A Blessing To Others

"After Job prayed for his friends the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before." ~ Job 42:10

In the book of Job, we learn that Job received blessings only after "he prayed for his friends."

God wants us to be a blessing to others. Only then will your breakthrough come.

God bless,
Rev. Janis Barnes

Waiting IN The Lord

Waiting IN The Lord
by Rev. Janis Barnes

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope" ~ Psalm 130:5 NIV

Along this Christian journey, God will tell us one of three things: yes, no, or wait.

For many of us, waiting is the hardest thing to do.  We can deal with yes or no, but waiting is beyond our comprehension.  For many of us, we've been praying and praying for years and yet God still says wait. Sometimes, we might get to get discouraged and want to quit.

But don't give up hope!

See, during those times of waiting, God is preparing you for what you have prayed for. Often times, there's a reason behind the waiting.  We either may not be ready for it or it just may not be time yet.

In those times, we must learn how to wait IN the Lord.

Waiting IN the Lord requires being active in serving the Lord! Study His word, work in various ministries, help someone who is less fortunate. You will be so busy in the Lord that the waiting begins to be a blessing! Before you know it, the Lord will reveal and answer your prayer!

Wait IN the Lord!

Thank You

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words." ~ Matthew 6:7

Sometimes, we don't need to say a whole lot when we pray.

A simple "thank you" will often suffice.

God bless,
J.W.

Prayer Series (Part V) - What To Pray For

It doesn’t take a whole lot to pray.

There’s no right way. There’s no wrong way.

It’s all about what’s in your heart.

Jesus’ prayer was very simple.

There weren’t a whole lot of words.

There wasn’t a whole lot of hooping and hollering.

Jesus simply asked for God’s power, protection, and provision to reign over Him.

We should do likewise.

God bless,
J.W.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us for our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” ~ Matthew 6:9-13

Prayer Series (Part IV) – Who To Pray For

Jesus tells us that we ought not just pray for our family and friends, but that we ought to pray for our enemies as well.

“For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same.” (Matthew 5:46)

So, who are you praying for today?

(Are you praying for Osama's salvation?)

God bless,
J.W.

Prayer Series (Part III) - When To Pray

At the pinnacle of Jesus' ministry...

When He was going through his toughest time...

When He was just about to give up...

He prayed.

So, what does that tell us about our response to difficult situations?

Who do you run to when times get tough?

God bless,
J.W.

"Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, 'Sit here while I go and pray over there.' And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.' 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 26:36-39

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

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.