Tag Archives: admire

Prayers that Please God

Posted on June 13, 2016 by expressyourself4him

If you admire, are fond of someone or respect them, a common response is to please these people.  Teenagers tend to court the opposite sex, trying to curry favor or earn another date.  Students will stick up for or go the extra mile for their favorite coach or teacher.  If this is true, why can’t adults begin to study prayers which please God.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 1 Timothy 2:3.

According to the apostle Paul, one such prayer involves leaders and those in authority.  Beyond lifting specific names up to the Lord, content should include godliness. holiness and peace.  However, once you leave this outline, its important to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.  Usually, I find myself drawn to passages in the Bible.  As individuals begin to claim God’s promises, power is unleashed and on occasion prayers are answered instantaneously.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit, Galatians 5:25.

For those who need an aid to prayer, several acronyms exist.  PRAY stands for petition, requests, adoration and yourself.  ACTS refers to asking, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.  Whatever you choose, try to find a quiet place, void of distractions.  From here, open your heart, be honest to God and lean on God’s grace and mercy.  As you develop a daily routine, may you begin to verbalize prayers that please God.

by Jay Mankus

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Don’t Take It Personally

Posted on October 13, 2013 by expressyourself4him

verbal abuse photo: EMPLOYEE ABUSE employment-verbal-abuse.jpg

In an ideal setting, everyone would love to be admired, cherished and highly valued.  However, in a fallen world, with individuals daily carrying around dirty laundry and excess baggage, receiving a desired response is unlikely.  Therefore, if an act of kindness, gentle reply or word of encouragement goes unnoticed, don’t take it personally.  According to Exodus 7:3, sometimes God will harden a person’s heart, preventing individuals from being civil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGt5f70K02Q

When Jesus first sent off his disciples in Matthew 10, taking off their preverbal training wheels, he tries to prepare these 12 men for what to expect in life.  Beginning in Matthew 10:17-23, you could probably hear a pin drop, likely caught off guard by the hatred Jesus predicted.  Maybe this is where Judas Iscariot began to get cold feet, thinking to himself, “I didn’t sign up for this!”  I guess you can assume Jesus is trying to separate the followers from leaders, using a similar strong message in Luke 14:25-27 to narrow down his core group.

Unfortunately, the old saying of “sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me” is a lie.  When I taught, I could have a dozen compliments from faculty and students, yet that one negative email from a parent is what I thought about, erasing all the good I received earlier in the day.  Criticism, harsh comments and tasteless remarks can get under your skin, leaving a heart torn in two.  When words feel like knife wounds, verbally poisoning your soul, take your burden to the Lord, Matthew 11:28.  May the words of Psalm 34:18-19 help you not to take future replies personally.

by Jay Mankus

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