Study in Prayer

Scripture of the Day:   

Psalm 17:6

“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.”

The Courts of Praise

Thanksgiving and prayer are very important parts of prayer. When you believe you have received the answer to your prayers (which is how you should be praying – not begging as if it has not happened yet), you can’t help but begin to Praise God! Amen!  Praise was ordained by God for a purpose.

Psalm 8 and Psalm 9 point out some things about praise that you need to understand. Psalm 8:1-2 say, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth! Who has set your Glory about the Heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, you have ordained strength because of your enemies, that you might still the enemy and the avenger.”  

Now, I want you to notice something here. Jesus, in Matthew 21:16, is quoting this scripture. You do understand that HE IS the WORD OF GOD, right? So, His interpretation MUST BE accurate… Can I get an AMEN on that one? I mean, Jesus, when quoting the Word is talking about Himself. So when He says something in the Word or from the Word – I think we can all agree it must be True, right? Because He also said “The Word is Truth.” Anyway, I could continue to farther along that line – but the point I’m trying to make is this…

In Matthew 21:16, Jesus, quoting from Psalm 8:1-2, said, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings YOU HAVE PERFECTED PRAISE.” 

Jesus is equating STRENGTH with PRAISE.

From these scripture which we just read, we can see that GOD ORDAINED PRAISE for the purpose of defeating His enemies. Praising God will stop the enemy, the devil and any demon, right in their tracks! It is like having a tank pull into position and the enemies small arms fire just starts bouncing off the hull…then, the Holy Spirit spins that turret around and when you start PRAISING GOD – BAMMM!  That big tank gun goes off and the enemy is defeated…and all his little demon buddies take off running! Praise God!  No really – give God some Praise right now! Amen!

Psalm 9:1-4 says, “I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart. I will show forth all of your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in YOU. I will sing praise to your name, O you, the Most High God. When my enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at your presence. For you have maintained my right and my cause. You sit on your Throne judging right.”

Now, notice – this says WHEN your enemies are turned back. Not IF they will be turned back. Folks, these may seem like small things as you read them – but IF YOU BELIEVE exactly what the Word of God says – they make a world of difference. Amen!

We are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but against demonic forces. When you Praise God in advance for the victory – you are praying in the Will of God. When you start to enter His Gates with Thanksgiving in your heart – you are entering the Courts of Praise and your victory is guaranteed. Amen!

Let’s pray right now and give God some Praise for answered prayer. Whatever it is you are going through right now – just start praising Him for the victory…

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

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Scripture of the Day:   

Genesis 25:21

“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.”

It’s Time to Upgrade Your Prayer Account

Have you been struggling in your prayer life lately? Have you been noticing that some of your prayers just are not being answered?  I can tell you from experience, it is not God’s fault. It is your fault!  

Now, before you switch me off, here me out. Amen.

God’s answer is always YES and AMEN. He has said over and over and it has been emphasized by Jesus Himself, that if we ask ANYTHING according to His Will and in the Name of Jesus – God will grant us the prayers we have asked Him.

And if it is impossible for God to lie – then He will do what He said He would do.

But, I can guarantee you from the Word of God, He will ONLY answer prayers that are in accordance with His will. That’s in 1 John 5:14. Amen.  If you are experiencing a dry season in your prayer life – check yourself. Get back into the Word. Get back into agreement with the Word. Get back into an alignment with the Will of God and then you will start to see a change in the results of your prayer life. Amen!

You cannot know what the Will of God IS unless you know His Word. His will is His Word. So the first thing you need to do is start to study His Word in more detail. You should be reading it on a daily basis. If you are not doing so – there is a big red flag right there! Amen!

Next, you must renew your mind. When you get into God’s Word on a consistent basis, it will transform your life. And it all starts in your mind. Remember, you are a Spirit. Your Spirit man was created the instant you were born again. That’s what the term BORN AGAIN means. The Old you died and you became a new creation. Created in the image of Christ who is the image of God. So you are created in God’s image – and that makes you His Child. A Child of God. Amen.

But your mind, your will – notice I said YOUR WILL and your emotions – are your soul. All of the bad things you’ve ever done are still in your memory – your mind. This can make you sad, angry, feel condemned, or whatever. WHY? Because you know you sinned. But – you must remember, if you are born again, that has been forgiven…

But, the devil will try to bring up those things you’ve been forgiven of. Those thoughts are housed in your memory. So you need to transform your MIND. Allow God’s Word to purify your thoughts. 

I’ve done things, before I was born again and yes – even after – that I feel absolutely terrible about. Things I would never do now. But, the good news is – I’ve been forgiven! Praise you Jesus! Amen!  And the good news for you is – if you are born again – YOU have been forgiven, too! Can I get an AMEN on that one! Praise God!

So, although those thoughts are there, you need to start speaking the Word against them. You can only do that IF you know the Word. And you can only do that by getting INTO the Word. 

Once you start to realize this, you become more noticeable of what God’s WILL really is as it concerns situations you are facing. And once you know what God’s Will IS in any given situation – that is what you need to start praying and walking out.

As you do that – VICTORY comes! Amen! Victory in JESUS – Praise God!  

All of that comes simply by YOU renewing your mind. When you realize that – you will realize that YES – you need to “upgrade” your prayer account and your prayer life. Shout Amen Somebody!

Let’s pray that God will help you to make the time in your schedule to start getting into His Word....

Scripture of the Day:   

Ezra 9:6

“Ezra prayed…I’m too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens…”

Are You Ashamed of Your Country?

Ezra had been working hard to teach God’s people how to obey God and worship Him. But the people did not listen. They continued to go about their own business. Not paying attention to the teachings of God or the preaching of the prophets. They basically forsook the Biblical way of doing things and had turned their backs on God.

This brings about Judgement folks!  You have heard me say that the United States has opened the door to Divine Judgement by embracing lifestyles and ways of life and attitudes that dishonor God and dishonor our Godly heritage. And we have nobody to blame for what is going to happen except ourselves. If we do not repent and do so quickly, it will be too late.

Ezra found out about lots and lots of people who were choosing to disobey God as well. He was so hurt! But what does Ezra do? He prays! 

Ezra begins his prayer by saying to God that he was too ashamed and humiliated to even lift up his face to Him. He declared, “Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.” Here, right from the beginning of his prayer, Ezra poured out his heart to God, telling Him exactly how he felt.  

And it is interesting that throughout the prayer, even though he had not participated in the sins of the people, he demonstrated by using the words “we,” “our” and “us,” that he identified with their sins and even felt the guilt of their sins. 

This is how it is for us in the world today. Even though, as Christians, you may not have participated in abortions or homosexuality or supported a particular political party that encourages such actions – you are still here. You are still in this nation that is deserving of judgment. Here, in this nation that is starting to experience judgment…

Ezra goes on in his prayer saying all the great things God had done for the nation. He was not doing this to remind God of these things, but to bring to remembrance what God had done to the minds of the people all around him. 

Then, in verse ten, Ezra says to God, “What shall we say after this?” So here (in my words) he is praying, “Now what have we done for all of Your kindness and blessing upon this land? We have turned our backs on You and forsaken Your covenant. You told us not to do these wicked things, but we, as a nation, have done them anyway.”

Folks, this prayer should be prayed by believers everywhere right now. You may not have been participating in the wickedness of the sins of this nation. But you permitted them to be practiced anyway.

“How did we do that, brother bob?”

By electing public officials who supported, endorsed and then passed and enforced laws that went contrary to God’s Word and God’s Will. And then punished anyone who spoke God’s Word against those wicked practices.

Closing his prayer, he said in great humility, “Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”

Ezra was putting it all on the line. He told God, basically, “Your judgement is what we deserve. We do not deserve your Mercy any longer.” And it was true.

But, this prayer got the attention of those around Ezra. And repentance began. And judgement was averted. God heard Ezra’s prayer and granted Mercy.

What do we deserve as a nation or as a world? I can...

Scripture of the Day:   

Jonah 2:1

“From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God…”

Do You Only Pray When in Trouble?

Most people are familiar with this story. God had commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, the NYC of its day and proclaim that Judgement was coming and coming soon. 

Jonah did not want to do that because he knew that, if they repented, God would not destroy the city (the Bible does not say “HOW” Jonah knew this, but it was evident he did). IF that happened, it wasn’t just that Jonah would have sparked repentance in the city of Nineveh, Nineveh was HATED by the Jews. They were like Iran is today to Christians. OK?

He would rather see God destroy the entire land and its people for all that they had to Israel. He did not want to even give them a shred of a chance at repentance. So – he went in the complete opposite direction! Amen!

Ultimately, Jonah was tossed over-board from the ship he was on, once it was determined it was his fault for the ship being in jeopardy. Jonah was ok with that, too! You can tell from the conversation in scriptures. 

He basically had the attitude that, “I’ll be dead and ushered into paradise…and Nineveh and all of it’s inhabitants will still not have a chance to repent and God will still destroy that wicked place! That’s good all the way around!”

But – God had a plan. And sent a fish to swallow up Jonah as soon as he was tossed in the sea. Now, we do not know what kind of fish it was…but you can pretty much determine it was a whale. Why?

One, it was large enough to swallow him whole. 

Two, a whale just inhales water and brings the krill into its mouth in one might rush of water and then, down into the stomach the food goes…

But, in this instance, Jonah was detoured. He probably was not sucked into the stomach, or else the acids would have started in on him. Instead, he became, let’s say, stuck in the esophagus of the whale. Why do I say that?

Because the whale must surface to take a breath of air, right? So, Jonah had to have a fresh air supply. The esophagus, just like ours, splits off to the stomach and to the lungs. And there was Jonah, stuck in the throat of the whale.

God then directed the whale to start swimming towards the destination He wanted Jonah to go. After three days of being stuck in the dark, fighting to stay in place as the whale kept swallowing more and more krill, then catching some fresh air as it surfaced, only to dive down again…Jonah had enough.

He prayed…

Well, about that time, the whale was back on the beach near where God wanted Jonah to be in the first place. The whale, now delirious because he could not get whatever it was stuck in his throat out – suddenly vomited and spit out Jonah…right on or near the beach.

And Jonah decided it might be in his best interest just to go ahead and do what God told him to do in the first place. And you can tell from the rest of the story, he did not like it. But you have to give him credit, at least he obeyed.

The question I have for you is this…

What has God told YOU to do that you have not done yet?  It doesn’t have to be anything BIG like go to a foreign land and become a missionary…it could be – but it doesn’t have to be…

It could be something simple, like giving extra money in offerings. Or witnessing to your coworker. Or just taking the kids to church.  But, whatever it is, if you have not done it yet, what is it going to take?

Do you only pray to God when you are in trouble? I know a lot of people like that. When all hell breaks loose around them, then they call…”Can you pray for me?”

Folks, do not be like Jonah. Pray every single day. That is what this...

Scripture of the Day:  

Matthew 6:6

“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.”

Do Not Pray to Be Seen Praying

 These verses in Matthew chapter 6 are talking about doing things for immediate rewards. Recognition. Public recognition like “Oh, he or she is such a saint,” type of recognition. Later, in verses 19-20, Jesus teaches us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

We are not to do things for earthly rewards or treasures—getting immediate results from our actions. Instead, we should do things for Christ and lay up treasures in heaven. We may not get results right away, but everything good done for Christ will eventually be rewarded. Should we be satisfied with earthly rewards, or should we desire rewards in heaven for the cause of Christ?

 Now let us apply this principle to what Jesus said about prayer. Should we pray to be seen and praised by people who will be amazed at how “spiritual” we sound?

Or should we pray to praise God and let our requests be known? Obviously, praying for the sake of being seen by others focuses on earthly rewards.

 Jesus is not saying if we should pray in public or not. He is saying we need to understand the reason we are praying. Is it to get results or is it to be seen? When Jesus told His disciples to pray privately, He was emphasizing the need to pray when nobody else even knows we are praying.

 Why would someone do that?

Because they are spending quality time, alone, with the Creator of the Universe. Who just happens to be our Heavenly Father. Do you think God cherishes that time with His children?

 Imagine if your child would only honor you and talk nice to you when you were out in public or you had company over…the rest of the time, they either demanded stuff from you or ignored you altogether. How would that make you feel?

 But, if your child truly honored you, if your child truly spent time with you when they could be doing other things – not to get something, but just to be in your presence…how would that make you feel? Good, right?

 And then, if one day, your child came to you and said, “I really need your help with this…” and laid out a problem they were having – would you move to help them? Immediately? Of course you would…

But, if your child was one that neglected you, abused you, ridiculed you, except when they could be observed by others and everyone thought they were the best kid in town…they are fooling everyone… and then the kid comes in and say, “Hey, I need your help with this. Give me, give me, give me, give me…”

The first couple of times, you might help them. But with no change in their attitude, there will come a time when the answer is “NO.”

Then, the true colors of the child come out! 

“You don’t love me? I hate you! Etc. etc.” Right?

 So, if that is how YOU are – imagine how God is feeling when His kids treat Him the same way. That is what Jesus is saying here… SPEND TIME WITH GOD ALONE. With nobody else around. Not to pester Him and beg Him for STUFF…but just to be in His Presence. Do it when nobody else is around.

Then, when there is a need – He will reward you and will do so OPENLY. That means you really do not even need to ask. He knows your needs before...

Scripture of the Day:   

Matthew 21:22

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer…”

Pray for Results

Have you ever heard someone finish a prayer and say something like, “for Jesus sake, amen.?”

That is so foolish. We are praying for our sake – not Jesus sake. AMEN?

We are to pray to the Father – IN THE NAME OF JESUS! We are to pray for RESULTS. Jesus said if we believe whatever it is we are asking God for, that God WILL answer our prayers…if we believe that – THEN we will receive our prayers as answered. DO NOT DOUBT. Amen!

How can you believe in something you do not know?

In order to receive your prayers as answered, you must believe they will be answered. To believe they will be answered, you must base them on the Word of God. How can you base them on the Word of God if you do not know the Word of God? Quick answer – You can’t!

So, first, you must READ what God’s Word has to say about your situation. Whatever it is! 

If you need healing, go to the Word and look up – AND READ – every single scripture that deals with healing and Jesus healing the sick. “Well, brother bob, that would take a lot of time…”

I didn’t say you had to do it one sitting. But you should spend at least 30 minutes scriptures. And, in my opinion, if you truly are in need of healing, do it three or four times per day!

“Three or four times per day?”  I don’t have that much time…!  Really? What are you doing at 5am every morning?  “Well, brother bob, I’m sleeping…I work all day…”

Look at where I am right now. It is 5am and I’m doing this every single day. WHY? Because I need a deep dive in prayer. And I’m in the Word every single day. But I needed to FOCUS on prayer. And the Lord impressed upon me to share this study with you. That is what I’m doing. But I have been getting up between 5 and 515 am for years, just to spend the first few minutes of each and every day with the Lord. In His word and in prayer.

Some people want to do that at the end of the day. That’s ok too. But you need to make it part of your daily schedule. Not something you do when you remember. It has to be part of your routine. Amen.

And, if you need an answer to something in particular, like healing – then you need to spend 30 minutes reading healing scriptures. Over and over and over. If you need an answer to financial pressures, read about finances. What to do, sowing and reaping, giving and receiving, etc. Tithing…hello!

The point is – when I said three times per day, if you were truly sick and the doctor told you to take these pills and go for a half mile walk three times per day for the next six months and you will be healed – would you do it? Most people would say yes!

Even if you had a job. You would wake up 30 minutes early and go for your walk before work. At lunch time you would go for a walk instead of McDonald’s or whatever. Then after work you go for your third walk. You would find a way to fit it into your schedule because your doctor said if you would do it – you would be healed…

So why won’t you believe the one who gave the doctor’s their wisdom? Why won’t you believe the One who created all things, including your body. Why won’t you believe the One who created all the silver, all the gold and all the cattle on a thousand hills? Do you think He who did all that is incapable of helping you?

Then start believing and asking for specific prayer, like we already talked about – and, as we are talking about today – PRAY FOR RESULTS and then, as our scripture says today – BELIEVE YOU RECEIVE those prayers as answered. Amen!

I want to pray for you right now, that you would...

Scripture of the Day:   

Matthew 6:7

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words…”

Don’t Waste God’s Time

When you read this verse, and some others that Jesus taught on, it sounds like He is telling us to keep your prayer brief and to the point. That may sound harsh to some “religious” folks who want to follow Solomon Paul’s advice in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, where he tells us to, “Pray without ceasing.” I mean, if you take that one literally, you would be talking to God every single waking second. That would be a lot of words and, honestly, you would be doing a lot repeating of your prayers.

So, which is it? Keep it brief or keep it long?

I know some people that make it a point to pray 2-3 hours every single day. They do not feel right if they do not spend that much time in prayer. I know some people that say about 2 minute prayer and they believe they are good to go. So, which one is in good standing with God and which one is not?

The answer – BOTH.

“Both? Brother Bob…Both what? In good standing or not?”

Yes – that is correct. Both!

It kind of sounds like I’m in the Abbott and Costello “Who’s on first” comedy routine, doesn’t it?

But, you have to understand, if one person wants to spend a couple of hours at one time in the presence of God…If that is what the Lord has put on his or her heart to do – then that answers the question!  That person needs to be there.  However, if they are doing that in attempt to berate God into finally answering their prayers – they are wasting their time.

Jesus taught the parable about the unrighteous judge in Luke 18:5-7. This widow woman keeps bothering this judge to help her until finally, in verse 5, the judge says, “…yet, because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests. And the Lord said, Listen to the words of the unrighteous judge. Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help?”

That sounds pretty much like Jesus is telling His disciples to be like the widow woman and just keep pestering God until you finally wear Him out and He will cave in to your prayer request.

But when you match that up with our scripture verse of Matthey 6:7 where Jesus don’t keep pestering God with all of your meaningless words – we have two opposite sides of the equation. So, what should we do?

I’m so glad you asked!

Jesus is say that if you have a need, keep it before the Lord in prayer. Every time the devil brings up the situation that you are facing, financial, health, family members or whatever, every time the devil brings it to your remembrance, just give the Lord praise for the answer to your prayer request.  But don’t go to your prayer closet 29 times a day and spend 30 minutes crying out the Lord every single time.

If you have a financial need that is so urgent, you need a miracle, you take it to the Lord. IF HE tells you to sow a seed and help someone else, do it. That is what will open the door to your miracle. You helping the need of someone else. If all you have left is $20 and you need $200 or $2000 – and as you are driving to work and see that homeless person on the corner, is that $20 going to help you? No. But it will help that homeless person. SOW IT!  That will be a HUGE blessing to that homeless person. That will now open the door for the Lord to have someone else sow HUGE into your life.

That is just one example and we will teach on the laws of sowing and reaping later on in this study. But the...

Scripture of the Day:   

Jeremiah 29:12

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Guard Your Mind and God Will Answer

In order to receive the answer to your prayers, you need to believe that God WILL answer prayer. We are told over and over and over that God “hears us” and “delivers us” and He “will answer” our prayers.

But even with all of the promises of God on this subject, doubt still creeps in “this time.”  

Questions like, “Will He answer – this time?”  

Or “I know He answered my prayers before – but will He do it “this time?””

We need to be on guard against any thoughts that come into your mind concerning whether or not God will answer your prayers.

You see, thoughts are actually governed by observations. You then associate those observations with what your desires are. “Are these things lining up with what I expect?” “Are these things I see, are they God’s way of answering my prayer?”

The Bible says we are to cast down our imaginations that try to exalt themselves against the Word of God. That’s why you need to stay away from all places and things that do not support your affirmation that God has answered your prayers. Your thoughts are governed by your actions.

That means, sometimes, you will have to stay away from the kind of churches that can put more unbelief in you than they do faith. I’m not speaking bad about any churches or their pastors – but you know as well as I do there are some well meaning pastors that walk, unknowingly, in unbelief in certain areas.

For example, some pastors do not want to teach on prophecy because they feel it just makes people fearful. They do not want to make their people afraid – despite the fact the Book of Revelation clearly states that those who read or in other words, STUDY, the last the book of the Bible – will be BLESSED. 

There are those pastors who refuse to teach on Divine healing. They don’t want to get people’s hopes up. They don’t know how to teach on the subject of “walk by faith and not by sight.” They acknowledge that Jesus healed. The Apostle’s healed. But they don’t believe ANY of that is for today. They will admit that “sometimes” God will Divinely intervene and they give Him praise in those instances. But they will not willing teach on it nor are they willing to stand in agreement with YOU for your healing.

It is better to leave those churches, despite your friendships, despite your loyalty to “the pastor” and stick to your loyalty with GOD.

Studies have shown that you are the sum total of the 5 people you most hang out with. If you are a business person and you want to take your business to the next level of success, you need to start associating with those who are at least one step ahead of you, preferably three of four steps ahead of you. WHY? Because they KNOW what you are going through. They understand the processes you need to take in order to achieve your desired goals.

But, if you just hang around with those who are on the same level as you are – all you do is talk with one another about “someday.” But nobody really does anything to move up the ladder of success and make “someday” equal TODAY.

Even worse, is to start associating with those who are not as successful as you are and taking input from them and, the next thing you know – you have regressed down to the level they are at.

Folks, if you are needing healing – you need to associate with ministries that BELIEVE God still heals today. Not those that believe it stopped with the Apostles. Amen!

If you need a financial break through – you need to associate with ministries that operate on the financial success principles.

If you...

Scripture of the Day:   

Mark 14:39

“Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.”

Stay Positive and Resist Doubt

In order to receive the answer to your prayers, you need to let every single thought about the subject of your prayers to remain positive. Call it as already done – in Jesus Name.

If you are believing for a financial answer to prayer, stay positive, even in the face of negative reports. If you are believing for a healing, same thing. Stay positive, even in the face of a negative report or feelings. How you feel does not affect the Word of God. Amen!

After you pray in Faith, according to God’s Word…you MUST stand on scripture at all times – NEVER allow a picture of failure to try and replace that Word that is LIVING on the inside of you.

We are talking about receiving answers to your prayers. Once you have prayed and asked God for something…and when I say “something” I am not being a generalist here. It has to be SPECIFIC. But I don’t know what you need or what you are praying for – so I have to be general as I’m talking to you today through this platform.

For example, if you need $1,314 dollars to meet a financial obligation, don’t just say, “Lord, I need a break through here. I need to see an increase in my finances…”  If you walk out to the parking lot and found a $5 bill on the ground, wouldn’t that be an increase your finances? So God answered your prayer!

“Well, brother bob, He knows what I need…” 

YES – He does!  More so than you do…  “What do you mean by that?”

Let’s talk about praying for finances for a minute. This is a unique form of prayer because God is not going to rain money down from Heaven like manna. He has already put “all of the silver, all of the gold” into the earth at creation. They don’t make that stuff anymore. And God isn’t making it anymore either. 

So, for Him to answer your prayer for financial increase, he has to get it from someone who already has it.

When you say, “God I need $1,314 and I need it now” – God knows what you really need.  I know, I’ve had this conversation with God.

I was praying a prayer like that a few years ago when God arrested me in the Spirit and said, “No you don’t.” That shocked me!  I said, “Yes I do” and He replied again, “No you don’t.”  Then He said, “If I give you this money now, next month you will be right back here asking for more.”

And you know what, He was right. Then He showed me in His Word, that living by debt instead of Faith is wrong. It goes against Biblical principles. And with this pandemic, you can see why…

People have been living for the here and now instead of saving. They should have been saving for an emergency fund that experts say should have a minimum of six months expenses and preferably an entire year. Most people do not even have one month of expenses in savings. I was the same way.

But several years ago, as I was praying for a miracle in order to keep the bills paid, that is when God said “No, that’s not what you need. What you need is to do stop borrowing and living on credit and start saving and paying cash.”

When I did, man – life got better. Yes, we went several years without vacations. We went several years saving for an emergency. But, during this pandemic, when everyone was panicking around us, we were secure. That’s just one example.

But the point of what I’m sharing today is not how to live secure financially. My point was to stay single minded and focused on your answer to your prayer request. 

In my example of asking God for increase and you finding $5 on the sidewalk, that was increase. You cannot say God did not answer your...

Scripture of the Day:   

Luke 17:20

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those that will believe in me through their message.”

God’s Word is the ONLY Truth

Yesterday, we talked about praising God in the face of negative talk about you being to sick to get better. We discussed that, if you truly believed God’s Word, you would rejoice! Because either God is the only one who will get your praise when you are healed HERE – or He will be the only one to get your praise when you are in His Presence THERE. Praise God…

I have had my times of what could be called “miraculous healing” myself. I’ve had them happen for several people that I have prayed for. I’ve witnessed numerous others as other men and women of God have prayed for people. This is real, folks. Those naysayers that refuse to acknowledge that Jesus is the Great Physician are only doing so because they do not have the Faith to believe.

I’ve received healing myself, from colds to severe injuries. I remember several years back I was participating in officiating football games. I still do today, but this was several years ago and I was new to the experience.

Anyway, I made a mistake in my positioning and ended up getting taken out by a several 200 plus pound football players making a tackle. I got back up, I stayed on the field and finished the game, but I was hurt and I knew it.

I prayed – and got through the game.

When I finally drove home, I could barely walk. My left leg was hurt and hurt bad. I knew it.

The next day was even worse. Thank God I had a week until my next scheduled game.

I prayed and stood in Faith. Literally – stood – in faith. 

The next weekend, I went back out. I was hobbling, but able to function. I could not run as fast as I had, but I was able to do my job and get through the game. Then the next and the next, etc.

A about two years ago, I was having problems with my right knee.  This was from an on the job injury I suffered many, many years ago as a police officer. And my doctor decided to get an x-ray. They took an x-ray of both legs. When I returned to the doctor for the results, he asked me, “When did you break your leg?”

“Excuse me? I’ve never broken my leg,” I replied.

“Yes you did. It was a pretty good break, too. But it was reset and has calcified over. The reason I asked is because you did not put that down as a prior injury.”

I told the doctor, I do not know when that could’ve happened. He said that, from the x-ray, it had been about three years or so from what he could tell.

But, as I was thinking about it, the ONLY time that could’ve been the case is with that football game. That is the only time something like that would’ve happened.

I did not go to the doctor. I PRAYED.

I did not go the ER. I went to God’s Word. I knew what the Word said about healing.

Was it instantaneous? As far as I was concerned, No. I mean it took me several weeks, maybe even a couple of months to run and everything like before. But was it instantaneous? According to the doctor, it must’ve been. He said it had been reset! Amen!

I prayed, Jesus answered – and I went about doing my normal business and activities. It was not until several years later that I found out what actually happened to me that night. Praise God.

That is just one example. I knew “something” was wrong – and prayed for healing. I knew I had been healed – I just did not know to what extent until this doctor asked me “when I had broken my leg?”  Praise God.

But that is what I’m talking about. I believed God’s Word. I believed God’s Word was TRUE and I stood, literally, on God’s Word. And I received