A Daily Study of God's Word for Christian Sportsmen   September 12, 2011


Today's Photograph . . . . God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ.  Lord, it's Your Turn . . . . . (MQ)  

Bible Study Verses
II Peter 1:1-4

I, Simon Peter, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am His apostle. I am sending this letter to you who have received a faith as valuable as ours. You received it because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right and fair for everyone. May more and more grace and peace be given to you. May they come to you as you learn more about God and about Jesus our Lord. Be Sure That God Has Chosen You. God's power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of that has come to us because we know the One who chose us. He chose us because of His own glory and goodness. He has also given us His very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in His nature. He also did it so you could escape from the evil in the world. That evil is caused by sinful longings. (NIV)

Ephesians 1:3
Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Those blessings come from the heavenly world. They belong to us because we belong to Christ. (NIV)

Thoughts
Wow! I have been really humbled and blessed!!! My prayers have been turned inside out since I've been studying the Bible on prayer and His promises and listening to Louie Giglio on his Prayer: Remix messages. Remember these prayer statements that we all use which I have chosen not to utter again:

*     Dear God, thank you for today.
*     Bless us, bless me, or bless this endeavor.
*     Watch over and protect us or me.

I now pray, "God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ please direct me on how to bless you and bless those that You're bringing to me today. Lord, it's your turn . . ." There's a lot less talking and a whole lot of listening on my part. Distraction has been eliminated after praying that statement with all my heart and my soul!!! Don't want to miss a second in His presence!!!
(Jo Q)
 
Action Point
By having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we have everything we need to live life for Christ. We don't have to pray "bless me" cause you and I are blessed as joint heirs in Christ; reread the above verses. God is going to bless you and me as we serve Him and we are currently blessed in whatever circumstance we are in! We have been given the Holy Spirit to pray for us and teach us. The above scripture reminds us we have been given everything we need to live our lives for Him. Excuses don't hold after those verses! Not even yours!!!
 
What would each of our lives evolve into when we suddenly realize we have been given everything we need through Jesus to accomplish what He desires in life for each of us! In other words, no more excuses for intentional sinning since we have been given everything we need to live godly lives, no limits, no regrets!  Just as you, I've had to search His word for the treasures that became mine when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and my Creator. But, I missed a lot. I don't want anything to keep me distant from Him! Absolutely nothing, including my "me" centered prayers!!!

Ok, even through the hard tough times? Yep, God knew you or I would have disease, pain, heartache, divorce or something coming our way . . . He wasn't surprised or wringing His hands. The above scripture says we have what we need through Jesus!!! So . . . when prayer changes from "you" and "me" to "Him and what He wants to do through you and I" - we won't need to tell others about Him - they will be searching us out and waiting at our cars to find out "Who is this Jesus and how do I get what you have?"

The revival we've all been waiting for has been waiting for each of us to open our eyes, our hearts, our souls, and access what we've already been given through Jesus. We need to open our eyes,  see, and worship Jesus, the Creator of the universe, in prayer!!!

Our abundance is found in Jesus for this life right now!!! He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing from His Heaven!!! We got what we need direct from Heaven!!!

 Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
I encourage you to get Louie Giglio's Prayer:Remix DVD or if you live in Georgia check out Passion City Church. Your prayers and your prayer time will become even more exciting and a lot more productive.