Prayer Series (Part II) - How To Pray

According to the Bible, we are to pray without ceasing.

But what exactly does that mean?

How, in the busyness of our daily lives, are we supposed to be in prayer nonstop, all day, every day?

Clearly, this is not possible, you might say.

Oh, but it is!

It simply requires a change in your thinking.

It requires you to think about prayer in a new and different way.

See, prayer isn't about closing your eyes and bowing your head.

It's about connecting with God.

So, I can be typing at my computer and be connected to God.

I can be on the phone and be connected to God.

I can even be in a midst of an important business meeting and be connected to God.

It's all about what's happening on the inside of you, not what you're physically doing at any moment in time.

Make it a point to pray without ceasing today.

God bless,
J.W.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer Series (Part I) - Where To Pray

This is the first installment of a five-part series on prayer.

Enjoy!

J.W.

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Like a Southwest Airlines commercial, there were times in Jesus' ministry where He just wanted to get away.

Each time, He would use this opportunity to talk alone with God.

In essence, what He was doing was praying - simply talking to God.

And in doing so, He was being renewed, refreshed, and rejuvenated for the long road ahead.

We, on the other hand, are so busy that we forget to take time to convene alone with God.

We occupy our schedules with so much activity that we push quality time with God right out of the way.

But shouldn't we follow Jesus' example?

For who had more to do on his agenda than Him?

Who was busier than Jesus?

If He took time to get away and pray, don't you think we ought to do the same?

God bless,

J.W.

"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there." ~ Matthew 14:22-23

Servanthood Series - Part V - Jesus Humble

Despite being God himself, Jesus submitted himself to the will of His Father.

As such, we should do likewise, knowing that submission to the proper authority is not a sign of weakness, but one of strength.

God bless,
J.W.

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” ~ Matthew 26:39

Servanthood Series - Part IV - Jesus The Foot Washer

Right before the Last Supper – before He would be betrayed, beaten, and crucified – Jesus took the time to wash His disciples’ feet. Not because they were dirty, but rather he sought to teach them a lesson.

Later, He said, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.”

If Jesus took the time to serve his followers during one of the most difficulty episodes in His life, what could we do for those who are near and dear to us?

God bless,
J.W.

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father… [Jesus] rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded… So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” ~ John 13:1-16

Servanthood Series - Part III - The Spotlight

God is not looking for people who just want the spotlight.

He’s looking for people He can trust to be faithful to Him, even when there’s no spotlight.

So which are you?

Do you do what you do out of allegiance to God or because of the fame and glory you will receive?

If it’s the latter, your fame, glory, and honor will be short-lived.

God bless,
J.W.

“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” ~ Matthew 23:12

Servanthood Series - Part II - Who's The Boss?

In order to lead, you first have to be able to learn how to follow.

There are certain things that God wants to teach you as you serve another.

So, while you may not like your boss, while you may think he or she is underqualified or incompetent, God has placed you under that person for a reason.

Accept it and figure out what God is trying to teach you.

It may just be that God is teaching you what not to do when he places you in a position of leadership.

God bless,
J.W.

"Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things." ~ Matthew 25:23

Servanthood Series - Part I

This is the beginning of a five-part series I am doing on servanthood.

Enjoy!

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Do you want to be great?

Do you want to be powerful?

Do you want to lead many?

If so, here’s the sure-fire way to get there.

Be a servant.

Learn how to serve others.

It’s the sure-fire way of becoming great in this world and in the Kingdom of God.

But here’s the catch: servanthood requires humility. It requires esteeming others above yourself.

Are you prepared to humble yourself today?

God bless,
J.W.

“Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” ~ Mark 10:43-45

New Beginning

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

Spring is the season of new beginnings.

So, as the trees green and the flowers bloom, do likewise.

Take advantage of this opportunity to seize the day.

Start someting new.

Decide that you are going to change your life for the better.

Engage in a new hobby.

Something, anything, as long as it gets you on the path to a new life and new beginnings.

Do it today and watch as God takes your life to levels you've never seen before.

God bless,

J.W.

Love Series - Part 5: Sacrificial Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” ~ John 3:16

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~ Romans 5:8


If we were to truly follow Christ’s example, we would notice what love truly is.

At the end of the day, love is both sacrificial and committal.

You must be willing to give something of yourself to another, no matter what you might get in return.

Otherwise, what you’re showing is not true love, but self-interested love, which really isn’t love at all.

What are you willing to sacrifice for love today?

God bless,
J.W.

Love Series - Part 4

“Then one of the scribes came, and… asked Him, ‘Which is the first commandment of all?’ Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is… you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ~ Mark 12:28-31

Out of everything that Jesus could have commanded us to do, the first commandment He gave to His disciples, and hence to us, was to love.

To first love your God with all your heart, soul, and strength; and second, to love your neighbor as yourself.

That alone gives us an indication of how important love is to God.

God bless,
J.W.

Sneak Attack

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’" ~ Matthew 4:1-3

When did Satan tempt Jesus?

When He was about to enter a new season in His life and ministry.

When God blesses and elevates you, expect attack.

It’s Satan’s M.O.

God bless,
J.W.


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

Love Series - Part 3

“[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails… And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:7-8, 13

Faith and hope are pretty powerful forces.

They were two of the driving forces behind elected the most powerful person in the world last November.

According to the bible, faith the size of a mustard seed has the power to move mountains.

But the greatest force in the world, according to the Bible, is love.

It can drive out demons.

It can save souls.

It can restore lives.

God bless,
J.W.

Love Series - Part 2

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” ~ Matthew 5:43-44

If God wants us to love and pray for our enemies, what then should we do for our friends and family?

God bless,
J.W.

Love Series - Part 1

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” ~ Colossians 3:12-14

How do we put off sin and clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience?

We walk in love.

It’s the cure for all things.

God bless,
J.W.

Reap What You Sow

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." ~ Galatians 6:7

Most of the time, when people quote this scripture, they usually refer to major events in one's life. If we do something to wrong our brother, then we will be wronged in some way. If we use, abuse, and manipulate others, then we will be used, abused, and manipulated in return.

But in God's view, the principle of reaping what you sow applies in all cases - big or little, large or small, major or minor.

Thus, it is important to be careful of what you do in all situations. Everything's connected and what you might consider to be a little thing or a small misstep may just prove to be a hindrance to you receiving the blessing that God has for you.

So, as you go throughout life, remember that everything is connected.

How you act in one situation has an effect on the outcome of another.

God bless,

J.W.

Hide and Seek

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." ~ Hebrews 11:6

This scripture tells us that God wants to reward us.

However, there is a condition.

In order to receive His reward, we must diligently seek Him.

That means we must be in pursuit of His ways.

We must hunt for Him.

We must actively search for Him.

But the key word in this passage is not "reward" or "seek."

It's "DILIGENTLY."

Many of us who say that we love God only seek after Him when we need Him or when it's convenient for us.

But to diligently seek for someone means to search tirelessly in all possible places for him, until you find him.

It's not that God is hidden from us, so that we must seek Him out to have a relationship with Him.

Rather, it's that He wants to know we have a heart for Him.

So, do you?

How can He tell?

The best way to show your heart is to diligently seek after His advice and counsel.

God bless,

James

Waiting

"Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." ~ Psalm 37:4-5

June of this year will mark the second anniversary of the beginning of Journal Your Journey.

Throughout my time writing these messages, many have written to me to express how much JYJ has been a blessing to them.

While I’m definitely appreciative and grateful that my messages have served to touch so many, if I am being honest, for the past two years, I have written my messages with only one person in mind – myself.

Not in any sort of selfish way.

No, rather, I’ve used this journal to preach to myself, to help me get through some tough times, to help me stay sane, and to give me strength and inspire me as I went through the travails of life.

You see, sometimes you just have to preach to yourself. When no one else is around, when no one else understands, you’ve got to feed your own soul. And that’s what this blog has been to me. Every message is a message that God has told me, for my situation specifically.

But here’s the amazing part.

The fact that it has touched so many other people’s lives is a testament to how awesome God is. He can take just a few words and have them apply to so many situations. He’s truly amazing!

For the past few months, I have been fasting and praying about something in particular in my life.

You see, God showed me what the end result would be, but many times, the circumstances I found myself in didn’t match up to what He told me.

As a result, all those messages about talking to God as a friend and trusting Him no matter what was for me as I was going through my situation.

Well, yesterday, after months of praying and waiting, it finally came to pass.

What God showed me finally happened.

And while it didn’t happen when I wanted it to and in the timeframe that I set, it happened!

More importantly, it happened when it was supposed to happen.

I tell you this, not to brag or boast, but to encourage you.

If there’s something in your life that you’ve been waiting for, be encouraged.

If God said it would happen, it will happen.

But it will only happen in His time, when He deems it right.

You see, while you wait, there are some things He’s working out in you.

More importantly, there are some things He wants to see in you.

Yes, God is watching you to see how you react.

Everything is connected, so make sure your response to your circumstance is in line with how God would want you to respond. Otherwise, you will delay your promise.

God only gives to people who are ready to receive.

So prepare yourself to receive today.

God bless,
J.W.

Change We Can Believe In

Throughout the course of human existence, we have developed so many methods to make changes in our lives.

For instance, we go on diets to change our body weight.

We go to school to get better jobs.

We read self-help books to live better lives.

We make new year’s resolutions to achieve new goals.

We budget our money to change our finances.

We vote for Presidents to change our country's direction.

We even go back to church to change our spiritual lives.

But do you know the best way to make change happen in your life?

Matthew 6:33 – Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you.

Start with God and the rest will follow.

God bless,
J.W.

Stand Up

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..." ~ Psalm 107:2

You were born to be a leader.

You may not be in business.

You may not have fame and fortune, riches and glory.

But God has called you to be a leader.

To be the head and not the tail.

Above and not beneath.

Stand up and accept your role as one of God's leaders today.

God bless,

J.W.

Free Gift (Part II): Heart of the Matter

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’” ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

The other day, my mom asked me a question.

If a saved person commits suicide, is that person still saved?

We can give all types of reasons why that person may not be saved, but in the end, none of it matters.

All that matters is what’s in his or her heart.

According to the Bible, if that person believed in his or her heart and confessed with his or her mouth that Jesus is Lord, that person is saved.

We may try to impose other criteria for his salvation, but none of it counts.

For we are not his judge.

And we did not die to save his sins.

God bless,
J.W.

Free Gift

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” ~ Romans 10:9-10

A lot of times, we make salvation hard.

We convince people that if they do this, this, and this, they will be saved.

Likewise, if they do that, that, and that, they will not.

But salvation isn’t a reward you earn.

It’s a gift you accept.

Accept this gift today and you can live eternally.

God bless,
J.W.