“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16

Do you feel like we’re in a time of need??? Elections? Divisions? Pandemics? Protests? Recessions? Racism? Violence? Godlessness? Immorality? Confusion? Deception? That’s just scratching the surface!

If you have embraced Jesus as your Lord, then God’s throne of grace is always open and available to YOU! God wants you to freely and confidently come before Him in prayer with anything and everything that’s troubling you.

God will hear everything you lift up to Him in prayer. He won’t necessarily give you everything you’re asking for, but He’ll give you the mercy and grace you need to get through the day. He may not give you what you want, but He’ll always give you what you truly need. So ask and don’t be afraid to ask! God loves you, He welcomes you, He hears you, and He provides for you.

“Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver from evil.”

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” – Hebrews 2:14-15

Death has been at the forefront of our news and conversations in 2020. The good news is that death has already been defeated! We don’t have to live in fear of death! Jesus destroyed death’s power by His own death.

Because we are flesh and blood, Jesus, the Son of God, became flesh and blood so that He could sacrifice His life on the cross and after His death, rise to life on the third day. At the cross, Jesus defeated Satan and shattered the power of sin and death over the lives of all who embrace Christ as Lord and Savior!

Because Jesus rose to life, all who believe in Him will also rise to life. Jesus is the resurrection and the life! If you believe in Jesus, then please don’t let fear of death control you, dominate your thoughts, or steal your enjoyment of life. Yes, death will come to us all one day unless Jesus returns first, but death is simply the door we pass through into an eternity in God’s glorious presence!

“But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” – Hebrews 1:2

Jesus is the ultimate and perfect revelation of God! Jesus is the way God has spoken to us most clearly and directly. The eternal Son of God, Jesus made God the Father known to us by His words, actions, miracles, character, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection from the dead.

Many today long to hear a word from God. The good news is God has given us plenty of words. They’re written down in the Bible. In the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we see the life, hear the words, and understand the message of salvation offered to us through Jesus Christ.

However, we also know that all of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is breathed out by God. Both the Old and New Testament authors worked under the inspiration of the Spirit of Christ (1 Peter 1, 2 Peter 1, etc.) Jesus taught His disciples about how all of Scripture points to Him.

To hear a word from God, look to Jesus, not to yourself. Spend time every day reading the Bible (not just about the Bible). Pray before you read that God would speak to you that day and don’t be surprised when you begin to realize how often He’s giving you the exact word you need to hear that day.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.”
– Lamentations 3:25

It’s a beautiful thing that in a book of lament written by “The Weeping Prophet” Jeremiah, he still finds comfort and peace in these truths. His situation was miserable, his suffering was real, and his beloved nation was being destroyed around him. And yet, these words were true. Today, in a time of widespread lament, this is an incredibly helpful reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness.

God doesn’t act according to human schedules and impatience. But that doesn’t mean He doesn’t or won’t act! God will act when it fully accomplishes His good and glorious purpose. His ways are much higher than our ways, His knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are without limit, and He sees across all of time. Thus God often requires those who love Him to wait for Him. He often requires us to wait far longer than we’d ever imagine! Let us discipline ourselves to wait well and serve Him well as we wait.

At the same time, while God is always very present, He invites us to seek Him. When we seek Him – in worship, daily Bible study, prayer, meditation, fellowship, service, and sharing Christ – He promises we will find Him. That’s our greatest consolation as we wait in this fallen world – that as we pursue God we enjoy an ever-greater experience of His presence in our souls!

Wait and seek!

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” – Titus 3:1-2

Many today lament the diminishing influence of Christianity and Christians in our culture. Various solutions are proposed, but the only ones that will actually make a true and lasting Kingdom difference are the ones that involve Christians acting like Jesus! Prayer. Submission. Obedience. Good works. Kind words. Peacemaking. Gentleness. Courtesy. Toward all. Even those really different from us. Especially those we disagree with or who attack the faith.

Christians need to act like Christ! 2000 years ago, Christians worshiped in a pagan culture that misunderstood, belittled, feared, and hated them. The culture was highly sexualized, immoral, cruel, and materialistic. Divorce was common and abortion was widespread. Yet the good news of Jesus Christ changed all that!

What changed the world wasn’t the power, wealth, or political influence of the church – it had none. What changed the world was the radically counter-cultural love, kindness, gentleness, and mutual caring that people saw in the church. What changed the world was the obvious reliance on God’s Holy Spirit in the face of opposition and persecution. People were starving for these things and they flocked to the faith.

As we minister to a post-Christian culture, we must once again find our power in prayer and God’s Spirit. We must once again find our character in Jesus, not charismatic and influential church leaders. Christians must commit themselves to act like Christ all the time and in all places.