Tag: prayers

Every Breath You Take

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

It is easy to take God for granted. We are very busy with work, errands, parenting, caregiving, petsitting, yard work, family events, scrolling social media, helping friends and on and on. “For the life of every living thing is in His hand, and the breath of every human being.” One simple way to focus on Him and just how involved He is in our lives is to take 30 seconds of deep breaths.

Every breath you take is from God. You can speak or sing or sigh only because God allows you to have air to breathe into your lungs. He allows your lungs to inflate to hold air and to deflate as the air flows out of your body. Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

It is the same with your heart beating. Every single time your heart beats to send blood throughout your body, it is because God makes it beat. He allows your heart to beat and your lungs to hold air. Every breath you take belongs to God. Job 27:3, “As long as I live, while I have breath from God,4 my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies.” May that be true for all us still breathing.

Since God allows us to breathe in His air so we can speak, shouldn’t we be very cautious about what we say with God’s air? May we sing to the Lord as long as we live and praise God to our last breath! (Psalms 104:33). May we pray as long as we have breath! (Psalms 116:2). We were created to bring Him glory – in words and deeds. If we do not praise Him, He will make the rocks cry out and give them the breath intended for us. (Luke 19:40).

We were created to tell others about Jesus. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19). Our purpose in life is to show a lost and hurting world that there is a Savior, a God Who loves them. A God Who took the breath away from His own Son so we may be saved. “Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.” Luke 23:46.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, we thank You that You love us. Please help us to use each breath that you give us to bring You glory. Thank You for the Spirit of God Who has made us, and the breath of the Almighty that gives us life. Thank You for Jesus, breath and our heartbeats. Thank You for blessing us and please use us to bless others. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

Drop Your Fishing Net

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

There are several places in the Bible that Jesus speaks about fishing nets. I want to focus on two specific times. The first occurred before Jesus called His disciples and the second instance was after He was resurrected.

The first set of verses are found in Luke 5:4, which says,  “When he (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.”

Notice how Jesus told them to drop their nets, more than one net. He could have said just drop one net. At this point, Simon (who is later called Peter) and the other fishermen, had no idea they were interacting with the Son of God. But Peter begins to understand there is something special about this Man. In verse 8 of the same chapter in Luke we read, “When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.”

The second set of verses I want to focus on where Jesus talks about casting nets starts in John 21:3. “So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. 6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.”

At this point, Jesus has been crucified. He has risen and is visiting believers before He returns to heaven. In Luke 5:4, Jesus told Simon Peter to let down his “nets”. Yet after Jesus is resurrected, He tells Peter to let down just one “net”. After Jesus was resurrected, the disciples had spent a lot of time with Him, they knew Who Jesus was and what He was capable of. There was no need for multiple nets to build up their confidence and trust in Jesus as when they first met Him. They had seen Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead and be raised from the grave Himself. Once Jesus was resurrected, they already knew Who He was, so only one net was needed.

Where is God calling you to trust Him? Where is He calling you to step out in faith and to drop your net? Trust Him. Even if you have been working tirelessly to no avail like Peter, if He calls you to cast your net, what have you got to lose? Drop your net and watch the Lord’s provision flow.

Father in heaven, thank You for Your Son. We love You and worship You for Your mercies, blessings, forgiveness and patience with us. Thank You for loving us even when we can be so unlovable. Help us to show You to others. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

The Lord’s Prayer – Line by Line Part 11

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In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Credit: JC

Wait just a minute, there is no line 11 in the Lord’s prayer. That is true. In the Scriptures, there are no further lines than what is above. Yet over the years as churches have prayed the Lord’s Prayer, they add to the end of it: “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen. ” These lines are not in the Bible. So why were they added and where did they come from?

This portion of the prayer is called a doxology, a short statement of praise often added to the end of psalms and hymns. There is a similar practice in the Jewish faith, where certain words are used to end a portion of the worship service. Some opinions are that it was added to the prayer to remind the person praying of God’s glory and eternal authority. Other opinions are that it was added because some people believed that the prayer should not end focused on the evil one, as it does.

I tend to think that Jesus did not need us to add anything to the prayer, He is after all perfect. But, it is a good reminder to us as we pray the Lord’s prayer to acknowledge His glory and eternal nature and power. To remind ourselves that His is the kingdom, not ours or anyone else’s. . . it is all His forever and ever, amen.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for Your love and death on the cross. Help us to focus on Your glory and advancing Your kingdom. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

The Lord’s Prayer – Line by Line Part 10

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Credit: JC

The tenth and last line of the Lord’s prayer is, “but deliver us from evil.” There is evil all around us, every day. Sometimes evil is easy to identify, sometimes is it more subtle. There are believers who do not pay attention to the fact that we have an enemy and he has an army. The sole goal of that army is to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Once you profess your belief in Jesus as the Son of God, it does not mean that the enemy will be less active in your life or leave you alone altogether. It is the opposite many times.

If you are working for the Lord serving others by giving or praying, the enemy does not want you to advance the Kingdom of God. He hates God and wants to stop you from joining in the work of Jesus. The enemy does not have to try to hurt those people who do not believe in Jesus, the enemy already owns them. They are his to destroy and use however. That is why believers must fight for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior. We must go to war for their souls or they may die before they know Jesus. We are not promised tomorrow or even the next hour. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “. . .now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day of salvation.”

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for taking constant care of us and protecting us from evil. Help us to reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

The Lord’s Prayer – Line by Line Part 9

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Credit: JC

The ninth line, “And lead us not into temptation,” sounds confusing. Why would God lead us into temptation? James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” So if God does not tempt us, why would He lead us into temptation?

If we read on in James 1:14, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” This verse means that we can place ourselves in situations where we are tempted, but I do not think this fully addresses what the line in the Lord’s prayer means.

When I cannot understand something or I want to go deeper with the Scriptures, I return to the original language of the Scriptures. The original word is “peirasmos”. This word means to make trial of or a putting to the test. In the context of the Lord’s prayer, the purpose of the temptation is to test us, to see if we will rely on God and His Word. To see if we will believe His promises even when we do not feel it or cannot see Him at work. The purpose of the test is for us to rely on His strength, not ours and ultimately increase our faith.

When God tests us, He is not trying to make us fail, but instead refine us and make us stronger. God is not tempting us, but He does allow us to be tempted. When we put ourselves in situations where we are tempted, God may allow the temptation to occur. 1 Corinthians 13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” We must pay attention to this last part of the verse, there is always a way of escape when we face temptation. Always. If you are being tempted and do not see a way of escape, pray and ask God to show you.

When the devil tempts us, he is trying to make us fail, his purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. When God allows us to be tempted, He is giving our faith the chance to grow and for us to learn tactics in spiritual warfare to resist the enemy. As long as there is breath in our lungs, the enemy will not leave us alone. So the sooner we learn how to resist the enemy, overcome temptation and know to look for the way of escape and use it, the better off we will be.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for always providing us a way to escape temptation. We know that as long as we are on this earth, the enemy will continue to try to tempt us. Thank You for not leaving us and never forsaking us, even during times of temptation. Thank You for Your Son. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

The Lord’s Prayer – Line by Line Part 8

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Credit: JC

The eighth line is “as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This is a very deep part of the Lord’s prayer that should not be prayed lightly. In the prior line we are asking for God to forgive us of our sins and then we pray this – as we have forgiven our debtors. Notice that the sentence here is past tense, we are to forgive those that have sinned against us before we ask God for forgiveness. The reason for that is unforgiveness is a sin. So if we have not forgiven our debtors, those who have sinned against us, we are asking God for forgiveness while still sinning. Matthew 6:14 -15 says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Please do not miss this.

Why does forgiving others matter to God? He loves them just as He loves you. He died for them, just as He died for you. His precious Son, Jesus, shed His blood for them, just as He did for you. If they believe in Jesus, their sins are washed away, it is the same for you. It matters to God that you forgive others because He forgave you.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for the promise we have of Your forgiveness if we confess our sins. Help us to forgive those who have sinned agsinst us. Give us the strength to see them as sinful, broken people in need of love and forgiveness as You see them. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

The Lord’s Prayer – Line by Line Part 7

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Credit: JC

The seventh line, “and forgive us our debts,,” is our confession to the Lord that we are sinners and our debts (or sins) are many. God promises to forgive us, 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Why does asking God for forgiveness matter? If we believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins, then we are going to heaven. And we are humans, so we are going to keep sinning every day that we are still here on earth. God knows we love Jesus even when we sin, so why do we have to ask for His forgiveness?

There are many verses in the Bible about what happens if confess our sins. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” How do we become righteous so our prayers are powerful and effective? We confess our sins, we ask God for forgiveness and He purifies us from all unrighteousness. We are healed through the process of asking for forgiveness. That means asking God for forgiveness when we sin, because all sin is a direct attack on God. If we sin against someone, we should ask for their forgiveness. In both cases, we will be healed from the burdens of guilt and shame that we carry when we sin because we have obeyed Scriptures.

Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” When we ask for forgiveness, we find healing and mercy and God cleanses us with the precious blood of Jesus so we are made righteous and our prayers are powerful and effective once again. If your prayers feel ineffective, reflect on whether there is unconfessed sin in your life. Reflect on whether you need to ask God and/or someone to forgive you of your debts. Freedom, mercy and forgiveness are waiting.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for the promise we have of Your forgiveness if we confess our sins. Help us to see the places in our lives where we need to ask for forgiveness and where we need strength to turn from sin so our debts do not keep growing. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.