spiritualsnippets.com

Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

Sep 24

Too Many Distractions

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 6: 6,7- “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” 

I remember a sermon in which the pastor went into depth in explaining that the Pharisees were admonished for their elaborate and prideful prayers (seeking attention from others on street corners, etc.)

God told the early Christians to pray in their closets!

This didn’t mean closets, literally, but that prayer was between them and God and not done so they could boast in their own eloquence.

This morning, a friend called me to ask for prayer. I realized that in order to focus on prayer, I needed to first turn off my television and computer. Then, in the quiet of my home office, I could pray effectively.

There are so many distractions nowadays, God’s Word gives us a gentle reminder of what we need to do in order to communicate with Him in our “quiet time.”

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Sep 17

Planning a Trip???

by Brenda Poulos

Joshua 5:6- “…The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died…”

Two of our friends are leaving today one a 100-Day Trip. Our reaction, when my husband and I heard of their plan last summer, was to shake our heads with amazement. We couldn’t imagine being away from home for that long.

In the Bible, we read about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years; Rehoboam travels from Jerusalem to Shechem to accept his mantle as king; Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, traveled from Syria to Samaria to be healed by the God of Israel; foreign kings are led by a star to journey to see the newborn Jesus; Barnabas leaves Jerusalem to plant a church in Antioch; After God rejects Saul as king, Samuel is told to go to Bethlehem to anoint David; God puts Joseph in a position to aid his family when they flee the drought in Canaan to live in Egypt; and on and on.

All of these stories, and more, make for interesting and encouraging reads. All share an overarching theme of God’s goodness as He guides and protects.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Sep 10

“Watch Your Mouth!”

by Brenda Poulos

James 3:10- “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

As a child, my Dad told me to guard my tongue more than once. And I got my mouth washed out with soap more times than I’d like to admit.

The Bible warns us that what we say is a reflection of what is in our hearts and it can hurt others.

If we belong to Christ, our speech should not only honor Him, but it should spread peace, love, and fruits of the spirit to everyone we come in contact with—starting with family and rippling outward.

How can we guard against the occasional slip of the tongue?

Start the day off right by reading scripture and meditating on it throughout the day.

Pray for God’s guidance in our interactions all day long.

Sound simple? It is—and it isn’t.

God reminds us that we must continually guard our hearts against the influences of the world around us because our hearts are easily swayed by worldly temptations.

And, if we let that happen, others will become the recipients of the hurtful things we say.

We can’t plant seeds of the gospel if our words don’t honor our Savior.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Sep 3

Exploring the Question of “Works”

by Brenda Poulos

James 2:26- “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

In my mid-thirties, my local church began a series of sermons on different religions of the world. I learned what their teachings were, countries where each religion was most prevalent, and so on.

I was astounded by the number of religions who taught that “works” (doing good things) was the way to heaven. Yet, I’d always been taught that it was faith in Jesus Christ—and him alone—that was required for salvation.

I was confused and went to the Bible for answers. The book of James offered a clear explanation.  Faith in Jesus must come first; then works are done as a result of the working of our faith within us.

A living, active faith is shown outwardly in works. So, there was the truth: We are not saved by works. We are saved for works.

James is a short book packed full of practical applications for living the victorious Christian life.

If you are struggling with the questions of salvation in your own life, may I recommend that you open your Bible to the book of James and let God lead you to His answer for you?

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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