our day. We need to “pray without ceasing” as Paul said to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. We need to pray for ourselves and our brothers and sisters in the Lord also. We need to pray silently, out loud, and in tongues as the occasion allows us. We also need to listen for God to speak to us in return.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank You that I can communicate with You at all times no matter where I am. It is a privilege I enjoy because of what Your Son Jesus did for me on the cross and I am most grateful.

Today: Pray at all times in the Holy Spirit. Pray for all the saints to remember to wear the Armor so that they will be able to stand firm in the battle against the enemy.

Praying for you today that you will stand firm in His Armor.

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Pick Your Battles

Thought for the Day

"There are some battles worth fighting and many others worth walking away from. Don't become engaged in meaningless wars of words that can only lead to hurt and heartache."
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Today's Word

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." (2 Timothy 2:23 NIV)
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Today's Prayer

Lord, let me know when to fight and when to walk away. Let me know when to open my mouth and when to keep it shut. Let me not cause hurt to others due to poor judgement when picking the battles I choose to fight. Amen

The Whisper Of God

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Slow Down, Quiet Down. Do Not Fume. Do Not Fret.

Practice "the peace of God which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Then note the quiet sense of power that wells up within you.

No. 83 in a series of 100 Power Thoughts from The Power of Positive Thinking, the All-Time

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Ask God by Alive to God

When we talk to God we can ask Him for those things that we may need. I am so glad that we can approach God in this way.

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly, and your Father, who knows your secrets, will reward you.

Luke 11:9-10 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Why don’t you approach God for those issues and circumstances that are a concern to you today? Just talk to God about them and let’s begin to trust Him.

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Welcome to Verse of the Day!

Today's Bible Verse: Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (ESV)

Today's Inspiring Thought: Two Masters

Here Jesus was talking about money. If we follow the Lord Jesus, we cannot be slaves to both God and money. We have to choose one or the other.

But, if you think about it, we could put just about anything in place of "money" in this verse, anything that commands our devotion.

Maybe it's a hobby or a habit: fishing, golfing, shopping, eating, a relationship, working, working out? Who do you serve? What are you devoted to? Who will be your master?

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“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Mark 1:35 (NIV)

My day planner was bursting at the seams. Each small square on the calendar was crammed with conflicting responsibilities: children’s music lessons or play practice, church meetings, work deadlines. Even brief moments of social life required budgeting well in advance. I was so busy that I resented the time I had to spend sleeping. And in the midst of my overscheduled life, God continued to
call me to spend daily quiet time with Him.

How could I fit in one more thing? Didn’t He understand how important all my activities were? The work of the day insisted on its own urgency, so I often rushed through a token devotion and hurried prayer.

Reading through the Gospels, I discovered that Scripture mentions many times how Jesus went away to pray—sometimes early in the morning, sometimes overnight.

When life is overwhelming, setting aside time for prayer feels counterintuitive. Surely diving into the work of the day will bring more progress than stepping aside for prayer. Jesus understood the pressure of time. His brief years of ministry were limited, and there were so many people who needed truth, forgiveness, healing. His disciples needed to be taught. The Father’s plan needed to be carried
out. Yet He made prayer a priority.

As busy as my life might be, I will never carry the weight of responsibility that Jesus did. He came to redeem the entire human race. Yet instead of frantic urgency, He consistently modeled a life of prayer, of retreat, of seeking a quiet place.

Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” That level of commitment, along with the consistent example of Jesus, inspires me to find my own solitary space and time each day to spend time in prayer.

Faith Step: If your day feels too full, take a risk and schedule some extra prayer first, trusting Jesus to provide what you need for all the other responsibilities.

—Sharon Hinck

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Bible Verses

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

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“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24

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Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1

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"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

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Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

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Prayers

Prayer to Live Christ's Word

Gracious God, Jesus is calling me to a new beginning; to a fresh call to discipleship. You are asking me to deny myself, take up my cross and follow you. It was at my baptism that you claimed me as your child.

Today, I affirm that I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I surrender my will, my desires and my life to you, O God. I commit myself to your call to discipleship: to pray, study your Word, worship you, invite other people to a life of discipleship, encourage Christians in their life of faith, serve those in need, and give joyfully of the gifts that You first gave me.
This I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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I pray that I may be blessed every step of my path this day by the great God of light. May your sun shine upon me; as the moon moves the tide, may your Spirit move my emotions with every grace and magic; may my heart sing with the voice of your angels and my hearth be warm; and may this and every blessed day You have given me be filled with joy. Amen.

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Father, according to your Word I have been made the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit who helps me bring forth good fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 5:22

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This day, Father, may my eyes be opened to see the beauty in all that is ordinary - yet special - around me. May the glory of all that you have made remind me of your presence and lead me closer to you.

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Heavenly Blessings

Ephesians 1:5-8

Dear Father, King of an eternal kingdom,

In love you destined us to be your sons through Jesus Christ, exactly as you wanted to do.

My heart overflows with thanksgiving and praise for this glorious graciousness which you bestowed on us in your beloved Son.

Thank you that in him and through his blood we are forgiven of every sin and released from our bondage to sin - all of this according to your unfailing love lavished on us!

In the name of Jesus and by his authority I pray. Amen.

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Dear Father, thank you for this day. Give me the wisdom to understand that not only should we not judge the people that we love, but we should not judge at all.

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Dear Heavenly Father, I am glad that You are that High Tower that we can run into, when we need defense from the enemy of our souls. Lord, keep me from pride and deliver me from all that would offend You. I do appreciate being able to read the Bible and find strength and comfort within its pages. Lord, I acknowledge You as my God and my King. I rely on You, and You alone, and do not put my confidence in my own self, nor any other man. Thank You for protecting me from all of the attacks of the devil. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Morning Prayer
Author Unknown
Dear Lord,
So far I've done all right.
I haven't gossiped,
haven't lost my temper,
haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent.
I'm really glad about that.

But in a few minutes, God,
I'm going to get out of bed.
And from then on,
I'm going to need a lot more help.