What If I Do Not Feel Like Praying? Luke 18:1

Prayer is essential, but we don't act like it.

We know we should pray and that prayer is supposed to be a good thing, even essential, but a lot of times we just don't feel like it. What do we do then?

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1.

In the parable that follows this verse, Jesus tells the story of a woman who repeatedly goes to a judge to seek justice, but he continues to refuse her. Eventually, he gives in because she has worn him out. Jesus makes the point that God responds to our request more willingly than the judge who does not, and therefore, we should always pray and not give up.

The type of prayer that the woman portrayed was the prayer of need. We may feel that our needs are insignificant or not worthy of God's attention, but the opposite is true. Every need and situation, no matter how small, is deserving of the attention of Him who sent his only begotten son to die for our sins.

ALWAYS

Always can refer to time. It means we should be ready and willing to engage in prayer at any time of day, whether it is morning, noon, or night. It means we should be willing to pray on any and every day of the week, regardless of the season of life.

Always can refer to any place. You should pray in your church as part of your community of worship, but you should pray at home, at work, in the place of leisure, or in the marketplace.

Always can refer to circumstances. When you face problems, trials, and tests, pray. When you have times of refreshment, peace, and relaxation, you should pray. Whether it's good times or bad, you should pray in those times.

Always refers to the practice of a daily discipline of prayer, where we have a habit of praying at specific times.

Always refers to a prayer that is spontaneous and offered on the spur of the moment.

We should pray in the morning and at night, both at work and at rest. We should not allow other things to crowd out the importance of prayer.

NOT GIVE UP

There are many hindrances to prayer, and there are numerous obstacles that hinder prayer in our lives.
Such as...
     * We are attacked by doubts, guilt, or a sense of unworthiness.
     * We may not see the answers we expect or desire.
     * We may have doubts that God is interested in our prayers.
     * Our sins may have made us feel distant from God.

But knowing that God is good and trusting in His goodness should encourage us to pray.

If you don't feel like praying, you should pray even more. If you are discouraged in prayer, you should resolve not to give up.

NOT JUST ADVICE

This passage has many parallels in the Bible where we are admonished to pray, and there are more where we are commanded to pray.

If we don't feel like praying, we shouldn't give up; we should still pray.

If you feel that you are distant from God, maybe you need to come to Him and receive his gift of 

(c) Adron 6/1/16

How Can I Understand What The Bible Is Saying?

Is the Bible so hard to understand?

Why is it that I just do not seem to understand the Bible?  Is there some secret to understanding it?

Left alone, our minds remain closed to the Word of God. The scriptures are spiritual, but our nature is not. We need someone spiritual to open our minds. The answer may be in The Gospel of Luke 24:25.

“And he opened their minds that they might comprehend the scriptures.” Luke 24:45.

The verse above is from the passage where the resurrected Christ reveals himself to the disciples. In the midst of his teaching is this statement that he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. These men had been with him for three years, and you would think that if anybody knew the scriptures, it would be the students of Jesus, but they still needed to have their minds opened.

HE OPENED

He opened their minds. Jesus can do this because of who he is; he is the Living Word of God. We cannot open our minds in this way; we can be open to ideas at best. Education, meditation, seminars, books, and every other system and method will fail to open our minds to God's Word- only Jesus can do that.

THAT THEY MIGHT

To say it "might" means possible, but it is not an absolute guarantee of something.  It means the ability is there, but access or use is lacking.

OPEN THEIR MINDS

Our minds are naturally closed to spiritual truth and godly teaching. Our sin has blocked us from receiving it, and our world system has conditioned us against it.

Our minds must not remain closed. In one sense, we must be open and willing to let go of preconceived ideas and old attitudes to receive his teaching.

COMPREHEND

To comprehend is not just a taste or a sample but to fully understand everything. God desires us to know him this way; it is His will that we understand the Bible because it is His will that we understand him.

There are no secret mysteries in the Bible, but there are things that we are not ready for, so they seem mysterious, and those who do not know God say they are mysteries.

THE SCRIPTURES
The scriptures are holy writings, and they come from a holy God whose ways are far above our ways; we cannot understand them alone. We must pray and ask God to open our minds. We must be open and then, in faith, diligently study them.

Understanding the Bible does not come from osmosis. We have to apply ourselves to study the Word with a prayerful attitude, asking Jesus through his Holy Spirit to open our minds.

If you do not have salvation, you will never comprehend the Bible, but God gives you His Holy Spirit to teach you His word when you become born again. To find out more about how to get saved, follow the link to my other blog about the Gospel.

(c) Adron Dozat

6/30/15

Are There Super Christians Who Are Perfect? Luke 22:24

Are there super Christians who live perfect lives? If so how do I get to be one?

"A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered the greatest." Luke 22:24

DISPUTE
A dispute is an argument. In an argument you want to win, you want to be right, or at least more right than the others.

It was the last supper and a fight broke out among Jesus's closest followers, the disciples. Doubtless it was just a lot of hot words and people throwing their opinions around but it was worth recording in Holy Scripture. It is a moment of shame in the lives of the disciples and is preserved in God's Word as a lesson to us.

They may have been about to sit at the table and no doubt the question of who was to sit closest to the Lord began the dispute.

AMONG
It takes more than one person to make a dispute, you need at least another. This controversy arose among them suggesting that there were more than two but quite a few were quarreling.

WHO IS THE GREATEST
It became obvious that they had ambitions for personal gain. In the life of a Christian ambition is deadly and without being curbed by the Holy Spirit it always leads to destruction. Even in as close quarters as the last supper, we find Satan actively exploiting the weakness of the disciples.

JESUS
They had been with Jesus for three years and they still got things wrong about his purpose. Jesus came as an example of selfless servant-hood and sacrifice willing to give his life to bear man's sin, but they missed his point.

PERFECT CHRISTIANS?
If the disciples of the Lord even after three years of intimate contact with him could quarrel on the eve of his self-sacrifice for mankind's sin then we are all vulnerable to falling into disgrace.

We need to be careful and be vigilant in prayer. We are all capable of any sin and if we try to live the Christ-life on our own we will fail. We must remember to be humble before our God and receive by faith the victory over our inner sins.

(c)Adron Dozat

____________________________

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.  

Adron

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How To Get People To Treat You Nice

"Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." Luke 6:31.

The words quoted are from the teaching of Jesus. We call it the golden rule. He gave these words in between a statement about giving without asking in return, and a statement about loving your enemies.

In Matthew 7:12 he adds that this one guideline summed up all the law and the prophets.

Jesus keeps it simple. It is hard to do...

You have to think about people.
You have to care about people.
You have to love people.
You have to see people as being like you are yourself- not worse or lesser.

(c)Adron Dozat

____________________________

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.  

Adron




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Who Does Jesus Want? Luke 5:27

After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi siting in his tax booth. "Follow me." Jesus said to him. and Levi got up left everything and followed him." Luke  5: 27.

Who did Jesus want? It seems he never recruited from the seminary, temple or synagogue but the market place, the well, the cemetery, the fishing dock, and the dinner table.

No matter who you are or your vocation Jesus calls you to follow him.


(c)Adron Dozat

To learn more about coming to Jesus see my other blog post.
If this has been an encouragement to you will you consider a small gift to keep it going?

____________________________

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.  

Adron




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Does Following The Bible Do Any Good? Luke 6:47

We know what the Bible says a lot of good things but does it really make any difference in our lives? Jesus thought so and explained it in Luke 6:47.

"I will show what he is like who hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.  When the flood came the torrent struck the house but could not shake it because it was well built." Luke 6:47, NIV.

Jesus gives us a picture in words that teaches more than is on the surface.

HEAR

The Bible

We must be like the person in the illustration who hears and puts the word into practice. Whether hearing or reading, the effect is the same.  Much nose in the world around us drowns out the Word of God; we must filter out the background racket and hear God's Word. An easy way is to spend time daily quietly reading the Bible attentively and reflectively or to participate in a Bible teaching community. We need to hear God's Word; we must listen to it, which requires effort.

HIS WORDS
There are many philosophies, creeds, and religions, but Jesus did not encourage any of them. He did not even direct his audience, and subsequently, us, to find some way or higher teaching of his Hebrew heritage. He did not say all paths lead to salvation or that one teaching was no better or worse. He did say his teaching was the ultimate word that would shelter us in the storm of judgment.

OBEY
Hearing God's word is not enough; we need to put it into our lives via daily practice. We must hear God's word with intent. A concert pianist must practice many hours a day to achieve the level of ability he needs just so we must daily practice obeying God's word. Practice is not a casual fumbling about with God but diligent, dedicated, repetitive, concentration on the discipline being practiced in this case, God's truth in our lives.

FLOOD?
Why did Jesus use the metaphor of the Flood and not earthquake, storm, or hurricane? In the minds of the first-century Hebrews who lived in a desert region, a reference to the Flood of Noah and the judgment of God upon mankind connects the two. So Jesus puts the picture of keeping and practicing his teaching in the context of surviving God's judgment.

For us today keeping God's Word is no less critical to our lives and eternal blessing than Noah's obedience meant for the salvation of mankind, we each must hear God's word and obey it.

(c)Adron Dozat 9/2/12

To Find God Follow This Woman. Luke 2:38

Many of us want to find God.  The Bible tells about one who did find The Lord and it was not who you expect.

"...She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." .Luke 2:37-38.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Little is told about Anna except that she was a widow, she was old, a prophetess, and she lived at the temple fasting and praying.  She met Jesus when he an eight-day-old baby.

ANNA'S EXAMPLE

Anna Gave Thanks 

She was looking for Messiah and did not give up.  We are an impatient generation and can't wait for results.  God is not bound by our schedules or our agendas.  He created time and uses it for His perfect purpose.  We must not say, "I tried to find God for a while, but He didn't come when I rang the bell so I gave up."  We do not understand why He delays to reveal himself, but his desire is to be known and to have a relationship with us.  Waiting gets us ready, proves our sincerity, and it is a part of our spiritual pilgrimage.

We are part of a conflict between God and evil.  Evil wants to delay the answer and evil stands between us and God's revelation. Anna had the answer- she remained faithful in the courts of the temple, fasted and prayed. We should remain faithful to personal devotions, truth, prayer, and fellowship with those who love Our Heavenly King.

ANNA' S MESSAGE
She told everyone who was seeking about Jesus the promised Messiah.  It was not boasting but it is the duty of the prophet to speak the truth and Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).  It is the duty of a prophet to speak The Lord's message and Jesus is the "Word" (John 1:1, 14).  More than that she was excited; she had spent her life waiting, as many prophets before her, and here was the one she was waiting for.

ANNA'S THANKS
Anna's example of giving thanks directs us to be thankful.  We should thank Our Heavenly Father for what we do know, and that He promises that "we will find Him when we seek him with all our hearts." (Jeremiah 29:13).  In faith thank God that He will reveal himself to us and that He will keep His promise.

ANNA'S FAITH
Anna met God and it was an act of faith.  She only saw God's reflection in the packaging as the baby Jesus. She did not live long to see his morally perfect life, his sacrifice for our sins, his resurrection or the ascension to heaven with the promise to return.  She saw the promise and it was enough because the most important thing about Anna was her faith.  She believed the promises for a coming Savior. We can be like her if we believe the promise of Jesus.

To learn more about how you might get saved from your sins follow this link: click here.

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.

(c) Adron 4/8/12

What Would Happen If You Met Jesus? Luke 5:11

What would it be like to meet Jesus? How would you react?

"When Simon Peter saw this he fell at Jesus' feet and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken... Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." Luke 5:8-9,11, NIV.

THE SCENE

Simon encounters Jesus.  It was the miracle of the great catch of fish, big enough to almost sink both boats that make Simon aware of who Jesus is, and Simon confesses his own sinfulness.  Jesus welcomes him and Simon leaves everything.

RESPONSE

Simon had a deep reaction to meeting Jesus, he felt the shame of his sin, and he realized he was in the presence of the Lord.  His first response was to say, "Go away from me, I am a sinner."  Notice the "Me," and "I," he was seeing himself as he was and was contrite.  When we meet Jesus we can expect the same at some point.  Jesus said he did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.* Without an awareness of our sinfulness and a sense of the need for repentance of our sins, our encounter with Jesus will only be academic, mere facts and history.  Simon's encounter with Jesus was not intellectual it was deep, personal, passionate and relational.

DECIDE

Simon made a decision, he left all.  "They pulled their boats up on the shore." Boats do not belong on the shore they belong in the water. This act illustrates the complete ending of one life and the commencement of another.

They left everything and followed Jesus

They left everything, not just a few things, or the lesser things, they brought nothing with them; there was no keeping this or that,  "just in case."

JESUS
Jesus had a plan for Simon, that he would "catch men."  He has a plan for each of us too, a unique purpose. Part of it is that we come to know him like Simon did, then part of it is to make him known.

WHERE HE WENT
Simon met Jesus and went from anonymous provincial fisherman to Apostle.  We can meet Jesus too. We meet him in the Bible, in prayer, and fellowship with those who are his followers.  To meet Jesus will force a decision to follow or not, those who follow must be willing to give up everything. Simon's boats, nets, and tackle are long gone to dust, but he today is enjoying rewards far more precious with his beloved Jesus in Heaven.

To learn more about having a personal encounter with Jesus follow this link: See my other blog.

* Luke 5:32
Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and encouraging.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above. 

(c) Adron 4/5/12

Healed by Faith or Jesus? Luke 18: 36- 43

Many of us want to be healed, some from a dreadful disease and others of an emotional wound. Here is hope and comfort in this story of the healing.

"When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. He called out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Those who lead the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it they also praised God.” Luke 18:36-43 NIV

There are many stories of Jesus healing people and this is just one, but it highlights a few wonderful points.

THE SITUATION
Jesus was passing by. The blind man had a once in a lifetime chance to ask Jesus for healing. There may be a time when we feel Jesus is close at hand, and we are aware that now is the time to speak to him. We should be like the man and “call out.”

THE MAN
He was humble. He didn't say, “Hey I deserve it." Or It is my right,” but, “have mercy on me.” He is aware of his need. It takes humility to ask for mercy.

He would not let the crowd keep him from Jesus. Many of us fall down in life because we fear man and do not treasure God. If you are seeking Jesus keep on calling out to him- ignore the crowds.

He was persistent. If his prayer was not immediately answered he did not give up but continued to call out.

He had a growing view of Jesus. He first called him Son of David that is his earthly title as descended from King David. Next, he calls him Lord, a divine title and a statement of submission. He saw clearly who Jesus was. We need to grow in understanding of who Jesus is. He is always more than we think.

JESUS
Jesus had compassion, he said, “What do you want me to do for you.” Jesus could see the man was blind but lets the man make his request. Prayer is like that, it is God’s love that lets me make my request. God waits to be asked, He is waiting for the expression of faith that comes out in prayer.

The man's faith was not in a universal force or power within, but his faith was in Jesus. Jesus responds to his faith and the man is healed.

Put your faith in Jesus He is able to heal our ills and hurts.

If you want to know more about finding new life in Jesus see my other blog.

(c) Adron

Is Jesus Against Money, Or Above It? A Look At His Teaching From Luke 16:15.

God Loves You

At first glance the teaching Jesus gives on money is bleak.

"The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.’” Luke 16: 14, 15. NIV.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
This is part of a passage where Jesus is teaching about wealth to an audience of religious professionals who used religion as a means of gain.

HIGHLY VALUED
“What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” sounds shocking, you wonder if you have gotten the meaning of life wrong and have been living with the wrong priorities.

What is highly valued among men?

     • Wealth?
     • Fame?
     • To be admired?
     • Status?
     • A title?
     • Bigger, nicer, newer things?
     • Comfort?

It could be anything, something that is highly valued is valued above its proper place. God means money as a test or a tool but we see it as a treasure.

“Highly valued" here can be seen as wrong values. We view money and what it can buy to be the end of it all, but God means for money to be used to advance his Kingdom and meet the needs of God’s children.

GOD'S VALUES
We buy and build houses and fill them with treasures so we may relax and enjoy, but God gives them to us so we may serve. We cultivate our gifts and talents so we may enrich our own lives, but God gave them to us so we can bless other’s lives. We are like the craftsman who is in love with a tool and forgot to create the article it was designed for.

DETESTABLE
Things like wealth, status and possessions are detestable in God's sight because they become idols; when the thing we value takes the place of God in our lives, it makes it into a “god” and serving that thing becomes idolatry. It takes from serving the True God, and people, His creation.

ATTITUDE
It is not the thing itself that is detestable to God but it is the attitude attached to it that is detestable. This foundation attitude affects all our other choices. God wants to bless us, and having the right value of things liberates us, but having the wrong value of things robs us.

We need to know God and what He values; let's learn to treasure those things! Our value of things must become submissive to the Lord and not let them become our Lord. We need to learn the right value of things.

To learn more about knowing god and eternal salvation see my other blog. 

(c) Adron

____________________________

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.  

Adron

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Did Jesus Really Mean I Must Give Up Everything to Follow Him? Luke 14:33.

God Loves You

Those “deny yourself” verses sound so demanding, but what did Jesus mean?

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 

BACKGROUND
Starting at verse 25 to the end of the chapter Jesus is saying we must count the cost.  He is stating a fact- that it does cost to follow him.

• The lure of wealth, status and possessions are so powerful that hardly anyone can have them and follow Jesus.
• Love of ourselves stands between us and our Lord.
• Relationships, romance, and marriage get in the way of following Jesus.
• Careers, goals, and dreams get in the way.
• Self-image, appearance, and fashion get in the way.
• Social status and pleasing friends get in the way.
• The list goes on and on.

We must be willing to give these things up if we want to follow Jesus.  It doesn't mean that we will have to but we must be willing to.

IT IS PERSONAL
It can be different considerations for one person than for another.  To one person giving up everything may mean emotional distance to possessions.  For another, it is saying, “I am only a steward of this stuff.”  For another, it may mean actually throwing things away, or sell them and give the money to the poor.  One answer does not fit all of us.  You could sell your car but have not given up status, dreams, or the desire to be loved.

The Christian life is a relationship with the Lord, not a set of rules. You may need to sell something today and tomorrow keep things and adopt a steward's attitude, and the next time may be different.  It does mean to be willing to take drastic steps.

The guiding principle is that if something is keeping you from following the Lord you must deal with it without mercy.  If wealth keeps you from following the Lord then choose poverty.  If popularity keeps you from being a disciple then choose disrepute.

REVOLVING DOOR OF CHOICES
You will forego one thing and another demands your affections.  You may censor a relationship and another pretty face pops up.  We drop hobbies and later start another.    We must to not get discouraged but renew our commitment to Jesus and give up things that get in the way.

RELATIONSHIP
You must be so sensitive to Jesus that we can tell when something is coming between him and you.  You will find blessing when you give up things for Christ, not only a cleaned out and a simpler life but you gain more of Jesus.  He is better than the treasure your paycheck can buy, better than the status, promotion or toy.  He is worth losing the things that perish.

If something keeps you from following Jesus pray about it and give it up.

To learn more about how to have a relationship with Jesus as savior see my other blog.

* * * * *

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar.  

Use the share buttons below to save and share this to your social networks. 

(c) Adron

What is the Point Of The Good Samaritan Parable? Luke 10: 25 – 37

We have heard it since childhood and tell it to our kids, yet after a lifetime of exposure to this parable, do we still miss the point?

BACKGROUND
It is in response to a question that Jesus tells a parable of how a man fell among robbers who beat him and left him half dead.  A priest ignored him as he walked by, as did a religious leader.  Then, a socially low-caste Samaritan stops and helps the man by treating his wounds, taking him to an inn, and paying for his care, including a promise to return and make good at any other cost.  Jesus then asks, “Who was the neighbor to the man?” It begs the answer- the Samaritan. (See Luke 10:25 -37.)

WHAT WE DON'T HEAR
Often we are so focused on the illustration that we miss the point, or we know the story so well it has no effect on us.  Instead of being moved by God’s Spirit, we are inoculated against the action.

THE END IS THE BEGINNING
Jesus concluded the parable by saying, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"  The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise.”

WHAT WE SHOULD HEAR
How many sermons have we ever heard on the last four words of that verse? “Go and do likewise.”  That is the point of it all.  It is not just a story about a guy who did a good deed- but it is a mandate.  When we read this passage and all others in God’s Word, it should affect us as if we are hearing His voice directed to us, as if we hear Jesus commanding us to personally “Go and do likewise.”  He is telling us to be the Good Samaritan.  If only we did! It would make such a change in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Jesus' words call us to a lifestyle that responds to the needs of others. The Christian life is a relationship with God; as such, we must be aware of opportunities He has set in our paths to be " Good Samaritans.”

May you find great blessings as you “go and do likewise.”

© Adron 10/11/09