Connecting with God Part 3 - Intercession

Learning to pray for others marks an important step in your spiritual journey. God loves interceders-those who intervene on behalf of others. There are many scriptures that speak of interceding, but the one that caught my attention is Ezekiel 22:30 - "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

Ezekiel lived in a dark day historically speaking. The people of God had rebelled and turned from the Lord. The result was judgement at the hands of Israel's enemies. But God did not give up hope, nor did he utterly abandon his people. Instead, he looked for someone who would "stand in the gap."

Learning to pray for others is learning to stand in the gap on behalf of your family, your church, or your community. You haven't really prayed until you have learned to pray for others.

See you Sunday as we continue our "Connecting with God" series on prayer. Tom Ragsdell

January 11- Micah 6:8

Micah 6:8 has become one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Micah makes it so clear -- God wants us to act justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. Have a great day!

Connecting with God Part 2 - Stepping in and Stepping up

Connecting with God through prayer is mostly about building a relationship with God as we meet with God, talk with God, and walk with God. Building a relationship with God is the centerpiece of Christianity. It's why Jesus came; it's the purpose of your existence--to connect with God.

Connecting with God is also about stepping in and stepping up. Prayer is an opportunity to step in. God is all-powerful, and all-knowing, right?!! That means he could do it all by himself. He doesn't really need us to accomplish His will or His plans. But God's economy includes us--you and me! Everywhere in scripture we are encouraged to pray. Your prays matter to God! God has chosen to accomplish His will through us. Prayer is stepping into the battle of your life and God's will.

When we step into the fray, it's our time to step up. Stepping out of the battle never helps you grow. I'm sure you watched the football game last night between Texas and Alabama. I bet Gilbert never imagined he would be playing in the national title game for Texas. But McCoy was hurt and he was asked to step in. When he stepped into battle, it was time to step up. In what are of your life is God asking you to "step in". You can do it through prayer.

This Sunday we are going to be looking at Prayer as a spiritual battle. Paul instructs believers in Ephesians 6, to "put on the full armor of God". One of the ways we can connect with God is by stepping into the spiritual battle of our lives. If we will step in, God will help us to step up so that we can experience the joy of victory.

Join us Sunday as we focus on prayer as a spiritual battle. Pastor Tom

January 4 - Psalm 110 / 118

The Lord is good! Rejoice and give him thanks. Thank God for your life, your family, and your church family.

January 3 - Matthew 22:37

Christianity is simple, but not easy. Ask God for help in loving him with all your heart. If you can love God with all your heart, you will be able to love your neighbor also.

Connecting with God

I'm looking forward to our new series entitled, "Connecting With God." January is a month of beginnings. The etymology of the word January is tied to the Roman god, Janus, the god of the doorway. January is the doorway to the new year. As we walk through the door into the new year, let's make "connecting with God" our number one priority.

Prayer is many things, but most importantly it is an opportunity to build a relationship with God. To help you make prayer a priority, we have put together a 31 Days of Prayer calendar. I'll be blogging on a Bible verse for each day, so stay tuned.

Happy New Year. Pastor Tom

Connecting with God

Just got the rough draft icon for our January series on prayer. It's entitled, "Connecting with God". It's a five part series on the importance of prayer. Just wanted to get the word out and ask you to spread the word.

More later on prayer. . . . Tom