A Blog of Encouragement from our Pastors
The WEekly Word
weekly word – 10/24/24
Asking for the Right Things
I was recently reading a book by Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership and was captivated by a chapter on prayer. As we all know, prayer is an important part of our Christian walk and growing in our relationship with God. We spend a lot of time in prayer as we communicate with God on the many things going on in our lives and in the lives of those we love. Prayer consists of
Praise or Adoration, praising God for who He is.
Confession, admitting to sin and repenting.
Thanksgiving, being grateful for everything God provides, big or small.
Intercession, bringing others and their needs before God.
and Petition or Supplication, asking God to meet our needs.
Philippians 4:6 instructs us to not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. We all do that, but what things do we ask for? What things go beyond our needs and have an impact on others or bring glory to God. Bill points to 10 people in the bible who have lived and demonstrated praiseworthy lives. He began asking God for these same characteristics in his own life. It was more than the idea of making him a better person. It was more about growing in these different areas in his life in order to be more Christ-like and more useful for His service. I will just point to a couple of these examples.
David. What stands out in David's life is his optimism. His faith caused him to take on huge challenges knowing that God was with him. He didn't let Goliath intimidate him, and he definitely wasn't going to let Goliath mock God or his people. A king seeking to take his life was not going to paralyze him and when given opportunities to defeat him, he chose to honor God's chosen king. Even in his lowest point, when he sinned with Bathsheba and eventually had her husband killed, he still displayed some optimism. God struck his firstborn son with an illness and told him that He was going to take his son's life. David fell on his face and fasted for six days. David explained in 2 Samuel 12:22 that God might be gracious to him and spare his son's life. God took his son's life but David didn't lose his faith or optimism. He still pursued a life that brought glory and honor to God and was characterized as a man after God's own heart. We should ask the same for ourselves when we face huge obstacles and challenges. We should not lose hope when our world seems to collapse right in front of us. Depend on and seek God's grace.
Joseph, son of Jacob. What we see in Joseph's life was his integrity and desire for personal holiness, always seeking to do right before God and man. God put Joseph in unique positions and raised him to great power. Even in these great positions, he chose to remain holy. He avoided financial impropriety, political scandal, and even sexual scandal. He stayed the course even to the very end. Even though he was wronged, he never sought retribution or revenge. He recognized and stated, "What everyone around him did for evil, God caused for good." Joseph completely surrendered his heart and life to God. We should have this same desire to always do the right thing, even when no one is watching. The reward is always great. Even when Joseph was second in power only to Pharaoh, he kept himself accountable to God. We need to have that same attitude. We also need to have someone in our life to hold us accountable for our actions.
What other godly characteristics do we see in others around us? As we bring our petitions before God, we should be asking for these same characteristics to develop in our own lives. It's not something that comes automatically and must come through the Holy Spirit. We need to actively ask for and pursue these things.
Pastor Bryan
PREVIOUS ARTICLES
10/17/24 – Zechariah 13:1-6 – Bryan
10/10/24 – A Story of change through the power of Christ – Ed
10/03/24 – Zechariah 12:10-14 – David
9/26/24 – Give Thanks and Praise – Bryan
9/19/24 – From Remorse to Restoration – A Pathway to Redemption – Ed
9/12/24 – Zechariah 12:1-9 – David
9/05/24 – Why Do We Pray? – Bryan
8/22/24 – Zechariah 11 – David
8/15/24 – Planned and Necessary Delays – Bryan
8/08/24 – Lord, this is more than I can handle! – Ed
8/01/24 – Zechariah 10:7-12 – David
7/25/24 – Who are the Ministers? – Bryan
7/18/24 – The Glory of Accountability – Ed
7/11/24 – Zechariah 10:1-6 – David
7/04/24 – Eternal Independence – Bryan
6/27/24 – What a Father we have! – Ed
6/13/24 – Everything Seasoned with Love – Bryan
5/30/24 – Zechariah 9:9-10 – David
5/23/24 – Why I Love Westhill Church – Bryan
5/16/24 – WALK in the World – Ed
5/02/24 – Zechariah 9:1-7 – David
4/11/24 – How Do You Measure Faith? – Bryan
4/04/24 – Where is "my" God? – Ed
3/21/24 – Speaking Through Your Ears and Heart – Bryan
3/14/24 – Consternation in the Congregation – Ed
3/07/24 – Zechariah and The Branch – David
2/29/24 – Who Do You Say Jesus Is? – Bryan
2/22/24 – Love is........... – Ed
2/15/24 – Zechariah's Eighth and Final Vision – David
2/08/24 – It's-All-Good! – Bryan
2/01/24 – Becoming a Roman's 12 Christian – Ed
1/25/24 – Zechariah's Seventh Vision – David
1/18/24 – Temple Cleansing – Bryan
1/11/24 – The Devil made me do it – Ed
1/04/24 – Zechariah's Sixth Vision – David
12/28/23 – Many Facets to Forgiveness – Bryan
12/21/23 – Jesus, Others, You – Ed
12/14/23 – Zechariah's Fifth Vision – David
12/07/23 – We Are Royalty! Believe It and Live It. – Bryan
11/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
11/23/23 – Zechariah's Fourth Vision – David
11/16/23 – Victory Through Prayer – Bryan
11/09/23 – Do you see God's hand in the things around you? – Ed
11/02/23 – Zechariah's Third Vision – David
10/26/23 – What's My Purpose – Bryan
10/19/23 – Pride vs. Confidence: The Delicate Balance in Light of
10/12/23 – Zechariah's Second Vision – David
10/05/23 – The Battle Belongs to the Lord – Bryan
9/28/23 – To Forgive or Not to Forgive, That is the Question – Ed
9/21/23 – Zechariah: Unlocking the Future – David
9/14/23 – Battle of the Wills. What Did You Expect? – Bryan
9/07/23 – The Tyranny of the Urgent – Ed
8/31/23 – Holy Quills and Medical Bills – David
8/24/23 – Sow the Seed – Bryan
8/17/23 – R.A.L.E. Part 2 – Ed
8/10/23 – Harmonizing Jesus' Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
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7/20/23 – Chewing – Rethinking Bible Study and Prayer – David
7/13/23 – Be, Know, Do – Bryan
7/06/23 – Anger Management (Part 5) – Ed
6/29/23 – Prophecies Will End – David
6/22/23 – Essential Component – Bryan
6/15/23 – Anger Management (Part 4) – Ed
6/08/23 – A Study Guide for Zechariah – David
6/01/23 – Avoidable Difficulty – Bryan
5/25/23 – Anger Management, Time to Take Action – Ed
5/18/23 – How to Prepare a Lesson on a Bible Passage – David
5/11/23 – Trust in God: Free, with Priceless Results – Bryan
5/04/23 – More on Solving the Anger Issue, (2 of 5) – Ed
4/27/23 – Without Excuse – David
4/20/23 – Is Worry A Sin? – Bryan
4/13/23 – Defining Anger (Part 1) – Ed
4/06/23 – Effective Easter Evangelism – David
3/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
3/23/23 – Should We Fast – David
3/16/23 – 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 – Ed
3/09/23 – Scarlet Threads of Hope – David
3/02/23 – Joseph: An Authentic Leader – Ed
2/23/23 – The Amalekites – David
2/16/23 – Becoming More Like Christ – Bryan
2/09/23 – "Bringing in the Sheep!" – Ed
2/02/23 – Four Mistakes Christians Make – David
1/26/23 – Living for Christ vs. Living with Christ – Bryan
1/19/23 – Bad Things and Good Things – Ed
1/12/23 – The Advancement of the Gospel – David
1/05/23 – Simpler Is Better – Bryan
12/22/22 – No Writer's Block This Time – Ed
12/15/22 – You've Got A Friend – David
12/08/22 – Tell the Story – Bryan
11/24/22 – How to Go Deeper in the Word – David
11/17/22 – The E's of Christian Living – Bryan
11/10/22 – "The Parfait of God" – Ed
11/03/22 – Fearless Obedience – David
10/27/22 – The Allocation & Bestowment of God's Blessings – Bryan
10/20/22 – 2 Chronicles 7:14 – Ed
10/13/22 – Evil Meant For Good – David
10/06/22 – Christ-Like Obedience – Bryan
9/29/22 – The "Be" Attitudes – Ed
9/22/22 – Six Parenting Lessons Learned from Lot's Failure as a
9/15/22 – Grace Greater than our Sin – Bryan
9/08/22 – Philippians 4:13 – Ed
9/01/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 2: A Silver Lining For Edomites – David
8/25/22 – Jesus Is All I Want and All I Need – Bryan
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8/11/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 1: The Danger of Holding a Grudge –
8/04/22 – Pros and Cons of Technology – Bryan
7/28/22 – What Could Make Christianity Attractive to the World –
7/21/22 – The Curse that Became a Blessing – David
7/14/22 – No Loitering – Bryan
7/07/22 – The 23rd Psalm: – Ed
6/30/22 – Share Christ This Summer For $5 – David
6/23/22 – Serving with SOUL – Bryan
6/16/22 – Have you walked in their shoes? – Ed
6/09/22 – Habakkuk, Babylon, and the American Christian – David
6/02/22 – The Gospel That Leads to Salvation: Simple & Free, Yet
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5/05/22 – A Romans 12 Christian | Part 2 – Ed
4/28/22 – Biblical Church Membership – David
4/21/22 – What Does Love mean? – Bryan
4/14/21 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 5/5 - David
3/31/22 – Keep Sin from Harboring in our Hearts – Bryan
3/24/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 4/5 – David
3/17/22 – Punishment or Training? – Ed
3/10/22 – Maintain the Unity in the Body – Bryan
3/03/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan’s Attack | Part 3/5 – David
2/24/22 – Are You a Good Listener? – Ed
2/17/22 – Biblical Love – Bryan
2/10/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 2/5 – David
2/03/22 – Is It Really Alright? – Ed
1/27/22 – The Faithfulness of Joseph – Bryan
1/20/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 1/5 – David
1/06/22 – What Are We To Do? – Bryan
12/30/21 – A Biblical View of the Conscience – David
12/23/21 – "Tis the Season" – Ed
12/16/21 – Every Little Detail – Bryan
12/09/21 – The Gospel and Christmas – David
12/02/21 – God is good, all the time! – Ed
11/25/21 – Thankful for Everything! – Bryan
11/18/21 – How I Began to Take Solid Food – David
11/11/21 – Does God Talk to Us Today? – Ed
11/04/21 – What Happened...and What Will Happen? – Bryan
10/28/21 – Pray to Share Your Faith – David
10/21/21 – The Way We Preach – David
10/14/21 – Justification and Sanctification – Bryan
10/07/21 – The Fix for Spiritual Laziness – David
9/30/21 – Falling Away is Falling Away from Jesus – David
9/23/21 – Beyond Sovereign - Bryan
9/16/21 – Why We Need Hebrews – David
9/09/21 – Glory and Honor – David
9/02/21 – Consider the Source. Compare to THE SOURCE – Bryan
8/19/21 – Pray for the Afghan Christians – David
8/12/21 – Now is the Time! – Bryan
8/05/21 – For Three Crimes, Even Four – David
7/29/21 – So What Are Husbands Supposed To Do? – David
7/22/21 – From Foes to Fellow Saints - Bryan
7/15/21 – Sharing the Gospel with an Atheist Israeli Jew – David
7/08/21 – When You're Afraid of Sharing the Gospel – David
7/01/21 – Farewell Dear Friends - Bryan
6/24/21 – Examples to the Flock – David
6/17/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 3 – David
6/10/21 – It Is Well with My Soul – Bryan
6/03/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 2 – David
5/27/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 1 – David
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5/06/21 – Biblical Joy 101 – David
4/29/21 – Perspective & Attitude – Michael
4/22/21 – Jesus' Most Offensive Teaching – David
4/15/21 – The In-Between Times – David
4/08/21 – Spiritual Readiness – Bryan
4/01/21 – When in Doubt, Read the Directions – Michael
3/25/21 – Four Major OT Archeological Findings – David
3/18/21 – God's Timing and Faithfulness – Bryan
3/11/21 – The Pepsi Challenge between You and Jesus – David
3/04/21 – LORD of Lords – Bryan
2/25/21 – Numbers 20:6 – Michael
2/18/21 – Lessons from the Disqualified – David
2/11/21 – How to Study a Familiar Bible Verse – David
2/04/21 – Phase 2 is here! Do you know what that means? – Bryan
1/28/21 – Love God Carefully – David
1/21/21 – One of the Answers is Right Here – Micheal
1/07/21 – The New Religion – David
12/31/20 – Our Blessed Hope – David
12/24/20 – One Thing Remains – Bryan
12/17/20 – Do You Aspire to the Office of Overseer? – David
12/10/20 – Psalms - A Political Guide for God's People – David
12/03/20 – Getting Tired of Manna? – Bryan
11/26/20 – Advice on Loving Better – Michael
11/19/20 – Styles of Idolatry: BC, AD, and Today – David
11/12/20 – Fight or Flight? – David
11/05/20 – Take it to The Lord in Prayer – Bryan
10/29/20 – The Anathema Council – David
10/22/20 – Church History – David
10/15/20 – Growing In Our Faith – Bryan
10/08/20 – Finding Jesus – Michael
10/01/20 – Godly Division – David
9/24/20 – Nothing Beyond What Is Written – David
9/17/20 – Stay the Course Continued – Bryan
9/10/20 – “What did you say? I wasn’t listening." – Michael
9/03/20 – How to Assess Your Relationship with God – David
8/27/20 – All The More – David
8/20/20 – Serving With the Right Heart & Attitude – Bryan
7/30/20 – How Firm a Foundation – Bryan
7/16/20 – We Came, We Saw, We Sharpened – David
7/09/20 – Stir Up One Another – Bryan
7/02/20 – Don't Be Afraid to Be Courageous – Michael
6/25/20 – The Gentle Correction That Changed Me – David
6/18/20 – Witnessing Like and For Christ – Bryan
6/04/20 – Resistance, Riots and Romans – David
5/28/20 – Ambassador is Not a Part-Time Job – Bryan
5/21/20 – The Church is Not a Building – Michael
5/14/20 – Proclaim Jesus at the Grocery Store – David
5/07/20 – Stay the Course – Bryan
4/30/20 – It's the Little Things – Michael
4/23/20 – Living With Certainty & Purpose in Uncertain Times –
4/16/20 – Binge-Praying – David
4/09/20 – An Opportunity to Grow – David